Feds indict two in cartel meth ring tied to designated terrorist group

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted two high-ranking members of the United Cartels on charges related to methamphetamine trafficking, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and firearms offenses, the Justice Department announced.

Juan Jose “Juanjo” Farias Mendoza, 31, and Israel “Papo” Vega Farias, 37, both of Tepalcatepec, Michoacan, Mexico, were named in the indictment returned this week. The two are close relatives of the cartel’s top leader, Juan Jose Farias Alvarez, known as “Abuelo” — Farias Mendoza is his son, and Vega Farias is his nephew, according to the Justice Department.

The United Cartels, also known as Cárteles Unidos, is described by federal officials as one of the world’s most significant methamphetamine producers, capable of manufacturing multiple tons of the drug every month. The organization’s distribution network reaches across the United States — with hubs in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Missouri, Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago — and extends to Europe, Australia and other regions, the release states.

On Feb. 20, 2025, the State Department designated the United Cartels as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. The latest indictment builds on criminal charges the Justice Department announced in August 2025 against several command-and-control figures in the organization, including Abuelo, who was charged by the Criminal Division in 2024.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the two defendants are accused of trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine into the United States and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, calling the indictment part of a systematic effort to dismantle Mexican cartels by targeting their command-and-control elements.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee said the investigation began with a methamphetamine seizure near Knoxville and a larger interdiction of more than 950 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl outside Atlanta, leading to a broader multi-agency investigation involving federal, state and local law enforcement partners.

Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations said the case reflects the Homeland Security Task Force’s “whole-of-government approach” to identifying and investigating cartel leadership and their networks.

Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine for importation into the United States, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and using, carrying and possessing firearms — including machine guns and destructive devices — during and in relation to the alleged drug trafficking conspiracy. If convicted, they face maximum penalties of life in prison.

HSI is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Roger Polack of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer for the Eastern District of Tennessee are prosecuting it. Officials noted that an indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.