41 people allegedly linked to Mexican drug cartels are indicted

Federal authorities in Atlanta announced grand jury indictments Wednesday against 41 people allegedly connected to violent Mexican drug cartels, including a former deputy sheriff from Texas stopped on a Georgia highway with nearly $1 million in cash hidden in his pickup. The trafficking operation moved hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana from the Southwest border to Atlanta, authorities said. It also involved extensive money laundering operations in which millions of dollars in drug proceeds allegedly were funneled through U.S. banks back to Mexico. Authorities said about $22 million in cash was seized in raids, making it a record amount for an Atlanta case. It comes at a time when the cartels are pushing hard to solidify a hold on the Southeastern U.S. and other metropolitan areas far north of the Rio Grande. ‘Drug trafficking is all about money,’ said Reginael D. McDaniel, special agent in charge of the IRS criminal investigation division. ‘Seizing the dirty cash and the assets of these illegal organizations hits criminals where it hurts the most. It deprives them of their profits.’