U.S. arrests 755 in Mexican cartel raids

[SMOKE 1,426]

WASHINGTON - Federal agents have rounded up 755 suspects in a wide-ranging crackdown on a Mexican drug cartel operating inside the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday.

The sweep against the Sinaloa cartel culminated in a series of Drug Enforcement Administration raids overnight and early Wednesday that led to 52 arrests. In recent months, the DEA and other agencies have staged raids in 120 cities across the country that led to the 755 arrests.

"International drug trafficking organizations pose a sustained, serious threat to the safety and security of our communities," Holder said. "As the world grows smaller and international criminals step up their efforts to operate inside our borders, the Department of Justice will confront them head on to keep our communities safe."

The Justice Department said that as part of the 21-month-long investigation, DEA and other federal agents had seized $59 million in U.S. currency; 12,535 kilograms of cocaine; more than 16,000 pounds of marijuana; more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine; approximately 8 kilograms of heroin; approximately 1.3 million pills or 500 pounds of Ecstasy; approximately 120 kilograms of MDMA powder; and more than $6.5 million in other assets, including 149 vehicles, 3 aircraft, 3 maritime vessels and 169 weapons.

"We successfully concluded the largest and hardest hitting operation to ever target the very violent and dangerously powerful Sinaloa drug cartel," said DEA Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart. "From Washington to Maine, we have disrupted this cartel’s domestic operations — arresting U.S. cell heads and stripping them of more than $59 million in cash — and seriously impacted their Canadian drug operations as well.

"DEA will continue to work with our domestic and international partners to shut down the operations of the Sinaloa cartel and stop the ruthless violence the traffickers inflict on innocent citizens in the U.S., Mexico and Canada," she added.

Kidnappings, killings and other violence related to the cross-border drug trade have escalated as heavily armed gangs battle for turf on the doorstep of the U.S. narcotics market.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29389404

ETA:

Edited February 25, 2009 by SMOKE

[HAL 9000 96]

[Mononoke28 135]

Dang, good job DEA.

Diana

[Jasman0717 9]

Right on DEA