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A Mexican drug operation that began unraveling after a small-town car accident in Tennessee has led to U.S. Justice Department indictments against five cartel figures — including the top leader of the United Cartels — and multimillion-dollar rewards for their capture.

Federal authorities say the case exposes how methamphetamine produced in violent Mexican cartel labs makes its way into American communities, leaving violence in its wake.

Read more from the Associated Press

From Tennessee Car Crash to International Cartel Links

The investigation began in 2019 when two drug dealers crashed near Rockwood, Tennessee, and tried to flee. Authorities recovered a hardened case filled with methamphetamine, sparking a multi-year probe involving wiretaps, search warrants, and surveillance.

Investigators traced the drugs to Eladio Mendoza, a major Atlanta-area dealer. Surveillance later led police to a Doritos bag filled with meth and heroin and a violent encounter in which a suspect fired an AK-style rifle at officers before being shot.

Court records reveal that messages found on Mendoza’s seized phones linked him to Juan José Farías Álvarez, known as “El Abuelo” — the leader of United Cartels. A tractor trailer from Mexico tied to Mendoza’s operation was found to contain 850 kilograms of meth hidden in its floor.

Full DOJ statement on the case

U.S. Indictments of Mexico Drug Operation

The indictments, unsealed Thursday, target “El Abuelo,” Alfonso Fernández Magallón (“Poncho”), Nicolás Sierra Santana (“El Gordo”), Edgar Orozco Cabadas (“El Kamoni”), and Luis Enrique Barragán Chavaz (“Wicho”). All are believed to be in Mexico.

The U.S. State Department is offering rewards totaling up to $26 million for their capture — including $10 million for “El Abuelo.”

Details of reward offers

Cartel’s Reach and U.S. Strategy

United Cartels, a rival of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, exerts strong control over Mexico’s Michoacán state, a region significant for its avocado exports. Though less famous than its rivals, it is a prolific methamphetamine producer and was named a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.

“These cases in particular serve as a powerful reminder of the insidious impacts that global cartels can have on our local American communities,” said Matthew Galeotti, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division.

The U.S. is also imposing economic sanctions against the defendants and affiliated cartel groups.

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Cooperation with Mexico

Recent months have seen Mexico extradite dozens of cartel leaders to the U.S., including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a DEA agent in 1985.

“We have to pursue these criminals up and down the chain to make sure that the end result doesn’t result in violence and narcotics distribution on our streets,” Galeotti said. “We continue to work proactively with Mexican authorities, and we expect that they’ll be helpful with us in securing the presence of these individuals in United States courtrooms.”