Crime Correspondent: Mexico

David Hernandez of Logansport guilty of a class A felony charge of dealing in cocaine.

29-year-old David Hernandez of Logansport guilty of a class A felony charge of dealing in cocaine. He sentenced Hernandez to the maximum permitted under the plea agreement.Hernandez and his wife, 22-year-old Siomara Figueroa, were among five people arrested in October in a raid on two homes led by the Cass County Drug Task Force. All five were charged with class A felonies carrying a sentence of up to 50 years in prison.Hernandez signed a plea deal that capped the overall sentence at 30 years, with the executed portion limited to 20 years. The deal also called for prosecutors to drop their case against Figueroa, who sat in the courtroom Tuesday. Because Hernandez was too emotional to read his prepared statement to the court, an interpreter read it aloud in English. In the letter, Hernandez asked for forgiveness not only from the court, but from God and his wife and children, who he wanted to be reunited. He admitted his wrongdoing and said he would accept the punishment.Chief Deputy Prosecutor Lisa Swaim called Sgt. Jim Klepinger of the drug task force to testify. She asked him about the investigation into Hernandez’s drug-dealing operation. Klepinger said the task force recorded four controlled buys using a confidential informant. The amounts varied from 3.5 grams up to 28.5 grams.It takes three grams to constitute a class A felony under Indiana law.Klepinger added that officers also seized another 28.5 grams when they raided the two homes.Swaim referred to Hernandez as a “high-level dealer,” and Klepinger agreed. On cross examination, Indianapolis attorney Jason Reyome wanted to know whether Klepinger’s consideration of Hernandez as a big-time dealer was relative to the community where he was arrested. He said drug investigations in other communities net kilos, not mere ounces. “I don’t consider ounces to be minor,” Klepinger responded. Swaim pointed out that Hernandez was not a cocaine user but strictly a seller. She said his actions put the community at risk. “He made it his business to enter the country illegally and sell poison,” Swaim said in court.Once he finishes his sentence, Hernandez will be deported to Mexico. Swaim said that if he ever returned to the United States, he would face an additional 10 years in the DOC for probation violation.Reyome had argued that the judge should suspend his client’s sentence for the benefit of taxpayers in these difficult economic times. If the entire sentence were suspended, Hernandez would be deported immediately, Reyome said, and that would eliminate the cost of housing him as an inmate. If Hernandez returned, which Reyome said would be unlikely even though his wife and children are legal residents of the United States, he would face a 30-year prison term.Maughmer wanted to know what then would happen to the punishment deserved for violating the laws of a sovereign nation. Reyome said Hernandez had already served five months in jail. The judge expressed his concern that sending Hernandez back to Mexico without proper punishment would set an undesired precedent.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement already deported one defendant. Earlier this month, an immigration officer removed 24-year-old Martin Rafael Hernandez from the jail after the prosecutor’s office dismissed its case.Both Martin and David Hernandez, along with Figueroa and 33-year-old Javier Serrato and 34-year-old Maria Isabel Cabbrera, were arrested Oct. 23 when officers served search warrants at 1517 George St. and 312 19th St.

David Hernandez of Logansport guilty of a class A felony charge of dealing in cocaine.

29-year-old David Hernandez of Logansport guilty of a class A felony charge of dealing in cocaine. He sentenced Hernandez to the maximum per...

Alberto Espinoza Barron was arrested in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan on Monday.

The Defense Department says Alberto Espinoza Barron was arrested in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan on Monday.Mexican soldiers have cap...

