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Sep 17, 2008 4:18 pm US/Central
Feds Bust Drug Cartel, Arrest 25 In Texas
DALLAS / ATLANTA (AP / CBS 11 NEWS) ―
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Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced the bust of a violent Mexican drug cartel in Atlanta, where agents made 43 arrests. (File)
AP
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Uriel Palacios is facing federal drug charges after a nationwide drug sweep.
Dallas County Jail
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey says officials have dealt a substantial blow to an extremely violent Mexican drug cartel with 175 arrests in the U.S. and Italy.
All of the arrests stem from
an investigation in Farmers Branch. Police there started a drug investigation 15 months ago, tipped off federal authorities and it snowballed into an international investigation. 25 of the arrests were in Texas. One of those arrested, Uriel Palacios, was already in the Dallas County Jail on murder charges. Police say Palacios, who has
five previous drunk driving convictions, was driving the car that
hit and killed a newlywed Dallas couple earlier this month.
With today's federal arrests, Palacios is also facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.
The drug enforcement administration says the arrests have disrupted a drug trafficking organization called the 'Gulf Cartel'. Mukasey says the cartel is responsible for importing and distributing tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico, Central and South America
and distributing them to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and other cities around the country.
In North Texas, officials seized a million dollars in cash, weapons, and cocaine and methamphetamines worth millions on the street.Dallas Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent James Capra explained, "These organizations live on the backs of addiction. It's about money... and we won't put up with it."The cartel is also believed to be responsible for laundering millions of dollars and is a driving force behind escalating violence in Mexico.
Mukasey announced the bust in Atlanta, where agents made 43 arrests.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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