This is fantastic news! Both La Familia and the Los Zetas just took it in the shorts with these latest operations. From a historic seizure of ‘meth precursors’ in Mexico, to 1,985 arrests of meth dealers in the US. Awesome news and good job to all involved. What is really cool, is that all of those arrests will lead to more information that could be fed into these fusion centers that have been created to take on the cartels. I love it.
But this also is interesting in that this is a major attack on the center of gravity of these cartels. These groups are all about business, and anything that disrupts that business will make them very mad. Now will that translate that into attacks on US or Mexican authorities? Already, we see the cartels targeting Mexican authorities, so to see the jump to targeting US authorities operating in Mexico or even in the US, would not be out of the question.
The other reason I mention this, is that this is more a war and not some police action. True, we use police to pry the bad seeds from society, but we are also dealing with a class of criminal that actually wages war. In Mexico, this combatant has no problems with ambushing the police or assassinating politicians. Or paying them. Anything to keep the business going. Hell, towns like Jaurez are more dangerous than any town in Iraq or Afghanistan, and that’s because the cartels are waging war for market share and territory.
The point is, is that we have attacked cartel business in a major way. Now what will they do in retaliation is the question? Did I mention that the State Department issued a warning early this month that stemmed from ‘recent successes against drug cartel figures‘? I also think that this is a war worth fighting, and I will cheer on any and all efforts that destroy these vile criminal organizations. –Matt
Mexican army seizes 840 tons of drug precursors
July 21, 2011
Mexico City – Troops found more than 839 tons of drug precursor chemicals at a warehouse in the central city of Queretaro, the largest such seizure in Mexican history, the Defense Secretariat said.
The chemicals, used to make synthetic drugs such as crystal meth, were discovered Monday at a warehouse in the city’s industrial zone, the secretariat said in a statement.
No arrests were reported in connection with the seizure.
This week’s confiscation tops the previous record of 200 tons of precursors seized almost a year ago in the Pacific port of Manzanillo.
Mexico, which produces most of the crystal meth consumed in the United States, has imposed tight restrictions on the import of chemicals used to make illegal synthetic drugs.
Story here.——————————————————-
Project Delirium Results in Nearly 2,000 Arrests During 20-Month Operation, Seizures of More Than 12 Tons of Drugs and $62 Million in U.S. Currency
U.S. Department of Justice July 21, 2011
• Office of Public Affairs (202) 514-2007/TDD (202)514-1888
WASHINGTON—Approximately 1,985 individuals have been arrested on narcotics-related charges as part of a 20-month multi-agency law enforcement investigation known as Project Delirium, which targeted the La Familia Michoacana drug cartel, the Department of Justice announced today.
As part of an ongoing takedown that began June 1, 2011, 221 individuals have been arrested across the United States as part of Project Delirium, including more than 70 individuals apprehended yesterday and today. In addition, $770,499 in U.S. currency, 635 pounds of methamphetamine, 118 kilograms of cocaine, and 24 pounds of heroin were seized by law enforcement agents since June 1, 2011.