Eduardo Arellano Felix captured by Mexican law enforcement agents

Mexican law enforcement agents have captured Eduardo Arellano Felix, a suspected leader of the brutal, Baja California-based drug cartel responsible for smuggling large amounts of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine to the United States. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had offered $5 million for information leading to his capture. Arellano has been indicted in U.S. federal court in San Diego. Mexican officials said Sunday that Arellano was arrested at a Tijuana residence Saturday night, along with his daughter. The daughter's name was not available. They have been taken to Mexico City, as is the case with most high-profile arrests in drug cases. The DEA also confirmed Arellano's detention. It is the latest in a series of arrests in recent years that has weakened the organization. As the cartel has lost its grip on the lucrative drug-smuggling routes into the United States, a deadly battle for control of the Tijuana region has ensued. Eduardo Arellano's arrest follows that of his three brothers, Benjamin, Francisco Rafael and Francisco Javier, and the death of a fourth, Ramon, who was killed in a 2002 shootout with Mexican police in the state of Sinaloa. Eduardo Arellano, nicknamed El Doctor, has been described as a reclusive former medical student in charge of overseeing the group's finances. With the removal of his brothers, he played an increasingly important role. A nephew, Fernando Sanchez Arellano, has been said to be in charge of the group's day-to-day operations. But Sanchez has been challenged by a former crew leader, Eduardo Garcia Simental, known as El Teo, and their battle has claimed the lives of close to 150 people in Tijuana in the past month.

Eduardo Arellano Felix captured by Mexican law enforcement agents

Mexican law enforcement agents have captured Eduardo Arellano Felix, a suspected leader of the brutal, Baja California-based drug cartel res...

Arrested Teodoro Fino Restrepo, who allegedly arranged cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico's Beltran Leyva cartel.

Arrested Teodoro Fino Restrepo, who allegedly arranged cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico's Beltran Leyva cartel.All the suspects...

Benjamin Arellano Felix known as "El Min", to be extradited

Mexico agreed on Tuesday to extradite drug lord Benjamin Arellano Felix to the United States as suspected drug hitmen killed another six people in a border city in the latest round of a killing spree.Arellano Felix, known as "El Min", was head of the powerful Tijuana cartel that operates across the U.S. border from San Diego, California until his capture in early 2002.Mexico's Attorney General's office said Arellano Felix will be tried in a Southern California court on charges of smuggling tonnes of cocaine into California between 1990 and 2000.The decision overturns a decision in May by a Mexican federal judge to block the extradition.Arellano Felix, whose cartel is now run by sister Enedina and brother Eduardo, is the latest high profile Mexican drug lord to be extradited by the government of President Felipe Calderon, who took office in 2006.Calderon extradited former Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas to Texas in January 2007, marking increased U.S.-Mexico cooperation in the drug fight.Mexican drug violence is spiraling as cartels fight each other for control of smuggling routes.The latest six to die in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico brought the death toll in the city bordering El Paso, Texas, to 41 since the start of the weekend, police said. Gunmen killed 17 people on Sunday alone.Over 500 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since the start of the year, making it the most deadly city in Mexico's drug war, despite a large deployment of well-armed troops and federal police.Calderon said on Tuesday the surge in killings in places like Ciudad Juarez was due to local gangs battling over ever smaller smuggling turf. More than 4,000 people have been killed in drug violence since December 2006, when Calderon took office. More than 1,600 people have been killed this year, a faster rate than in 2007.

Benjamin Arellano Felix known as "El Min", to be extradited

Mexico agreed on Tuesday to extradite drug lord Benjamin Arellano Felix to the United States as suspected drug hitmen killed another six peo...

Edgar Millan shot nine times as he came home by professional killers

Edgar Millan shot nine times as he came home early in the morning and opened the door, government officials said."They were hunting him," a spokesman for the Security Ministry said.Mexican media said the attackers, one of whom was caught by Millan's bodyguards, were professional killers hired by the powerful Sinaloa cartel, headed by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman. The man arrested had two pistols, one with a silencer, and was wearing a latex glove. Millan was the head of operations for a federal police force known as the PFP and was in charge of coordinating large-scale operations to break organized crime rings, including drug trafficking.Calderon has sent thousands of troops and federal police to take on drug gangs near the U.S. border and in other parts of Mexico since he took office in December 2006.The president's office condemned the "cowardly murder of an exemplary public servant who was committed to the safety of Mexican families."Millan scuffled with his attackers as they shot him at close range, El Universal newspaper said.

Edgar Millan shot nine times as he came home by professional killers

Edgar Millan shot nine times as he came home early in the morning and opened the door, government officials said."They were hunting him...

