(NewsNation) — Since Jan. 2022, more than 300 people in the United States have been charged or arrested for criminal activity directly linked to Mexican drug cartels, according to a NewsNation analysis.
The total number of crimes that can be traced back to cartels is likely much higher. In fiscal year 2021, for example, the United States Sentencing Commission recorded more than 17,500 drug trafficking cases nationwide.
In some cases — like the undercover drug trafficking investigation in Butte, Montana — authorities have already earned convictions. In others, like the recent bust in South Carolina that led to 170 charges against 43 defendants, the legal process is just getting started.
The interactive map above shows arrests that local and federal authorities have tied to Mexican drug cartels.