The US government, under the administration of President Donald Trump, has announced an unprecedented crackdown on drug trafficking. Attorney General Pam Bondi reported the largest fentanyl seizure in the country’s history, with the seizure of more than three million pills and the arrest of 16 members of the Sinaloa Cartel who were illegally present on US soil.
The operation, the result of a joint investigation between the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), state agents and local police, was deployed in key cities such as Albuquerque (New Mexico), Phoenix (Arizona), Salem (Oregon) and several locations in Utah, where a distribution network led by Heriberto Salazar Amaya, alias “El Ingeniero”, had been established.
Seizure figures
Also seized during the fentanyl seizure operation were:
11.5 kg fentanyl powder
35 kg of methamphetamine
7.5 kg of cocaine
4.5 kg of heroin
49 firearms
More than $5 million in cash
Bondi explained that Salazar had already been deported on two previous occasions, but re-entered the U.S. illegally to reorganize an operational cell of the Sinaloa Cartel.
His arrest took place in Salem, where he coordinated logistical distribution operations.
Long prison sentences
Buzzy
Contrary to the usual practice, the prosecutor announced that those captured will not be deported immediately, but will be criminally prosecuted in federal courts.
“If they are convicted, we will send them to prison for as long as possible, perhaps even to Alcatraz,” Bondi said at a press conference.
This stance is part of the current administration’s approach, which, according to Bondi, will not negotiate with criminals who have sown death in U.S. communities.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction,” he sentenced.
Many of the areas affected by this criminal network have a high concentration of Hispanic population, which exacerbates the social impact of opioid trafficking in migrant communities.
In 2023 alone, more than 100,000 people died from overdoses, and 70% of these cases were linked to fentanyl use.
The prosecutor added that this synthetic drug, manufactured in Mexico with chemicals from China, is now the leading cause of death among 18-34 year-olds in the United States.
New anti-drug strategy
Since his return to the presidency in January 2025, Trump has formally declared the Sinaloa Cartel a terrorist organization.
This has allowed it to expand the legal authority of the Department of Justice to act more aggressively.
Los capturados no serán deportados de inmediato
QuéOnnda.com
According to the Department of Homeland Security, new binational measures are already being considered with Mexico to curb the entry of opioids across the southern border.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
