More Than 60 Arrested in Nationwide Mexican Drug Gang Sweep

This is truly disgusting. It takes the death of a U.S agent in Mexico to stun the Federal, state and local authorities into actually doing their job? As Mr Pike says:" the sweeps are a direct response to Zapata's killing, the majority of suspects were already targets of other investigations". So, in other words: "we were going easy on all these illegal activities, but then some USA guy died and now we have to really do our jobs for a change"....So, I guess they're finally admitting that you have to fight fire with fire and not a PC white flag. Thousands of people have died in Mexico so that the drug lords can traffic their goods into the USA to supply the local market. Cut off the suppliers and there will be no market. If I were the family of Mr Zapata, I would sue the Federal government's socks off. They have admitted to ignoring crime which was happening right under their noses...

WASHINGTON -- Federal, state and local authorities conducted a massive sweep Thursday of suspected Mexican drug cartel members in the United States in a widespread domestic response to the killing of a U.S. agent in Mexico last week.

"We are taking a stand and we are sending a message back to the cartels that we will not tolerate the murder of a U.S. agent, or any U.S. official," said Carl Pike, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's special operations division.

Pike said the nationwide roundup, which began Wednesday and was expected to continue into Friday, is targeting suspected criminals with ties to any Mexican drug cartel to try to disrupt drug trafficking operations in the United States.

By Thursday morning, agents in areas including Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Detroit, San Antonio, San Diego, Chicago and New Jersey had seized more than $4.5 million in cash and nearly 20 guns, arrested more than 100 people and confiscated about 23 pounds of methamphetamine, 107 kilos of cocaine, 5 pounds of heroin and 300 pounds of marijuana at more than 150 different locations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata was killed, and fellow ICE agent Victor Avila was wounded in Mexico on Feb. 15 when the Chevy Suburban they were in was run off the road by at least two vehicles loaded with armed men. Authorities have said the agents, who were driving in a fortified sport utility vehicle with diplomatic license plates, identified themselves as U.S. diplomats in the moments before the shooting.

Pike said that while the sweeps are a direct response to Zapata's killing, the majority of suspects were already targets of other investigations.

"People actually sacrificed a great deal of work" for these sweeps, Pike said. "For the lost agent's memory it's important, but we're also in a bully situation. If we don't push back, some other 18-year-old cartel member is going to think, 'They didn't do anything, so all U.S. citizens are fair game."'

Mexican law enforcement and politicians have become routine targets of Mexico's warring drug cartels. But for the most part, U.S. authorities had largely been avoided.

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