The money was seized from alleged members of the Guzman Loera drug cartel . The identity of that cartel is not being released as it remains the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.. The queens of the Mexican drug cartels are fond of tight jeans, red lipstick and stilettos. Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most successful drug cartels in Mexico. > Top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you! Villasuso also said that even if legal stores do face extortion efforts by cartel groups it is unlikely law enforcement will even be made aware of it if merchants are too frightened to come to police. On June 10, undercover officers bought two ounces of heroin and 500 fentanyl pills during their first meeting in the parking lot of the Target at 7930 Northfield Boulevard in Denver, the indictment says. There were 234,062 undocumented immigrants apprehended at the Texas-Mexico Border in 2015, a drop from the previous year which saw 315,803 people seized, according to the presentation. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The indictment contains 45 counts, including an asset forfeiture allegation against the stash houses that were used to hide the drugs. Too funny for words! In April, the indictment says, a confidential informant recorded several phone calls with Padilla-Romo negotiating a $1,600 price for a half-pound of methamphetamine. KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. The document alleged that Surez was also a member of the Cartel del Noreste. South Texas remains a redoubt of the Gulf cartel, despite that organization's clashes with Mexican law enforcement, rival cartels, and between internal factions. Mexican authorities have yet to comment on Mata's and Martnez's alleged links to the notorious criminal organization. Five pounds of heroin and four pounds of cocaine were also seized during the investigation, which began in 2018. 'My son was a good person and he didn't deserve the way they killed him,' she said. As CJNG [Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion] has consolidated territory over the past decade, it has added other crimes to its core activity of drug trafficking, OFAC director Andrea Gacki said in a statement. On the eve of the Super Bowlwhere the Mexican avocado producers again ran their ad as they have for the past decade . The organization's purpose was distributing large amounts of drugs including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine throughout the Denver metro area as well as Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, the indictment says. The organization also predicted. A sixth. DENVER (AP) - The U.S. Department of Justice says two Mexican cartels are active in five Colorado cities. Mexican army soldiers display $15 million U.S. on November 22, 2011, in Mexico City. Several agencies investigated the case: The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the IRS, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Colorado State Patrol, and the Aurora Police Department. Joaquin Guzman-Loera (AKA's Chapo, Chapo Guzman, El Rapido) is a Mexican National. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rivera-Beltran responded they would ask "Canelo" (later identified as Cesar Antonio Ortiz) for 100 more "buttons," according to the indictment. Even back before the break of the war, US gov was warning against going there. On. Investigators said Rivera-Beltran's comments proved he knew about the drugs at the stash house (some of which were discovered in the locations he mentioned), as well as his participation in the drug conspiracy and clean-up efforts, according to the indictment. They spoke about introducing Escamilla to another undercover agent as well as purchasing some "blues," which investigators knew to be fentanyl pills, the indictment says. They discussed concern over a camera pointing towards the carport, and the indictment says Rivera-Beltran commented that he would go to the residence of Albert Sanchez Rodriguez or somewhere else. "Mexican drug cartels in Boulder (Nanooo Nanooo), NORAD Central/ Air Force Academy and Dullsville-Pueblo, too. Founded in the late 1980s, it was for many years headed by the notorious drug. AP Photo/U.S. She joined the Gazette in 2016. According to the DEA, these six Mexican drug cartels generate tens of billions of dollars every year and employ a multitude of financial transactions and arrangements to launder and smuggle their earnings into Mexico. The cartel invests substantially to ensure that the right people are in key positions so as to further their objectives. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Inside Matt Hancock's 41-hour battle to save his career when photo of 'a snog and heavy petting' Will Vladimir Putin's empress pay the ultimate price for his war on the West? Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. RELATED:. The 21-year-old was driving the pickup truck that crashed into a parked car after he refused orders from the military to pull over. 22:55 03 Mar 2023, updated 23:04 03 Mar 2023. Daily Briefing "In recent years, the Gulf cartel has weakened due to the arrest of key leaders in Mexico and intra-cartel conflict, which has led to a decline in its drug trafficking influence in the United States.". The informant continued to negotiate prices for more meth with Padilla-Romo throughout June, and the indictment says Romo mentioned he was going to get more from Jesus Tarango-Rodriguez. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Rivera-Beltran specifically mentioned that a load of drugs agents believed to be cocaine that was arriving the first week of September, lamented that one of his loads had been taken, and offered the informant "1,000 almonds" which investigators believed to be fentanyl pills, according to the indictment. A third photograph showed Mata smiling and flashing a thumbs up inside a jail cell. Antonio Ortiz asked Rivera-Beltran over a call if he had received the "chocolates," believed to be heroin, and asked for "two," believed to be two kilos, according to the indictment. It's Denver and the suburbs, Greeley with all the cholos, Longmont and Colorado Springs then it makes it's way to College students thru networks. ", RELATED: A mom lost her son to an overdose. We have no idea what the Mexican drug cartels do with all that RMB and how they smuggle all that cash out of China. (AP). The vehicles driven by Trevizo and Peterson pulled into the carport. On Sept. 19, Rivera-Beltran called Beltran-Beltran and spoke about "chocolate" (believed to be heroin), "paint" (believed to be liquid meth), and prices of meth. Zambada now is assumed to head the Sinoloa Cartel. Juarez Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses El Paso as a major hub. A Colorado Springs food distribution company and at least six local Mexican restaurants are linked to the Sinoloa Cartel and drug lords Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn-Lorea and Ismael "El Mayo". Is comparing Colorado Springs' and Denver's homeless populations fair or unfair? On Aug. 31, the indictment says, the same confidential informant called Rivera-Beltran again. RELATED: All-time high overdose deaths in country Colorado deaths up 34%. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The following items were discovered when investigators searched the Kearney Street address, according to the indictment: According to the indictment, that Corvette was the same vehicle driven by Rivera-Beltran during the two drug deals with undercover officers, according to the indictment. He also told the informant a load he was waiting for had arrived, and he could give the informant 40 pounds of meth, according to the indictment. The eight companies are Servicios Administrativos Fordtwoo, S.A. de C.V., Integracion Badeva, S.A. de C.V., JM Providers Office, S.A. de C.V., Promotora Vallarta One, S.A. de C.V., and Recservi, S.A. de C.V, Corporativo Title I, S.A. de C.V., Corporativo TS Business Inc, S.A. de C.V., and TS Business Corporativo, S.A. de C.V. Treasury has previously sanctioned entities related to the cartel and individuals critical to its operations. The Defense Department said the soldiers acted on their own and shot at the vehicle after they heard a loud noise following the crash. Were a police department, were always concerns about what may happen.. A seventh restaurant with ties to Colorado Springs also was named in the complaint. The Defendants from California are Juan Carlos Medina-Soberanis, 31; and Erik Parra. He also made calls to customers and suppliers throughout the month, the indictment says. Trevizo and Tarango-Rodriguez then drove separately to a residence at 6841 Locust St. Inside the vehicle, the indictment says, investigators found 5,636.88 grams of cocaine also packaged as bricks with the word "CHANEL" stamped on them. Then I wonder where shipment after shipment, literally TONS of that weed from Mexico is going? Treasury sanctions eight Mexican. A Mexican cartel enforcer says Ciudad Juarez is headed for another war >>. Claims of jury misconduct arose after a juror told VICE News in February 2019 report that several jurors followed media accounts of the three month-long trial. Add Pueblo Colorado to the list. 