“This morning, we executed operation “Gangsters Paradise. We’ve indicted forty members and associates of the Mexican Mafia, who is the most powerful, prolific gang that operates out of state prisons,” said L.A.’s top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli.
“They control and operate all the Hispanic street gangs out in the neighborhoods,” he added. Federal agents working with local police arrested 43 suspects in all, confiscated firearms and seized illegal drugs, conducting 30 raids mostly in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Lake Elsinore and Lakewood, California.
A 2015 Canadian indictment charged the former Olympic snowboarder as part of Operation Harrington. The RCMP believed at the time he had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and Iranian-linked money launderers, via his now ex-wife. Wedding fled to Mexico in 2015 to avoid the charges that were the result of a lengthy undercover operation targeting several Canadian traffickers.
While the 2015 Canadian indictment focused primarily on Canadian based traffickers, it would take another 4 years until the full extent of their connections to the Sinaloa Cartel would be revealed by Colombian trafficker-turned witness Alex Cifuentes-Villa during his testimony at the 2019 trial of "El Chapo," and the sentencing memo of a Canadian trafficker known as "Russian Mike" the same year.
Wedding made his court appearance in Santa Ana, California last week following his surrender and arrest in Mexico. He pleaded not guilty to charges across two indictments.
His lawyer, Anthony Colombo, Jr. grandson of slain New York Mafia boss Joe Colombo, stated multiple times that his client had in fact not surrendered but was apprehended in Mexico. This statement was of course contradictory to both the official Mexican and US Ambassador to Mexico's claim that he voluntary surrendered.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum went so far as to cite an AI generated image from a fake Instagram account as proof that Wedding had surrendered and was not arrested by Mexican authorities.
According to CBC News, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme was informed 3 days before Wedding's arrest and was told to fly to Ontario, California for the FBI's press conference.
Similar statements from US authorities point to a planned surrender as well. Court records show that 2 days prior to Wedding's surrender, additional documents were filed under seal.
The story of an Olympic snowboarder who then ventured into a 20 year career in trafficking first marijuana, then dozens of tons of cocaine across two borders, ended at the US Embassy in Mexico City last night.
FBI's most wanted trafficker, Ryan James Wedding surrendered himself at the Embassy. He had been wanted for trafficking and ordering multiple murders including that of his longtime partner who became an FBI informant.
Update: On Monday January 26, 2026, Wedding pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and trafficking at a Santa Ana, CA courtroom. His lawyer Anthony Colombo, who has represented several cartel figures in the past, reported to the media that his client had in fact not surrendered, contradicting Mexican and US official statements.
As part of a joint agency and international operation, Mexico's FGR, SSPC, GN, SEMAR and the Army carried out four raids on homes and properties in Mexico City and the State of Mexico, related to "a former Olympic athlete and one of the 10 most wanted fugitives by U.S. authorities."
Doses of methamphetamine and marijuana, 62 high-end motorcycles, two vehicles, works of art, two medals, ammunition and various documents were found.
The two medals, intially reported as Olympic medals are a pair of CF Canadian Snowboarding Series medals. Wedding later placed 24th in men’s snowboarding giant parallel slalom during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
According to the evidence filed in court, the Wedding organization relied on the services of a particularly motivated corrupt lawyer, whose role was of great importance.
This Ontario lawyer, Deepak Paradkar, worked directly under Ryan Wedding and was responsible for investigating drivers and circumstances in cases where their cocaine shipments were seized by authorities, procuring new transportation routes for Wedding, and paying lawyers in Canada and the United States to find out if any traffickers in the organization arrested by police were cooperating with authorities.
In new indictments announced, Wedding is accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness. “The witness was gunned down at a restaurant in Medellín before he could testify against Wedding,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
According to the new indictment, Wedding had the help of accomplices in several countries, including a woman in Colombia who claimed to have contacts within the cartels and authorities capable of tracking cell phones.
Another accomplice was a woman whose mission was to lure the victim to a specific location. In exchange, Wedding's money launderers paid for her mortgage and for cosmetic surgery.
