Raid On CDS Drug Lab Leads to Arrest of 25 Members, Sinaloa

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

After a raid on an alleged drug processing den in Ocoroni municipality, Sinaloa, 25 people were arrested inside and a large quantity of synthetic drugs and marijuana were seized by authorities. By September 1, 2021, twenty two of the detainees were indicted on charges related to drug trafficking. 

According to the press release, on the morning of August 23, 2021, State Preventive Police (PEP) officers were carrying out security patrols on the outskirts of the town of Genaro Estrada, when they observed a man loading a sack into the back of a pick-up truck. When the man finished loading the sack he spotted the police vehicle and pulled out a gun, pointing it at police officers. 

The man then backed away and fled, slipping into a nearby house and officers chased after him. When they entered the house to pursue the man, they discovered a clandestine drug processing and packaging operation inside.

Exterior of houses on the Ocoroni property.

The house had 25 workers huddled around tables, who were in the middle of processing suspected doses of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine when the officers entered. There were also piles of already packaged drugs awaiting shipment in other rooms of the house. 

The officers requested support from their fellow PEP officers, who arrived on site to aid in the arrest, along with Army (SEDENA) soldiers, who were sent to aid in the large-scale arrest. A total of 25 people were arrested, 14 men and 11 women. Among the 25, three were under the age of 18. 

One of the processing work stations.

The house, which is described by Linea Noticias as having “a facade that stands out from the rest, although it is not exactly an ostentatious property”, was kept under guard by National Guard soldiers for 48 hours straight while awaiting the legal paperwork needed to seized the illicit substances from the property, 

Then the Public Prosecutor's Office’s gave the official order for the house to be processed for evidence. PEP agents and Attorney General's Office (FGR) agents documented and seized among the drugs 374 kilos (824 pounds) of marijuana and 322 grams (2,300 doses) of methamphetamine. Cocaine appears to be seen in the photographs of the lab but the amount of cocaine seized was not disclosed in the press release. 

The detainees and the seized goods were handed over to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), who obtained an indictment against 22 detainees of the original 25 who are not minors.  

Their indictment is on charges of “crimes against health”, or rather drug related offenses, in the modality of possession of methamphetamine and marijuana for commercial purposes, with the aggravating circumstance of “de pandilla” or gang related. By September 1, 2021, the Control Judge declared the arrest legal and ordered that the 22 would stand trial. 

Meanwhile, a Specialized Judge in Criminal Justice for Adolescents, sentenced the minors to trial for the crime against health in the modality of possession, with the aggravating circumstance of gang.

Sources: Riodoce, El Mexicano, Luz Noticias Article 1, Article 2, Linea Directa Article 1, Article 2, Article 3