Tennessee’s car accident leads to a $ 10 million reward for the leader of the Mexican drug cartel called folded

The investigation began years ago after two drug traffickers entered a car accident in a small city in Tennessee. What followed was a series of secret telephone listeners, a shooting with the police and the discovery of hidden drugs in a trailer of tractors that would eventually lead federal investigators to the leaders of the posters in Mexico.

The investigation culminated with the accusations of the Department of Justice revealed Thursday against three leaders and two high -ranking executors of the United Cartels, a main rival of the New Generation poster of Jalisco.

The United States government offers a reward of up to $ 10 million for information that leads to the arrest of the main leader of United Cartels, Juan José Farías Álvarez, “El Abuelo” or the grandfather, along with multimillion -dollar rewards for the other four. It is believed that the five are in Mexico.

The cases, as described in judicial documents, provide an idea of how drugs produced by violent posters in large laboratories in Mexico flow through the border of the United States and reach US streets. They also highlight the violent consequence of drug trafficking is being in its way from the mountains of Mexico to small US cities.

“These particular cases serve as a powerful reminder of the insidious impacts that global posters can have in our local American communities,” said Matthew Galeotti, an interim assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division of the Department of Justice in an interview with News. “The chain began with a violent poster in Mexico and ended with the police that shot in a small town.”

United Cartels is an umbrella organization composed of smaller posters that have worked for different groups over time. It has fierce control over the western state of Michoacán, Mexico, an area of economic interest for the United States due to its avocado exports.

United Cartels is not so widely known as Jalisco New Generation, but given its role as a prolific producer of methamphetamine, it has become a first level objective for the application of the United States law. It was one of the eight recently appointed groups of foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.

The case dates back to 2019, when two distributors had a car accident near Rockwood, Tennessee, out of Knoxville, according to an affidavit of the search warrant presented in the Court. While they fled the accident scene, they threw a hardened protection case full of methamphetamine behind a building before being caught by the police, according to judicial documents.

The authorities began to investigate, use Wirtaps, Warrants and Surveillance to identify a man who believes he leads a large drug ring in the Atlanta area: Eladio Mendoza.

The investigation into the alleged drug operation in Mendoza directed the police in early 2020 to a hotel near Atlanta. During their surveillance, the authorities saw a man who went out with a large bag of Doritos. The soldiers tried to stop the man after he drove from Georgia to Tennessee, but fled and fired an AK -style rifle to the officers, hitting one on his leg before another soldier shot him. Within the stock market, the police found methamphetamine and heroin, and identified it as a low level trafficker for the Mendoza drug ring, according to judicial records.

Weeks later, the authorities sought properties linked to Mendoza and seized the phones. They discovered messages between Mendoza and a nearby associate of “El Abuelo”, the leader of United Cartels, who showed that drugs came from Mexico, according to judicial records. In one of Mendoza’s properties, the researchers found a tractor trailer that had crossed from Mexico days before. When they registered it, the authorities confiscated 850 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden on the floor of the truck and discovered more drugs inside a bus and a house on the property, according to judicial documents.

Mendoza fled from the United States shortly after and returned to Mexico, where he was killed by angry posters leaders because the US authorities had seized their cash and drugs, according to prosecutors.

The Department of Justice says that the United Cartels drug distribution network covers the United States, with centers in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago. Federal prosecutors allege the profits of drug sales in the US.

The case represents the last effort of the Republican Administration to increase the pressure on the posters not only through the accusations of the leaders of the groups, but the sanctions aimed at their financial network. The Department of the Treasury is also presenting economic sanctions against the five defendants, as well as the United posters as a group and a poster under their umbrella, the Viagras.

“We have to chase these criminals from top to bottom to ensure that the final result is not in the distribution of violence and narcotics in our streets,” Galeotti said.

In addition to “the grandfather”, those who face the accusations of the United States are Alfonso Fernández Magallón, or Poncho, and Nicolás Sierra Santana or “El Gordo”, who, according to the authorities, conduct smaller posters under the United Cartels organization. The other two defendants are Edgar Orozco Cabadas or “El Kamoni”, who was communicating with Mendoza, and Luis Enrique Barragán Chavaz, or “Wicho”, who works as Magallón’s second partner, according to the authorities.

The Trump administration has seen an important cooperation from Mexico in recent months by delivering to the leaders of the posters sought by the US authorities.

In February, Mexico sent to the United States 29 drug cartel figuresincluding drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quinterowhich was behind the murder of an agent of the United States DEA in 1985, to the United States and on Tuesday, the Mexican government was transferred to US custody 26 additional posters leaders and other high -ranking members, including a accused man in relation to the murder of a deputy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff.

“We are working with the Mexican authorities to persecute these people,” Galeotti said. “We continue working proactively with them, and we hope they will be useful with us to ensure the presence of these people in the United States courts.”

Last week, Mr. Trump directed to the army To attack drug posters in Latin America, a source familiar with the confirmed matter to News themezone. It is not clear if the military could take measures or when.

President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum replied In saying that there would be no “invasion of Mexico.”

• Drug posters
• Drug traffic
• Mexico
• United States Department of Justice
• Sign