United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DALLAS, TEXAS – Today, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the results of a year-long national operation, “Operation Last Mile,” targeting operatives, associates, and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels responsible for the last mile of fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution on our streets and on social media.

DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels—the two drug cartels based in Mexico that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl and methamphetamine that is killing Americans. In Operation Last Mile, DEA tracked down distribution networks across the United States that are connected to the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. The Operation shows that the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels use violent local street gangs, criminal groups, and individuals across the United States to flood communities with huge amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine, driving addiction, violence, and killing Americans. It also shows that the cartels and their associates use social media applications—like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat—as well as encrypted platforms—like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr—to coordinate logistics and reach out to victims.

Nationally, Operation Last Mile comprised 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022 through May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and resulted in 3,337 arrests; the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills; more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder; more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine; 8,497 firearms; and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the United States, which have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths. Among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved social media applications and encrypted communications platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr.

“The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels use multi-city distribution networks, violent local street gangs, and individual dealers across the United States to flood American communities with fentanyl and methamphetamine, drive addiction, fuel violence, and kill Americans,” said Administrator Milgram. “What is also alarming—American social media platforms are the means by which they do so. The cartels use social media and encrypted platforms to run their operations and reach out to victims, and when their product kills Americans, they simply move on to try to victimize the millions of other Americans who are social media users.”

The DEA Dallas Field Division, which includes multiple offices in North Texas and the State of Oklahoma conducted 48 distinct investigations targeting both the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, including 6 instances of overlapping involvement. In just a twelve-month period, over 339,000 fake pills and 133 pounds of fentanyl were seized, representing over 3.5 million deadly doses of this poison. Furthermore, DEA Dallas arrested 213 traffickers and seized over 1,300 pounds of methamphetamine, 501 weapons, and $5,451,008 in drug-related assets.

“These results show the commitment to saving lives by the men and women of DEA Dallas and all of our law enforcement family operating throughout North Texas and Oklahoma,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA operations in the area. “This is not a movie where after the scene, people go home. This is real. Families are forever affected by the scourge of drug trafficking. Consequences matter and individuals will be held accountable.”

Operation Last Mile is an example of DEA’s network-based approach to take out Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel members and associates in the United States and across the globe, stop fentanyl, and save American lives. In April 2023, the DEA and our federal partners announced the indictment of 28 members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel operating in Mexico, China, and Central America, including the leaders of the cartel known as the “Chapitos.”

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