Federal prosecutors along with law enforcement officials from several agencies announced a big drug bust in Houston that had links to North Texas; New Orleans; Pensacola, Florida; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and Chicago.
A release from the Department of Justice says 41 people have been charged with drug trafficking and money laundering in a 50-count indictment. The indictment alleges they all operated under the overall control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Officials say 23 suspects are in custody, two are dead, and agents are looking for at least 16 other fugitives, in Mexico, Houston, and even Laos.
From Dec. 2018 to April 2020, the conspirators allegedly operated and distributed drugs smuggled into the United States from Mexico. The leader of one of these groups, Roque Zamudio-Mendoza, 52, of Mexico, was the main source of drugs smuggled into the United States, according to the charges.
US Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani says agents recovered 219 kilos of cocaine, 34 kilos of heroin, 550 kilos of methamphetamine, and 22,600 pills laced with fentanyl. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of any illegal proceeds of the alleged crimes, estimated at $10 million.
“CJNG is known as one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in Mexico, characterized by a business model that involves extreme violence and trafficking in the most deadly of substances — cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “This massive indictment demonstrates our tireless efforts to protect our communities against this cartel’s ruthless pursuit of profit which has come at the cost of countless young lives.”
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