24 charged in Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug ring run from Tennessee prisons
Twenty-four people have been charged in a drug trafficking operation with alleged ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, including two men accused of helping direct the network from Tennessee prisons, according to federal prosecutors.
The 33-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Nashville on October 21 and unsealed Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Prosecutors allege the organization distributed large quantities of drugs throughout Middle Tennessee.
All 24 defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Nine also face firearm charges.
Prosecutors said the operation was directed by people in Mexico and elsewhere known as “the Office,” who coordinated drug trafficking in the United States on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Humberto Morales, 34, and Jose Martin Perez, 30, allegedly helped coordinate and control the organization’s operations while incarcerated in Tennessee prisons on unrelated convictions.
Customers placed orders through the Office or its representatives, often Morales or Perez, who negotiated prices and arranged delivery locations, according to court documents.
The Office then coordinated with couriers and people overseeing drug stash houses to make deliveries. Members relied almost exclusively on Signal, an encrypted messaging application, to arrange transactions and avoid detection.
The organization allegedly rotated couriers and vehicles, used vehicles registered to other people, exchanged license plates and frequently changed vehicle ownership.
When a member was stopped or arrested, other participants allegedly moved drugs, firearms and cash from stash houses before officers could take further action.
Authorities seized approximately 500 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of fentanyl and 60 kilograms of cocaine, equivalent to about 1,100, 44 and 132 pounds, respectively. They also seized more than $375,000 in cash, multiple firearms and five vehicles.
Prosecutors allege the organization laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds through financial transactions and bulk cash smuggling to suppliers in Mexico.
Sixteen defendants are in state custody on unrelated charges and will be brought before a federal court in connection with the case. Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention of all 24 defendants.
If convicted, Morales faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years and up to life in prison. The other 23 defendants each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life, prosecutors said. The nine defendants facing firearm charges could receive an additional mandatory minimum of five years to be served consecutively.