'The Sinaloa and Juarez cartels are active from the Starbucks locales there in Boulder!' A Mexican cartel assassin butchered one of his rivals, cut his heart out and took bites from it in harrowing footage posted online as a warning to other gang members. I can buy a pound in texas for 300 to 400 and bring it to MN and sell for 1000-1500 and thats where all the shit brick trees go, Mexican drug cartels are getting into the game of hydroponics. Rodriguez said he flew to Arizona the previous night to pick up the car which was purchased by a friend and drive it to Denver, the indictment says. We ranked each city by the number of different Mexican cartels that use as a distribution hub. Agents discovered several calls between Padilla-Romo and Tarango-Rodriguez where they spoke about prices for pounds of "work," which investigators believed to be meth, according to the indictment. Their second choice for leadership positions are U.S. citizens of Mexican origin. We bet you won't be able to guess the #1 U.S. city that is crowded by these violent Mexican drug cartels. On Aug. 29, a confidential informant received a call from Rivera-Beltran, and, the indictment says, they discussed meth. They clearly don't care about violating the employment discrimination laws. A 2020 report prepared by the Congressional Research Service says the cartel originated in western. On Sept. 23, the indictment says Rivera-Beltran called asking Guadalupe Ortiz to bring his birth certificate and some money from Colorado to Arizona, and Guadalupe Ortiz said he would fly down. Authorities believe a woman accessing the safe-deposit boxes faked pregnancies to make deposits, carrying the cash inside of a false belly.. An intelligence report that was reviewed by TV Azteca claimed Mata had a criminal background record in San Antonio, Texas. Rivera-Beltran said he arrived in Phoenix that day around 5 a.m., which was confirmed by GPS, told him to hide the money well, and Escamilla to bring 55 stacks of $100 bills to reduce bulk, according to the indictment. But, according to the most recent report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sinaloa cartel and traffickers affiliated with it still control the lion's share of the US market for illegal narcotics. In another call, the indictment says Tranago-Rodriguez discussed prices for a half-pound of meth with Padilla-Romo. Escamilla called Beltran-Beltran later that night, who told Escamilla he needed to pick up 24,000 pills that were moved out of the house after the traffic stop, according to the indictment. According to their. Cartel boss Carlos Enrique Sanchez, 'El Cholo', appeared in a video shortly before found dead in a Mexico park. The file also showed that the five victims tested positive for sodium rhodizonate, a sign they may have been carrying weapons and shot at the soldiers during the pursuit. More than 400 soldiers have now turned up the city after . Defendants have denied involvement in the scheme. Scott Simon talks with Vice News Correspondent Emily Green about the increased role of Mexican drug cartels in the avocado and lime business. Mexican drug cartels control vast swaths of the US drug market, but that influence remains heavily slanted in favor of the vaunted Sinaloa cartel. "They have found that it's easier to grow and process marijuana in Colorado, ship it throughout the United States, than it is to bring it from Mexico or Cuba," Elder said. The coalition's members operate in concert to protect themselves, relying on connections at the highest levels and corrupting portions of the federal police . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Sinaloa Mexican Drug Cartel is known to be the dominant drug cartel in both California and Colorado. Rafael Caro Quintero, a drug lord known as "the narco of narcos" who was behind the killing of a US drug enforcement agent in 1985, has been captured by Mexican forces nearly a decade after. We are committed to dismantling and removing the threat posed by these criminal organizations flooding American communities with dangerous narcotics, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Every halcone is calling his boss with your every move. Los Zetas Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Dallas as a major hub. drug cartel, an illicit consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition and control the production and distribution of illegal drugs. DEA special agent Robert Murphy said the SRT recently took down a dangerous Mexican cartel's methamphetamine conversion lab at a house in Gwinnett County. According to the DEA, Mexican drug cartels continue to expand their presence and forge partnerships with other transnational gangs, U.S. street gangs, prison gangs, and Chinese money laundering organizations. After multiple messages were exchanged, the indictment says, surveillance captured them meeting at a gas station, hugging and Zytacua getting in and out of her car. The ban on Mexican avocados has been lifted, but an economist and a student at the Miami Herbert Business School both say that cartels are the real threat to this popular green fruit in the United States. "The Sinaloa Cartel exports and distributes wholesale amounts of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin in the United States by maintaining key distribution hubs in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, among other cities," the DEA reports. A lot of "somebody's" are buying this stuff cause the shipments keep