USA: DEA In Ohio Announced Taking Action Against Dangerous Local Drug Traffickers With Ties To The Sinaloa Cartel. So Far 60,000 Fentanyl Pills Seized.

🚨NO WHITE SUPREMACISTS INVOLVED🚨

🚨NO ISLAMIC JIHADISTS INVOLVED🚨

19 News published August 28, 2025: DEA cracks down on cartel drug supply to Ohio as part of nationwide operation.

19 News, Cleveland, OH local

DEA cracks down on cartel drug supply to Ohio as part of nationwide operation

written by Sara Goldenberg

Thursday August 28, 2025

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - It’s being called a “Cartel Crackdown.”

This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration is taking action against dangerous drug traffickers with ties to the cartel in Mexico who are supplying deadly drugs here in our own backyard.

19 Investigates spoke with the DEA about how they’re fighting the problem.

The Sinaloa cartel is funneling drugs from Mexico to the Great Lakes region and across the country with devastating effects.

The federal government calls it one of the world’s most powerful drug cartels and one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other drugs like meth to our country.

Right now, the DEA told us a crackdown is underway to fight the problem.

They’re partnering with local and state agencies.

“The Great Lakes region is certainly affected by the Sinaloa cartel. There is this misnomer that this is a ‘their problem’ like this isn’t happening there. It’s definitely happening here in in Ohio and in Michigan. Nationwide DEA has seized 31 million fentanyl pills. In Ohio, we’ve seized nearly 60,000 fentanyl pills. And if you, you know, do the math with half of fentanyl pills being seized off the street containing a lethal dose of fentanyl-- in pills alone, that’s almost 30,000 lives saved,” said Brian McNeal, public information officer for the DEA Detroit field division, which covers Ohio.

“It’s not just an Arizona or Texas or California problem. It is a problem here in Ohio,” he said.

McNeal said these investigations are complex and go past just nabbing the drug dealer.

Once they find them, they following the trail to the supplier in hopes of cutting down drug trafficking.

We learned social media is now playing a big part in the drug trade.

“No longer do you have to meet a sketchy person who’s affiliated with a gang in a bad part of town. You can go online and order drugs and Sinaloa has taken advantage of this. Their network is online. It’s not just the dark web, it’s the clear web. So during this crackdown, we’re addressing every single aspect of the drug trafficking network, whether it’s the manufacturing, the precursor chemicals, the trafficking, the smuggling, and the money laundering. We are attacking every single aspect of this this horrible trade,” McNeal said.

The “Cartel Crackdown” started Monday and operations are still underway right now.

We’re keeping an eye on any arrests that may happen in our area.

You can learn more about the cartel drug supply to the United States in the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment.

You can also watch our full conversation with the DEA below.