Drug dealers linked to Mexican cartels are now facing federal charges following a year-long Drug Enforcement Agency investigation into the fentanyl and meth pipeline into America. While that investigation was centered in New Orleans, authorities say it has national and international implications.
In all, federal agents arrested 81 people and seized nearly 1.6 million deadly doses of fentanyl across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. Twenty-eight of the arrested suspects are members of the cartel run by the sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Gusman.
"Seven were arrested pursuant to investigations in Colombia, Greece, Guatamala, and the United States," said John Clayton, DEA Special Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans bureau. "They're working here in the U. S. and across the globe, and that's where we go to meet them and to attempt to prosecute these violations of the Controlled Substance Act that are affecting millions of Americans every day."
Clayton says although you might not expect to find drug cartels in New Orleans, those cartels are indeed here and poisoning our community.
"There are definitely members operating here, and that was what was outlined here in (Operation) Last Mile," Clayton told WWL's Newell Normand, referring to the year-long operation that led to the recent crackdown. "In these investigations, as we're looking at these organizations and identifying where they're operating globally but also here domestically, and we try to drill down on those cells working here in the United States and target them as well."
Clayton says the cartels' work has led to violence wherever they've gone, including here in New Orleans.
"That's something that we're also trying to help with," Clayton said. "We had Operation Overdrive, that was working on targeting groups here in New Orleans and throughout the New Orleans Field Division."
Clayton says the DEA's work won't end until the cartels are defeated.
"We are trying to attack these organizations at all levels," Clayton said.
