Hit to the Sinaloa Cartel in Spain; organization operates in at least 47 countries

“Agents of the National Police, in a joint operation with the Mossos d’Esquadra, have dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to international drug trafficking and linked to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel,” reported Talía Andrés, spokesperson for the National Police.

The Operative

The investigation by the Spanish authorities began on August 5, when the body of a man with signs of violence and in an advanced state of decomposition was located in a wooded area of Tarragona.

The alleged perpetrators were identified, so the National Police carried out “registries” (searches) in five homes and in a restaurant in several towns in the region of Catalonia.

The agents detained 14 members of the Sinaloa Cartel cell, most of them Mexicans; They also seized a laboratory for the production of methamphetamines, a “large amount of ecstasy” and a marijuana plantation inside a home.

“Firearms, technological material and money were also seized, as well as evidence directly related to the kidnapping and murder of a man. The detainees, 11 men and 3 women, are between 30 and 70 years old. The victim is 46 years old,” added the spokesman.

“He allegedly worked for the organization and had traveled from Italy to Barcelona to meet with some of the leaders of the network,” added Talía Andrés.

In which countries does it operate?

The Sinaloa Cartel, along with the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, is one of the most dangerous criminal organizations with the greatest presence in the world, operating in at least 47 countries, according to a report from the United States government.

In its most recent National Drug Threat Assessment, the DEA reported that this Cartel is located in places like China, where it obtains chemical precursors and traffics methamphetamines; It also supplies these drugs in Asian countries, such as Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.

From South America, this criminal group sends thousands of kilograms of cocaine to Mexico destined for the US market, or to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, in Central and South American countries there are permanent contingents of the Sinaloa Cartel that coordinate shipments of cocaine or the import of chemical precursors to Mexico.

The US document, released in May, maintains that the Sinaloa Cartel does not have a leader, but is made up of four criminal factions: one led by “Los Chapitos”, who are the children of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán; the second by his brother Aureliano Guzmn Loera; the third, by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada (this was said before his arrest); and the fourth, by Rafael Caro Quintero.

In a previous report, the DEA also reported that the Sinaloa Cartel operates in at least 17 states in Mexico.