Cartel

An alleged Mexican drug cartel leader has been charged in connection with heroin and fentanyl trafficking, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed in San Diego on Wednesday.

The son of the reputed head of the Sinaloa Cartel pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court Friday to conspiracy charges for his role in the cartel’s drug trafficking empire.

Charges were filed Tuesday in federal court against three Mexican nationals who allegedly trafficked drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel, resulting in what agents believe to be the largest single-day seizure of cash, drugs and ammunition in San Diego history.

U.S. authorities allege that Mexico’s former defense secretary helped a cartel smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the United States in exchange for bribes

NBC 7’s Jackie Crea explains what the leader’s arrest could mean for anti-cartel efforts.

Mexican authorities report that a man with the same name as known cartel leader Octavio Leal Hernández, also known as “El Chapito Leal,” was arrested on Wednesday after a shootout with police.