DEA ARRESTS 185 IN NATIONWIDE DRUG BUST

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has arrested
185 people and issued warrants for another 170 in connection with a Mexican
drug operation, DEA officials said Wednesday.

The 18-month investigation, dubbed "Operation Marquis," focused on a ring
that allegedly ran cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to Texas, distributing
in at least 27 U.S. cities, including New York, San Antonio, Texas;
Cleveland, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the DEA said.

Citing an "unprecedented level of cooperation" from Mexican authorities,
DEA agents said they had seized 8 tons of cocaine and $12 million. DEA
officials said they have severely crippled many well-organized distribution
cells in the United States as a result of these arrests. The investigation
involved as many as 80 state and local law enforcement agencies.

The DEA said "Operation Marquis" also identified principal Colombian
sources of supply as well as significant Mexican traffickers, some of whom
have already been indicted.

The arrests occurred throughout the United States.

Some of those arrested include Hugo Villareal, the alleged leader of the
Mexican crime syndicate in San Antonio, Texas; Marcus Boykins, a
maintenance worker for an Akron, Ohio, school district; and Jesse Liendo,
an employee of LiBrado Pina Warehouse in Laredo, Texas, according to the DEA.

LiBrado is the sole importer of Corona beer into the United States. Liendo
allegedly used trucks from the warehouse to distribute drugs, the agency said.