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07/09/03
On July 8, 2003, a task force of federal, state, and local
law enforcement agencies effectively struck at the hart of
one of the most vicious drug trafficking organization in
the world. Today's RICO indictment names eleven top leaders
of Arrellano-Felix organization and chronicles its crimes
along the ports of entry along the California-Mexico border
-- crimes of drug trafficking, violence, and bribery that
led to hundreds of deaths in Mexico and that spilled over
into southern California. The indictment also presents evidence
of a relationship between the drug traffickers and Columbia's
terrorist Revolutionary Armed forces (FARC) that traded firearms
for Columbian cocaine. The FBI has been investigation the
Arrellano-Felix organization (AFO) for over 10 years and
placed it on its National Priority Target List in 1998. It
is currently pursuing AFO cases with its law enforcement
partners in 33 of its 56 field divisions. This particular investigation in the San
Diego area has taken place over a 7-year period through
the efforts of a
special law enforcement task force that includes DEA, the
U.S. Custom's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
IRS, San Diego PD, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department,
the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the Chula
Vista PD, and the FBI. Many other DEA and FBI offices contributed
to the case, and the Government of Mexico lent superb assistance,
prodding witnesses who were in Mexican custody. FBI Deputy
Director Bruce Gebhardt said about the case, "The FBI
remains committed to fighting violent, corrupt drug traffickers
and committed to destroying transnational drug enterprises.
I think today's announcements who that the unprecedented
level of cooperation we have today is paying off."
This same task force was earlier responsible for four indictments
of the AFO, including the charging of Benjamin Arellano-Felix
(arrested by the Mexican military on 3/9/2002), and Higuera-Guerrero
(arrested in Mexico on 5/3/2000). The FBI Laboratory confirmed
the identity of deceased Ramon Arellano-Felix through DNA
testing. |
