SWEEP STRIKES BLOW AGAINST MEXICAN CARTEL

Raids Culminate 44-Month Push Against Meth Business of La Familia, an
Emerging Drug Power That Reaches Deep into U.S.

Federal agents arrested more than 300 people in a two-day sweep of
the methamphetamine-trafficking operations of Mexico's La Familia
drug cartel, a fast-growing group the government said has reached
deep into the U.S.

Prosecutors in New York, Dallas and dozens of other cities unveiled
indictments against some of the senior leadership of La Familia,
which means "the family" in Spanish and is one of Mexico's newer cartels.

The sweep and indictments culminated a 44-month operation during
which the Justice Department arrested about 1,200 people and seized
nearly 12 tons of drugs as well as $32.8 million in U.S. currency,
Attorney General Eric Holder said. Officials said they disrupted La
Familia cells across the U.S., including distribution hubs in Texas,
Kansas, Georgia and New York.

"While this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its
operations extends to nearly every state in the country," Mr. Holder
said, adding that La Familia was notable for its "sheer level and
depravity of violence." In July, after the arrest of several La
Familia leaders, authorities in Mexico discovered the bodies of 11
slain Mexican law-enforcement officers.

While both violence in Mexico and the flow of drugs into the U.S.
continue, Mr. Holder said, "I think we're having an impact."

Among those indicted was Servando Gomez Martinez, accused by
authorities of being the cartel's operations chief.

A grand jury complaint filed by U.S. prosecutors against Mr. Gomez
Martinez said he and others attended a La Familia meeting in January
in the cartel's home base of Michoacan state to discuss distribution
of methamphetamine. The complaint said Mr. Gomez Martinez -- who is
at large -- gave a recorded statement to a local TV station in July
claiming responsibility for kidnapping operations and battling
Mexican police and prosecutors.

U.S. officials said Thursday in Washington that the cartel controls
every facet of trafficking -- from making the drugs in labs to
distributing them in the U.S. The cartel has moved some manufacturing
to Central America because of pressure in Mexico.

"One of the things that makes them unique is how they employ the use
of religion," said one Drug Enforcement Administration agent involved
in investigating La Familia. Cartel leaders are known for claiming
assassinations were ordered by God.

Agents said cartel leaders used a religiously tinged Robin Hood-type
philosophy to gain local support for their drug operations, claiming
to protect residents from violent cartels, and saying they steal from
the rich to give to the poor. They are known to give generously to
schools and local officials.

Officials said cartel leaders help Mexican meth addicts seek
rehabilitation and oppose the sale of the drug in Mexico, even while
exporting it across the border.

La Familia has grown quickly in Michoacan state, an important
agricultural state with one of Mexico's biggest ports, Lazaro
Cardenas. It has managed to corrupt local politicians, gain territory
in neighboring states like Guerrero and create a drug distribution
network in the U.S.

Formed by breakaway members of the Gulf Cartel, La Familia first
gained attention in 2006 by rolling the severed heads of five men
onto a dance floor at a Michoacan disco, along with a note warning
rival traffickers. "We believe it is the cartel that fights
authorities with the most belligerence," Mexico's top police
spokesman told reporters recently.

The U.S. operation highlights how Mexican cartels like La Familia
have taken over drug trafficking in the U.S. Unlike Colombian cartels
of the past, which transported cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. but
didn't dominate the retail end of the business, Mexican cartels are
more vertically integrated -- from growing their own marijuana to
selling it on U.S. streets.

While the bust is a blow to La Familia, analysts said the cartel will
recover. "They can arrest 300 guys, but 300 new guys will take their
place because the market structure is intact," said Alberto Islas, a
Mexico City-based security consultant.

The rise of newer cartels like La Familia may be one of the
unintended consequences of Mexico's attempt to corral its
organized-crime syndicates. The arrests of top cartel leaders from
groups like the Gulf Cartel created rivalries within cartels and
opened up space for new groups to emerge. Both La Familia and Los
Zetas, widely seen as Mexico's most violent drug gang, emerged from
the Gulf Cartel.