Operation Last Mile Connects Minnesota with Two Major Mexican Drug Cartels

(KNSI) — A year-long operation from the Drug Enforcement Administration identified direct connections between two Mexican drug cartels and communities around Minnesota.

Operation Last Mile targeted operatives, associates and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels responsible for the last mile of fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution on local streets and on social media. Authorities have made 87 arrests and seized 60 firearms tied to one of the two cartels.

The Cartels, their members and associates used social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat and encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr to coordinate logistics and reach out to victims, according to investigators.

“Drug trafficking is a violent activity that threatens our Midwestern communities on a daily basis,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “The news is full of stories detailing the number of lives lost to drug poisonings and violent acts that came as a direct result of drug trafficking. These crimes, perpetuated by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, are not victimless as evident by the tragic loss of life to toxic substances being pushed into our neighborhoods.”

The DEA Omaha Division has been on the case in its five state area, including Minnesota, with 26 investigations into those cartels, with more expected as cases move forward. The DEA says fentanyl seizures in pill and powder form have increased steadily, while methamphetamine seizures increased 55% between 2018 and 2022.

The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels are the two responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl and methamphetamine related deaths, according to the DEA. Investigators say members use violent local street gangs, criminal groups, and individuals across the country to flood communities with huge amounts of drugs, driving addiction and violence.

There were 1,436 investigations as part of the nationwide Operation Last Mile conducted from May 1st, 2022, through May 1st, 2023. The DEA says in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, it resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the U.S. which the DEA says have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths.

In March, a St. Cloud woman pled guilty to leading a major drug distribution enterprise in the U.S. from Mexico. According to federal prosecutors, 30-year-old Macalla Lee Knott, also known as Kayla, had been living in Mexico since March of 2020, and directed shipments of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to various distributors across the upper Midwest and arranged payments to sources of supply in Mexico. Knott admitted to supervising, managing, and leading at least five people in the enterprise. She’ll be sentenced on August 7th.

Another St. Cloud woman, 28-year-old Melanie Quick, has been sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release in connection to the case.

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