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U.S. Cracks Mexican Drug Rings NewsMax.com WiresLOS ANGELES – The formidable power of the Arellano-Felix drug gang was dealt another serious setback Thursday when state and federal agents broke up four distribution rings with close ties to the Tijuana organization. More than 400 agents hit the streets early Thursday to serve search warrants at more than 30 locations in Southern California while arrest warrants were unsealed against three high-ranking members of the Arellano-Felix organization. Search warrants were also being executed in New York, Arizona, Connecticut and Minnesota. "We have seriously damaged a large, sophisticated and very violent drug trafficking organization," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley. "It is an organization responsible for shipping millions of dollars of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into and throughout the United States." The drug rings taken down Thursday had been under investigation for two years and moved quantities of drugs that spoke to the scope of the Arellano-Felix's role in narcotics smuggling. More than 30 additional suspects were in custody by midday. Cooley's office set the nationwide tally of seizures to date at more than 13 tons of cocaine, 4,768 pounds of marijuana and 46 pounds of methamphetamine; there were also 234 arrests and nearly $14 million seized. The investigation, dubbed Operation Vice Grip, was the largest ever launched against the Arellano-Felix gang, which in the past 20 years developed an aura of invincibility as it used extensive corruption and unrestrained violence to insure that there would be no interference in its Tijuana operations. Fox Takes a Bite The tide, however, began to turn after the 2000 election of President Vicente Fox and the arrests of high-ranking members of the organization as Fox made good on campaign promises to crack down on powerful drug cartels. The leadership itself was also rocked in February when police in Mazatlan killed Ramon Arellano-Felix, the gang's chief enforcer. His brother, Benjamin, was arrested a month later by Mexican authorities and remains in custody. "The Arellano-Felix cartel was gravely wounded when we took out the chief brothers, but the rest of the organization was still trying to hold on to power," Asa Hutchinson, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement. "We are committed to finishing the cartel, severing its ties in the United States and bringing to justice those responsible for flooding our streets with cocaine, heroin and violence." The Los Angeles groups shipped drugs as far as the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast and were directly tied to high-ranking Arellano-Felix associates. Arrest warrants were issued for three top associates, including Ismael Higuera-Guerrero, the gang's operations chief, and Mario Alberto Russel-Gamez, both of whom were arrested in Mexico on May 3. The third was identified as Bernardo "Don Ben" DelaCerra, whose family-run drug ring allegedly dealt in 100-kilogram (220 pounds) quantities of cocaine. DelaCerra is believed to be a fugitive hiding in Mexico. Copyright 2002 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
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