Posted on 12/20/2011 12:36:38 PM PST by JustSayNoToNannies
Arizona authorities have arrested some 200 people, and seized $7.8 million in cash and more than 1,200 pounds of drugs following an investigation they say has dismantled an "extensive" drug trafficking cell tied to the powerful Sinaloa cartel, federal and state authorities announced Tuesday.
Authorities announcing the 15-month-long investigation said that although the Sinaloa cartel almost immediately regenerates after one of its cells have been taken down, their investigation certainly struck a blow.
"Arresting a drug dealer is one thing but if we can actually follow that backwards and take out the head of the snake of this organization, we exact a lot of pain on those cartels and those folks putting their distribution networks in Arizona," Tempe police Cmdr. Kim Hale said at a news conference announcing the bust.
The 203 people arrested ranged all the way from street dealers and buyers to family members and friends of Sinaloa cartel members who were well-trusted in the organization, Hale said.
The 43 search warrants conducted as part of the investigation led to the seizure of 44 guns that included assault rifles, 650 pounds of marijuana, 435 pounds of methamphetamine, 123 pounds of cocaine and 4.5 pounds of heroin. Combined the drugs are estimated to be worth $12.5 million.
"It's significant enough that I'm sure they recognize it but they're not going to go belly up anytime soon," Hale said. "We can never rest."
The investigation began last year when a Tempe patrol officer pulled over a drug dealer after he saw a street deal. The dealer was later identified as a delivery driver for the drug ring and police said that he delivered methampetamine to various customers in the Phoenix metro area.
Further investigation led to more extensive undercover work and to local drug dealers throughout the metro area.
Separately, Phoenix agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency had been investigating the ring, so the two joined forces, along with other agencies.
Doug Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the DEA in Arizona, said that he expects further arrests in the case as the investigation continues.
"This is as big a case as gets put together," he said. "I often get asked, 'OK, what have we done? Is the drug war over? You guys get up here all the time and make these claims about big cases.' So why do we keep doing this?"
He said that as long as tens of thousands of people die in the U.S. every year from drug overdoses, they will continue fighting the drug war. "We will never relent," he said.
He reiterated the strength of the Sinaloa cartel.
"The Sinaloa cartel — that's the biggest and baddest of the drug cartels," he said. "The Sinaloa cartel is a transnational, multimillion industry that has tentacles in every state in the U.S. and throughout the world."
Authorities announced a similar bust of the Sinaloa cartel back in October, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said they dismantled a drug ring tied to the Sinaloa cartel that they estimated was responsible for smuggling more than $33 million worth of drugs through Arizona's western desert every month for distribution nationwide.
They also estimated that the ring was responsible for smuggling more than 3.3 million pounds of marijuana, 20,000 pounds of cocaine and 10,000 pounds of heroin into the U.S. through Arizona over the past five years. They arrested 22 suspected smugglers tied to the ring following their 17-month operation.
The same week, a drug cartel member deported as part of the bust returned to Arizona and was caught with $1.6 million worth of drugs in just one example of how relentless the Sinaloa cartel can be.
Another screwup in America’s “failed war on drugs”. Holder and his boys are going to be pissed off at Arizona about this. I guess we can expect another lawsuit by the feds. Just throw it on top of the pile.
The drug war is a major contributor to overdose deaths, by leading to highly variable potencies.
And how many of those are tied to Fast & Furious? We may never know.
Holder better get his people in there to see if any of the poor dears rights were violated or feelings hurt.
Until Americans hold the federal government accountable for its malfeasance and corruption, will this kind of atrocity get stopped in America.
"the Sinaloa cartel almost immediately regenerates after one of its cells have been taken down" - sounds like failure to me.
Sarc/
There, I fixed it.
Connection??? ping
Separately, Phoenix agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency had been investigating the ring, so the two joined forces, along with other agencies.
Doug Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the DEA in Arizona, said that he expects further arrests in the case as the investigation continues.
“This is as big a case as gets put together,” he said.
~~~~~~~~~~
The 43 search warrants conducted as part of the investigation led to the seizure of 44 guns that included assault rifles, 650 pounds of marijuana, 435 pounds of methamphetamine, 123 pounds of cocaine and 4.5 pounds of heroin. Combined the drugs are estimated to be worth $12.5 million.
Just miss getting Gus Fring.
The cartels’ product is cheap to make, as are the lives of the people who traffic and distribute the drugs. This is likely nothing more than an annoyance (if even that) when compared to the billions of dollars the narcos make every year.
This is nothing more than our so called law enforcement saying “see, we don’t always kick in the wrong door and shoot your dog.”
Seal Team 6 and a moonless Friday evening and the drug war could by over by Sunday.
Precisely. An unknown powder bought in the street can contain 5% heroin to 90% heroin. People often overdose when they unexpectedly get stronger drugs. Not only that, but the illegal drugs are cut with random powders and other drugs. Interactions from contaminants injure more people than overdoses.
Most damage and death from illegal drugs are for these reasons. 100 years ago, the hardest drugs were sold in drug stores with the exact standardized dosage so no accidental overdoses. They were also pure so no damage from contaminants.
Yes, addiction is a danger in some drugs. But when drugs were legal, the treatment for addiction was to keep taking the drug and slowly wean the body off of them. Even if someone was addicted, the drugs were cheap enough for nearly everyone to keep functioning. You would be surprised how many wealthy people use drugs every day without anyone else knowing it. However, their drugs are pure and they can afford them.
Today, the drug war has made many drugs more valuable than gold. A cocaine addiction that a housewife could afford in 1900 would cost 6 figures today. So today, instead of taking their cheap pill from the drug store and getting their fix (like many people with coffee or cigarettes), they go steal a $10,000 air conditioner, fence it for $500 and then give all that cash to criminals for a dangerous product that lasts one day.
The WOD is a ludicrous failure on every single front
How many of Holder’s “Guns for Drugs” were recovered in the non-Federal raid?
So, what is the problem?
The druggie is shown to be irresponsible if he ingests something he has not tested for purity. The fault for the death is the taker, not the provider and certainly not the drug warriors.
To OD and die is to serve as a bad example. Takers beware
The drug war is a major contributor to overdose deaths, by leading to highly variable potencies.
So, what is the problem?
Doug Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the DEA in Arizona, says he thinks overdose deaths are a problem (to which the drug war is a solution). Go argue with him.
What are you smoking? Seal Team 6 can't repeal the law of supply and demand, even on a moonless Friday evening.
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