Cartel Member Convicted of Fentanyl Distribution and Obstruction

Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 22, 2026, Jose Cardenas-Salcido (age: 43), of Arizona, was convicted after a bench trial before the Honorable J.P. Stadtmueller of distribution of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A); use of the mail to facilitate a felony, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b); attempted obstruction involving physical violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(a)(2)(B)(i); and attempted obstruction involving corrupt persuasion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(b)(1).  

According to the trial evidence, the investigation of Cardenas-Salcido began after law enforcement determined he was responsible for an October 2022 shipment containing over 5,000 pills containing fentanyl.  At trial, witnesses described how Cardenas-Salcido supplied pills containing fentanyl to lower-level distributors selling in the Milwaukee metro area. The evidence also showed that the defendant was an admitted member of the Sinaloa cartel, with familial connections to the same.

The evidence further showed that after Cardenas-Salcido was detained pending this trial, he attempted to obstruct justice, in multiple ways. First, the defendant offered to supply a fellow inmate with guns and drugs from the cartel, if that inmate would provide the defendant with false exculpatory affidavits. Next, the defendant offered a cartel connection to a different inmate, if that same inmate would kill the witnesses set to testify against him. And finally, the defendant attempted to intimidate the witnesses against him, by sending threatening letters, mentioning his cartel connections, to the witness’s families.

In announcing his verdict, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized that this “stand out case” was only made possible by the “gum shoe detective work” of the lead case agent, a Detective Sergeant of the West Allis Police Department, and his colleagues.

The defendant will be sentenced on April 24, 2026, by Judge Stadtmueller.

This matter was investigated by the West Allis Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Halopka-Ivery and Kevin Knight.

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For further information contact:

Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero                        

(414) 297-1700

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