268 ARRESTS CRUSH DRUG OPERATION

Sweep Shuts Major Pipeline Into U.S.

WASHINGTON - Federal law-enforcement authorities said Wednesday they
have crushed a major drug trafficking operation responsible for
smuggling Colombian cocaine and marijuana through Mexico into Texas
and other U.S. destinations.

The 18-month "Operation Marquis," which involved participation from
Mexican and Colombian law enforcement, netted 268 arrests, 76 of them
occurring in an early-morning sweep Wednesday in 16 U.S. cities.

"We believe that today's takedown resulted in a dismantling of a
significant international criminal organization from top to bottom,"
Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff said.

The operation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, shut down
a pipeline that funneled tens of millions of dollars worth of
marijuana and cocaine through Laredo to at least a dozen U.S. cities,
including Dallas, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

Officials said at a news conference at DEA headquarters that they
seized 9,000 kilograms of cocaine, 28,000 pounds of marijuana and
$12.5 million in cash during the investigation. Much of that was
found in Texas, including 6,000 kilograms of cocaine, 20,000 pounds
of marijuana and nearly $6 million in cash.

Sixty-four of the arrests were made Wednesday by police in Texas,
including Laredo, San Antonio and Austin. Three suspected traffickers
have been indicted on drug and murder charges in connection with
three killings in San Antonio. DEA officials said 60 homicides in the
San Antonio area have been linked to traffickers connected to the
drug ring.

A Corona beer warehouse in Laredo was among the sites searched
Wednesday, and authorities arrested one worker there.

The operation, which involved the participation of numerous federal
and local law enforcement agencies, also received assistance south of
the border.

DEA officials praised improved cooperation between U.S. and Mexican
law enforcement. Mexico's President Vicente Fox has called for a
closer law-enforcement relationship between the two countries.

During earlier investigations, U.S. officials kept Mexican law
enforcement at arm's length, concerned about corruption in the
Mexican ranks.

Fox Praised

"The Fox administration has clearly demonstrated that it takes drug
trafficking very seriously," DEA Deputy Administrator William
Simpkins said. "Operation Marquis is a wonderful example of the
increasing cooperation between law enforcement agencies in our two
nations."

U.S. officials have forwarded to Mexico the names of 14 smuggling
suspects sought in connection with the investigation. Alcides Ramon
Magana, suspected of being a central player in the smuggling
operation, was arrested last week by Mexican authorities.

There was no immediate comment in Mexico City, where officials at the
attorney general's office said they were reviewing the news release
from the U.S. Embassy. Mr. Fox's office referred the matter to the
attorney general.

DEA officials said that the list of smuggling suspects contains two
other key players in the drug ring, including Vincente Carillo
Fuentes. He is the brother of drug lord Amado Carillo Fuentes, the
so-called "Lord of the Skies" who died in 1997 during plastic surgery.

Truckers, Warehouses

The bulk of the U.S. arrests involve truckers and warehouse workers,
who ferried the drugs but were not high-level operatives in the
trafficking ring, DEA officials said. While DEA officials said they
have traced the operation back to suppliers in Colombia, no arrests
have been made there, they said.

DEA officials said drugs originating in Colombia were flown to Nuevo
Laredo, Mexico, in radar-evading planes that can carry as much as 300
kilograms of cocaine. From there, smugglers trucked the drugs through
the busy Laredo traffic corridor to warehouses there, for later
distribution throughout the United States on tractor trailers
carrying produce and in vehicles with concealed compartments.
Handlers also mailed packages of cocaine and marijuana over the
border, DEA officials said.

The investigation began in July 1999 with a routine stop of a truck
in Indianapolis transporting 600 kilograms of cocaine from Nuevo
Laredo. DEA officials said they began connecting seemingly unrelated
seizures and stops in cities including Laredo and Dallas.

While DEA officials said the operation has dealt a major blow to the
drug ring, they noted that it's only a temporary disruption in the
flow of drugs into the United States.

"It's a disruptive impact," said Mike Furgason, who heads the DEA's
special operations divisions. Drug traffickers are "going to have to
retool and spend a lot of money and resources to approach this again."

Staff writer Laurence Iliff in Mexico City contributed to this report.