NEW ORLEANS (NewsNation) — Federal immigration agents are just beginning their latest enforcement operation in New Orleans, but the city is also being seen as a major hub for Mexican drug cartels to move fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Drug Enforcement Administration officials tell NewsNation that two of Mexico’s most dangerous transnational criminal organizations are behind the surge of illicit drugs entering New Orleans. Members of the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel are pushing a variety of dangerous drugs into the region, using Louisiana’s largest city as a major entry point from Mexico.
The New Orleans Department of Health reports that 816 people in the area have died from drug overdoses over the past two years. Of those deaths, 80% have been connected to fentanyl.
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DEA officials say that many of the drug deals being conducted by cartel members are taking place on social media platforms. In many cases, local low-level drug dealers don’t realize that they are dealing with groups that have been designated by the Trump administration as foreign terrorist organizations. That designation allows the DEA to invest more tools and resources to combat the influx of dangerous and illicit drugs into Louisiana…