One Officer Wounded as National DEA Sting Nets 217 Cartel Arrests
- Posted on February 24, 2011 at 6:59pm by
Meredith Jessup
- Print »
- Email »
A Houston police officer was wounded Thursday as a collection of government agencies carried out a sting operation which netted 217 Mexican drug cartel members in cities across the United States.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Houston officer received non-threatening injuries trying to serve a narcotics warrant when an armed suspect opened fire. The warrant came as part of the nationwide crackdown effort on drugs illegally entering the country via the country’s southern border, just a week and a half after two ICE agents working in Mexico were allegedly ambushed and one killed by a drug gang.
The recent death of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata made Thursday’s operations “personal,” one ICE agent admitted. The codename of the national sweep was “Fallen Hero,” named in Zapata’s memory:
The operation brought together efforts of the DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a number of other state and local agencies.
The operation began Wednesday and by Thursday morning, more than $4 million had been seized and more than 200 arrests made. The agencies are collectively working to send a message to drug cartel operatives in the United States that they cannot get away with illegal activities.
Those arrested Thursday may face federal drug charges or a number of state charges, depending on the evidence collected in each case.
Fox News‘ John Roberts had exclusive access to the DEA’s Command Center in Virginia where the national effort was coordinated:
Popular Stories
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 569 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 394 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 368 Comments
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 327 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 394 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 327 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 150 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (63)
Fina Biscotti
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 4:17amDid ya’ll know that Usurper Obama/soetoro is intending to close down the FBI headquarters/Command Center in Virginia – to bring it to Washington, DC?
Report Post »BBomber66
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 3:13amDrug dealers are really bad people. I don’t think they can be rehabilitated. I don’t want to fund their lives in jail. Intent to distribute should be a capital crime. Remove them from the gene pool. Eventually those who deal would get the idea that it is not as profitable as it used to be and those who would consider it a career path would consider some alternatives. Put them in jail. Give them a year for appeals. Then stop their breathing.
Report Post »I SPY
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 1:38amToo bad an officer has to get killed before the Obama Administration will allow them to actually “fight” the war on drugs. Of course it’s only to cover their own liberal asses, and yes, of course they’ll let most of them go on insufficient evidence, but we’ll never hear about that part.
Report Post »aladytoo
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 12:44amGreat work. Now use the confiscated money to secure the border. Dig a mote infested with gators if you have to.
Report Post »isobamamadd
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 12:39amNow if we can get rid of Naploitano ,we might get somewhere!
Report Post »Sjah
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 12:37amExpect some retribution for this. I hope they are prepared.
Report Post »Contrarian51
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 11:24pmIt’s amazing what can be achieved when you get around to enforcing the law, isn’t it? Wonder of they’d consider giving illegal immigration some effort. Not like that’s got ANYTHING to do with Mexican drug cartels. Well, aside from the Mexican connection and the illegal part.
Report Post »bbhouston
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 10:13pmYep…my thoughts exactly. Why does it take the death of a dea agent to get this response. If we knew these people were out there why haven’t we cracked down before now???
Report Post »Red Meat
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:18pmGood first step. Next is the illegal invaders that inhabit America.
Report Post »NOTYERHUCKLEBERRY
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:12pmVallad the Impaler had the right idea. It kept the muslem hoards at bay. Too bad a previous pres. betrayed them. Stick those suckers up along the border and let them rot. It shouldn’t take long for the message to be heard.
Report Post »SilentReader
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 8:58pmIt’s too bad that the death of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata had to happen before this crackdown took place. It should have happened way before now.
However, it’s good to know what can be done if you put a mind to it. Keep doing it. These cartels need to know that we mean business.
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:57pmSure our border have never been safer. Right, keep on saying it democrabs One of these days you might start to believe you’re rhetoric.
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 8:42amThis reminds me of the 2000 person round the country ICE roundup, not too long ago.
Wow, we’ve thrown a pebble into the ocean; and, just look at that wave … well you can almost see it.
217 out of 40,000 – how proud our leaders must be, knowing we can create drug lords faster than we can catch their henchmen.
Report Post »wkw58
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:54pmGitmo has room.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:36pmThat’s a thought! Put those infidels in Gitmo with the radical Islamic Muslims.
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:48pmConcentrate on Dallas where every other household is infested with these illegal mexicans
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:45pmGet after them Mexicans. Its about time
Report Post »dgremark12
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:41pmIs his what it takes for law enforcement to do their job? What the hell have they been doing the rest of the year? Helping smugglers?
Report Post »AuntiEm
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:27pmHey! Maybe we can eliminate the deficit with drug money confiscation!
Report Post »booger71
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:45pmNope, that’s how local, state, and federal agencies finance their drug armies.
Report Post »wick716
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:21pmThat is a great story but why does it take one of our brave patriots being executed to get the job done? We shouldn’t be going after these cartels as a response to Jamie Zapata being killed. We should be going after them like this all the time for obvious reasons.
