Sinaloa Drug Cartel Indictments in Washington

If you haven’t heard of the Sinaloa cartel, you probably aren’t into the drug scene in Seattle. These folks are big players out of Mexico and have extended their reach into the US in a big way. The gang operates all along the west coast into Canada and as far to the east as Ohio. They are one of the most feared of the Mexican cartels with a well deserved reputation for violence and corrupting government officials.

Last week, 18 people involved in drug trafficking with links to the Sinaloa cartel were indicted here in Washington. The drugs mentioned were heroin and methamphetamine. This particular network ran up from Mexico, through Arizona and into the Northwest US, including Seattle. From here they would be further distributed north and west.

The charges levied by the grand jury are not just for drugs though. The group is charged with conspiracy for trafficking as well as plotting murder. Federal firearms charges were also pressed against two of the organization. Since this is an organized and large operation, money laundering also makes an appearance on the charges list. All 18 are Washington state residents.

The drugs involved, meth and heroin, are not coincidental. The Sinaloa drug cartel grows their own poppies in Mexico. Heroin comes from those poppies. And the new restrictions in the US on chemicals needed in meth manufacture means there is now a market for this as well.

The Sinaloa cartel is about as bad as these gangs get. They are noted for beheading the competition and burning snitches alive. This organization shouldn’t be underestimated. They have also spawned a great deal of the corruption in Mexican law enforcement through a combination of threats and payoffs. While Sinaloa is a small state in Mexico, the cartel’s reach covers the west side of that nation and all the way down into South America.