Mexican drug cartels, including Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), are aggressively expanding into Hawaii, flooding the islands with methamphetamines and fentanyl.
Local authorities told media outlet KHON2 that Sinaloa and CJNG are expanding business in the island state by sending drugs via passengers' luggage, mailed packages, and body carriers flying into Honolulu International Airport.
Yabuta said, "They're competing for territory and turf to make sure that their drugs get across the border and sent throughout the nation, including Hawaii."
US Attorney Clare Connors told the local media outlet that Sinaloa and CJNG are primarily behind the new push in flooding Hawaii with drugs.
"Largely, however, it is cartel interaction with local drug trafficking organizations," Connors said.
Yabuta said, "Methamphetamine is still our greatest drug threat here in Hawaii, and that has risen, too throughout the years, including 2023 drug-related deaths," adding, "However, fentanyl drug-related deaths are catching up. It's rising at a faster rate."
One of the main reasons cartels expand across the islands is the lack of competition and law enforcement.
NewsNation noted, "An oxycodone pill selling for $2 in Los Angeles can fetch $16 or more in Hawaii."
According to Families Against Fentanyl, the surge in fentanyl overdose deaths placed Hawaii number seven nationally on a list with a 27% increase in fentanyl-related deaths in 2023.
Meanwhile, these same cartels are fueling the fentanyl epidemic across the Lower 48, resulting in a US drug death catastrophe that eclipses the Vietnam War every six months.
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