Honduran nationals are running fentanyl trafficking rings in cities across the western part of the U.S., according to Willamette Week.

Law enforcement agencies have been investigating a cartel using “Honduran nationals to distribute bulk amounts of fentanyl…in the western United States,” according to Willamette Week, citing a criminal complaint filed Dec. 12 in U.S. District Court in Portland. The trafficking operations have been identified in Portland, Seattle, Oakland, Denver and Salt Lake City.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s task force, known as Group D-51 and includes the Department of Homeland Security, the Tigard and Sherwood police departments and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, have been investigating cases involving the drug trafficking rings, according to Willamette Week.

One drug trafficking organization the task force is investigating “is suspected of importing controlled substances, including fentanyl pills, heroin, and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, and conspiring to distribute those drugs in Oregon and Washington,” according to Willamette Week.

Honduran nationals have been dominating the fentanyl dealing taking place on the streets of San Francisco in recent years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in July. One of the biggest appeals the city offers is a shield from immigration authorities due to its sanctuary status.

“The reason is because, in San Francisco, it’s like you’re here in Honduras,” one Honduran drug dealer told the Chronicle. “The law, because they don’t deport, that’s the problem. … Many look for San Francisco because it’s a sanctuary city. You go to jail and you come out.”

Jennie Taer on December 28, 2023