Four high-ranking members of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel were indicted on federal charges of international drug trafficking on Nov. 5, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
According to the DOJ, a federal grand jury indicted Aureliano Guzman-Loera of Sinaloa, and brothers Ruperto, Jose, and Heriberto Salgueiro-Nevarez of Guadalupe y Calvo. Prosecutors allege the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers operate a faction of the cartel known as the Salgueiro-Nevarez Organization (SNO) while Guzman-Loera is the brother of former cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman-Loera.
The four are accused of committing various violations of the law by internationally distributing controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana over a seven-year period.
He was found guilty of all 10 federal criminal counts against him, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other drugs, and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.
The evidence showed that under Guzman’s orders, the Sinaloa cartel was responsible for smuggling mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States during his 25-year reign, prosecutors said in court papers recapping the trial.
Guzman, who escaped twice from prison in Mexico, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He is currently serving his sentence in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a June press conference that his department identified 150 illegal marijuana grows in Antelope Valley in 2020; this year, the number had grown to more than 500.
Ventura said the drug cartels typically smuggle drugs from Mexico and distribute them inside the United States through various channels. The investigative reporter also called on President Joe Biden to tighten enforcement at the southern border, which he said would lower the cartels’ source of labor.