Carlos "El Puma" Landin sentenced to the maximum life imprisonment

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ajTQvHvweXClGhXQWQg8zM6L0wwLel_hh2o6NVLx0cf1zVTez9mj-2oMM6MAg8HkuMyNvNiMtaJLsqzQarHEB9YtJHEg-qqL3xfhPebNrYixO-o0ytnHYo_nCq1sf3IuBTXkCig8zog/s1600-h/lad.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194859417283628354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ajTQvHvweXClGhXQWQg8zM6L0wwLel_hh2o6NVLx0cf1zVTez9mj-2oMM6MAg8HkuMyNvNiMtaJLsqzQarHEB9YtJHEg-qqL3xfhPebNrYixO-o0ytnHYo_nCq1sf3IuBTXkCig8zog/s400/lad.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Carlos "El Puma" Landin, the suspected leader of Mexico's powerful Gulf drug cartel who was one of the country's most wanted men, was arrested last year by U.S. authorities while shopping in the Texas border town of McAllen.The Gulf cartel and its armed wing the Zetas dominate smuggling routes into Texas via the violence-wracked Mexican border cities of Matamoros, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo. Landin was found guilty by a jury in January of a total of nine counts of drug trafficking and money laundering."U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Landin to the maximum -- life imprisonment -- for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and various counts of distributing more than 50 kilograms of cocaine," the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement."Landin also received the maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and laundering more than $1.6 million in drug proceeds," it said.

Carlos "El Puma" Landin sentenced to the maximum life imprisonment

Carlos "El Puma" Landin, the suspected leader of Mexico's powerful Gulf drug cartel who was one of the country's most want...

bloodiest days in Tijuana's history Luis Alfonso Velarde aka "Crutches," "Mr. Three Letters" "La Perra," all might be dead

"Crutches," a.k.a. Luis Alfonso Velarde, a reputed local drug lord with a handful of YouTubevideo tributes to his name.Another, even bigger "cartel" operative nicknamed "Mr. Three Letters" might be dead too, along with "La Perra," reported El Sol de Tijuana. And they may all have been ambushed by another cartel leader known as "El Cholo."But no one was willing to confirm any of that on the record. Official silence, many here argue, helps feed the culture of corruption. It is a widely recognized truth that drug traffickers operate in Baja California and elsewhere with the protection of some public officials.On Tuesday, Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito, the commander of troops in the Baja region, took the extraordinary step of writing an open letter to a local newspaper that identified several law enforcement officials he alleged were linked to organized crime. The letter's implicit argument was that officials who protect organized crime are likely to escape prosecution thanks to the culture of secrecy that surrounds law enforcement here."Isn't this corruption?" the general asked. "What a disgrace for the society of Baja California!"Calderon's government has worked hard to clean up law enforcement. His top police official, Genaro Garcia Luna, has purged the Federal Investigative Agency of corrupt cops. Soldiers have temporarily disarmed police in Tijuana and other cities, and several reputed drug bosses have been extradited to the United States.Yet the widespread violence shows few signs of abating. An estimated 2,500 people were killed in drug-related violence last year, officials say. So far this year, more than 850 people have been killed, according to tallies by news agencies.The objective measures by which U.S. officials determine the strength of the drug trafficking business also offer a mixed bag.

bloodiest days in Tijuana's history Luis Alfonso Velarde aka "Crutches," "Mr. Three Letters" "La Perra," all might be dead

"Crutches," a.k.a. Luis Alfonso Velarde, a reputed local drug lord with a handful of YouTubevideo tributes to his name.Another, ev...

