Sinaloa Cartel's Drug Smuggling Route To Alaska Taken Down By US Authorities
By HEARST 9/18/2021 01:03:00 PM No comments
"HEARST" for Borderland Beat
A Sinaloa Cartel operative was indicted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for organizing a network of drug traffickers who smuggled large quantities of narcotics from Mexico to the US state of Alaska.
The recent DOJ statement and articles detailing the operation offer interesting insight into how logistically a major cartel such as Sinaloa manages to supply drug markets even in very geographically isolated locations, such as Alaska.
Sinaloa Cartel's Operation To Supply Alaska
On September 15, 2021, the US DOJ announced in a statement that Miguel Báez Guevara had been indicted by a federal grand jury on 17 counts related to his leadership role in trafficking narcotics directly from Mexico. Báez Guevara was believed to be organizing this drug route for the Sinaloa Cartel, which he actively and openly claims membership in.
Beginning as far back as 2016, but likely even earlier, Báez Guevara allegedly worked to import heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine directly from Mexico to the US state of Alaska, which was a highly valued market worth far more than other US states. Far more profit could be reaped per kilo in Alaska due to its geographic isolation from both common drug producing countries (such as Mexico, Columbia) and common drug distribution locations (such as the cities of Atlanta, Chicago, and San Diego).
More:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/09/sinaloa-cartels-drug-smuggling-route-to.html
Miguel Báez Guevara
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Officials: US citizen living in Mexico indicted in drug case
By Becky Bohrer | AP
September 15, 2021 at 7:28 p.m. EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska — A U.S. citizen living in Mexico who claimed ties to the Sinaloa cartel faces a 17-count indictment related to a drug trafficking operation between Mexico and Alaska, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska said Miguel Baez Guevara, 38, was arrested by Mexican immigration authorities in Sonora, Mexico, on Friday. He was deported to the United States and arrested upon his arrival in Arizona, the office said in a statement.
. . .
William Taylor, an assistant U.S. attorney involved in the case, was asked during a news conference if authorities had confirmed a link between Guevara and the cartel, known for its extensive drug distribution network. Taylor said he could not go into details outside the indictment, which said that Guevara “claimed membership in, and association with, the Sinaloa Cartel operating in Sonora, Mexico.”
The cartel is also known for its association with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who had been widely considered its leader. He was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019, and there has been little sign since that the cartel has weakened.
More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/officials-us-citizen-living-in-mexico-indicted-in-drug-case/2021/09/15/ac04eb56-167c-11ec-a019-cb193b28aa73_story.html