Feds Bust 750 In Mexico Cartel Crackdown

DEA Continues 21-Month Action Into Mexico-Based Drug Gangs As Violent Turf War Escalates

(CBS/AP)  Federal agents have rounded up more than 750 suspects in a wide-ranging crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating inside the United States.

More than 50 of the suspects were arrested overnight in a series of raids coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration aimed at capturing members of the Sinaloa cartel, blamed for a rising tide of violence in Mexico and the United States.

Another 700 suspects were arrested previously over the course of the DEA's 21-month Operation Xcellerator, officials said.

Some of the other numbers behind those arrests are staggering, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker. The DEA seized more than 23 tons of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines; plus dozens of planes, boats and cars; more than $63 million in cash; and scores of weapons in the operation.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the cartels "are lucrative, they are violent, and they are operated with stunning planning and precision."

At a press conference announcing the arrests, Holder also suggested that re-instituting a U.S. ban on the sale of assault weapons would help reduce the bloodshed in Mexico, where last year 6,000 people were killed in drug-related violence.

U.S. officials have a responsibility to make sure Mexican police "are not fighting substantial numbers of weapons, or fighting against AK-47's or other similar kinds of weapons that have been flowing to Mexico," Holder said.

DEA Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart said the raid showed the tentacles of the crime syndicate had spread far across the U.S. - not just to major cities like Washington and Los Angeles, but to quiet, smaller communities like Stowe, Iowa, which the cartel allegedly used as a conduit to funnel drugs around the country.

Leonhart said the Sinaloa cartel has become one of the largest organized crime operations in the world.

The overnight roundup by DEA and state and local police included arrests in California, Minnesota, and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.

"They've been hit hard, and their ability to spread death and destruction has been diminished" by the arrests, Leonhart said.

Yet while the investigation proceeded over many months, over the same period, the cartel violence on both sides of the border increased substantially. Today's arrests may have slowed, but certainly haven't stopped the cartels, Whitaker reports. Bulked up on drug profits, the five major cartels have the money and the firepower to go head to head with Mexican authorities.

Kidnappings, killings and other crimes 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.

[perkpen99]

Most Americans would rather not know the TRUTH than accept the brutal reality of what we call "life." We are all affected by this no matter if we are drug users, from a far away country, a law enformement official or even the PRESIDENT!!! Look out, the best is yet to come. To those of you who wish to stay "dumbfounded" about our nations government policy, your life will be taken over by this before you know it!!! Wait and see

[jnjaquez09]

I'm happy these guys got caught.
all in all where is all that money going to go?

[taraizer]

I live on the New Mexico/Mexico border and have all my life. This is a real and dangerous issue here. This is not an immgration or gun control issue. It is a BORDER SECURITY issue. While the nations media has their attention turned to the economy, Bernie Madoff and our president on Jay Leno, the Mexican Cartells have taken full advantage and are in the process of bringing this war right to the doorsteps of the American public. Our local politicans have no power in dealing with this issue, as they have ignored or profitted from it for too long. This was considered Mexico's problem for years, while our goverment lowered the border more and more each day until the problem simply stepped over the border. We are being held captive by the violence here and beleive me when I say, this is an invasion of our country. It should be handled by our goverment accordingly. Instead our politicans like Nancy Pelosi, continue to blur the line of immigration with border security. AGAIN TWO SEPERATE ISSUES. The ONLY commonality is the geographical area. Please CBS help to bring these issue to the forefront of the American public's conscience.

[stich64332]

Yet another unpopular NAFTA result (see above). They have drugs to sell. We have weapons to sell.

Limit either and it's called "restraint of trade."

[gosuckabug2day]

Americans need drugs in order to insulate ourselves from the lies and corruption of our elected officials.

[Federal70]

I worked as a federal agent in Mexico 10 years ago nothing has changed everything ever done for american or mexican goverment is useless unless US do something to stop being the largest drug consumer in the world, forget terrorist attacks or natural disaster more american people has died on drug related incidents since WWII than any other foreing front, and the US goverment waste 1.4 billions a year on hardware and tactic help to Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, North africa and south asia.
I wonder what could be done on education agains drug using all those resorces here in america? besides saving american young lives and decrease crime of course.

Stop asking other countries to resolve domestic problems; trowing money and critics is not the answer.
Go get some education for your kids.

[legacyabq]

and besides, the USA is one of the biggest producers of the worlds supply of military weapons... Private business profits from death and destruction..

Stop it here, they'll get em somewhere else.. Stop one cartel, and face another new one.
Arrest 1 drug dealer, 2 more take his place..e,t
Forever.

Legalize, treat, tax, control. Educate. Not a solution, but better than what we have now..
Did we learn nothing fromprohibition of alcohol?
There will always be drunks, but it was much worse when itwas illlegal.

The only difference is that alcohol is more culturally acceptable.
No difference in logical reality.

[legacyabq]

does eric holder REALLY think billion-dollar mexican drug dealers can only get ak-47's at american gun shows?
What an idiot.. They're freely available in almost every country in the world..

