Federal authorities say they dismantled a Sinaloa Cartel-linked trafficking network that used Phoenix to move fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine to Wichita, Kansas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas said Euriel Talavera, 32, of Wichita, and 14 co-defendants pleaded guilty after an investigation launched in December 2022. Investigators said traffickers traveled to Phoenix or other locations every few weeks, collected large drug shipments and returned to Wichita for distribution. Talavera stayed in regular contact with cartel members in Mexico.
Talavera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 228 months, or 19 years, in federal prison. Nine co-defendants received prison terms from 12 months and one day to more than 11 years, while four were sentenced to probation.
Authorities intercepted a major planned shipment after learning 160,000 counterfeit Percocet pills laced with fentanyl were headed to Wichita. Agents watched the exchange and seized the pills during a traffic stop. The Justice Department published a photograph of fentanyl it said was seized en route from Phoenix to Wichita.
The Homeland Security Task Force operation produced convictions for methamphetamine conspiracy, firearm offenses, using communications to facilitate drug trafficking and money laundering. Richard Oral Mathie, 60, of Texas, pleaded guilty to fentanyl conspiracy but absconded before sentencing.
The multi-agency investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita Police Department. Arizona’s Family reported none of the 14 co-defendants were from Phoenix, and it remains unclear whether anyone in the city was charged with facilitating the route.
The case identifies Phoenix as a recurring collection point in a cartel-linked supply chain stretching from Mexico into the Midwest. The Drug Enforcement Administration warns counterfeit tablets can resemble prescription drugs while containing unpredictable and potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl.
