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June
2001
OPERATION MARQUIS
On June 20, 2001,
culminating an 18-month nationwide investigation, agents of the DEA, the
FBI, and the U.S. Customs Service, and state and local law enforcement
officers arrested 76 individuals. In addition, 185 individuals had previously
been arrested as part of the operation. The suspects were involved with
a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization responsible for putting tens
of millions of dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana on the streets of
at least a dozen U.S. cities. The investigation has continued and as of
August, 48 additional arrests were made, bringing the total Operation
Marquis arrests to 309 individuals. So far, the operation has resulted
in the seizure of 8,645 kilograms of cocaine, 23,096 pounds of marijuana,
50 pounds of methamphetamine, and $13 million in U.S. currency.
The
investigation, known as Operation Marquis, targeted a drug trafficking
organization based in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The Marquis organization consisted
of members of the former Amado Carrillo-Fuentes organization, along with
other well-known traffickers. Transportation and distribution "cells"
of the Marquis organization had been established in cities across the
United States, including: Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston,
Tulsa, Chicago, Wichita, Little Rock, New York City, Newark, Charlotte,
Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis, and Nashville.
Over the last several
years, the Marquis organization was alleged to have moved large quantities
of cocaine and marijuana through the Nuevo Laredo transportation corridor
into south Texas. In most cases, the drugs were temporarily warehoused
in the Laredo area before being transshipped to established distribution
cells operating throughout the United States. The organization's preferred
method of transportation was tractor-trailers, with the narcotics concealed
under cover loads of produce. However, the organization also utilized
automobiles with concealed compartments for the transportation of smaller
quantities of narcotics. Drug proceeds were generally repatriated to Mexico
using the same trucks and cars.
Arrests
were conducted simultaneously during the early morning hours of June 20
in 16 cities. Provisional arrest warrants naming 14 Marquis organization
members in Mexico were submitted to Mexican authorities. In addition,
the operation was briefed to the Director of the Organized Crime Unit
of the Mexican Attorney General's Office, and investigative information
on the identities of targets and telephone numbers in Mexico was shared.
Mexican law enforcement agents arrested 15 individuals and conducted numerous
search warrants. Mexican agents and prosecutors will seek to develop and/or
supplement cases against targets for prosecution in Mexico or the United
States. The sharing of this type of sensitive investigative information
during an on-going investigation in the United States set a new standard
in the level of trust and cooperation in the bilateral law enforcement
relationship between the two countries.
"The success
of Operation Marquis is an excellent example of what can be done when
we work together with our law enforcement counterparts in Mexico,"
said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "The Attorney General of Mexico
and I have agreed to focus our law enforcement efforts on major drug traffickers
and send a clear message to those criminals on both sides of our border
that there will be serious consequences for preying on the citizens
of our countries."
According to Former
DEA Administrator Donnie Marshall, "The Marquis organization appears
to be fairly typical of today's organizations operating from Mexicosmaller
groups that rely on each other to capitalize on drug trafficking opportunities.
Nevertheless, these organizations remain just as violent and dangerous
as ever." In this regard, the Marquis organization demonstrated a
propensity for violence. For example, three men, Jorge Ruvalcaba, Cesar
Blake, and Idelfonso "Pancho" Chavarria, were shot to death
in San Antonio, allegedly on the orders of Marquis associate Hugo Villareal-Solis.
Villareal-Solis, Jose "Joey" Abel Rodriguez, and the alleged
gunman, Roberto Lopez, have been indicted in the Western District of Texas
on drug and murder charges.
FBI
Assistant Director Ruben Garcia, Jr., said, These law enforcement
activities will have a measurable impact on drug trafficking across our
Southwest Border. The work completed in this case emphasizes the importance
of interagency cooperation in targeting and investigating drug trafficking
organizations."
Acting U.S. Customs
Commissioner Charles Winwood added, "This investigation demonstrates
what can be achieved when law enforcement efforts are coordinated and
resources are pooled. Operation Marquis shut down a sprawling criminal
network that plagued communities throughout the country."
The investigation
was initiated in September 1999 and was coordinated by the Special Operations
Division, a joint Department of Justice, DEA, FBI, U.S. Customs and IRS
program, staffed by attorneys from the Justice Department's Criminal Division
and agents and analysts from the participating investigative agencies.
Operation Marquis
was extremely successful in disrupting sources of supply, and in identifying
Mexico-based command and control members and domestic cell heads. Its
success was largely the result of the coordinated use of electronic surveillance
and selfless cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement
officials.
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