The Justice Department has announced criminal charges against five high-ranking members of the United Cartels, according to a press release last Thursday. Those charged are Juan Jose Farias Alvarez (“El Abuelo); Alfonso Fernandez Magallon (“Poncho”); Luis Enrique Barragan Chavez (“Wicho / R5”); Edgar Orozco Cabadas (“El Kamoni”); and Nicolas Sierra Santana (“El Gordo”).
“Today’s charges are designed to dismantle the United Cartels and bring their leaders to justice for unleashing death and destruction on American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Working closely with our partners throughout President Trump’s Administration, we will continue our historic effort to destroy foreign terror organizations and prosecute terrorists wherever they may hide.”
“The United Cartels has flooded every corner of our country with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The indictments announced today exemplify the great work that can be achieved when federal, state, and local forces partner together to confront our greatest law enforcement challenges. What started out as an ordinary drug case in the Eastern District of Tennessee grew into a sprawling multinational investigation that will take down a transnational criminal organization precisely because law enforcement at all levels partnered together enthusiastically with mission-first single-mindedness. We are particularly grateful for our close partnerships with HSI Knoxville, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the 9th Judicial Task Force, and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, without which these results would have been impossible.”
According to court documents, the United Cartels is a transnational criminal and drug trafficking organization that controls large areas of Michoacán, Mexico. Acting as an umbrella organization, it unites several Michoacán-based cartels to acquire, manufacture, and distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine for smuggling into the United States. Profits from U.S. drug sales are allegedly used to acquire heavy weaponry, hire mercenaries, bribe local officials, and fund lavish lifestyles for cartel leaders.
The United Cartels is among the most prolific methamphetamine producers capable of manufacturing multiple tons every month. Its distribution network spans the United States, with hubs in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City (Mo.), Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, and extends to Europe, Australia, and other regions. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State designated the United Cartels (Cárteles Unidos), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, as amended.
Court filings allege that Farias Alvarez serves as the top leader of the United Cartels, directing the importation of cocaine from Colombia via air and maritime routes, personally overseeing large shipments to the United States, and imposing a tax on methamphetamine and fentanyl producers operating in his territory.
Los Reyes Cartel, allegedly led by Fernandez Magallon, is a Michoacán-based cartel that currently operates under the United Cartels umbrella. As alleged, Los Viagras Cartel, led by Sierra Santana, is another Michoacán-based cartel that until recently operated under the United Cartels umbrella. Orozco Cabadas and Barragan Chavez allegedly each lead armed factions of the United Cartels that enforce cartel control using assault weapons, improvised explosive devices, armed drones, armored vehicles, and foreign mercenaries.
The five defendants allegedly participated in decades-long conspiracies to manufacture and distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, to be unlawfully imported into the United States. In addition, Farias Alvarez, Fernandez Magallon and Barragan Chavez are alleged to have carried, brandished, or discharged firearms, including semi-automatic weapons, machine guns, and destructive devices during and in relation to the alleged drug trafficking crimes charged in their indictments. If convicted, all five defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison.
The five defendants are still fugitives. The U. S. Department of State also announced that it is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Farias Alvarez’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Fernandez Magallon’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Sierra Santana’s arrest and/or conviction; a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to Barragan Chavez’s arrest and/or conviction; and a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to Orozco Cabadas’s arrest and/or conviction. Also today, the U. S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced economic sanctions against these five defendants, and the United Cartels (Cárteles Unidos) and Los Viagras as entities.
HSI Knoxville investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by HSI Mexico City, HSI Denver, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fresno Field Division, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Tennessee 9th Judicial Drug Task Force. Additional assistance was provided by HSI Atlanta, HSI Laredo, HSI Outer Banks, HSI Houston, HSI San Diego, HSI Kansas City, DEA Bogota, HSI Bogota, HSI Las Vegas, HSI The Hague, FBI Kansas City, FBI St. Louis, FBI Sacramento, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and DEA Los Angeles. U. S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Colorado, the Eastern District of California, and the Northern District of Georgia also provided significant assistance in the investigation.
Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Roger Polack of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer for the Eastern District of Tennessee are prosecuting the cases.
The original announcement can be found here.
