Crackdown on La Familia cartel leads to more than 300 arrests across US

[clear eye]

Source: The Guardian World News

Project Coronado included raids in 19 states, showing broad reach of Mexican group's activities north of the border

Ed Pilkington in New York guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 October 2009 18.36 BST

US authorities have carried out the largest crackdown against a Mexican drug cartel, arresting more than 300 people across the country amid growing fears that Mexican gangs are steadily gaining power and influence north of the border.

The nationwide sweep, with raids in inner cities, suburbs and small towns across across 19 different states, highlights the extent to which Mexican gangs have spread their tentacles throughout the US. Several of the raids occurred in quiet neighbourhoods, where drug labs were found to be operating in houses with children present completely undetected by the surrounding population.

Project Coronado, as it was called, was launched on Wednesday and yesterday against the La Familia cartel, a relative newcomer to the Mexican-US drugs supply business that is renowned for being particularly brutal and for its bizarre cult-like religious practices. The cartel has risen quickly, setting up bases across the US, and is now thought to export more crystal methamphetamine to America than any other crime organisation.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/23/la-familia-drugs-us-mexico

[musette_sf]

1. (disappointment)

I thought it was a crackdown on The Family cartel leading to more than 300 arrests on C Street.

Damn.

[bluesmail]

2. Good One. HA! EOM

[FiveGoodMen]

3. My first thought as well.

[Flaneur]

4. File this under futile pursuits.

We loves us our drugs, and somebody is going to give us what we want.