TWENTY-ONE CONVICTED IN MULTINATIONAL MARIJUANA BUST

ATLANTA - Federal prosecutors announced 21 convictions Wednesday in
what they call the breakup of a major drug ring that shipped thousands
of pounds of marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

The investigation began in October 2001, when police found about 5,000
pounds of marijuana at a warehouse in a rural part of Cherokee County.

Local, state and federal authorities discovered the drugs were being
trucked from Mexico into several U.S. cities, including Atlanta.

The group was made up of three so-called "cells" in Mexico, Texas and
other areas including Atlanta, according to the U.S. Attorney's office
in Atlanta.

Alfred Padilla Teran, 46, of Porterville, Texas, was charged with
being the group's ringleader. He was sentenced to 12 years, 4 months
on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of
marijuana and unlawful money transmitting.

Among the others charged in the scheme was Porfirio Coria-Delgado, 44,
of Mexico, who is accused of being the point person for the operation
in Atlanta.