The US has raised the reward for Canadian alleged narcotics trafficker Ryan James Wedding to $15 million, with additional $2 million rewards offered for information leading to the arrests of the unknown assassins who murdered a FBI witness last January in Medellín, Colombia.
FBI Director Kash Patel claims, "He's the Pablo Escobar of modern times."
Wedding, who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is a snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. After his snowboarding career, Wedding turned to a life of crime as a transnational narcotics trafficker.
The FBI has asked local police to submit the names of people tied to drug cartels and gangs to the U.S. government's terrorist watch list created after 9/11, which could land more Americans on the list, according to law enforcement documents seen by Reuters.
The bureau told law enforcement agencies in a May 9 email to share the names of people they believe are linked to eight criminal groups President Donald Trump has labeled foreign terrorist organizations. It also asked agencies to share information about family members and associates of the groups' members.
The existence of the email, which was obtained by the national security-focused transparency nonprofit Property of the People through a public records request and shared with Reuters, has not been previously reported. The email was sent to law enforcement agencies and groups including the National Sheriff's Association, which confirmed receiving it from the FBI.
The Attorney General's Office, through the FEMDO (Federal Investigation Unit of the Federal Police), carried out simultaneous searches in urban and rural areas of Guasave.
Ernesto Torres
05/08/25
A major operation took place this Tuesday, August 5, in the municipality of Guasave, where the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO), part of the Attorney General's Office (FGR), reportedly seized a ranch and three other properties.
This was part of four simultaneous searches carried out in urban and rural areas of the municipality.
In addition, during the operations, the FEMDO had the support of the Mexican Army, the National Guard, and the State Preventive Police, who mounted operations outside the buildings to provide security.
There were four searches.
The operations began in the early hours of Tuesday and took the residents of Guasave by surprise. Two of the searches were carried out in the urban area of the municipal seat, and the other two in the rural area.
The operation was heavily guarded by federal and state agents, who cordoned off the areas targeted by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime while the corresponding investigations were carried out.
Sources from the Attorney General's Office confirmed to Luz Noticias the four searches, which were recorded at the following locations:
Ejidal Colony: on a property located on Sauces Street, between Juan S. Millán Boulevard and Heriberto Valdés Street.
Centro Colony: on Colón Street, in front of the Oxxo store known as "El Oxxo de la Cuchilla," where the largest number of armored vehicles was reported.
Private Ranch: located on the highway that connects Bamoa Pueblo to Guasave, approximately one kilometer ahead of the community of Nío.
Bamoa Pueblo: on a property located directly across from the offices of the municipal government.
A significant presence of members of the Mexican Army, the National Guard, and the State Police was observed at all locations.
Arrests or seizures
So far, no official information has been released on whether any arrests were made during the searches or whether any criminal objects were seized inside the properties.
Specifically, federal authorities placed seizure seals FED/FEMDO/UEIMDS-SIN/0000573/2025 on the ranch—a property measuring several hectares—located between Bamoa Pueblo and Guasave, just over 1 km ahead of Nio. This indicates that evidence relevant to the investigation may have been found.
Meanwhile, at the homes located in the Centro and Ejidal neighborhoods, security forces conducted interior searches, but no information was released on whether they found any items related to an investigation.
Sources from the Attorney General's Office in Sinaloa confirmed the seizure of the four properties and indicated that the searches stem from intelligence work carried out by the FEMDO.
They also clarified that the Specialized Federal Prosecutor's Office does not inform the Sinaloa state delegation about the content of the investigations or the evidence seized, as these are confidential proceedings.
Results of the Inter-Institutional Operation
At this time, authorities have not issued an official statement on the results of the inter-institutional operation. However, the Attorney General's Office is expected to release information through its institutional channels in the coming hours.
It is worth mentioning that this operation is part of a series of deployments carried out by the inter-institutional security group since last Friday in various areas of the municipality of Guasave, with the exception of Sunday, when the presence of federal and state forces has continued through patrols, operations, and searches.
A hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official's phone records and use Mexico City's surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency's informants in 2018, the U.S. Justice Department said in a report issued on Thursday.
The incident was disclosed in a Justice Department Inspector General's audit of the FBI's efforts to mitigate the effects of "ubiquitous technical surveillance," a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data.
Well, in more information, a few hours ago, López Serrano reported that El Mini Lic pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking before a federal court in the United States. We're going with our colleague Ángel Hernández to connect with him so you can tell us more details. Angel, good afternoon, Héctor, and Cecilia.
Good afternoon, indeed, López Serrano, who is the son of Damaso López Núñez, one of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's most important operators in the Sinaloa cartel, has pleaded guilty for the second time in the United States, this time to fentanyl trafficking.
Remember, in 2018, he surrendered to US authorities after his father was arrested in Mexico and sent to the United States. He voluntarily surrendered and later pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Shortly after, the FBI targets him. He fell into a trap. Through a confidential informant who trafficked fentanyl, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was able to detect that Damaso López Serrano was involved in fentanyl trafficking. He had negotiated with this FBI informant to send at least 4 kg of fentanyl from Mexico to California.
This is the basis for this latest case. Everything allegedly occurred at the end of last year. Between September and December, this negotiation was made with FBI informants. Through these same informants, the FBI managed to seize this shipment of fentanyl before it reached Damaso López Serrano. In December, the FBI arrested him and one of his operators who assisted him in this negotiation. From this point on, he is charged with conspiracy to traffic fentanyl to the United States. Today, in the Eastern District Court of Virginia, he formally pleaded guilty in a plea agreement. Regarding his guilty plea, he is expected to be sentenced on September 5th of this year. We'll see what happens. For this man, it's important to point him out again for the second time. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in the United States. He was free after spending five years on parole. Hector, well, there are some of these negotiations that are taking place there in the courts of the United States and that are emerging. Step by step, Angel. That's correct. In fact, the interesting thing here is that Damaso López Serrano never formally trafficked pentanyl to the United States. It never reached his hands. The FBI was able to intercept him because he was an active trafficker in Mexico, but he is an informant for the US authorities. Of course, once he fell into the hands of the authorities, as he did in 2018, he reached a plea agreement, which will likely result in a sentence much lower than the maximum.
He could face 20 years for conspiring to traffic fentanyl. Good afternoon, Angel. Thank you for the information you're sharing with us. We'll be on the lookout for any updates. Thank you, thank you for the space. Good afternoon.
US Justice Department considers merging DEA, ATF in major shakeup, a memo says. This comes amidst previous comments by FBI Director Kash Patel of combining a portion of the ATF into the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel is also serving as the ATF's Acting Director, in an unusual dual role.
Trump has nominated Terry Cole, a longtime law enforcement veteran, to lead the DEA, though he has not yet named a permanent head of the ATF.
The potential merger of the ATF and DEA would represent one of the biggest shakeups of the Justice Department's law enforcement components since following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In a coordinated operation in California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado, 12 alleged members of the [Beltran Leyva Cartel cell] of Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, "El Chapo Isidro," were arrested. Six search warrants were executed in Imperial County, and the search continues for 10 more fugitives, some in Mexico.
The 22 alleged members of the transnational drug trafficking organization were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of importing and distributing more than a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine into the United States, laundering illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms from the United States to Mexico.
More than 1,000 kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and more than 750 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in narcotics proceeds had been seized.
The U.S. State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million
In a video statement addressed to the public, FBI Acting Director Brian Driscoll announced that the FBI added Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
"Known as El Chapo Isidro, he’s accused of spending the last 20 years flooding the U.S. with fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other deadly drugs, first as an independent drug trafficker and later as the head of the Meza-Flores cartel," said Acting Director Driscoll. "In addition to the scourge of illicit drugs Meza-Flores and his organization have unleashed into the United States from across our southern border, they’re also accused of heinous crimes ranging from kidnapping and extortion to torture and murder."
Meza-Flores was originally indicted on May 2, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On November 26, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Meza-Flores with drug trafficking violations and possession of a firearm. According to the indictment, Meza-Flores allegedly conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019.
