EAST ST. LOUIS, IL – A superseding federal indictment unsealed today charges 26 individuals with participating in a large-scale drug trafficking operation allegedly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the Department of Justice.
The indictment accuses the defendants of trafficking hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico into Southern Illinois, and laundering proceeds back to Mexico through U.S. banks. According to court documents, the conduct occurred between January 2020 and July 2025.
Two Mexican nationals, Prospero Coronel-Sanchez, also known as “Pro,” and Jose Luis Angulo-Soto, also known as “El Mi Nino,” face narcoterrorism charges and are accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Both are also charged in the drug and money laundering conspiracy.
The remaining 24 defendants, located in California, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Illinois, face charges of conspiring to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Several are also charged with money laundering.
Fifteen defendants were arrested during a nationwide operation conducted over the course of a week. Authorities seized more than 400 kilograms of fentanyl, 80 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 50 kilograms of cocaine as part of the investigation. In a related operation, DEA agents also uncovered a money laundering network that routed millions of dollars in cartel profits through U.S. financial institutions.
President Donald J. Trump previously designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), triggering enhanced federal penalties under narcoterrorism statutes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an ongoing nationwide initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations and violent drug cartels.
DEA St. Louis, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are leading the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal, Laura Reppert, and Thomas Leggans are prosecuting the case for the Southern District of Illinois.
