‘PROJECT CORONADO’: Feds Make 303 Arrests In Raid To Disrupt Mexican Cartel; Seize $3.4 Million In Cash, 109 Vehicles, 144 Weapons, 729 LB. Of Methamphetamine

Display of some guns/drugs seized in Project Coronado: Source: DEA.

Federal agents, local police officers and prosecutors nationwide have carried out the largest action “ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced.

At least 303 individuals in 19 states were arrested in the past two days alone as part of Project Coronado. More than 3,000 agents and officers operated across the United States to make the arrests during the takedown, Holder said.

During the two-day operation alone, $3.4 million in U.S. currency, 729 pounds of

Display of methamphetamine seized in Project Coronado: Source: DEA

methamphetamine, 62 kilograms of cocaine, 967 pounds of marijuana, 144 weapons and 109 vehicles were seized by law enforcement agents.

Project Coronado has operated for 44 months, targeting the distribution network of a major Mexican drug-trafficking organization known as La Familia.

La Familia is said to hold the belief that it is immoral to sell methamphetamine to Mexicans or for Mexicans to consume it, but it is acceptable to sell it to Americans for consumption. Mexican police say the cartel projects a “Robin Hood” image to locals, but engages in murderous rampages, including decapitations, to keep drug profits flowing.

In July, the cartel reportedly killed 18 Mexican soliders or police officers, including 12 in a single attack. Corpses were left at a roadside to send a message.

“The sheer level and depravity of violence that this cartel has exhibited far exceeds what we have, unfortunately, become accustomed to from other cartels,” Holder said. “La Familia operates primarily from the state of Michoacán, Mexico. However, as we’ve shown today, their operations stretch far into the United States. Indeed, while this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its operations extends to nearly every state in the country.”

In Dallas, at least 77 arrests were made today as part of Operation Coronado. Arrests also were

Display of money seized in Project Coronado: Source: DEA.

reported in the regions of Seattle, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Tampa, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Tulsa, Las Vegas, Kansas City, St. Louis and about two dozen other U.S. cities.

Here are some 44-month totals posted by law enforcement in Project Coronado:

• Total arrests: 1,186
• Kilograms of Cocaine Seized: 1,999
• Pounds of Methamphetamine Seized: 2,710
• Pounds of Heroin Seized: 29
• Pounds of Marijuana Seized: 16,390
• U.S. Currency Seized: $32,795,000
• Number of Vehicles Seized: 269
• Number of Weapons Seized: 389
• Number of Maritime Vessels Seized: 2

“This unprecedented, coordinated U.S. law enforcement action — the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel — has dealt a significant blow to La Familia’s supply chain of illegal drugs, weapons and cash flowing between Mexico and the United States,” Holder said.

“We will not allow these cartels to operate unfettered in our country, and with the increases in cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities in recent years, we are taking the fight to our adversaries. We will continue to stand strong with our partners in Mexico as we work to disrupt and dismantle cartel operations on both sides of the border,” Holder said.