ICE operation targets 26 in smuggling ring

November 09, 2011 10:19 PM
By JARED TAYLOR/The Monitor

McALLEN — Federal authorities have targeted 26 people in an indictment alleging a drug and money laundering conspiracy that moved millions of dollars worth of marijuana through the Rio Grande Valley.

A dozen of the suspects remain under federal seal in the case. Whether they have already been detained is unclear, but federal authorities ask the court to redact suspects’ names from indictments prior to their arrests.

Undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents posing as tractor-trailer drivers say they met with Francisco Javier “Panchilloâ€