On Friday, August 10th, four Mexican citizens were arrested in Madrid, Spain for attempting to smuggle a large amount of cocaine into the country. The Associated Press reported that the FBI and Spanish police worked together in apprehending the four suspected Sinaloa Cartel associates and the 822 pounds (373 kilos) of cocaine they were importing.

The Interior Ministry of Spain stated that Jesus Gutierrez Guzman, Rafael Humberto Celaya Valenzuela, Samuel Zazueta Valenzuela and Jesus Gonzalo Palazuelos Soto were arrested near their hotels in the Spanish capital. They were apprehended as soon as their incoming cocaine load was seized at the Spanish port of Algeciras.

Jesus Gutierrez Guzman, the leader of the drug ring, is a cousin of the Sinaloa Cartel’s leader Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. Rafael “Rafa ”Celaya Valenzuela is a low level PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional or Institutional Revolutionary Party) politician who worked in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.

The Facebook page of Rafa Celaya contained photos of himself posing with president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto. The PRI has stated the photos are meaningless, considering Peña Nieto has posed with thousands of supporters and low-level politicians.

Rafa Celaya is also reportedly the nephew of the top PRI official in Baja California Sur, Victor Hugo Celaya. Hugo Celaya was also the chairman of Peña Nieto’s campaign in the state.

The Spanish El Pais newspaper stated that the men were intending to expand the Sinaloa Cartel operations in the country. Most analysts agree that the Sinaloa Cartel has had a presence in Spain and Europe for some time.

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