A massive nationwide crackdown on the deadly Sinaloa Cartel has culminated in more than 600 arrests, officials say.
The big swoop included 171 suspects in New England, as part of a week-long operation that targeted one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations, according to officials.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Monday that from Aug. 25 to 29, agents arrested 617 people with ties to the cartel across 23 field divisions in the US.
The enforcement action, billed as a DEA surge, also netted a massive haul of drugs, firearms, and cash.
Among the seizures: 480 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 2,209 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7,469 kilograms of cocaine, 16.5 kilograms of heroin, more than 714,000 counterfeit pills, 420 firearms, and $11 million in cash.
“These results demonstrate the full weight of DEA’s commitment to protecting the American people,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said in a statement.
“Every kilogram of poison seized, every dollar stripped from the cartels, and every arrest we make represents lives saved and communities defended. DEA will not relent until the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from top to bottom.”
In New England, officials said 171 suspected cartel members were arrested, and 244 kilograms of drugs, 22,115 counterfeit pills, $1.3 million in cash, and 33 guns were seized.
Arrest totals included 64 in Connecticut, 49 in Massachusetts, 33 in New Hampshire, 11 in Maine, 10 in Rhode Island, and three in Vermont.
“They’re our public enemy number one in New England,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New England Division.
One of the largest coordinated takedowns in the region came on Aug. 27 in Franklin, New Hampshire, where 27 people were arrested after a three-month investigation.
Authorities said the suspects had trafficked fentanyl and methamphetamine from Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The operation underscored the cartel’s reach into both large urban centers and small rural communities.
“This shows that the Sinaloa Cartel’s tentacles spread far and deep; no community is spared,” said Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Division, which covers Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Drug Enforcement Administration for comment.
