Hernán Ojeda Elenes pleads guilty to fentanyl trafficking in U.S

In a major legal development, Hernán Geovani Ojeda Elenes, known as ‘El Inge’, pleaded guilty in a Washington D.C. federal court to trafficking fentanyl. Ojeda Elenes admitted to manufacturing and distributing several metric tons of fentanyl for the Sinaloa Cartel between 2019 and 2024. His operation involved sourcing chemical precursors from China and processing them in laboratories in Mexico before smuggling the finished product into the United States.

Separately, authorities in Ecuador conducted ‘Operation Factoría’, dismantling a transnational drug network linked to the Los Lobos gang and the Sinaloa Cartel. The operation resulted in 24 arrests, including two Mexican pilots accused of flying drugs from Ecuador to Mexico and the U.S. Law enforcement officials seized a small aircraft, one ton of drugs, and one million dollars during the raids.

In Mexico, law enforcement continues to combat local distribution. In Tijuana, officials warned of the ‘blind mule’ tactic after discovering nearly 26 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in a private vehicle without the driver's knowledge. Additionally, a raid in La Paz, Baja California Sur, led to the arrest of a 30-year-old man and the seizure of 100 grams of methamphetamine.