ANONYMOUS TIP CREDITED IN MAJOR COCAINE, ECSTASY BUST

Seven men were arrested Thursday night in connection with what officials
called the largest seizure ever of the designer drug Ecstasy in Laredo and
the largest cocaine bust of the year.

Close to 23,000 tablets of Ecstasy, along with 570 lbs. (259 kilograms) of
cocaine, were seized at a residence on the 200 block of North Beach Lane.
The residence was located in a new housing development in northeast Laredo
near McPherson Road, police said.

"This location was a point for wrapping and distribution," U.S. Customs
Special Agent Dennis A. Ulrich said.

Seven men were arrested: Armando Morales-Flores, 21, Cain
Hernandez-Ramirez, 18, Juan Carlos Ramirez, 27, Victor Daniel
Salazar-Villarreal, 28, Rolando Diaz, 19, Hector Ramiro Guerra-Briones, 45
and Jose H. Romero, 21. The first four men are from Nuevo Laredo, Diaz and
Guerra-Briones are from Laredo, and Romero is from El Cenizo.

All of the men face federal charges of importing and intended distribution
of a controlled substance. The seven men had their initial appearances
Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcel C. Notzon. Notzon decided to
hold the men without bond pending a detention hearing, scheduled for Thursday.

"We received an anonymous tip a couple days ago," Ulrich said, in reference
to the catalyst of the investigation. "Agents ran with it."

The tip led to concerted investigation between the police narcotics unit
and U.S. Customs investigators that culminated in a raid on the residence
on North Beach Lane, police said.

At about 9:30 p.m. Thursday evening, five plain-clothed LPD investigators,
a Customs investigator and two Laredo patrolmen kicked down the back door
and found 204 bundles of cocaine. In a bedroom closet, they found 22,930
tablets of Ecstasy, officials reported.

"This, by far, is the largest, most significant Ecstasy bust ever in
Laredo," Laredo Police spokesman Juan Rivera said. "We've caught a couple
of pills here and there before, but never anything close to this amount."
He added that the amount of cocaine seized was the largest amount seized
this year by police. Ulrich said that previously, the largest amount of
Ecstasy seized by Customs in Laredo was 60 doses.

He said doses of Ecstasy cost between $10 and $40.

At an approximate cost of $25 per dose, the seized Ecstasy has a street
value of more then $5.7 million. Cocaine is valued, by authorities, at
$1,450 per kilogram, giving the seized cocaine a street value of $375,550.

Ulrich said the designer drug, which originated in Europe and is mostly
consumed at all-night rave parties, is marketed to teenagers. The drug,
which was about the size of an average Tylenol tablet, had smiley faces
imprinted into each one. Some of the tablets were blue; some were pink.

"Blue is boys, pink is for girls," Ulrich said.

Rivera said the Ecstasy was headed north and that a rave scene doesn't
really exist in Laredo due to three reasons: Laredo's culture, the
resources needed for a true rave and police intolerance for a rave scene.

"For a rave you need: a location where you can party all night and be as
loud as you want, a cool-down room and emergency medical personnel, because
Ecstasy raises your heart beat and blood pressure so much," said Rivera.
"We'd (police) shut them down quick."

Ulrich said the trafficking of Ecstasy through Mexico is not very common.
He added, however, that the drug trade is very prevalent nowadays, and that
shrewd drug traffickers constantly try to stay a step ahead of the authorities.

"Expect to see more (Ecstasy) out of Mexico," he said.