Historic Fentanyl Bust: DOJ Takes Down Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Drug Ring

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Historic Fentanyl Bust: DOJ Takes Down Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Drug Ring
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Historic Fentanyl Bust: DOJ Takes Down Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Drug Ring

The Daily Wire reported federal authorities executed the largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history in New Mexico, dismantling a drug ring tied to the Sinaloa Cartel. The Department of Justice announced this week that 16 individuals were arrested, including the operation’s leader, Heriberto Salazar Amaya. The DEA and other agencies seized 11.5 kilograms of concentrated fentanyl powder, nearly three million fentanyl-laced pills labeled as oxycodone, 49 firearms, cash, luxury vehicles, and other drugs. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the scale of the crisis, noting that fentanyl kills 75,000 Americans annually. Bondi also stated that Mexico has been cooperating, with 29 cartel members extradited to the U.S. for prosecution. She said, “More seizures are coming, more arrests are coming. I guarantee you that.”

It’s also worth noting that President Trump signed an executive order that went into effect this week to end a tariff loophole that allowed China to bring knock-off goods, including drugs.

From The Daily Caller:

But it wasn’t just about cheap imports. Federal agents say the loophole became a key smuggling route for synthetic drugs like fentanyl. Since Congress raised the de minimis threshold in 2016, fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. have surged by 350%, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Much of the fentanyl in the United States enters via the southern border, but the chemicals often originate in China and are increasingly shipped through de minimis channels.

As de minimis goods go straight to consumers, shippers aren’t required to declare as much data at the border. That made it nearly impossible for CBP officers to intercept dangerous cargo.

“What we’re seeing in the de minimis environment in particular, is that we’re not getting enough truly accurate data,” former acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in an interview last year.

Smugglers now routinely hide deadly synthetic opioids in fake pharmaceuticals, CBP officials at JFK Airport said in a press release.