Thread: US raids net 300 in assault on Mexican cartel (1,186 total)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Sweep against Mexican drug cartel includes 4 O.C. arrests

Local cell is believed to have distributed cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register

More than 300 people across 19 states were arrested this week as part of what federal authorities say is one of the largest strikes against Mexican drug cartels. Among those arrested were four people in Orange County accused of being part of a local distribution cell.

The Orange County cell distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin locally and as far away as South Carolina, said Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Headed by a man named Jesus Carreno-Ortiz, the Orange County cell dealt directly with the La Familia Michoacán cartel, which is considered one of the youngest cartels responsible for the transportation of methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, authorities said.

Dubbed Project Coronado, the 44-months-long operation has netted a total of 1,186 arrests across the United States. On Wednesday and Thursday, 303 individuals in 19 states were arrested by federal, state and local authorities. During the two-day operation, authorities seized 62 kilograms of cocaine, 729 pounds of methamphetamine, 967 pounds of marijuana, 144 weapons and 109 vehicles, according to the DEA.

"This unprecedented, coordinated U.S. law enforcement action – the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel – has dealt a significant blow to La Familia's supply chain of illegal drugs, weapons and cash flowing between Mexico and the United States," said Attorney General Eric Holder in a statement.

The operation includes a federal indictment and several local prosecutions, such as that of Carreno-Ortiz, which will be handled by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Pullen said.

Carreno-Ortiz is believed to have headed one of three Southern California cells that distributed cocaine, heroine and methamphetamines locally, Pullen said. Though the cell was based in Orange County, it is believed to have distributed drugs to Northern California, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina and Georgia, Pullen said.

Federal authorities conducted a 10-month investigation into the Orange County cell and took Carreno-Ortiz into custody Monday during a drug transaction, Pullen said. The names of the three other suspects who will be prosecuted in Orange County were not immediately available.

Investigators believe the local cell distributed large portions of methamphetamines, which were manufactured in Mexico and transported across the border, Pullen said.

According to the DEA, La Familia originated in the 1980s, possibly as a vigilante group meant to counter local crime in the state of Michoacán, but it evolved into growing and distributing marijuana. The organization includes an executive council, which is composed of business and government officials as well as drug traffickers, the DEA said. Members of the organization are required to complete a three to six month training camp in Michoacán, which is conducted by former members of Colombian or Mexican special forces, the DEA said.

According to federal authorities, the La Familia cartel is opposed to distributing methamphetamines in Mexico, and instead focuses on transporting the drug to be consumed in the United States.

During the 10-month Orange County investigation, 46 pounds of methamphetamines and 3 pounds of heroin were seized, Pullen said.

Meanwhile, federal authorities hailed the national sweep as a major blow to the distribution of drugs from Mexico to the United States, which has spurred a deadly string of attacks between feuding cartels fighting for control.

"We will not allow these cartels to operate unfettered in our country, and with the increase in cooperation between the U.S. and Mexican authorities in recent years, we are taking the fight to our adversaries," Holder said in a statement.

So far, Project Coronado has led to the seizure of $33 million, 1,999 kilograms of cocaine, 2,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 29 pounds of heroin, 16,390 pounds of marijuana, 389 weapons and 269 vehicles.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/oran ... tes-pullen

Added an article from above to the Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-4618--0-0.html

La Familia drug cartel target of sweep in U.S.

Nationwide operation leads to 13 arrests in San Diego County

By Spencer S. Hsu
THE WASHINGTON POST
2:00 a.m. October 23, 2009

Jose Roberto "El Chivo" de la Sancha, 24, was among the drug trafficking suspects reported arrested by Mexican federal police. (STR / AFP / Getty Images)

U.S. authorities arrested 303 people over the past two days in a nationwide sweep targeting the distribution network of La Familia, a fast-rising Mexican drug cartel known for its violence, messianic culture and control over the methamphetamine trade, Attorney General Eric Holder announced yesterday.

More than 3,000 federal, state and local agents participated in the U.S. law enforcement operation, the largest mounted against a Mexican cartel, Holder said.

The raids “dealt a significant blow to La Familia's supply chain,â€

A picture at this link shows some hand granades that were seized in one of the raids.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ?uniontrib

Gotta love those La Familia Values!

Doesn't matter. With wide open borders and Obama and Napolitano loosening border security any that are imprisoned and deported (who aren't paying off members of Congress that is) they will be replaced by the thousands more encouraged and supported by this drug cartel owned and controlled government illegally crossing the border every week.