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 100 kilos of marijuana

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, 27, pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 100 kilos of marijuana in 2005. Aldrete faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on July 16. Former agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos are serving prison terms for shooting Aldrete from behind while he was running back to Mexico during a failed smuggling run near Fabens in February 2005. Ramos and Compean were convicted of violating Aldrete's civil rights and of tampering with evidence for not reporting the shooting and because Compean picked up his shell casings. Their cases are on appeal."We waited for this time. We knew it would come. It's another step (in proving) my husband's innocence," Monica Ramos, the wife of Ignacio Ramos, said when she left the courthouse. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who has been criticized for the prosecution of Ramos and Compean, said in a news release that Aldrete was prosecuted because there was evidence."Just as Aldrete's illegal conduct did not excuse the crimes committed by Compean and Ramos, likewise, their crimes did not excuse his," Sutton said. "Compean and Ramos had their day in court and an El Paso jury convicted them after a two and half week long jury trial. Now, Aldrete has had his day in court and will soon be paying for his crimes."

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 100 kilos of marijuana

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, 27, pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 100 kilos of marijuana in 2005. Aldrete faces a minimum mandatory sentence...

Jose Rodolfo Escajeda aka "El Riquin," indicted on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances.

Jose Rodolfo Escajeda, alias "El Riquin," is considered a fugitive and is the target of a multi-agency organized-crime task force for allegedly running a ring that transported shipments of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. for Mexican drug cartels, DEA officials said.Escajeda, a Mexican citizen, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances. If convicted, he faces between 10 years and life in prison.The Escajedas, who are based in the village of Guadalupe across the Rio Grande near Tornillo, are believed to control a 120-mile corridor east of El Paso, DEA spokesman Matthew Taylor said. "When you control a part of the border, it's a major organization."The Escajeda organization allegedly smuggled more than 400,000 pounds of marijuana between 2000 and 2006. In 2006, members of the Escajeda ring were involved in the highly publicized border standoff between Hudspeth County sheriff's deputies and men dressed as Mexican soldiers when a drug-filled SUV became stuck in the Rio Grande. Months after the standoff, Mexican federal agents raided 18 houses in Guadalupe that belonged to the Escajeda family and seized vehicles and even two tigers, the DEA and newspaper archives said. Last year, Mexican agents arrested Oscar Alonso Candelaria Escajeda, who was then the head of the drug gang, and Ivan Gandara Trejo, his brother-in-law and security chief.

Jose Rodolfo Escajeda aka "El Riquin," indicted on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances.

Jose Rodolfo Escajeda, alias "El Riquin," is considered a fugitive and is the target of a multi-agency organized-crime task force ...

Mayor of Izucar de Matamoros ,Ruben Gil was arrested in California on March 23, 2008

The mayor of Izucar de Matamoros in the state of Puebla, Mexico, who is under US indictment charging him with narcotics trafficking, has bee...

Veronica Trevino, Ruben Diaz managed an armed criminal cell known as the Falcons

Mexican police on Tuesday arrested a woman on suspicion of overseeing a network of spies that tracked police for a powerful drug cartel in central Mexico, officials said.Veronica Trevino managed an armed criminal cell known as the Falcons whose job it was to monitor the movements of state and federal police and inform Gulf Cartel traffickers of their whereabouts, police told Reuters.It was the latest big arrest by President Felipe Calderon's government, which has waged an offensive on drug traffickers by deploying thousands of soldiers to hot spots around Mexico. Trevino was arrested with Ruben Diaz, thought to be the Falcons' second-in-command, in the small Mexican state of Aguascalientes. They were found with a gun, five cell phones and sophisticated radio equipment, police said.Trevino also had with her a list of other Falcon members and their expenses, complete with restaurant and bar receipts.The Falcons work under the armed enforcement wing of the Gulf Cartel, made up of former army officers known as Zetas. They are part of an intricate network of lookouts ranging from taxi drivers to street kids who keep tabs on authorities and rival gangs.Last week Mexico captured a suspected high-ranking hit man for the brutal Tijuana Cartel, five days after arresting another suspected senior operative in the same gang, also known as the Arellano Felix Organization. Last year Mexico extradited the suspected leader of the Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cardenas, to face trial in Texas. Other leaders of the group have been taken into custody since then.Cardenas, a former mechanic who rose up the cartel ranks by killing his superiors, set up the Zetas to fight the Sinaloa gang, which is run by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.Analysts say a weakened Gulf Cartel could lead to more bloodshed as lower-rung operatives struggle for power and the Sinaloa alliance tries to muscle in on the Gulf's territory.

