Chicago drug case suspects tied to Mexican cartel
CHICAGO (AP) — Federal authorities say five of 20 people charged in an alleged trafficking network in Chicago were members of the Zetas drug cartel of Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced the charges Wednesday. He says it was the first federal prosecution in Chicago of defendants with ties to the violent cartel, and that the case represented "a significant blow" to its operation.
Authorities seized more than $12.4 million in cash and approximately 250 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago area.
Twelve of the 20 were arrested in Chicago and one in Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday. Authorities say five are fugitives.
The head of the FBI's Chicago office says that the extensive cash seizures and the involvement of the Zetas should serve as "a wake-up call to law enforcement throughout the state."
