The publication
Are There Cartels in New York? Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, 11 Cartel-Linked Federal Cases and Evidence (2026)
Which Mexican cartels and transnational gangs are reported in New York, what federal prosecutors have charged since 2024, and our latest New York coverage. Every item links to its source.
Cartels in the U.S.: map and all states · Mexico cartel map
At a glance
- Groups reported with New York-specific evidence: Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, Tren de Aragua, Los Chapitos (Sinaloa Cartel), MS-13, Beltrán Leyva Organization
- Federal drug-trafficking cases since Jan 2024: 13 (7 charged, 3 sentenced, 2 indicted, 1 extradited)
- Cities in those cases: Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, New York, Manhattan, New York, New York
How to read this page
- Reported presence comes from DEA, Congressional Research Service, Justice Department and news reports that name New York or a city in it. It shows where groups have been reported, not how many people are involved.
- Multi-state actions (a national indictment or a multi-district operation) are listed separately and don’t count as evidence of presence in this state.
- Federal cases are Justice Department, U.S. Attorney, DEA, FBI and HSI announcements since January 2024. We name a cartel only when the release itself does; other cases are listed as drug-trafficking cases. Charged people are presumed innocent until convicted, so we don’t list defendants’ names here. Follow the link to read the release.
- What it doesn’t tell you: cartel activity in your neighborhood, or crime rates. It is a record of what officials and reporters have published.
Nationwide: the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment says associates, facilitators and affiliates of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG operate in almost all 50 U.S. states. [Small Wars Journal (summary of DEA NDTA 2025), 2025-05-18 · news/research] The state-by-state evidence below goes further: named cities, federal cases and official reports.
Groups reported in New York
- Los Chapitos (Sinaloa Cartel) (federal court case, as of 2023): “Fentanyl trafficking, weapons, and money laundering charges were unsealed today in the Southern District of New York against 28 defendants” [IRS Criminal Investigation (reprinting DOJ release) · official record]
- Sinaloa Cartel (federal court case, as of 2025): “Investigators learned that the Mendoza DTO was supplied by a Sinaloa Cartel-linked source of fentanyl supply in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The Mendoza DTO obtained drugs from Mexico and then distributed the drugs throughout the Imperial Valley and elsewhere, including as far as New York.” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
- CJNG (federal court case, Brooklyn, as of 2026): “BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, charging Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon, a senior member of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), for his role in an international fraud scheme organized and controlled by CJNG.” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
- MS-13 (federal court case, Long Island, as of 2026): “Jairo Saenz and his brother Alexi were at the forefront of a violent reign of terror and bloodshed that plagued communities across Long Island for years.” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
Named in multi-state or national actions that include New York
These federal actions or reports cover several states at once. They show New York was among the places named, not that a group has an established presence here.
- Tren de Aragua (federal court case, as of 2026): “indictments across five U.S. Attorney offices, including the District of Colorado, District of Nebraska, District of New Mexico” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
- MS-13 (federal court case, as of 2024): “operates throughout North and Central America, including in El Salvador, Mexico, New York, California, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina” [ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) · official record]
- Tren de Aragua (federal court case, as of 2025): “An indictment has been unsealed charging Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, a/k/a 'Nino Guerrero,' in connection with a leadership role in TdA operating throughout North America, South America, and Europe.” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
- Sinaloa Cartel (federal court case, as of 2026): “Najera Gutierrez allegedly distributed that cocaine to other high-level drug traffickers in Mexico who imported the cocaine into Atlanta, Chicago, and the states of Florida, New York, and California.” [U.S. Department of Justice · official record]
Federal cases in New York (since Jan 2024)
| Date | City | Charges | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-09 | Brooklyn, New York | Release names: Sinaloa Cartel | Sentenced | USAO-EDNY |
| 2026-07-20 | Brooklyn | continuing criminal enterprise as principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, RICO violations Release names: Sinaloa Cartel |
Sentenced life in prison without the possibility of parole |
DEA |
| 2026-04-29 | Manhattan | unsealed indictment charging 10 current and former Sinaloa state officials (including sitting Governor Ruben Rocha Moya) with narcotics importation conspiracy a Release not yet checked; no cartel label |
Charged n/a |
DEA |
| 2026-04-20 | Brooklyn | conspiracy to commit money laundering; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; unlicensed money transmitting Release names: Sinaloa Cartel |
Sentenced 12 years in prison; $330 million forfeiture money judgment |
HSI |
| 2026-02-05 | Manhattan | fentanyl importation and weapons conspiracy as a key fentanyl producer for the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel; produced millions of fentanyl pills; char Release names: Sinaloa Cartel |
Charged n/a |
DEA |
| 2025-12-17 | New York | racketeering conspiracy (max 20 years); conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists (max 15 years); cocaine importation conspiracy (10-year mandatory m Release names: Tren de Aragua |
Charged | DEA |
| 2025-12-13 | New York, New York | Release names: CJNG | Indicted | USAO-SDNY |
| 2025-11-19 | Brooklyn, New York | Release names: Sinaloa Cartel | Extradited | OPA |
| 2025-09-22 | Brooklyn | Release names: CJNG | Indicted | USAO-Eastern District of New York |
| 2025-08-12 | Brooklyn | participating in a large-scale international cocaine distribution conspiracy (December 2015 through March 2021) Release names: Sinaloa Cartel |
Charged | DEA |
| 2025-04-23 | New York | Racketeering conspiracy (18 U.S.C. 1962(d)); Drug trafficking conspiracy (21 U.S.C. 846); Sex trafficking conspiracy; Robbery; Firearms offenses Release names: Tren de Aragua |
Charged | USAO |
| 2025-02-28 | New York | conspiring to import cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S. No cartel named in the release |
Charged | DEA |
| 2025-02-22 | Brooklyn | leading a continuing criminal enterprise; participating in a large-scale narcotics distribution conspiracy; using one or more firearms in connection with narcot Release names: Beltrán Leyva Organization |
Charged | DEA |
Our New York coverage
- Tijuana Call Centers Accused of Extortion and Kidnapping: El Tiempo Traces Alleged CJNG Link ‘El Mexicano’ Fredy Chacón del Real’s Companies From Baja California to Medellín Sep 29, 2026
- $25,000 a Kilo in New York, $11,500 in San Diego: Manhattan Prosecutors Seek 92 Months for Los Chapitos Fentanyl Lab Operator Carlos Omar Félix Gutiérrez Sep 29, 2026
- FBI Helps Colombia Arrest the Wife and Daughter of ‘Fito,’ the Los Choneros Boss Charged in Brooklyn With Moving Cocaine Through Mexico Sep 28, 2026
- “They Were Tired and Old”: ‘La Chapodiputada’ Lucero Sánchez Says El Chapo and El Mayo Planned to Retire Together — and Didn’t Want Their Sons to Take Over Sep 26, 2026
Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Report errors via our corrections page.