MANHATTAN, NY – The long arm of the law finally caught up with three alleged kingpins of the Sinaloa Cartel, landing them in a Manhattan federal courtroom yesterday. Kevin Gil Acosta, a/k/a “El 200,” Martin Zazueta Perez, a/k/a “Piyi,” and Leobardo Garcia Corrales, a/k/a “Leo,” arrived in the Southern District of New York after being extradited from Mexico, facing charges of fentanyl trafficking and weapons offenses. The trio was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo and immediately detained.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, didn’t mince words, stating, “The illicit fentanyl trade continues to plague Americans and New Yorkers of all walks of life, and the Sinaloa Cartel, a vast, deadly, and corrupt enterprise, is at the center of the scourge.” Clayton emphasized that these defendants allegedly held leading roles within the cartel, utilizing “abhorrent violence” to protect its operations. This extradition, he asserted, marks a significant step in the ongoing partnership between his office and the DEA to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s influence.
Court filings detail a chilling picture of the Cartel’s operations. Based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, this organization is a dominant force in the Western Hemisphere’s drug trade, flooding the U.S. with fentanyl and leaving a trail of violence and death in its wake. The Cartel, particularly under the direction of the sons of the notorious Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, a/k/a “El Chapo,” known as the “Chapitos,” relies heavily on armed enforcers – sicarios – to protect its interests. These sicarios form a brutal security apparatus responsible for violence, including murder, torture, and kidnapping, often wielding military-grade weapons smuggled from the United States.
GIL ACOSTA and ZAZUETA PEREZ were allegedly key figures in this security network. GIL ACOSTA led a group of sicarios tasked with guarding the Chapitos’ fentanyl labs and distribution routes, also personally trafficking the deadly drug. ZAZUETA PEREZ was responsible for security in Sinaloa, employing kidnapping, torture, and murder – utilizing machine guns and other heavy weaponry – to protect the Chapitos’ fentanyl operations. Both men are accused of participating in attacks against Mexican government and military officials during a failed 2019 attempt to arrest one of the Chapitos, reportedly leading sicarios armed with AK-47s, M-16s, and AR-15s into direct conflict with law enforcement.
GARCIA CORRALES, described as a major fentanyl supplier, allegedly worked closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, producing the drug in ton quantities. He oversaw the importation of kilogram quantities into the U.S. and conspired to trade fentanyl for military-grade weapons, including hundreds of automatic weapons, .50-caliber rifles, and grenades, to bolster his drug trafficking activities. Approximately 33 kilograms of fentanyl were delivered as part of this dangerous exchange, according to the indictment.
The DEA’s Administrator, Terrance C. Cole, hasn’t commented beyond confirming the arrival of the defendants. However, sources within the agency indicate this is just the first wave of extraditions aimed at dismantling the upper echelon of the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl operation. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it unfolds, bringing you the raw, unfiltered truth about the war on drugs and the criminals profiting from American misery.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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