In a joint operation on Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, alongside the Houston Police Department, the Galveston Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies, revealed significant arrests in a sprawling drug trafficking scheme purportedly orchestrated by members of a Mexican cartel.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, representing the Southern District of Texas, detailed a 50-count indictment aimed at 41 individuals allegedly associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The indictment alleges their involvement in a widespread “poly-drug” trafficking network spanning various U.S. cities, including Houston and Galveston. Federal authorities claim that the cartel smuggled cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into southeast Texas.
According to charging documents, Roque Zamudio-Mendoza, a 52-year-old alleged leader of the cartel, is identified as the “primary source of drugs” trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border. The operation, reportedly overseen by Zamudio-Mendoza, extended its reach from Houston to locations such as New Orleans, Washington state, Chicago, Nashville, and Colorado. Thus far, authorities have apprehended 20 individuals charged with drug trafficking, adding to the three already in custody. Zamudio-Mendoza is believed to be in Mexico, while 15 others facing charges remain at large.
Some of the accused have already appeared in court, with others scheduled to appear in Galveston on Tuesday, April 2, or in Houston on April 3.
Federal officials disclosed that a 63-month investigation, dubbed “Operation Rainmaker,” resulted in the confiscation of 550 kilograms of methamphetamine, 249 kilograms of cocaine, 34 kilograms of heroin, and 22,600 fentanyl-laced pills — amounting to an estimated $10 million worth of illicit substances. Additionally, authorities seized nine firearms, several Rolex watches, and $190,000 in U.S. currency during a traffic stop in Porter, Texas.
“From the barrios of Jalisco, in Michoacán, Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel casts a dark shadow that extends far beyond borders of a single nation into the streets and communities of places like Houston and beyond,” remarked Hamdani during Monday’s announcement. “The CJNG is one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in Mexico, characterized by a business model of extreme violence and trafficking in the most deadly of substances.”
All defendants face charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, with potential sentences of life imprisonment. They also face charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The investigation into the trafficking ring involved cooperation between HPD, Galveston police, and federal agencies through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
“I, like everyone else, am extremely proud of our partnership — state, local, federal — all of our partners, and U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District,” stated HPD Chief Troy Finner. “The city of Houston has gotten more support, to me, than anyone in the nation, and I just want to thank [everyone]. This is a five-year, over five-year investigation. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes, and I just want to thank everyone.”
