The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed indictments against four members of Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel, accusing them of conspiring to purchase machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars in the Czech Republic in exchange for fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The four suspects were arrested in the Czech Republic in June. Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco, 44, and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23, have been extradited and appeared in a Florida court on Monday. Noe Diaz Jimenez, 33, and Leobardo Gaxiola Lopez, 63, await extradition. Prosecutors say the weapons were intended for attacks on rival cartels, civilians, police and military personnel in Mexico. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The indictments follow last week's announcement of charges against several senior cartel figures and rewards exceeding $100 million for their capture. The cartel was designated a foreign terrorist organization last year.