A Mexican man who sent fentanyl to San Diego through a network of US citizens was sentenced
Alejandro Salinas led the organization known as La Oficina, and coordinated the shipment of fentanyl through US
A 48-year-old man identified as Alejandro Salinas was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his participation in a Mexican drug trafficking organization that operated a 24/7 convenience store in Tijuana to sell drugs. and smuggle fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances into the United States.
Salinas held a leadership position in the organization, known as La Oficina, from 2020 to 2022, and was responsible for coordinating the sale and distribution of drugs to intermediaries, mostly US citizens, who transported them across the border.
Salinas previously convicted to participating in an international conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, the Justice Department said in a press release.
According to authorities, the criminal organization shipped drugs into the United States, acting as a wholesale and delivery service for users and dealers in San Diego County and elsewhere.
Investigators estimate that La Oficina operated for at least five years and earned several million dollars during that time, trafficking hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and other controlled substances into the United States.
Salinas and his Accomplices took advantage of the increased demand for fentanyl during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the formal indictment of Salinas and his accomplices in April 2023, and in coordination with Mexican authorities, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) seized and closed La Oficina's store in Tijuana in January 2024.
“La Oficina operated as a 24-hour store to spread addiction and death,” stated US Attorney Adam Gordon. "We showed them it was time to shut down."and dismantling these criminal organizations,” he added.
The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs collaborated with authorities in Mexico to achieve Salinas's arrest and extradition.