Meza-Flores is 42 years old and has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5'6" tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He also goes by the nicknames “Chapo Isidro” and "Chapito Isidro."
Meza-Flores is a Mexican national and likely resides in Mexico. He is considered armed and dangerous and is an international flight risk.
"The U.S. government is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction, and we encourage anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the FBI and help us add Meza-Flores to the list of dangerous fugitives we’ve brought to justice together," said Acting Director Driscoll.
If you have any information concerning Meza-Flores, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You can also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov or contact the FBI via WhatsApp at 571-379-3951. WhatsApp is neither a government-operated nor a government-controlled platform.
This case is also the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The Director of Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission, and former interior secretary responded to Crash Out's report on the declassified memorandum.
On Friday Sept. 27, 2024, Manuel Bartlett, Diaz released a letter in answer to a report on CrashOut from Wednesday, Sept. 25. I [Ioan Grillo] strongly believe in the right of reply and I am publishing here the full letter from Bartlett in English and Spanish, with a few further points from Crashout below.
The report Bartlett is responding to is, “Exclusive – U.S. Declassifies Document on Bartlett and Camarena Case,” by Juan Alberto Cedillo and Ieva Jusionyte, with additional reporting and writing by me, Ioan Grillo. You can read the full report here.
The report is based on a 1986 message from the U.S. embassy in Mexico City to the director of the FBI that was declassified on August 12 following freedom of information requests by Jusionyte and Cedillo. The story by CrashOut and the document have been cited widely in Mexican media, which Bartlett mentions in his reply.
The FBI is helping Mexican authorities investigating the shooting deaths of a California school official and five other men in what may have been a drug cartel hit.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Wednesday that Mexican authorities requested help from the agency but she won't say what that involves.
The FBI has no legal authority outside the U.S. but can provide assistance within the country.
Augustin Salcedo, a 33-year-old assistant principal and school board member, was abducted with five other men from a restaurant last week while he and his wife were visiting her hometown of Gomez Palacio.
The town in Durango state has been wracked by a drug war and Mexican authorities suspect a drug hit - but they haven't determined if the victims had any criminal ties.
Chilling are the signs that one of the worst features of Mexico’s war on drugs is the reality of Mexican police on the take from drug lords but this is also becoming an American problem as well.
Corruption indictments and convictions of law enforcement linked to drug-trafficking organizations, known in police parlance as DTOs, are popping up in FBI press releases with disturbing frequency. Some experts disagree about how deep this rot runs. Some try to downplay the phenomenon, dismissing the law enforcement officials who have succumbed to bribes or intimidation from the drug cartels as a few bad apples.
Washington is taking no chances. In recent months, the FBI’s Criminal Division has created seven multiagency task forces and assigned 120 agents to investigate public corruption, drug-related and otherwise, in the Southwest border region.
While the FBI task forces focus mainly on corruption along the border, cartel-related activity has spread much deeper into the American heartland. Consider New Mexico’s San Juan County, some 450 miles north of the border, where the U.S. Attorney’s office has recently prosecuted a startling corruption case that may be a portent of things to come.
The FBI is warning that one of Mexico´s most brutal drug cartels is attempting to violently regain control of drug trafficking routes in the United States and has been ordered to engage law enforcement officers to protect their operations, according to an intelligence report obtained by The Washington Times.
Los Zetas, the enforcer of Mexico´s infamous Gulf Cartel, is reinforcing its ranks and stockpiling weapons in safe houses in the U.S. in response to recent crackdowns in the U.S. and Mexico against drug traffickers, said the FBI San Antonio Field Office's Joint Assessment Bulletin. The bulletin was dated Oct. 17 and was sent to law enforcement officials in the Texas region.
The bulletin said the cartel's regional leader, Jaime Gonzalez, has ordered the reinforcements to a tactical operational territory, or "plaza," in the area around the southern Texas towns of McAllen and Mission, about 235 miles south of San Antonio and less than five miles from the border with Mexico.
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