2 high-ranking United Cartels members indicted for drug trafficking and terrorism in Tennessee HSTF investigation led by ICE HSI Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted Juan Jose "Juanjo" Farias Mendoza, 31, and Israel "Papo" Vega Farias, 37, both of Tepalcatepec, Michoacan, Mexico. The defendants are high-ranking members of the United Cartels, a major methamphetamine trafficking organization. The indictments follow an ICE Homeland Security Investigations-led probe into transnational criminal organizations fueled by drug profits.

The Michoacan-based United Cartels is one of the world's most significant methamphetamine producers, capable of manufacturing multiple tons every month. The organization controls a distribution network that spans the United States, with hubs in Dallas; Houston; Atlanta; Kansas City, Missouri; Sacramento, California; Los Angeles; Denver; and Chicago, and extends internationally. In February 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated the United Cartels as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist group.

"This indictment is a testament to the relentless efforts of Homeland Security Investigations to dismantle the world's most dangerous criminal organizations," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. "The United Cartels have fueled violence, addiction, and instability both in the United States and abroad. Through the Homeland Security Task Force's whole-of-government approach, HSI is committed to identifying and investigating cartel leadership and their networks, wherever they operate. We will continue to leverage every available tool to protect our communities, disrupt transnational criminal enterprises, and ensure those who threaten our nation's safety and security are brought to justice."

Farias Mendoza and Vega Farias are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine for importation into the United States, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and using, carrying and possessing firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices, during and in relation to the alleged drug trafficking crime charged in their indictment. If convicted, both defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison.

Farias Mendoza and Vega Farias are, respectively, the son and nephew of Juan Jose Farias Alvarez, known as "El Abuelo." The Justice Department announced criminal charges against El Abuelo and four other high-ranking members of the United Cartels in August 2025.

This case is part of Operation Pelican Bones, a law enforcement initiative launched in 2020 to disrupt and dismantle a violent transnational criminal organization. The initiative began following a 2019 car crash in a small town in Eastern Tennessee, which prompted a drug case that has expanded to a multinational investigation. Operation Pelican Bones has resulted in significant seizures of drugs and precursor chemicals, forfeiture of funds, and indictments of high-level cartel members.

HSI Knoxville is leading the investigation, with support from the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF), and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

You can read a copy of the indictment here and learn more about the case here.