US Indicts 43 in Alleged $5.8B Drug Ring

As Mexican officials today announced the apparent assassination of the presiding legislator of the drug-plagued state of Chilpancingo, United States officials, including U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, announced the indictment of 43 individuals here and in Mexico concerning an alleged $5.8 billion cocaine and heroin operation.

Those accused in the federal drug cases filed in New York and Chicago have ties to the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels, according to the Washington Post. The defendants allegedly were involved in the importation of 200 tons of cocaine and what the newspaper describes as "vast stores" of heroin into the U.S. between 1990 and 2008.

Ten claimed cartel bosses are among those indicted, reports the Associated Press. However, a number of those indicted have eluded law enforcement officials in both countries for years.

Drug-related violence has been escalating in both the U.S. and Mexico, causing increasing concern in both countries about illegal dealing, as discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts.

Additional coverage:

Associated Press: "Mexican State Lawmaker Killed"