Day of Reckoning for Latin American Drug Cartel
Last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia unsealed two indictments charging 34 defendants in a nationwide drug trafficking and distribution network based in Colombia, Guatemala Panama and Mexico, known as the "Gulf Cartel." The defendants were members of "cells" which coordinated the distribution of millions of dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana. One of the network's cells was based in Atlanta, with other cells in several other cities, including Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis; Indianapolis and Austin, Texas. The traffickers shipped drug proceeds from Atlanta and other cities to Texas by tractor-trailer, and then to Mexico, concealing the money with legitimate cargo.
The indictments are the result of "Operation Confluence," a series of searches and arrests executed last week in conjunction with similar operations around the country, including “Operation Dos Equis,” “Operation The Family,” “Operation Stinger” and “Operation Vertigo, which are part of “Project Reckoning,” a multi-agency law enforcement effort designed to bring down the Gulf Cartel. Federal and state agents employed wiretaps, surveillance, police traffic stops and other techniques in the investigation, which culminated in nationwide arrests and seizures executed on September 16. In all, Project Reckoning has resulted in the arrest of 332 individuals, the seizure of $57 million in U.S. currency, and the seizure of 51,147 pounds of marijuana, 16,347 kilgorams of cocaine and other quantities of drugs and guns.U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced the results of the project last week at the DEA's Atlanta Division headquarters.