DUH

The money is too good
The drugs are too profitable
The will never stop coming in
Legalization is the only intelligent answer

[956laredo]

if you want the drugs to stop coming in to this country you have to stop being the number one drug consuming country in the world ...theres bad people every where look at all the white biker gangs they use and sell drugs just have never been smart enough like mexican ,colombian ,latin carteles to really really get paid like they do... all these people arrested i can bet over half are us citizens working for the cartel its not all mexicanes drug money is world wide!!!!

[ivehadit9]

My suggestion is that those who continuously blame the illegals for everything under the sun is to stop blogging and go out in the sun, where the fields of grapes and lettuce need picking. Go to the orchards and pick nuts and fruits which should closely resemble some of the bloggers posting inane comments about people trying to make a simple living.
Posted by bajajohn1 at 6:08 PM : Feb 25, 2009
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We're only talking about the illegal aliens who commit heinous crimes here, amigo. Go to another forum where you can vent your rage about the hard-working illegal aliens.

[formrusmcsgt]

Just like gangsters during prohibition, cartels will kill and corrupt to promote the enterprise.

And for the same reason as the example mentioned - grand larceny profit from dealing in contraband.

The repeal of prohibition took alcohol out of the gangster's hand sand put it into businessmen's hands.

Keeping drug laws on the books that only ensure enormous profits for cartels will do only that - ensure continued enormous profits.

[bajajohn1]

As usual, Texas Ed is wrong and misinformed about events South of the border and seeks to defer truth to fantasy. Nine out of 10 weapons, mostly AK-47's are imported from the U.S. along with the thousands of rounds of ammunition. Large caches have been discovered and confiscated by the Mexican military. Does it not matter to some of the bloggers here, that the U.S. demands and consumes more illegal drugs than any other country in the world? This is not rhetoric, but cold hard facts.

[jetranger7]

Put the US Military on the Border, and some Natl. Guard Troops and more Customs and Ins Agents and DEA Agents to back up the Border Patrol, Mexico better get the hint- we've bout' had our belly full of the rhetoric and BS, time is running out for them, before WE take Action, and there will be NO DEBATE, on how its handled - period . !

[WiseAsOwl]

Yes.. That's the answer.. Everybody call everybody else names... That should solve all the problems... Yeah, sure!! But, I have this to say: If this situation doesn't change, the U.S. citizens are going to have to organize and take up arms and defend their country.. It is becoming obvious that the politicians only care about votes and their rich friends... Bottom line...... It's defend our country at the border or let them have it.. Speaking personally, I'll fight for my country... BUT, if the majority are not willing to fight for their country and not willing to shut off the border, then it is lost... I think it's worth saving... Thugs always seem tough until they make too many people mad and then these mad citizens go on the warpath..........Thugs cannot stand too long against people who are in the right.... I don't know, but I suppose legalizing drugs may be an option...... You politicians just make sure that my firearms stay legal...

[piercetheval]

Well, well, it seems our Feds can tell the s*** from Sinaloa...heh, heh, heh!

[jsilver2th]

Don't get me wrong- it's great to see these people taken off the streets but I fear there will be 10 new ones for each we remove.

[jsilver2th]

When George Shultz was Reagan's Secretary of State he advocated for the legalization of all drugs- simply put- no progress would be made in fighting drug abuse and the relating criminality until the PROFIT was taken out of the equation. This is even more true today- if we legalized drugs we will see the end of the warfare on the Mexican border as one example.

The argument that drugs would be more prevelent is the most repeated reason for continuing prohibition. However, earth to those with your head in the sand: Anyone that wants drugs in America now can get them virtually anywhere and anytime already at little risk of being caught.

I live in a rural area and in the closest town of 6,000 believe me there is more policing of sales of cigarettes to minors that there is on sales of methamphetamines- it's easier for the kids to get hard drugs than it is beer and cigarettes- they don't have to ask an adult to buy the meth.

Wake up America. As long as there are huge profits to be made there are people who will take huge risks for the money. The Mexican cartels have an endless supply of runners and street dealers to fill our prisons.

Treat drug addictions as medical issues- not criminal cases.

[bajajohn1]

My suggestion is that those who continuously blame the illegals for everything under the sun is to stop blogging and go out in the sun, where the fields of grapes and lettuce need picking. Go to the orchards and pick nuts and fruits which should closely resemble some of the bloggers posting inane comments about people trying to make a simple living.

[bajajohn1]

Let us hope this administration continues with these type of undercover work. It is difficult for the working people of Mexico to live amidst all this carnage. Some are actually getting dangerously desensitized and others want the Mexican governement to get harder on the narco-cartels. Still others are ready to change this government, while others have no faith in their insititutions of government. The killing continues among the cartel members and the government forces fighting them. The vast majority of Mexicans are not in any way related to this war. The nearly 1 million Americans living in Mexico will attest to that fact. Visiting resort areas in Mexico is still a safe choice but also depends on one's personal habits.

[rhs648]

It will take time for the old geezers to die off, when they do, the laws will change for us. We couldn't do any worse at running the country into the ground. Thanks for nothing.

Posted by hetup-2009

The "old geezers" made this country great. They fought WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. They worked their trails off to send their children to college. When I was in college, the popular expression by radical students was "Don't trust anyone over thirty." It was their parents, over thirty, who paid the college tuition. If you are so unhappy, try countries like Cuba, China, or Russia. You may like them better than the United States.