The U.S. Justice Department today charged five high-ranking members of Carteles Unidos, known in English as United Cartels, while the Treasury Department separately announced it was imposing sanctions on the group, Sarah Lynch reports.
United Cartels, which is less widely known than some of its rivals, controls large areas of Michoacán, Mexico. The Justice Department called it one of the "most prolific" methamphetamine producers, and said that the proceeds from its illicit drug sales are used to acquire weapons, hire mercenaries, and bribe local officials.
The group's members who are facing charges include its leader Juan Jose Farias Alvarez, also known as El Abuelo. The group members are charged with being a part of long-running conspiracies to manufacture and distribute drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, to be unlawfully imported into the United States.
