EL CENTRO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Department of Justice announced Wednesday the unsealing of five federal indictments charging 48 alleged members of a significant drug trafficking organization based in Imperial Valley. The group, reportedly linked to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, is accused of distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, as well as smuggling bulk cash across the border.
In a coordinated operation early Wednesday morning, the DOJ said more than 140 federal, state and local law enforcement officers arrested 25 suspects and executed 15 search warrants across multiple locations, including Imperial County, San Diego, Los Angeles, Stockton, Yuma, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Authorities are still seeking 23 fugitives connected to the case.
The sweeping investigation has led to the seizure of more than 8,000 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as substantial amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin. The indictments charge the defendants with crimes such as drug trafficking, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling, the DOJ explained.