News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2010
Contact: Terri K. Wyatt
Special Agent/PIO
Number: (214) 366-6900

Twenty-Five Individuals with Alleged Ties to a Colombian Cartel Arrested and Charged with Drug Trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas

FEB 12 --DALLAS, Texas – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that 25 alleged members of a Colombian drug trafficking organization have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas.

The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on Oct. 15, 2009, and unsealed on Feb. 5, 2010, charges the 25 defendants with drug trafficking crimes, including conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and manufacturing and distribution of cocaine to be imported into the United States. According to the indictment, the defendants are alleged to be members of a drug trafficking organization responsible for sending cocaine from Colombia to the United States using Central America and Mexico as a transshipment point.

To date, this investigation has seized 7.5 tons of cocaine and $4.25 million in assets.

The Colombian National Police (CNP) began executing arrest warrants on Feb. 8, 2010 in Colombia and Panama. Of the 25 defendants, 21 are now in custody. If convicted, they face up to life in federal prison.

"We cannot sit back and allow these drug trafficking organizations, wherever they are located, to transport tons of cocaine to the United States, with impunity," said U.S. Attorney Bales. "In this operation, the agents, both American and Colombian, are literally reaching across hemispheres to strike a blow against a criminal organization that is a vital lifeline to several Mexican drug cartels. We are proud to be part of what we believe to be an historical effort in the war on drugs."

“Operation ‘No Fly Zone’ represents an unprecedented level of international law enforcement cooperation between the Colombian National Police (CNP) and North Texas law enforcement agencies,â€