New Orleans DEA division cracks down on Mexican Cartels operating across the city
By Anum Siddiqui
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NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — The New Orleans Drug Enforcement Administration reports two Mexican cartels are responsible for flooding the New Orleans area with deadly drugs.
Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer says the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels are pushing all drugs, but their focus is cracking down on meth, fentanyl and cocaine.
“We are up against two powerful, ruthless organizations,” Hofer said.
Since January 2025, the New Orleans DEA office has seized the following:
nearly $10 million in assets, which includes vehicles, homes and more about 140 kilograms of cocaine, about 20 kilos of fentanyl, and about 400 kilograms of marijuana The agency is on track to outpace all of last year’s seizures.
This year, nearly 400 people in New Orleans have been arrested. Hofer says operatives in New Orleans are from all different backgrounds, including Louisiana natives.
“Anyone who is willing to sell their drugs for them, smuggle drugs, do finance, be an enforcer for them, they are going to take that person on,” Hofer said.
The cartels have expanded operations in over 40 countries and in almost all 50 U.S. states. Hofer says New Orleans geography attracts cartel business.
“New Orleans works out well for the cartels because of the interstate system, with Houston not being far away from Atlanta and even Florida, and, of course, the waterways,” he said.
Recently, the Trump administration designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Arnett says the decision from the federal government gives the DEA additional resources to investigate cartels.
“These drugs are so potent these days. I mean, we were up to eight out of 10 pills that we were seizing at the DEA lab that could cause an overdose, it fluctuates,” Arnett said.
WDSU was given exclusive access to a DEA operation in the metro area. The video can be found above. In addition, WDSU Reporter Anum Siddiqui interviewed one of several undercover agents working in New Orleans. Part two of WDSU’s ‘Cartel Crackdown’ series will air Friday night at 6 p.m. on WDSU News.
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