U.S. says it 'infiltrated' the Sinaloa drug cartel in the fight against fentanyl

U.S. officials say they've identified and infiltrated the Mexican drug organization that's largely responsible for the fentanyl crisis killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.

In a sweeping series of indictments targeting two dozen leaders and kingpins, the Justice Department blamed much of the carnage on the Chapitos network, a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

"Over the last year and a half, the DEA proactively infiltrated the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos network, obtained unprecedented access to the organization's highest levels, and followed them across the world," Anne Milgram, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement.

Officials say the Chapitos faction is led by the four in a U.S. prison in Florida after being convicted in 2019 of numerous drug and murder conspiracy charges.