More than a dozen individuals connected to a Sinaloa cartel-linked drug trafficking operation run from inside South Carolina prisons have been charged in a sweeping federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The Justice Department alleges prisoners used contraband cell phones to coordinate shipments of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana that were smuggled across the southern border. Prosecutors say the network had been active in the Carolinas since at least 2011.
‘Criminal Ways From Behind Bars’
“These people are arrested, they’re sent to prison, and they continue their criminal ways from behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling at a press conference announcing the charges. Nine of those charged were allegedly in the country illegally.
The investigation, conducted by the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security, seized 346 kilograms of fentanyl, 23 kilograms of methamphetamine, and over $2.8 million in cash. Agents also confiscated 43 firearms and luxury vehicles including two Rolls-Royces and a Lamborghini tied to the money laundering operation.
Prison Cell Phone Crackdown Urged
Stirling called on the FCC to approve regulations allowing jamming of contraband cell phones in prisons, citing them as key to inmates’ ability to continue directing drug operations while incarcerated. Liens have been placed on 17 properties across South Carolina and Georgia allegedly purchased with drug proceeds.
The bust builds on previous charges against 18 defendants in April and two more in July, part of what Attorney General Todd Blanche called the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to dismantle cross-border drug networks. “The Department of Justice will continue delivering justice for victims and their families,” Blanche stated.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-bust-cartel-tied-drug-scheme-operating-out-of-prison