Mar 20, 2007 3:55 am US/Central
Mexico Seizes $205.6M From Luxury House
WASHINGTON (CBS News) ―
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Federal agents seized cash, eight luxury vehicles, seven weapons and a machine to make pills during a raid March 15, 2007.
Courtesy: Procuraduria General de La Republica
The $205.6 million seized from a luxury Mexico City house was the largest drug cash seizure "the world has ever seen" and resulted from U.S.-Mexico cooperation, the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said Monday.
DEA chief Karen Tandy said in statement that U.S anti-drug agents working with Mexican police in an "historic partnership" against methamphetamine producers led to Thursday's seizure.
The money found hidden inside walls, suitcases and closets in one of Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods came from the profits of methamphetamines sold in the United States, she said.
"This is like law enforcement hitting the ultimate jackpot. But luck had nothing to do with this windfall," Tandy said, calling it "the largest single drug-cash seizure the world has ever seen."
Mexican federal agents also seized eight luxury vehicles, seven weapons and a pill-making machine during the raid in Lomas de Chapultepec, a neighborhood of walled compounds that is home to ambassadors and business magnates. Seven people were arrested and were ordered Monday to be held for three months while the investigation continues.
In addition to the U.S. money, officials found 200,000 euros and 157,500 pesos, which totals about $280,000.
Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said the money was connected to one of the hemisphere's largest networks for trafficking pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in methamphetamines. He said the ring had been operating since 2004 and was run by a native of China who had gained Mexican citizenship.
The alleged gang leader is in hiding, possibly outside of the country, Mora said.
Methamphetamine is not a new drug. It is known on the street and school corridors as crank, speed and ice.
"We don't have kids thinking it's harmful. We don't have parents talking to their kids about how harmful it is which predicts we may have a steep increase in the use of methamphetamine, a dangerous drug which they're calling the cocaine of the '90s," Thomas Hedrick of the Partnership For A Drug-Free America told CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen.
Tandy said the operation should reduce the supply of methamphetamines to the United States. At least 80 percent of meth consumed in the U.S. is trafficked by Mexican gangs, she said.
Mexican officials say the bust is part of nationwide crackdown on drugs and crime led by President Felipe Calderon, who came to power in December on a law and order platform. Since January, Calderon has sent more than 24,000 police and soldiers to areas ravaged by drug-related violence and extradited four alleged drug kingpins to the United States.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Slideshow: Police Show Off Seized Evidence
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