Thread: $6 million in Nuevo Laredo drug bust

Mexican agents seize $6 million in Nuevo Laredo drug bust
By DUDLEY ALTHAUS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
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MEXICO CITY — Mexican federal police in the border city of Nuevo Laredo seized $6 million in cash Thursday and arrested five alleged drug cartel enforcers guarding it.

The seizure marked the latest blow against the Gulf Cartel, the drug smuggling organization based in the Mexican cities bordering South Texas. Authorities said the arrested men are members of the Zetas, a paramilitary group of cartel gunmen led by deserters from elite Mexican army units.

The gunmen were arrested at a checkpoint on the Pan American Highway about 15 miles south of Nuevo Laredo. Following their arrest, they led police to a safe house in the border city, where the cash was discovered in eight large suitcases, authorities said.

"This wasn't a coincidence. They were looking for them as suspected members of the Gulf Cartel," said Javier Ortiz, a spokesman for the Federal Public Security Ministry, whose officers were involved in the seizure.

Three of the arrested men were from Nuevo Laredo, authorities said, while another was from the border city of Reynosa and another from Veracruz state.

Police last fall seized 12 tons of cocaine said to belong to the Gulf Cartel in the port city of Tampico, on the Gulf Coast about 200 miles south of Brownsville.

Based in Nuevo Laredo and other nearby border cities, the Gulf Cartel and Zetas became one of Mexico's most powerful trafficking organizations since the turn of the century.

The cartel has been involved in a bloody feud with rival trafficking gangs that has killed 3,500 people in the past 15 months, according to one Mexican newspaper's tally.

The Gulf Cartel's reputed leader, former police officer Osiel Cardenas, was extradited to the United States by the Mexican government 15 months ago and awaits trial in Houston on U.S. drug charges.

President Felipe Calderon of Mexico ordered thousands of federal police and soldiers in the the border area bordering south Texas last December following the assassination of a former mayor of a border town near McAllen.

Troops shot later it out with gangsters in the same town, Rio Bravo

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5673306.html

MEXICO CITY — Mexican federal police in the border city of Nuevo Laredo seized $6 million in cash Thursday and arrested five alleged drug cartel enforcers guarding it.

The seizure marked the latest blow against the Gulf Cartel, the drug smuggling organization based in the Mexican cities bordering South Texas. Authorities said the arrested men are members of the Zetas, a paramilitary group of cartel gunmen led by deserters from elite Mexican army units.

The gunmen were arrested at a checkpoint on the Pan American Highway about 15 miles south of Nuevo Laredo. Following their arrest, they led police to a safe house in the border city, where the cash was discovered in eight large suitcases, authorities said.

Well Mexico now has $6 million to invest in their fight against the drug cartels which is good.

Some-what skeptical about reports such as this:
If five alleged drug cartel enforcers were GUARDING $6 million in cash, why were they arrested at a CHECKPOINT on the highway and LED police to a safehouse where the cash was............why weren't they GUARDING the safehouse instead of out on the highway--and all 5 left together without any remaining behind to guard the money?

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Originally Posted by MyAmerica

MEXICO CITY — Mexican federal police in the border city of Nuevo Laredo seized $6 million in cash Thursday and arrested five alleged drug cartel enforcers guarding it.

The seizure marked the latest blow against the Gulf Cartel, the drug smuggling organization based in the Mexican cities bordering South Texas. Authorities said the arrested men are members of the Zetas, a paramilitary group of cartel gunmen led by deserters from elite Mexican army units.

The gunmen were arrested at a checkpoint on the Pan American Highway about 15 miles south of Nuevo Laredo. Following their arrest, they led police to a safe house in the border city, where the cash was discovered in eight large suitcases, authorities said.

Well Mexico now has $6 million to invest in their fight against the drug cartels which is good.

Some-what skeptical about reports such as this:
If five alleged drug cartel enforcers were GUARDING $6 million in cash, why were they arrested at a CHECKPOINT on the highway and LED police to a safehouse where the cash was............why weren't they GUARDING the safehouse instead of out on the highway--and all 5 left together without any remaining behind to guard the money?

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Probably a PR stunt by Felipe and the gang, to make it look like they're going after the drug cartels.

Believe this is another version of the capture of $6 million or else Mexico has recovered $12 million in cash in recent days but the location is the same and in 8 suitcases. Previous story said cash in safehouse--here it says it was found in a truck.

Mexican army finds $6 mln in truck near U.S. border
1 hour, 27 minutes ago

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican soldiers looking for drug traffickers found $6 million in cash inside a truck near the U.S. border and arrested five men at the scene, the army said on Friday.

Army drug squads in the northern state of Tamaulipas, a smuggling hot spot over the border from Texas, found the U.S. currency stuffed into eight suitcases as they inspected a tractor trailer and smaller truck parked along a highway.

They also found four pistols, the army said in a statement.

Army and federal police units deployed in President Felipe Calderon's 15-month-old crackdown on drug cartels are grappling with a spike in violence that has left more than 800 people dead in gangland-style killings so far this year.

The U.S.-Mexico border is the main entry point for South American cocaine and other drugs smuggled north to U.S. consumers.

Mexico's powerful cartels buy masses of U.S. arms and their safe houses brim with cash from their organized crime businesses. Army raids have turned up big hauls of guns and cash since Calderon's operation began.

Also on Friday, the daily El Universal reported that five soldiers had been arrested for passing information to the Sinaloa alliance of Pacific Coast smugglers.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Catherine Bremer)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080405/wl_ ... o_drugs_dc