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Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section

Press Highlights

  • (March 14, 2024) A leader of the Lorenzana drug trafficking organization was sentenced to 33 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $27 million for charges related to international drug trafficking. Marta Julia Lorenzana-Cordon, from Zacapa, Guatemala, was a leader of the Lorenzana drug trafficking organization, one of the largest and most influential drug cartels in Guatemala, which was comprised primarily of family members. The organization transports tonnage quantities of cocaine from Colombia into Guatemala. Once processed, the organization works with the Sinaloa Cartel, among other organizations, to traffic cocaine into Mexico, through Central America, and eventually, into the United States.
  • (February 23, 2024) A precursor chemical broker was sentenced to 18 years and eight months in prison for methamphetamine importation and money laundering conspiracies. Javier Algredo Vazquez of Queens, New York, procured chemicals, including methylamine, for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) to make controlled substances for importation into the United States. Algredo Vazquez imported over 5 million kilograms of chemicals into Mexico, including enough precursors to produce over 700 million doses of methamphetamine and over 2 billion doses of fentanyl. Algredo Vazquez also transferred millions of dollars from the United States to chemical suppliers in China and India to procure the chemicals. The CJNG is one of the largest, most dangerous, and most prolific drug cartels in Mexico and is responsible for transporting tonnage quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other drugs into the United States. The successful prosecution was the result of collaborative efforts among multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Interagency Task Force West.
  • (January 12, 2024) Raul Flores-Hernandez, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $280 million for his role in an international conspiracy to transport tens of thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States over the span of four decades. Flores-Hernandez was the leader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for trafficking hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from South America through Mexico and into the United States. The DEA and HSI investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division.
  • (November 30, 2023) Cesar Gomez Almonte, aka Jhonny Gomez and Johnny Gomez, a Dominican Republic national, was convicted of a felony drug trafficking conspiracy by a federal jury in the District of Columbia. Gomez Almonte was a member of a drug trafficking network that facilitated the transportation of multi-hundred-kilogram shipments of cocaine by boat from the Caribbean to the United States. Gomez Almonte’s role was to search for and acquire new boats the network could use for future drug ventures, to coordinate the straw transfer of a boat used in a prior drug venture, and to broker the use of a boat for a cocaine shipment knowing that the cocaine was bound for the United States. The jury convicted Gomez Almonte of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States and he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. The case was investigated by HSI New York.
  • (August 8, 2023) Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, aka Otoniel, a Colombian national, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise as a leader of the multibillion-dollar paramilitary and drug trafficking organization known as the “Clan del Golfo” (CDG). Úsuga David oversaw all of the CDG’s activities and directed its members to engage in extensive criminal acts, including acts of violence, retaliation against law enforcement authorities and potential witnesses, the exertion of control over drug manufacturing facilities and trafficking routes, and the exportation of cocaine in multi-ton quantities. He was also sentenced to 45 years in prison for engaging in a maritime narcotics conspiracy and 45 years in prison for engaging in a narcotics importation conspiracy. The defendant pleaded guilty to all three charges in January 2023. DOJ, along with the FBI, DEA, HSI, NYPD, NYSP and other agencies, played vital roles in this investigation and arrest.
  • (July 25, 2023) Three foreign nationals involved in an international fentanyl distribution conspiracy were sentenced in the District of North Dakota.  Daniel Vivas Ceron, the leader of the criminal enterprise, received 27 years in prison.  Jason Joey Berry was sentenced to 24 years, and Xuan Cahn Nguyen received 22 years.  The investigation led to 15 overdoses, including four fatalities, and 11 cases of serious bodily injury.  The investigation resulted in nearly $1 million in cash and property forfeiture from the organization.  The Department of Justice continues its efforts to combat the global fentanyl supply chain and hold offenders accountable.
  • (May 2, 2023) The Department of Justice and its Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (“JCODE”) team, in collaboration with international partners, have announced the outcomes of Operation SpecTor.  This operation resulted in 288 arrests, the most in any JCODE operation.  Seizures included 117 firearms, 850 kilograms of drugs (including 64 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics), and $53.4 million in cash and virtual currencies.  Operation SpecTor focused on disrupting fentanyl and opioid trafficking on the Darknet, spanning the United States, Europe, and South America, reflecting the continued cooperation between JCODE and foreign law enforcement.  This successful initiative builds on previous efforts to dismantle Darknet marketplaces and drug networks, providing critical leads and evidence to investigators globally.  DOJ, along with the FBI, DEA, USPIS, HSI, IRS-CI, ATF, NCIS, FDA, and other agencies, played vital roles in this international operation, which targeted Darknet drug traffickers effectively.
