DEA Arrests 617 in Nationwide Crackdown on Sinaloa Cartel

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (AP) - The Drug Enforcement Administration arrested 617 suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel across 23 U.S. field divisions today and seized millions in drugs, cash and firearms in a weeklong operation.

The enforcement surge, conducted from August 25-29, aimed to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s command-and-control networks and disrupt its trafficking of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin into American communities.

Agents coordinated with seven foreign regions and domestic partners to target high-value operatives and logistics hubs, underscoring DEA’s commitment to combating synthetic-drug distribution.

Major Seizures and Arrests

480 kg of fentanyl powder
714,707 counterfeit pills
2,209 kg of methamphetamine
7,469 kg of cocaine
55 kg of heroin
$11.1 million in currency
$1.7 million in assets
420 firearms

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole praised the operation’s results, saying, “Every kilogram of poison seized, every dollar stripped from the cartels, and every arrest we make represents lives saved and communities defended”.

Operation Details

Special agents in the New England Division arrested 171 suspects and seized 244 kg of drugs, $1.3 million in cash and 33 firearms-highlighting the cartel’s reach from urban centers to rural towns. Field offices from Los Angeles to Miami targeted key trafficking corridors, leading to the disruption of multiple distribution cells.

Ongoing Efforts

DEA officials emphasized that the weeklong surge is part of a broader, year-round campaign against the Sinaloa Cartel. “The cartel operates in at least 40 countries,” Cole noted, “and we will not relent until it is dismantled from top to bottom”.