Mexico-Based Cartel Bust: New York One of Many Drug Shipment Sites
In a report discusses the recent events of the largest drug bust of the last 10 years conducted by the Justice Department, in which New York State and many other U.S. states were the main sites for receiving the shipment of illegal substances. According to the article, over 400 members of an alleged Mexico-based cartel have been taken into custody for charges of distributing tons of methamphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana in the U.S.
Aside from New York, other locations that are suspected of receiving the drug shipments include the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles, and the states of Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, Oregon, and Washington.
Apparently, the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the assistance of more than 100 federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies, spent 20 months investigating the drug ring that is allegedly based in Sinaloa, Mexico. The investigation, referred to as “Operation Imperial Emperor,” led to the seizure of an estimated $45.2 million, 27,229 pounds of marijuana, 9,512 pounds of cocaine, 705 pounds of methamphetamine, 227 pounds of pure methamphetamine, and 11 pounds of heroin. $6.1 million in assets and property was also confiscated, in addition to approximately 100 weapons and 94 vehicles.
Drug trafficking is a serious criminal offense, and although incidents are usually not as widespread as the recent bust of the alleged Mexico-based cartel, these types of cases are some of the most complexes. If a person is convicted of drug trafficking, he or she may face spending years in prison, having valuable assets taken away, and paying hefty fines, all in addition to having his or her own personal reputation and relationships compromised.
If a drug trafficking case involves large quantities of illegal substances, as is the case in the aforementioned article, then such an incident may be considered a federal drug crime, which is subject to the three-strike rule. If an accused individual has had two or more previous convictions, he or she risks receiving a life sentence if convicted. This type of mandatory life sentence is also a possibility in federal drug crimes charges for marijuana trafficking where either serious injury or death took place as the result of the illegal activity.
With all of these potential consequences of a drug trafficking charge in mind, it may be in an accused individual’s best interest to contact a skilled NY federal drug crime defense attorney that has many years of experience handling such cases. Aggressive criminal defense lawyers have the knowledge and resources to handle a broad range of drug offenses and federal criminal cases.