4 arrested in California arms trafficking bust denied bail, 1 claims links to Mexico cartel

October 8th, 2009 Top Mexican cartel figure set to plead guiltySAN DIEGO — A man once considered a top figure in a notorious Mexican drug cartel plans to plead guilty in a San Diego criminal case, nearly 10 years after he was arrested while watching his son's soccer game in Tijuana, Mexico. A federal court docket shows Jesus "Chuy" Labra will change his plea next Thursday.

September 14th, 2009 31 Mexican police arrested for alleged drug tiesMEXICO CITY — Thirty-one police officers have been arrested in a central Mexican state on suspicion of collaborating with a gang of drug cartel hit men. The Public Safety Department says the officers were arrested as part of a months-long investigation into alleged ties between police and the Zetas in Hidalgo, a state north of Mexico City.

September 9th, 2009 Journalists arrested for alleged drug gang payoffsVILLAHERMOSA, Mexico — Two rural journalists have been arrested for allegedly working as informants for a violent drug trafficking cartel, according to courts in the southern Mexico state of Tabasco. Newspaper correspondents Roberto Juarez and Lazaro Abreu Tejero Sanchez are being held on charges that they accepted thousands of dollars from the Zetas, a fierce drug gang aligned with the Gulf cartel, the state court system said in a news release.

September 9th, 2009 Body with arms cut off found in Mexican cityCIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Police say a body with both arms cut off was found dumped on a street in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas. Arturo Sandoval, spokesman for a regional prosecutor's office, says the victim was found late Tuesday with his severed arms crossed and placed on top of a cardboard sign on his chest.

September 3rd, 2009 US sanctions 6 Mexicans accused of meth trade tiesMEXICO CITY — The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on six Mexicans linked to a pharmaceutical company that allegedly diverted precursor chemicals to a methamphetamine trafficking gang.

August 8th, 2009 Mexico captures lieutenant of Tijuana cartelMEXICO CITY —Mexican federal police say they have captured a top lieutenant of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix cartel. Suspect Manuel Invanovich Zambrano Flores is among those listed on a U.S.

August 6th, 2009 Correction: Mexico-US Arms Trafficking storyMEXICO CITY — In a story published July 13 about Mexican and U.S. plans to share information on arms trafficking, The Associated Press, relying on a statement from the Mexican Attorney General's Office, erroneously reported that the two nations had agreed on a protocol.

July 31st, 2009 4 arrested in California gun ring bustLOS ANGELES — Four people were arrested and charged Friday for their roles in a suspected gun ring that sold assault rifles and other high-powered weapons, with one man claiming he is a member of a notorious Mexican drug cartel, authorities said. Edgardo Prado Casteneda, Vicente Garcia, Scott Blanks and Victor Velasquez were arrested by federal authorities.

July 14th, 2009 Mexico, US set protocol on weapons cooperationMEXICO CITY — Mexico and the United States have agreed on a protocol for sharing information in arms trafficking cases. Top officials of both countries say the guidelines are aimed at helping them bring more cases against weapons traffickers.

June 30th, 2009 Mexico frees 3 mayors held for alleged drug tiesMORELIA, Mexico — Federal prosecutors released three of the 10 Mexican mayors arrested last month in an unprecedented sweep of elected officials accused of protecting a drug cartel, authorities said Monday. The mayors of the western towns of Coahuayana, Buenavista and Aquila were let go after spending more than a month in jail, the federal Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

June 8th, 2009 Mexico captures drug cartel suspect wanted in USMEXICO CITY — Mexican police have captured a woman wanted in the United States for allegedly smuggling $2 million in cocaine-trafficking profits for a powerful drug cartel. The Attorney General's Office says Olga Lerma was arrested in western Jalisco state after police spent three months tracking her movements.

May 24th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - A senior leader of a dreaded drug cartel of Mexico has been arrested in the northeastern city of Ciudad Victoria, authorities have said. Nelson Garcia Lozano, the Gulf drug gang's head of operations in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas province, was held following a gun exchange between his men and troops Saturday, the national defence secretariat said.

May 13th, 2009 Biggest meth seizure in eastern US made in AtlantaATLANTA — Federal authorities in Atlanta on Wednesday announced the biggest seizure of Mexican crystal methamphetamine ever recorded east of the Mississippi River. Federal drug enforcement agents seized about 351 pounds of meth from two houses in Duluth, in suburban Atlanta, in an operation that began Sunday and extended into Monday morning.

May 9th, 2009 Mexico arrests 25 Tijuana officers in cartel bustTIJUANA, Mexico — Mexico arrested 25 Tijuana police officers and two civilians on organized crime charges for alleged drug gang ties, the federal attorney general's office said Friday. The suspects are accused of helping alleged Arellano Felix cartel leader Teodoro Garcia, one of Mexico's 24 most wanted drug suspects, the office said in a statement.

January 16th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities have ordered two former heads of Interpol Mexico to be sent to prison and await trial for their alleged nexus with the a powerful drug cartel, EFE news agency reported. According to the Attorney General's Office, Rodolfo de la Guardia Garcia and Ricardo Gutierrez Vargas were brought before a court in the northeastern Mexican state of Nayarit Thursday and later jailed pending their trial.