"Anonymous" for Borderland Beat
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| Prescriptions drugs collected during the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)s Take Back Day event are placed into plastic bags by members of the DEA in White Plains, New York on April 24, 2021. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images) |
Federal drug investigators say there are many homegrown, illegal drug makers who are operating in the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest in the US, but violent Mexican drug cartels are moving in and also trying to establish a foothold in the region.
Officials from Homeland Security Investigations, the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, said they are eyeing one group in particular because of its brazen activity.
That group is known as Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and its members are active in Mexico with operations that extend through the U.S. and all throughout Washington state. Federal law enforcement said the cartel is now the primary group trafficking fentanyl into the U.S. across the southern border and into the Pacific Northwest via the north/south Interstate 5 corridor.
“I would say that they are a huge threat to the stability of this region,” said Robert Hammer, the special agent-in-charge with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), adding that the group brazenly flaunted their armored vehicles and high powered weaponry during a recently released video in Mexico, where it is illegal for most law-abiding citizen to own. The video praised the cartel's boss, known as El Mencho, who is considered the most wanted criminal in Mexico and one of the most wanted people by U.S. law enforcement agents.
The group's primary drug of choice to smuggle is fentanyl, which is said to be 50 times more deadly than the heroin it is supplanting in the Pacific Northwest. “We’re seeing cartel activity (and) it’s not limited to just the Seattle region," Hammer said.
"We’re seeing large cartel activity in middle Washington (and) we’re seeing cartel activity in Southeast Washington."
In July 2020, federal agents in Puget Sound seized 200 fentanyl pills and 20 pounds of methamphetamine along with heroin, cocaine, nine firearms and more than $250,000 in cash.
According to investigators, 19 drug traffickers linked to CJNG were arrested and 15 were indicted after an 18-month investigation. Just before that, law enforcement seized 1500 fentanyl pills and more than 100 pounds of meth along with various quantities of cocaine, heroin, and six firearms.
And in March 2021, the homeland agency's Narcotics Taskforce, along with Seattle Police Department detectives, seized 410,000 fentanyl pills, 77 pounds of meth, 908 grams of heroin and 787 grams cocaine while serving several warrants in Bellevue.
“I think it’s something that should be eye opening to some of the stories that have taken place across this region," Hammer said. "It’s not limited to just downtown Seattle. This is really a regional problem that we’ve seen with the cartel activity and its requiring a multi-faceted approach by law enforcement to get after it.”
In fiscal year 2020, Homeland Security Investigations seized 6,105 pounds of fentanyl across the country and made 31,915 criminal arrests. But in just the first four months of this year in the Pacific Northwest, HSI has seized 131 pounds of fentanyl. Last year, federal agents seized 50 pounds and in 2019, just four pounds.
Sources: Komo News; Epoch Times
i live here in Seattle. I've noticed (as a civilian recreational user) many changes in the types and costs of drugs in the city area. We've also had a lot of violence in the Tacoma area over the last year that surpasses the levels that we had 30 yeears ago with Hilltop Crips (the creation of the show COPS was built around this gang). Earlier this year the bodies of two folks (male and female, reported as drug related by police) were found chopped up in a suitcase at one of our most popular beaches, stuff you see where cartels are involved. I've heard that Central and SE washington has been a distribution area for cartels for years........ sadly people here in washington really like that poison
ReplyDeleteSeattle is flooded with cheap heroin and meth. Yakima in E. Washington is the national HQ of the CDS in the USA. It appears that Mencho wants to make a play for Yakima, where I grew up. My brother, who is an addict in Yakima, says there have been an influx of really sleazy drug dealers in town recently, pushing deadly purity heroin and meth. He said they are decked out in red, signifying alliance with nortenos. He said they travel in non descript vehicles that poor people normally drive, but shadowed by Hummers and luxury SUVs. Also, finding people chopped up and all that. Shit's about to get wild.
DeleteThe national cds HQ?
DeleteCDS HQ in USA should be Arizona tbh.
Delete6105 pounds seized in 2020
ReplyDeleteFirst half of 2021 is almost done and just 131 pounds seized. In north West, lets assume it’s 1000 pounds in all US.
Where is the problem????
Reporting?
DeleteA CDS money laundering cell was just broken up in Tri Cities Washington.
DeleteThe problem is all contraband not seized that poisons the population.
DeleteI would say the US authorities are slow on the uptake. As soon as the precursers to meth were banned in the US, the criminal families were already there. They had the networks, knowhow, and ability to supply the addict with a strong cheap product, and they did. La Familia never broke up in the US, its the same people. While infighting causes alliances to change, the players are the same.
ReplyDeleteMichoacános are deep in the Seattle area, but unlike Mexico they’re not biased as far as who is supplying as long as its quality. I’ve never heard Mexicanos in the business in Seattle degrade others because they are from a different state. Maybe it’s only online?
ReplyDeleteIdk man I’ve seen some a lot of Michoacános all over WA State. I’ve even same some logos as “CDA” not sure what it stands for but I know it’s not meaning Coeurd’Alane, ID
DeleteIt's whole different game in states.
Delete@10:17 In real life a true Mexican won't give a damn about the state of another dude when it comes to making feria. It's all about heart. Paisas are respetados.
