Sinaloa Cartel leader Fidel Felix-Ochoa charged with fentanyl trafficking
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The alleged top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel accused of funneling large amounts of fentanyl into the United States appeared in federal court Monday facing charges that could land him behind bars for life.
Fidel Felix-Ochoa, 53, was a high-ranking figure who oversaw the cartel’s drug trafficking and money laundering operations, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors allege he coordinated the smuggling of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States using couriers who transported the narcotics by vehicle and through the mail.
Last year, the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel was designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader accused of funneling large amounts of fentanyl into the United States has appeared in federal court and faces a possible life sentence. (Ministry of Justice)
“The charges target an alleged senior leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is accused of directing the flow of large quantities of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida. “While these are allegations that must be proven in court, this case reflects our Office’s unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting American communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of the rule of law.”
Prosecutors allege Felix-Ochoa directed his co-conspirators to store narcotics in stash houses before distributing them to dealers and customers across the country, including Florida, Arizona, California, Texas and Massachusetts.
Approximately 73,000 fentanyl pills, 21 kilograms of pure fentanyl, 243 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine and 24 firearms were seized during the investigation.
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The alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader accused of funneling large amounts of fentanyl into the United States has appeared in federal court and faces a possible life sentence. (Ministry of Justice)
Felix-Ochoa is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The case comes amid a growing crackdown on the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl network.
Joaquín Guzmán López, 39, one of the so-called Chapitos who seized control of a major cartel group after his father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2019, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise charges in Chicago in December. Prosecutors said he oversaw large shipments of drugs into the United States, mostly through underground tunnels.
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Drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in Mexico in 2014. (Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Guzmán López was arrested in July 2024 after landing on a private jet in Texas alongside longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
The plea follows a similar plea deal reached months ago by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on smuggling and money laundering charges.
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Prosecutors say the Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the main drivers of fentanyl flowing into the United States, fueling record overdose deaths across the country. The synthetic opioid is far more powerful than heroin and has devastated communities across the country.
El Chapo is in a maximum-security US prison, serving a life sentence without parole for running a multibillion-dollar smuggling empire. Prosecutors say his sons expanded fentanyl production and distribution after stepping into leadership roles.
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