A Kent man is among 10 defendants who pleaded guilty this week in federal court to drug trafficking and money laundering charges connected to a transnational criminal organization with alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, federal prosecutors announced this week.
Mohamed Kariye, 36, of Kent, was among those who entered guilty pleas in the Western District of Pennsylvania, admitting to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The group, which includes individuals from Arizona, Ohio, Mexico and Washington, was charged as part of a sweeping investigation targeting an international drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for moving large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine across the United States and into Mexico.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the operation included members of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, labeled by federal authorities as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Prosecutors said the conspiracy operated from August 2021 through June 2023, with Kariye admitting to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
The investigation, which involved federal wiretaps, uncovered the group’s distribution of millions of fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, with cash proceeds laundered and sent to Mexico to pay for additional drug shipments.
“Numerous military-grade firearms were trafficked into Mexico for Arredondo-Soto as payment from members of the DTO for the drugs,” prosecutors said in the release. The alleged ringleader, Humberto Arredondo-Soto of Culiacan, Mexico, was arrested in Mexico in August 2023 and extradited to the United States earlier this year.
Sentencing for the defendants, including Kariye, is scheduled for November 3-5, 2025. Kariye faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million.
“With this week’s 10 guilty pleas, 19 of the 35 defendants charged in the Second Superseding Indictment have now pleaded guilty in the case,” the Justice Department said.
The investigation was led by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal partners as part of “Operation Take Back America,” an initiative aimed at dismantling violent cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