Veronica Trevino, Ruben Diaz managed an armed criminal cell known as the Falcons

Mexican police on Tuesday arrested a woman on suspicion of overseeing a network of spies that tracked police for a powerful drug cartel in c...

Ruben Rochin-Gutierrez

Ruben Rochin-Gutierrez of Navojoa, Mexico pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy with the intent to distribute 6,489 pounds of marijuana. He...

Salomon Renteria-Valdez “He’s looking at a sentence, on the immigration charges alone, of about 20 years.

Salomon Renteria-Valdez, 61, was wanted on a federal warrant alleging aggravated illegal re-entry into the United States, Seventh Judicial District Meth/Drug Task Force Agent Jim Fuller said.“He was an aggravated deport out of Mexico. He was kind of living here under a false Social Security number, using one of his many aliases,” Fuller said. He said the suspect had been living in Montrose for about five years. Renteria-Valdez came onto the task force’s radar during the course of a narcotics investigation that Fuller said yielded information Renteria-Valdez was allegedly distributing cocaine.There followed close to a month of follow-up investigation, during which the task force tracked down several aliases allegedly used by Renteria-Valdez and, through fingerprints, linked him to crimes in California. According to an arrest affidavit provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office, Renteria-Valdez was first identified by a Montrose task force agent Jan. 24.The agent recognized him as the same man who’d been arrested by the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office in 2001, on suspicion of being an intoxicated pedestrian. The FBI subsequently matched the fingerprints from his 2001 arrest to Renteria-Valdez’s lengthy criminal history and the warrant issued Feb. 26.The affidavit showed Renteria-Valdez was convicted of alien smuggling in 1977 and was deported after completing his sentence in 1978. Within just months, the U.S. Border Patrol nabbed him in Chula Vista, Calif. for smuggling 25 illegals. He was convicted the following year of illegal entry and aiding and abetting. Renteria-Valdez again deported after completing that sentence. He was arrested yet again in 1982, reportedly guiding three illegal immigrants across the border. Though convicted, the U.S. Attorney’s office could not find a record of deportation on that offense.The affidavit said he was last deported in 1996 for an aggravated felony conviction. The affidavit listed 1990 convictions on conspiracy to sell or transport a controlled substance and attempted second-degree robbery, for which he ultimately served five years in prison.In 1996, he was convicted of possessing a controlled substance for sale. Additionally, the affidavit said, he was convicted in 1995 of “annoy/molest children” in California.Fuller said one of Renteria-Valdez’s offenses in California involved the attempted purchase of 5 kilos of cocaine.“He probably had at least a dozen aliases. He knew the game,” Fuller said. Renteria-Valdez allegedly had about a quarter-ounce of cocaine on him when he was arrested Friday night. Agents from the task force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Attorney’s office did not find anything when they served a search warrant at his residence on West Lasalle Road.“We didn’t think we would,” Fuller said. “He’s old-school.”He characterized Renteria-Valdez as cooperative during the arrest. Renteria-Valdez was handed over to federal authorities in Grand Junction who are pursuing immigration charges. Local drug charges could also be filed and Fuller said the investigation is ongoing.“He’s looking at a sentence, on the immigration charges alone, of about 20 years. He’s been in the game for quite some time,” Fuller said. “We’re glad to get him out of the community.”

Salomon Renteria-Valdez “He’s looking at a sentence, on the immigration charges alone, of about 20 years.

Salomon Renteria-Valdez, 61, was wanted on a federal warrant alleging aggravated illegal re-entry into the United States, Seventh Judicial D...

Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana deported

Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana, is back in Mexico after being freed from a United States prison this week, Mexican authorities said. He was released at a border crossing in El Paso and walked to Mexican soil, where family members met him, ushered him into a sedan and drove off. The authorities say there are no outstanding charges against him in Mexico. For years, Mr. Arellano Félix, 58, ran the powerful Tijuana cartel, known for ruthless killings and the smuggling of tons of cocaine. Mexican authorities arrested him in 1993 and sentenced him to 11 years in prison, and he stayed in prison two more years while he fought extradition to the United States. He was finally transferred to the United States in 2006 and convicted of selling cocaine to an undercover agent in 1980. He served a year and five months in an American prison. Two of his brothers are currently in prison, one died in a shootout in 2002 and one is at largeFrancisco Rafael Arellano Felix was sentenced to six years in federal prison last year in San Diego on cocaine charges from a 1980 drug bust. He was returned to Mexico Tuesday after getting credit for time served in Mexican prison while he awaited extradition, said Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney. Arellano Felix faces no charges in Mexico, said an official with Mexico's Attorney General office on condition of anonymity. The official, who was not authorized to speak for attribution, said Arellano Felix returned through Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican border city across from El Paso, Texas. Arellano Felix, a Mexican citizen, was extradited in 2006 after serving a decade-long sentence in Mexico on unrelated weapons charges. The deportation "reflects the conclusion of a cooperative effort between the United States and Mexico to ensure that he faced justice for crimes committed on both sides of the border," Sweeney said. Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine and one count of possessing about half a pound of the drug with the intent to distribute it. He sold it to an undercover narcotics agent at a San Diego motel, authorities said. He was arrested while counting cash from the transaction, but fled to Mexico the following month after being released on $150,000 bond. His 2006 extradition came a month after Arellano Felix's younger brother, Francisco Javier, was captured by the U.S. Coast Guard aboard a sport-fishing yacht in international waters off La Paz, Mexico, and taken to San Diego to face drug charges. The younger Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in September to running a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors said he agreed to plead guilty after then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales agreed not to pursue the death penalty. U.S. authorities have requested the extradition of Benjamin Arellano Felix, who was captured in 2002 in Puebla, Mexico, east of Mexico City. He is being held in a Mexican jail. Another brother, Ramon Arellano Felix, was shot to death the same year in the Pacific tourist port of Mazatlan.

Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana deported

Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana, is back in Mexico after being freed fro...

Turning a blind eye to shipments or call off anti-drugs operations in Baja California state

Military men from generals to foot soldiers say they are being offered up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn a blind eye to shipmen...

Craig Petties

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayLdu6gPxXOnrRz7Ycbibcg2AVkmVcIoyFl1ppPCbRk0gB_CpNcPasx1Yl0SFgoIikPNIjgbuvm9pAlagZNfaWkzqkBh_6MZ6rPWarQ7hwE4_k2sSzgQxwjaxyvxMXEFfSSYhgKB9kVQ/s1600-h/petties.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162146862133821586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayLdu6gPxXOnrRz7Ycbibcg2AVkmVcIoyFl1ppPCbRk0gB_CpNcPasx1Yl0SFgoIikPNIjgbuvm9pAlagZNfaWkzqkBh_6MZ6rPWarQ7hwE4_k2sSzgQxwjaxyvxMXEFfSSYhgKB9kVQ/s200/petties.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Craig Petties alleged drug operation which is estimated to have run from 1995 up until this year. The superseding indictment follows a 40-page one laid against him originally in 2002 before he went on the run. Petties -- in addition to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine from the original indictment -- now faces several other charges including conspiracy to commit murder for hire, money laundering and racketeering. Authorities have learned, since 2002, that Petties' organization allegedly attempted to kill people who interfered with their drug trafficking business. As far as money laundering charges, the indictment says that Petties used drug money to pay for several expensive cars, a home in Las Vegas as well as one in Memphis. During raids and arrest, authorities have confiscated several firearms, lots of money and vehicles. "So far we've had seizures of almost $3 million, little over 2.9 million and something like 40 vehicles and over $600,000 in cash," said U.S. Attorney David Kustoff. He wanted arrested on January 11 in Mexico, along with a female companion -- believed to have been his girlfriend -- and three other individuals. Petties was apparently running multi-million dollar drug ring while evading arrest in Mexico. Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin told local FoxNews affiliate that they've begun combing through homicide cases to find connections to Petties or members of his gang. Six others who listed as associates all face the same or similar charges. Petties and his co-defendants are all in federal custody. If convicted of all charges, he and his associates could face life in prison or the death penalty. Prosecutors haven't yet to determine what punishments they will seek.

Craig Petties

Craig Petties alleged drug operation which is estimated to have run from 1995 up until this year. The superseding indictment follows a 40-p...

Alfredo Araujo Avila

Alfredo Araujo Avila, a US citizen, was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, on January 26. Mexican officials, who had been seeking him since 1998, described Araujo Avila as "one of the most dangerous hit men of the Arrelano Felix" drug empire. Cardinal Posadas, who was Archbishop of Guadalajara, was gunned down during a confusing series of events at the city’s airport in May of 1993. Although some have held the cardinal was caught in the middle of a gunfight between two drug trafficking gangs, there are many clues that indicate it was a planned assassination. For example, investigators questioned why the gunmen were allowed to board a flight in Guadalajara, cross the country, and drive away without a challenge. After an initial inquiry that raised more questions than it answered, Mexican authorities finally charged 13 drug traffickers with involvement in the assassination, and they were convicted in 2004. But in 2006 a Mexican court nullified the convictions and ordered a new investigation of the crime. Last year Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniquez, the current Archbishop of Guadalajara, told the Catholic News Agency that he knew the identity of his predecessor's assassin. "We already know who… and why," he told CNA. Cardinal Sandoval said that corrupt politicians had worked with drug traffickers to thwart the investigation; he added that Church officials were working with government leaders to bring the killers to justice.

Alfredo Araujo Avila

Alfredo Araujo Avila, a US citizen, was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, on January 26. Mexican officials, who had been seeking him since 1998, ...

Drug lord Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman

A cocaine shipment seized by Mexico last week could have been worth as much as $2.7 billion on U.S. streets and the Mexican government said ...

Francisco “Pancho” Aviles-Perez

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; Distribution of Cocaine and Marijuana; Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Heroin; Conspiracy to Money Launder; Laundering of Monetary Instruments; Aiding and Abetting; Failure to Report Transportation of United States Currency in Excess of $10,000; Structuring of Financial Transactions to Avoid Reporting Requirements.Francisco “Pancho” Aviles-Perez, a Mexican national suspected of distributing cocaine, heroin and marijuana in the U.S., was extradited last Wednesday to face federal charges. Avilez-Perez was indicted in 2002 on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, distribution of cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, aiding and abetting and money laundering.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5x5c-28xJ0VnLaBYNghq119CjI92rDV1pT2747Q2qAdHQW16sv3Ld0rmNRzgF0hPcSpFDkhd4MznGksuPG8Iz2107BPnevDAXEQ9NlkxWamgEAx_iemb9Rj05MMgHtnrkBMeJp9X03o/s1600-h/aviles-perez.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158453834118001314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5x5c-28xJ0VnLaBYNghq119CjI92rDV1pT2747Q2qAdHQW16sv3Ld0rmNRzgF0hPcSpFDkhd4MznGksuPG8Iz2107BPnevDAXEQ9NlkxWamgEAx_iemb9Rj05MMgHtnrkBMeJp9X03o/s320/aviles-perez.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Aviles-Perez’s indictment was a result of a two-year investigation that netted more than 130 total indictments. He is considered by prosecutors to be the lead defendant among 16 people described as some of the most significant players in the drug cartel. More than $3 million worth of cocaine was seized during the investigation and resulting arrests. In 1984, Aviles-Perez was tried and convicted in U.S. District Court of one count of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, six counts of possessing and distributing heroin and two counts of using a telephone in furtherance of a narcotics felony.[6] Following a ten-year term of imprisonment, he was deported to Mexico where prosecutors believe he coordinated drug shipments from Mexico to various U.S. states, including California, Alaska and others After several years of evading arrest, DEA agents finally pinpointed Avilez-Perez’s whereabouts in Mexico and Mexican authorities promptly arrested him near his home in Sinoloa. If convicted Avilez-Perez faces a maximum of life imprisonment.

Francisco “Pancho” Aviles-Perez

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; Distribution of Cocaine and Marijuana; Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Heroin; Conspiracy...