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The Department of Justice on Friday announced charges in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation against 28 members of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, including the sons of El Chapo, known as “the Chapitos.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the charges unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, and District of Columbia target “the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world – run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against two Chinese companies and five people in China and Guatemala “responsible for providing precursor chemicals” needed to manufacture fentanyl.
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“Illicit fentanyl is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year,” said Brian Nelson, under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement. “Treasury, as part of the whole-of-government effort to respond to this crisis, will continue to vigorously apply our tools to prevent the transfer of precursor chemicals and machinery necessary to produce this drug.”
The Sinaloa cartel is largely responsible for the surge of fentanyl into the U.S. over the last eight years, according to Justice Department.
The cartel operated as an affiliation of drug traffickers and money launderers who obtain precursor chemicals – largely from China – needed to manufacture synthetic drugs, according to the Justice Department. Those traffickers and money launderers manufacture drugs in Mexico, move those drugs into the U.S., and collect, launder and transfer the proceeds of drug trafficking, the department added.
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USA TODAY
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