Deletepeople from michoacan, especially in the tri cities, are deep in washington. they are just burning the cjng name. all the people of michoacan are still smuggling to the US, switching up on cjng has not hurt their smuggling or cooking, no matter how much cjng fans want to believe otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, my friend told me his dealer guy in downtown Seattle said his supplier is LFM and will stab him if he finds out he buys from anyone else. He says his supplier is a psycho homicidal mofo.
DeleteSounds like a sound business relationship your friend has with his dealer, lol
Delete@10:23 Tuco Salamanca.
DeleteIn Tacoma- Seattle area there is a ton of people from the Guerro area if you go to Midland,parkland,Spanaway, Puyallup,and Kent nothing but people from guerro. The owner of El Rinconsito has been under federal investigation for years sooo its claimed
ReplyDeleteEl Riconsito has bomb flautas and caldo de res. Please I hope this isn't true lol
DeleteThe best Mexican food is in lakewood exit 125 taqeria El Sabroso bomb ass enchiladas I started going there back in 2010 it's fucking epic I was just up there 2 weeks ago and they still remember my order
DeleteThought BLO dominated that area?
ReplyDeleteWhy only a little bit of coke something isn't right either the feds are keeping it or its not worth that much up there?
ReplyDeleteGonna run into the bandidos
ReplyDeleteYou sir and a moron. It's not that CJNG is this mighty cartel that shut CU routes it's that the war is bringing alot of heat and attention to them and thats why CU are losing money.m don't believe my words take that 1000 pound or kilo shipment of crystal that El Frutos from Tepalcatepec CU was caught trying to broker with two DEA agents. You still don't think it's affecting? You think CU/cjng can cook peacefully in Aguaje or Aguililla and other areas when it's constantly being tossed back n forth in regards to who controls it. One week NG is there next week CU is there.war is bad for bussiness bro
ReplyDeleteNow they want to say NG is #1fetanyl but they are and will always be above all else crystal meth traffickers ecause the profits on it are ridiculous . Milenio before NG and then when they were with coronel El Rey De Crystal" .. it's always been meth for NG and co
CDS has a strong hold on the PNW. They operate out of portland and pasco lowkey. Rumor on the streets tho is a new group is heating up the I-5 corridor from portland to tacoma. These areas have never seen violence like they hsve the past year especially portland. Something is brewing in the NW.
ReplyDeleteIn Washington simple possession of drugs is now not illegal.
ReplyDeletehttps://newstalkkit.com/simple-possession-of-drugs-ruled-legal-in-washington-state/
I can almost assure you the pills arent coming from cjng
ReplyDeletea smart society would have realized long ago that prohibition creates infinitely more problems than if they were to legalize and regulate, and just hold people to a higher standard of personal responsibility not simply criminalize them based on just the drug itself...and no forcing someone to do mandatory treatment or jail isnt that much better than the system we already have..
ReplyDeleteyou are an adult correct? what business is it of anyones elses especially the governments to tell you what is prohibited for you to injest and partake in i.e.how you wana feel? if someone goes and acts a fool while intoxicated we already have laws to handle that but is it not painfully obvious that this is really a war on personal freedom of you the adult individual by those who wish to perpetuate the notion of the state being this over arching arbiter in your lives...hey if the citizenry is really children in adult bodies maybe the state needs to be a nanny lording over everybody...i pray this isnt the case.
why this never changes? the current law enforcement aparatus of our cuntry USA, is addicted yes freakin addicted to the power they get from being market regulators of the illegal drug business, and the money and property assets they seize year after year as a result...the courts, the jails, the bloated departments with all there task force would be bankrupt over night with out illegal drugs..there simply isnt enough speeding tickets and other crime to support the huge industry its become...
i dont do drugs so guess what i dont do them, its not my business as an american to advocate state power to lock up people simply for choosing to get a buzz from a substance i may not..thats called being an adult and respecting other people, i dont get nerotic about having others living their lives with out me or the state needing to force our will on them, its wrong period.end of discussion. the longer we perpetuate this crap the more harm we allow, the further the rights of and respect for the individual is erroded, the farther we as a nation slip further into the state being involved in every facet of our everyday lives and the citizenry starts to almost hate the individual who does not conform or simply does something different or questions the narrative...this has been the dark cloud in the background since i was born and it continues to get worse and worse...why is that? are we as adults that insecure with ourselves we want the state to come in and tell you what time it is? its coward mentality and simply pathetic, no backbones deserving of no liberty nor security .
whats more important to you harm reduction or state power having ultimate control over you and your fellow men and women,adult citizens? thats all it is...dont beat around the bush now, ive distilled it for ya. id love to have a serious debate with anyone who can actually muster an intelligent arguement for why this war on drugs non sense should continue...if your knee jerk reaction happens to be "drugs er bad mkay because they shouldnt be doing it! i dont do it and i dont want them doing it! xyz in my family was a trainwreck on drugs bla bla we need the state to tell us how to liveno escape buddy"....save it, xyz in all honesty is a moron we dont need to punish everyone for the idiocy of a few. imagine for a second if people were taught that only responsible people can use drugs, would it be so shocking if it stopped perpetuating and attracting the criminally minded and trainwreck mentality? everything is learned.
this will change only when we as a society realize its time to grow up, the state aint here to be the babysitter and we shouldnt want them to be in that role either less we want a world where half the population polices the other half. that shat brain mentality if ive ever heard it. forget potheads the government has plenty of potholes in the road they need to worry about. its not junkies but junk and trash litter in the streets and landfills. thats my humble opionion, i know im not alone..