INDICTMENT LAUNCHES HUNT FOR DRUG LORD

Brother of slain boss seizes top spot in Juarez cartel, U.S. wanted list

EL PASO -- The man believed to have seized control of the Juarez cartel, one
of Mexico's most powerful drug rings, has been indicted on trafficking
charges and is now considered a top target for U.S. authorities.

Vicente Carrillo Fuentes assumed leadership of the organization following
the death last year of his older brother, cartel leader Amado Carrillo
Fuentes, and the Sept. 10 slaying of rival Rafael Munoz Talavera, federal
officials said Wednesday in releasing the previously sealed indictment.

He now ranks among the upper echelon of Mexican drug lords that includes
Tijuana's notorious Arellano Felix brothers, and U.S. officials say his
apprehension is a priority.

"We want to extend our invitation to Vicente Carrillo Fuentes to surrender.
The jails in the United States are not that bad," said Dave Alba, special
agent in charge of the FBI office in El Paso.

Carrillo, 36, faces life in prison and millions in fines if convicted on 26
trafficking, possession and money-laundering counts contained in the
indictment, which stems from a multi-agency investigation originally
targeting Amado Carrillo.

A similar indictment had been prepared July 3, 1997, charging the older
Carrillo, but he died the next day while undergoing plastic surgery in
Mexico City, said Bill Blagg, U.S. attorney for the Western District of
Texas.

This indictment also seeks to force Carrillo to forfeit $56.5 million, the
money that would have been generated from drug transactions listed in the
indictment, officials said.

The charges are based on drug seizures totaling 3,757 kilos of cocaine and
9,395 pounds of marijuana that have been traced to the cartel.

A U.S. grand jury in El Paso returned the indictment Aug. 6, 1997, and in
November, the U.S. government submitted an extradition request and an arrest
warrant to Mexican authorities for Carrillo.

The indictment is being released publicly because "it's been deemed
important for us to now seek the public's support," said Blagg. "It seemed
like the right time to do it."

Authorities said arresting Carrillo would not dismantle the Juarez cartel,
which is based across the border from El Paso, but would disrupt operations
and make the organization more vulnerable.

The downside would be that it might also touch off another power struggle
like the turf war that has claimed dozens of lives in Juarez since Carrillo
died.

Checked-by: Don Beck