ARRESTS TO SLOW DRUG TRAFFIC

Turf War Also Forecast As Denver Ring Busted

Monday, March 11, 2002 - The flow of drugs through Denver - for
distribution across the country - should slow significantly following the
arrest of 17 drug traffickers headquartered in Denver and the leader of a
Mexican drug cartel, U.S. Attorney John Suthers said.

But the arrests won't stop the drug traffic.

"We are not naive enough to think there aren't people to replace the people
arrested," Suthers said Sunday.

Sixteen suspects were arrested Friday in Denver and Aurora as well as in
California and South Dakota. One more was arrested Saturday in Denver.

Four people are still being sought, according to federal authorities.

All 21 were indicted by a Denver federal grand jury Feb. 28.

Benjamin Arellano Felix was arrested by heavily armed soldiers Friday in
Puebla, Mexico. His cartel is responsible for supplying as much as 40
percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States, Suthers said.

Arellano Felix's arrest has prompted fears of bloody turf wars along the
border as rivals try to muscle their way into the multibillion-dollar
business long controlled by the Tijuana cartel.

His capture and the confirmed death of his brother Ramon, the family's
enforcer, are expected to cripple the cartel and spark bloodshed among
rivals at major border crossings such as Tijuana-San Diego and Ciudad
Juarez-El Paso, Texas.

"Most analysts are worried there could be an increased level of violence
among the organizations that are trying to establish new routes and new
trafficking regions," said Ana Maria Salazar, a former official in the
Clinton White House and professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute
of Mexico.

Law enforcement experts in Mexico and the United States said they expect
Eduardo and Javier Arellano Felix to make a bid to save the cartel that law
enforcement officials say was run by their brother.

Gunning for their territory will be Ismael Zampada, a rival drug lord whom
Ramon Arellano Felix reportedly was hunting when he was killed Feb. 10 in
Mazatlan.

The arrest of Benjamin Arellano Felix was not directly related to the drug
arrests in Colorado and elsewhere, Suthers said.

The main traffickers allegedly used Denver as a hub to distribute more than
$1 million a month in drugs across the country.

The organization in Denver was led by Mario Oregon-Cortez, who recently
moved to South Dakota. His brother Ascencion organized the import of
Arellano Felix's drugs into the United States through San Diego.

Because the Oregon-Cortez brothers were so vital in running the trade, it
will be very difficult for others to try to reestablish it, Suthers said.

"The higher you get (in the organization), the more likely it is that you
made a permanent impact," Suthers said.

Suthers said the 17 arrests alone should be a "significant blow" to the
drug trade in the United States, but the arrest of Arellano Felix does more
- - it cuts off the organization's drug source.

The collapse of such a large and easy-to-access drug supply, will make it
more difficult for other organizations to take the place of Oregon-Cortez's
group, Suthers said.

The collapse of Benjamin Arellano Felix's network also could make it more
difficult for American organizations to smuggle people into the U.S. to
work the trade, Suthers said. Many of the 17 arrested were in the U.S.
illegally, he added.

Given the cartel's reported high-level connections, the arrest of Benjamin
Arellano Felix could eventually shed light on some of Mexico's darkest secrets.

U.S. authorities also are hoping that those arrested will help identify
others in the drug trade who might take control of the Oregon-Cortez
organization.

Denver became a central hub for the drug trade because of its location,
Suthers said. It is one of the largest cities near California, and
Interstates 25, 76 and 70 provide transportation in all directions.

"It is a good place to go from California and then branch out to the rest
of the country," Suthers said.

That is exactly what the Oregon-Cortez brothers did.

Arellano Felix shipped cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico
to the Oregon-Cortez brothers in San Diego, Suthers said. From there, the
drugs were transported to Denver.

Some was distributed here, but most was repackaged and sent to other cities.

Most of the 16 arrested Friday appeared the same day before magistrate
judges and are in federal custody.

Those arrested Friday in Colorado are to appear Wednesday for arraignment
and detention hearings.

The suspects

Mario Oregon-Cortez, 39, Rapid City, S.D.

Rey Baltazar Aleman-Morales, 26, Aurora.

Walter Saldana, 37, Aurora.

Elena Cortez-Sotelo, 66, Riverside, Calif.

Ryan Patrick Donohue, 21, Aurora.

Christopher Cornelius Allen, 32, Denver.

Miguel Rodriguez, 27, in custody of Bureau of Prisons.

Francisco Javier Cortez-Vargas, 42, San Diego.

Jesus Oregon-Cortez, 36, San Diego.

Ascencion Oregon-Cortez, 37, Chula Vista, Calif.

Juan Manuel Oregon, 47, San Diego.

Ignacio Ceja Hernandez, 33, Riverside, Calif.

Arturo Garcia, 48, San Diego.

Jose Luis Silva-Estrada, 41, in custody of Bureau of Prisons.

Vaughn T. Rael, 43, Denver.

James Dean Santucci, 34, Denver.

Salvador Torres, 20, Denver.

At large

Francisco Javier Garcia, 27, Denver.

Donald Ray Martin, 37, Marathon, Fla.

Patty Ward-Maestas, 47, Sturgis, S.D.

Javier Anguiano-Orquiz, 45, Ledbetter, Ky.