U.S. INDICTMENT TARGETS SUSPECTED DRUG CARTEL CHIEF

Brother of Mexican who died during plastic surgery named

EL PASO - With at least two alleged leaders of the lucrative Juarez Cartel
dead, U.S. authorities announced the indictment Wednesday of the man now
believed to be heading the organization.

"We extend an invitation to Vicente Carrillo Fuentes to give himself up,"
said Dave Alba, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "The jails in the
United States are not that bad."

Officials made public a 27-count indictment against Mr. Carrillo, 35, the
brother of drug baron Amado Carrillo Fuentes who died last year during
plastic surgery.

Since his death, a gang war has been escalating over control of what is
said to be one of Mexico's most powerful drug enterprises. Bodies have been
scattered throughout the region in recent months, the most notable
belonging to Rafael Munoz Talavera, found last month in Ciudad Juarez shot,
beaten and wrapped in plastic. Mr. Munoz Talavera was jockeying to take
over the cartel when he was slain, officials said.

According to the indictment, the cartel is responsible for trying to import
3,757 kilos of cocaine and 9,395 pounds of marijuana into the United States
from October 1985 to July 1997.

"These figures represent actual law enforcement seizures that can be traced
to the Juarez cartel," Mr. Blagg said.

The drugs were smuggled in from Juarez and Ojinaga, Mexico, and stashed in
safehouses in West Texas before moving on to Dallas, Chicago and New York,
officials said.

Mr. Carrillo is charged with continuing criminal enterprises, conspiracy to
import and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances,
importation of controlled substances, possession with the intent to
distribute controlled substances and money laundering. If convicted, he
faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $4 million fine on each count.

Authorities also are seeking to seize $56.5 million in cash and personal
assets from Mr. Carrillo. The money represents the profits that would have
been made if the narcotics seized would have been sold in the United
States, officials said.

The indictment follows a 15-month investigation in 1996 and 1997. Mr.
Carrillo's older brother, Amado Carrillo, was to be the original target.
But he died the day after the original proposed indictment was submitted to
the U.S. attorney's office for its approval.

Also listed in the original indictment was Alfonso "Lino" Corral Olaquez.
But he was gunned down last year at a restaurant in Juarez.

Before Amado Carrillo's death on July 4, 1997, the El Paso Intelligence
Center, a multi-agency task force, produced a confidential intelligence
report that described Vicente Carrillo as "chief of operations" for the
Juarez cartel.

The 1997 report said Vicente Carrillo and other alleged cartel members had
left their traditional base of operations in Ciudad Juarez, presumably to
avoid capture, and that Vicente Carrillo had been spotted in Zacatecas
state in central Mexico.

The report also accused Vicente Carrillo of purchasing high-tech security
equipment, scrambled radio transmitters and receivers, mobile radios and
hundreds of infrared beacons that could be used to light up clandestine
landing strips.

While the indictment didn't describe assets that might be seized by U.S.
authorities, American drug agents say the Carrillo clan owns homes,
vehicles, planes, hotels and other businesses throughout Mexico.

U.S. authorities submitted an extradition request to Mexican officials last
November.

"After a year, it seemed important to us that we now enlist the public's
support and apply pressure to bring it [the arrest] to bear," Mr. Blagg said.

The Mexican attorney general's office had no immediate comment.

Though authorities said they don't expect Mr. Carrillo's apprehension to
dismantle the Juarez Cartel, they do think it would at least weaken the
organization.

"It will have an impact without a doubt," said Robert Castillo, special
agent in charge for the DEA in El Paso. "The Juarez Cartel won't
necessarily lose all its power but it will disrupt the organization."

Writer Tracey Eaton in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski