Federal authorities arrested 9 illegal aliens and members of the La Familia Mexican drug cartel who sought to set up operations in Washington DC.
The Washington Post reported:
D.C. police and federal officials have arrested eight men with ties to Mexico’s La Familia drug cartel who sought to set up operations in the Washington metro area, law enforcement officials said.
Authorities also have seized millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine as part of the investigation.
Undercover police and ICE agents arrested the men on federal conspiracy charges last week and the authorities are expected to make a formal announcement on Wednesday. Investigators served search warrants in three states and arrested the men Dec. 10, during raids which netted pounds of crystal meth and dozens of gallons of liquid meth, the sources said.
Authorities seized an estimated $5 million worth of crystal meth during raids near Atlanta. Officials also recovered six pounds of marijuana, three guns, and more than $15,000 in cash, from raids in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina and in Temple Hills.
The investigation followed a purchase by a police informant and an undercover officer of a kilo of cocaine and five pounds of crystal meth in mid-November, from a local trafficker in the D.C. area, the law enforcement officials said.
The Washington Examiner has more:
Nine people with alleged ties to a Mexican drug cartel have been indicted on charges of distributing methamphetamine and other drugs in the Washington region…
…The indictment charges Rodriguez, Calderon, Alejandro Quintana Cardenas, Moises Ramirez-Perez, Alfonso Martinez-Cruz, Jesus Bustos-Penaloza, Felipe Alvarado-Ponce and Sergio Garcia-Virelas with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The final defendant is identified only as Jorge because his last name is not known. All are illegal immigrants, authorities said.
