Operation identifies 43 suspects with drug cartel ties

By Kristina Davis
12:56 p.m., July 19, 2011

SAN DIEGO — Local and federal law enforcement fanned out across San Diego County early Tuesday to serve arrest and search warrants on dozens of people with suspected ties to Mexican drug cartels, authorities said.

The multiagency effort, led by San Diego police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, identified 43 people suspected of various crimes ranging from drug and weapons trafficking to robberies and homicide, said San Diego police Lt. Kevin Ammon.

Many of the suspects arrested during the sweep, dubbed “Operation Second Sole,â€