Thread: Raided car lots belong to alleged Juárez cartel member

Raided lots belong to alleged Juárez cartel member

By Adriana M. Chávez and Ramon Bracamontes / El Paso Times
Posted: 02/09/2011 05:07:20 PM MST

FBI agents and El Paso County sheriff's deputies raided three car lots on Alameda Avenue this morning, but it was not known what they were looking for. Budget Auto Center, Melendez Autos and Walt Motor Company, all in the 7700 block of Alameda, were the three lots involved in the early morning raids.

Three Alameda used-car lots belonging to an alleged member of the Juárez drug cartel were raided by FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and El Paso County Sheriff's deputies Wednesday morning.

As soon as the lots opened for business at 10 a.m., about 15 law enforcement officials, including undercover agents wearing hooded sweat shirts and sunglasses, swooped on Budget Auto Sales, 7725 Alameda, Walt Motor Company, 7729 Alameda, and Melendez Auto Sales, which is across the street.

Once inside the car lots, sheriff's deputies and agents began interviewing employees while a sheriff's drug-sniffing dog searched the premises and several vehicles.

Other agents were seen taking inventory of the lots' vehicles and taking photos. Some of the vehicles were driven off to an unknown location by officials.

Moments later, the lots' owners arrived at the scene, according to some of the lots' employees. After agents searched the two men who showed up, the agents and the lots' owners walked across the street to Melendez Auto Sales, 7712 Alameda.

A sheriff's deputy was seen handcuffing a man at Melendez Auto Sales, then drove him away in the back of a patrol car. The identity of that man was not released late Wednesday.

As part of this investigation, Alejandro Melendez, 31, the listed owner of Budget Auto Sales, was arrested and booked into the El Paso County Jail on Tuesday on a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_17339600

How can Napolitano and others make the claim that the narco war is contained to the Mexican side of the border if obviously the narcos are conducting business such as this on the American side of the border?