Article: U.S. Announces Break-up of Major Mexican Drug Ring

21 June 2001

Article: U.S. Announces Break-up of Major Mexican Drug Ring

Attorney General Ashcroft hails cooperation of Mexico

Washington -- U.S. law enforcement agencies, with the cooperation of the Mexican government, have broken up a major Mexican-based drug trafficking organization responsible for putting tens of millions of dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana on the streets of at least a dozen cities in the United States, announced the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

In a June 20 statement, DEA said an 18-month-long investigation, called "Operation Marquis," has so far resulted in the arrest of 76 individuals in the organization, based in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The operation was carried out by agents of the DEA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Customs Service, in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies. The investigation has netted 268 suspects, about 8,732 kilograms of cocaine, about 12,608 kilos of marijuana, about 22 kilos of methamphetamine, and about $12.5 million in cash, DEA said.

DEA said investigative information on the identities of targets and telephone numbers was shared with Mexican government officials. Mexican law enforcement agents and prosecutors will seek to develop and/or supplement cases against these targets for prosecution in Mexico or the United States, DEA said. The agency said the "sharing of this type of sensitive investigative information during an ongoing investigation in the United States sets a new standard in the level of trust and cooperation in the bilateral law enforcement relationship of our two countries."

DEA said that over the last several years, the Marquis group is alleged to have moved large quantities of cocaine and marijuana through the Nuevo Laredo transportation corridor into south Texas. In most cases, the drugs were temporarily warehoused in the Laredo area before being transshipped to established distribution cells operating throughout the United States, DEA said. The organization's preferred method of transportation was the tractor-trailer, with the narcotics concealed by cover loads of produce.

Arrests were carried out simultaneously June 20 in 16 U.S. cities, while provisional arrest warrants naming 14 Marquis organization members in Mexico will be submitted to Mexican authorities. Once the suspects are apprehended, U.S. prosecutors will formally request their extradition.

The organization's transportation and distribution cells were said to be located in such places as San Antonio, Chicago, the New York area, Atlanta, Cleveland, Wichita and Nashville.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said the "success of Operation Marquis is an excellent example of what can be done when we work together with our law enforcement counterparts in Mexico. The Attorney General of Mexico and I have agreed to focus our law enforcement efforts on major drug traffickers and send a clear message to those criminals on both sides of our border that there will be serious consequences for preying on the citizens of our countries."