The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the arrest of 617 individuals linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and the seizure of significant amounts of illicit drugs, including nearly half a ton of fentanyl powder, alongside counterfeit pills and other narcotics.
According to an official DEA press release issued today, "agents across 23 domestic field divisions and seven foreign regions" orchestrated a coordinated operation targeting one of the world's most violent drug networks from sources to streets during the last week of August. The operation resulted in 480 kilograms (1,058.2 pounds) of fentanyl powder, equal to more than a thousand pounds, along with more than 714,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
Authorities also intercepted 2,209 kilograms (4,870 lbs) of methamphetamine, 7,469 kilograms (16,468 lbs) of cocaine, and approximately 16.55 kilograms (36 lbs) of heroin. The haul included $11.11 million in cash, $1.7 million in seized assets, and 420 firearms recovered during the raids.
The DEA's Administrator, Terrance Cole, emphasized that "Every kilogram of poison seized, every dollar stripped from the cartels, and every arrest represents lives saved and communities defended. DEA will not relent until the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from top to bottom."
This enforcement comes amid a broader surge in cannabinoid and opioid crackdown efforts. In the first half of 2025 alone, the DEA seized approximately 44 million fentanyl pills and 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, marking one of the most aggressive campaigns in recent history.
While the U.S. agency didn't reveal where the arrests and seizures took place, the scope of the seizures has drawn national attention because of the lethal potential of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considered 50 times more powerful than heroin. Public health experts emphasize that even two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, making the amount confiscated in the operation enough to produce millions of deadly doses. Officials have repeatedly warned that counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl remain one of the gravest threats to public health in the United States.
In New England, where the Sinaloa Cartel's supply chains have been particularly active, federal agents made 171 arrests. They seized 244 kilograms of drugs, more than 22,000 counterfeit pills, $1.3 million in cash, and 33 firearms. Federal prosecutors in Boston highlighted the significance of this regional focus, describing it as a direct strike against the cartel's ability to infiltrate smaller communities in the Northeast with dangerous synthetic opioids.
Beyond drug seizures, federal authorities have also been targeting the supply chain itself. Just days before the cartel takedown, agents in Pasadena, California, intercepted 1,300 barrels of meth precursor chemicals bound for Mexico from China. The amount was enough to produce 420,000 pounds of methamphetamine, with a potential street value exceeding $569 million.
The DEA's national crackdown comes in the context of a broader strategy to combat the fentanyl epidemic. Earlier this year, the U.S. government formally designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
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