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300 Busted in Federal Drug Raids

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 01:11:16 PM EST
Tags: mexican drug cartels, Project Coronado (all tags)
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Today the DEA and DOJ announced the arrests of 300 more people in 19 states in "Project Coronado", allegedly affiliated with the La Familia Michoacana drug cartel. From the DEA factsheet on La Familia Michocana:

This DTO has a strong religious background. It purportedly originated to protect locals from the violence of drug cartels. Now, La Familia Michoacana uses drug proceeds to fuel their agenda that encompasses a Robin Hood-type mentality – steal from the rich and give to the poor. They believe they are doing God’s work, and pass out bibles and money to the poor. La Familia Michoacana also gives money to schools and local officials.

More on the arrests and La Familia Michocana from the BBC. [More...]

77 were arrested in Dallas and 38 in Atlanta.

Also today, Mexican authorities arrested the alleged number two person in the Los Zetas cartel. The DEA says La Familia Michoacana used to be allied with Los Zetas but split off.

[Los Zetas was]formed by ex-Mexican army soldiers, consists mostly of former federal and local police.

More on Los Zetas here.

Attorney General Eric Holder today:

Attorney General Eric Holder pledged to keep hitting La Familia and the cartels responsible for a wave of bloodshed in Mexico. He said the U.S. would attack them at all levels, from the leadership to their supply chains reaching far into the United States.

"To the extent that they do g