US Law Enforcement Targets Leaders of Mexican Drug Gangs

U.S. federal law enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts to capture top leaders of two of the most powerful Mexican drug trafficking organizations that are now operating together under an umbrella framework they call "the Company". The United States and Mexico view these criminals as threats to their national security.

This week, the U.S. government announced a $50 million reward program aimed at the leaders of Mexico's Gulf cartel and former Mexican soldiers known as the Zetas, who officials say are in league with the Gulf cartel.

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U.S. indictments target Mexico's Gulf cartel

Among those on the list is the 'triumvirate' of the drug trafficking enterprise and its enforcement arm, the Zetas. They are accused of funneling cocaine and marijuana from South America into Texas.

Federal authorities announced indictments Monday against the reputed leaders of Mexico's Gulf cartel and its paramilitary force, the Zetas, accusing them of trafficking tons of cocaine and marijuana from South America through the Texas-Mexico border.

Read full article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mexico-drug-war21-2009jul21,0,1531532.story

Indictments Target Gulf Cartel

For more than three years, DEA agents seized millions of dollars in cash, thousands of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana, and uncovered enormous weapons caches. The work led to Monday's indictments against Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Trevino-Morales, along with 15 of their top lieutenants.

"We were able to infiltrate the communication networks of the cartel, identify their transportation networks, as well as their financial networks," said Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA's Houston Division, Paul Craine.

Specifically, the indictment names Cardenas-Guillen, Lazcano-Lazcano and Costilla-Sanchez as the "Triumvirate" of control over the cartel.

Read full article: http://www.click2houston.com/news/20121895/detail.html

Rewards offered for Gulf Cartel, Zeta leaders

The U.S. government announced $50 million in rewards Monday for information leading to the arrest of several top leaders of the Matamoros-based Gulf Cartel and their drug smuggling partners, the Zetas.

In what federal officials described as a “coordinated attack,” several other Obama administration departments also unveiled measures aimed at targeting the organizations including:

>> federal indictments in New York and Washington D.C. against members of both groups;

Read full article here: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/leaders-28703-rewards-gulf.html

Indictment describes shifts in Gulf-Zeta relationship

The Gulf Cartel recruited the Zetas in the 1990s to help muscle its way into a highly competitive Mexican drug market.

But over the past three years, the paramilitary organization - made up of former special operations soldiers and rural street thugs - has grown in stature, engaged in independent criminal endeavors and has become an equal partner in the business once dominated by its creator.

An uneasy truce now exists in smuggling corridors from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros, according to recently unsealed court documents.

Read full article: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/gulf-99621-indictment-cartel.html

Criminal cooperation

The Gulf Cartel recruited the Zetas in the 1990s to help muscle its way into a highly competitive Mexican drug market.

But over the past three years, the paramilitary organization - made up of former special operations soldiers and rural street thugs - has grown in stature, engaged in independent criminal endeavors and has become an equal partner in the business once dominated by its creator.

Read full article: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/mexican-28169-criminal-trafficking.html