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'We need help': Agencies freeze Sinaloa cartel's assets to stop flow of fentanyl into Arizona

The IRS announced a strike force to freeze assets of the Sinaloa cartel in order to stop the flow of fentanyl into Arizona.

PHOENIX — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department announced a strike force Friday designed to target more assets of the Sinaloa cartel.

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo made the announcement that the strike force, consisting of federal, state and local agencies, had identified 21 targets in its investigation and has frozen those assets. 

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'Necesitamos ayuda': Las agencias quieren congelar los activos del cártel de Sinaloa para detener el flujo de fentanilo hacia Arizona

"These deadly cartels operate like any other business," Adeyemo said. "They need access to money. They want to transact in U.S. dollars."

"What it's done is cut them off from millions of dollars of their money," he said. 

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Arizona is ground zero for fentanyl, which is where the cartel is getting a large part of its money.

Mayes said in 2022 and 2023, half of the fentanyl seized in the United States was seized in Arizona. 

She pointed the blame squarely on the federal government's actions on the border, citing scanning equipment that was supposed to be installed at the border, but is still sitting there because Congress has not authorized the funding to install it. 

"The Border Patrol is too busy dealing with the migration crisis and the fact that they've got to process so many people," Mayes said, "they're not able to address the fentanyl coming across the border."

"We need help," she said, "We need more attention by the federal government on the Arizona border."

   

UP TO SPEED

What is the Valley?:

“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest. 

The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:

  • Mesa
  • Chandler
  • Scottsdale
  • Tempe
  • Glendale
  • Surprise
  • Peoria
  • Gilbert
  • El Mirage
  • Avondale
  • Litchfield Park
  • Goodyear
  • Buckeye

Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.

The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.

How big is Maricopa County?

Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.

The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).

One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.

The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.

The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.

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