coming and the dollars keep going to the cartels? We try to spoil when we should understand we haven't spoiled so much, because they know we are working hard for them. These cartels primarily employ Mexican nationals to oversee their distribution operations in the United States. A wiretap order was also signed for Zytacua's phone number, the indictment says. On Oct. 30, the indictment says GPS showed Rodriguez's phone was traveling north on I-25, and around 1040 p.m., he was stopped in the car with Nancy Vargas by Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies. He later bragged to movie star Sean Penn: I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. Based on calls and surveillance, the investigators said, it was clear a drug transaction took place for more than seven grams of meth. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Joaquin Guzman, the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo," entered a Colorado prison known as "the Alcatraz of the Rockies" on Friday to begin a life sentence after being found guilty of a raft of crimes including conspiracy to commit murder. The next day, the indictment says, agents arranged surveillance on I-70 in Summit County of a car rented in Arizona by Diarte. The US government has described the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world. It is also the most significant drug trafficking organization in the United States. Sinaloa Cartel. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Guzmn, widely known as El Chapo, was considered the worlds most powerful drug lord until his federal conviction this month on 10 counts of drug trafficking, money laundering and use of a firearm in decades of grisly killings to further his drug enterprise. Our ranking methodology is quite simple. Chinese nationals aren't allowed to transfer their wealth outside of China, so they are willing to pay Mexican drug cartels a premium for the cartels' US dollar cash holdings in exchange for RMB payments in China. Documents filed Wednesday . Employees roll joints behind the sales counter at Medicine Man marijuana dispensary in Denver. Agents followed the truck onto I-70 and stopped it outside of Glenwood Springs, according to the indictment. No arrests have been made, but a cashier told The Gazette that all employees in the restaurant that night then returned to Mexico. Also in June, Tarango-Rodriguez continued to make calls on a third phone number that was being monitored by agents, and the indictment says he told a user he was going to sell 500,000 "small blue ones," which investigators believed to be 30-milligram fentanyl pills, in Kansas. On Aug. 2, the indictment says, Zytacua called Amanda Bidgood and negotiated the sale of two grams of meth for $100 to Bidgood. Its origins can be traced to the Guadalajara cartel, which was one of Mexico's largest crime organizations in the early 1980s. When will the Beast from the East be at YOUR door? The legalization of marijuana may have attracted a lot of cartel activity to the state because cartels can grow and sell marijuana there more securely. Marshals Service The Flores brothers admitted to smuggling at least 1,500 kgs of cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel into the US every month between 2005 and 2008. as well as other partner offers and accept our, NOW WATCH: This is how Mexican drug cartels make billions selling drugs, an offshoot of the Sinaloa cartel around 2010, violent turf wars in several areas on Mexico's west coast. Boulder isn't where the cartels are supplying anyway idiots. The DEA "assesses that the following six Mexican TCOs as having the greatest drug trafficking impact on the United States: Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, BeltranLeyva Organization, Juarez Cartel, Gulf Cartel, and Los Zetas Cartel". Richard Nixon. WE HAVE THE BEST OF THE BEST AND ITS SO AFFORDABLE NOW..25 FOR AN 1/8.COLORADO HAS THEIR SHIT TOGETHER AND HAS CHOSEN TO GO AFTER THE HARD DRUGS AND LET THE GOOD PEOPLE SMOKE THEIR WEED!!!! Mexican drug cartels control vast swaths of the US drug market, but that influence remains heavily slanted in favor of the vaunted Sinaloa cartel. Now Guzmn is expected to be sent to Colorados maximum-security prison in Florence, the U.S. Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, better known as Supermax. It alleges that El Potosino was a front company used to funnel drug money through Mexican restaurants in Colorado and Wyoming. Kaitlin is a public safety reporter with a focus on investigations. Surez was chased by two Army pickup trucks before he lost control of his own and crashed into parked vehicle. The Defendants from Mexico are: Jose Tapia-Rubio, 58, (naturalized); Selestino Hernandez-Mayo, 45; Fredy Paz-Herrera, age unknown; Bancholas, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Rodrigo Mora-Sanchez, 49, (naturalized); Oscar Mora-Campos, age unknown; Eduardo Jimenez-Sanchez, 37; Changuito, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Um-9584, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Leopoldo Rodriguez-Padilla, Age Unknown; And Heberto Mora-Sanchez, 43. (The Center Square) - Law enforcement investigations continue to target cartel-driven drug trafficking networks nationwide as Mexican cartels maintain operational control of the southern border, and transport dangerous narcotics and synthetic opioids to major U.S. cities. The DEA said the organization was led by Saul Ramon Rivera-Beltran, 30, of Thornton, who would order drugs and have couriers pick them up. It is understood that the mutilated corpse in the video belongs to a gunman working for the Sinaloa Cartel, whose former leader, Joaqun Archivaldo Guzmn Loera, otherwise known . (Luis Velarde and Sarah Hashemi/The Washington Post) On Nov. 1, the indictment says Rivera-Belran received a call from a Mexican phone number, and spoke about losing the car with three "boxes," which agents believed to be fentanyl pills, and sod that "it was very hot and that it all went to hell. The Sinaloa Cartel's criminal activity in the Ciudad Juarez and El Paso area included the violence that occurred during the war between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which led to the death of thousands of people in Ciudad Juarez and throughout the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango. And in 2015, he crawled through an opening in a shower area that led to a mile-long tunnel, escaping the maximum-security Altiplano Federal Prison near Toluca, Mexico. Tarango-Rodriguez said in the calls that the "buttons" Rivera-Beltran had were not good. San Diego's largest cash seizure ever may shed light on an overlooked aspect of the drug trade >>, In many instances, the Sinaloa cartel and other Mexican cartels partner with street gangs in the US particularly the MS-13 to sell the drugs to consumers. NOBODY IN THE SURROUNDING DENVER AREA WANTS THAT SHIT NEITHER!!! The cartels and the drug trade fuel rampant corruption and. At least 10 different "target telephones" were monitored over the course of the investigation, according to the indictment. Best Mexican Restaurants in Colorado Springs, El Paso County: Find Tripadvisor traveler reviews of Colorado Springs Mexican restaurants and search by price, location, and more. LOL, the Zetas were saying don't bother kidnapping those two, they are so stupid their families wouldn't want them back. On Aug 19., the indictment says, state troopers stopped Anali Saavedra Flores on I-25. He then asked Maritza if she found the "water" in the air duct and the "work" hidden in a closet, and spoke about what authorities found and took, including the Corvette, the indictment says. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats.. COVELO, Calif. Mexican drug cartels are muscling in on America's burgeoning multi-billion-dollar marijuana industry, illegally growing large crops in the hills and valleys of Northern California. Sinaloa cartel, international crime organization that is among the most-powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world. You might want to lay off the coffee and keep an eye on the soapbox because you are tripping over it. She wants you to know he's more than a number. But the general consensus is that the Mexican cartels will not quietly relinquish the Denver market. Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. By Adry Torres For Dailymail.com This organization is alleged to have moved large amounts of meth and cocaine from Mexico to Colorado, with devastating impact on communities in their wake. (File, courtesy of KKTV). Ryan Saavedra is a contributor for Breitbart Texas and can be found on Twitter at @RealSaavedra. "This group I put together is designed specifically to protect product, people, and money. FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2020 file photo, a policeman drives past town hall in Apaseo El Alto, Guanajuato state, Mexico. All rights reserved. Seven of the defendants are considered fugitives. The drugs were kept in stash houses in Aurora, Colorado, before being distributed at a local grocery store. The indictment says Trevizo's vehicle was pulled over by officers after it left the residence. "We still don't know what the fall out will be but when there is this much money involved the potential is great for groups to want capitalize.". A 50-page version sanitized of confidential information was filed publicly Feb. 22. Escamilla then had a conversation with Nancy Vargas, and told her he had a suitcase/bag in his house that she needed to remove, as well as guns and money, according to the indictment. NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY IN BOULDER WANTS THAT SHIT WEED FROM MEXICO!!! Marijuana also, according to NYTimes, is their cash crophttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02pot.html?pagewanted=all.