Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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Friday, the Justice Department announced it was pursuing charges against three sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman as well as dozens of others believed to be responsible for funneling fentanyl into the United States.
The Justice Department said in a press release that it is targeting individuals and businesses in China, Mexico, and Guatemala as a part of a widespread operation aimed at slowing the influx of the deadly drug.
According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, the Sinaloa cartel, the Guzman family’s criminal enterprise, is a central figure in what has become a national drug crisis.
“The fentanyl crisis in America—fueled in large part by the Sinaloa cartel—threatens our public health, our public safety, and our national security,” Monaco said in a statement. “Today’s indictments reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to attacking every aspect of this threat—and the cartels that drive it—from the chemical companies in China that spawn fentanyl precursors, to the illicit labs that produce the poison, to the networks and money launderers and murderers that facilitate its distribution.”
Although many of the suspects remain at large, eight individuals have been arrested, including one of Guzman’s sons, who was taken into custody by Mexican authorities and will soon be extradited to the U.S. The other seven individuals are also being held in Mexico and will soon be extradited.
“Many of us have heard the stories of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “In the face of unimaginable pain, those families have shown extraordinary bravery in sharing their stories. We are grateful to them. We know that nothing can repair the harm they’ve suffered or bring back the loved ones they have lost. But all of us at the Justice Department are committed to honoring their loved ones’ memories.”
The DOJ’s announcement is the latest in a major effort by the United States and Mexico to beat back the fentanyl market.
As previously reported on FISM, the United States and Mexico announced Thursday that they had reached an agreement to fight the battle in concert.
By Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department had already sanctioned a pair of Chinese businesses for their alleged connection to the fentanyl trade.
But the real challenge for Mexico and the United States will be getting the cooperation of China, which Garland said was necessary to fully address the issue.
“The PRC government must stop the unchecked flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals that are coming out of China,” Garland said.
Conservatives, who have been calling for the Biden administration to step up its efforts against fentanyl for the better part of two years, continue to argue that securing the southern border would be the most effective way to debilitate criminal operations ranging from drugs to weapons to human trafficking.
“Behind me is [the] new border wall built by President Trump,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) tweeted Friday along with a video of himself along the southern border. “It’s slick, tall, and helps prevent illegal aliens from entering our great nation. We need more of it.”
Behind me is new border wall built by President Trump.
It’s slick, tall, and helps prevent illegal aliens from entering our great nation.
We need more of it. pic.twitter.com/FJ4lTvSkeO
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) April 14, 2023
Other conservatives, like Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.), who joined Biggs for a tour of the southern border, argue that a major increase in manpower would help U.S. Customs and Border Patrol better perform its duties.
“By controlling both human smuggling and drug trafficking operations, Cartels often distract @CBP with excess foot traffic and smuggle drugs through unguarded sections of the Southern border,” Grothman tweeted. “With additional manpower, Border Patrol could police ALL of our border.”