  • (December 13, 2021) Two Guatemalan nationals, Haroldo Geremias Lorenzana-Cordon and Marta Julia Lorenzana-Cordon were extradited from Guatemala to the United States to face charges for their leadership roles in the Lorenzana drug trafficking organization.  The group is one of Guatemala’s largest drug cartels, involved in transporting cocaine from Colombia to the United States via Mexico and Central America.  They are charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, facing a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted.  The case is part of “Operation Slipknot,” with the Drug Enforcement Administration leading the investigation.
  • (October 26, 2021) The Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (“JCODE”) team and Europol, announced the successful results of Operation Dark HunTor, an extensive international effort spanning three continents to disrupt opioid trafficking on the Darknet.  The operation targeted illegal drug sales and other illicit activities on the Darknet, involving law enforcement agencies in the United States, Australia, and Europe.  The operation led to the arrest of 150 alleged Darknet drug traffickers and criminals across multiple countries and the seizure of substantial amounts of cash, virtual currencies, drugs, and firearms.  Operation Dark HunTor builds on previous successful operations, exemplifying the determination of law enforcement to combat cyber-enabled drug trafficking and protect communities from the dangers posed by the Darknet.
  • (July 27, 2021) Luz Irene Fajardo Campos, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 22 years in prison by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for her role in an international drug trafficking conspiracy.  Fajardo Campos led a drug trafficking organization aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, sourcing cocaine from Colombia and distributing it to the United Sates through Mexico and Central America.  She also oversaw the production and distribution of methamphetamine in multiple U.S. locations.  In addition to her prison term, she must serve five years of supervised release and forfeit $18 million.  The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tucson and Mexico City Country Offices.
  • (July 9, 2021) A Rhode Island man, Steven Barros Pinto, was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota by a federal jury for conspiring to import and distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, running a criminal enterprise, money laundering conspiracy, and obstruction offenses.  Pinto imported fentanyl from China to produce counterfeit Percocet pills and personally distributed tens of thousands of these pills.  He conspired with others to acquire the fentanyl and obstructed justice by tampering with evidence and silencing witnesses.  Pinto faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.  The investigation involved various agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
  • (March 26, 2020) Several high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including former President Nicolás Maduro Moros, Venezuela’s vice president for the economy, the Minister of Defense, and the Chief Supreme Court Justice, have been charged, along with current and former Venezuelan government officials and two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (“FARC”) leaders.  The charges relate to allegations of drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and money laundering.  The accused are alleged to have conspired with the FARC to traffic large quantities of cocaine into the United States, and it is claimed that they used their positions within the Venezuelan government to facilitate drug trafficking activities and launder the illicit proceeds.
  • (March 11, 2020) The Department of Justice and the DEA have successfully concluded Project Python, a six-month interagency operation targeting the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”), one of the fastest-growing transnational criminal organizations in Mexico.  The operation resulted in over 600 arrests, 350 indictments, and significant seizures of money and drugs.  CJNG is a major methamphetamine producer and a significant supplier of drugs to the United States, contributing to rising methamphetamine abuse and overdose deaths.  The project aimed to disrupt CJNG’s drug distribution activities in the U.S. by targeting its leaders and dismantling its operations.
  • (July 17, 2019) Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo” and “El Rapido”, received a sentence of life imprisonment, in addition to a consecutive 30-year term, for his prominent leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel, a significant Mexican organized crime syndicate.  A federal jury found him guilty on all 10 counts, encompassing drug trafficking, use of firearms in drug-related activities, and participation in a money laundering conspiracy.  Over a span of 25 years, Guzman Loera maintained control through a reign of violence, including kidnapping, torture, and murder, while cultivating a network of corrupt government officials to safeguard the cartel’s interests.  This successful prosecution was a result of the collaborative efforts of numerous law enforcement agencies, both domestic and international, leading to a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to combat the Sinaloa Cartel.
  • (April 5, 2017) Alfredo Beltran Leyva, also known as “Mochomo”, a key leader of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a Mexican drug-trafficking cartel responsible for importing large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States, was sentenced to life in prison for participating in an international narcotic trafficking conspiracy.  The successful prosecution was the result of collaborative efforts among multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Updated April 30, 2024