Report Post »Welcome Black Carter
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:33pmThe two events are only connected by the code name. It would have happened with or without the Zapata incident.
Report Post »canuck44
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:19pmI do not see any indication as to whether the perp that shot the officer is still generating CO2. Hopefully that assault on our environment has ended….if not, why not.?
Report Post »ivdad
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 1:41amSorry, he is not at room temperature. Our HPD officers need a little more time on the range. Remember CENTER MASS.
Report Post »RN MOM
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:14pmMaybe if the drug cartels protested for worker rights they would get Obama’s attention.
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:56pmthats funny
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:08pmOnly if they eat their vegetables and donate to his campaign.
Report Post »neiman1
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:14pmWhy did one of their own have to die before these dangerous killers taken off the streets? Would the government have acted if two or three “regular” people had been killed? I wonder how the next door neighbors of these cartel drug runners feel to know that law enforcement knew the danger they were in every day but did nothing about it until an ICE agent was killed.
This brings up many more questions than answers.
Report Post »tankerBigRed1
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:37pmMY thoughts xztly- one of their own bit the dirt – now they are really mad & will do their job? how bout all the little people that got waked- never mind..
Report Post »jackact
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:09pmAnd Obama, fellow marxist, doesn’t care a hoot.
Report Post »We could lose another ten brave federal agents on the border tomorrow and Holder would be planning a criminal court appearance (civil rights gratis) for the murdering foreign thug.
What’s more sickening, the escalated border mayhem or our government‘s approach to ’dealing’ with it?
firex1204
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:08pmWill this ever end. We need our borders closed now! If only we had a president who thought the same and maybe wanted to protect his citizens. Hopefully in 2012. God willing.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:07pmSo when is DOJ suing the Houston PD ?
Report Post »CatB
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:45pm@Cheez
That’s next week.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:07pmNice to see results when the administration will allow the law officers to do their jobs on the drug lords and others who need to be caught and brought to justice; now if only justice can be made to happen for the people of our land in the next elections.
Good work officers.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:11pmFinally !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:14pm@CnsrvtvfJ
Agree completely, I have one lunatic progressive in the apartments where I live who thinks the fact the border is ‘unsecurable’ (his words) is due to the ‘massive right wing conspiracies of the Israelie and military complexes seeking to have cheap labor in the world at the expense of the Americans.’
Mind you, he is the same one who now wishes to move to mexico and become a citizen there for the health care system they have.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:15pmwhy are drugs Illegal ????
Puritans also burned witches.
What about the wasted tax dollars ?
But God forbid a teacher gets insurance right NeoScum?
grandmaof5
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:16pmGreat work, everyone. Let’s use the money to build a fence, how ’bout it.
Report Post »cnsrvtvj
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:19pm@Snowleopard – That’s too funny. You should tell him that Michael Moore says Cuba has the best health care system in the world. Lol.
Report Post »chazman
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:28pmThis could be accomplished at least once a month if we cut the fat of the DEA. Fed involvement makes these operations very dangerous … to All involved. I’m glad only one officer was hurt, however, I would prefer no one was hurt at all.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:45pmNice show … now if they would let the officers do this more often .. we might be a little safer. Or they could SECURE THE BORDER TOO!
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:49pmTOWERSEVEN
If drugs were legal
I could not even begin to imagine how #@#$# your posts would be.
Next thing you know Hitler would not only be the Kwisatz Haderach.
But Stalin would be a Klingon and Moa would be the Dark Sith
aaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahhaahaaa
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 8:04pmHey, for once one of the trolls didn’t get first post. Good shot Snowleopard.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 8:19pmLeave them alone! They are just committing crimes lazy Americans aren’t willing to commit.
Report Post »Quagaar Warrior
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:19pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »Hey Snowleopard,
Offer your neighbor to pay for his one-way ticket to his Mexicican Utopia. I’ll go halves with ya!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:26pm@Quaggar Warrior
If he accepts I most likely will take you up on the offer; though right now with my income it would need to be a grayhound bus ticket, I still am waiting to hear from him.
Report Post »ImWatchingYouAll
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:38pmScenario: Drugs are legal.
Report Post »You need to purchase them at a Pharmacy.
The buyer is registered.
No more are the States paying for the upkeep of the convicted drug user/seller in prison/jail?
The drug of choice is taxed as a luxury.
The State RECIEVES tax dollars instead of PAYING tax dollars to a “War On Drugs” that they can never win?
There is no more criminal gangs selling drugs, killing their rivals and innocent people.
Do you really think the pharmacist at Right Aid will try to kill the pharmacist at Walgreens because he is selling the drug of choice for less money?
Sounds like a win win situation to me.
ImWatchingYouAll
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:41pmis=are ( lest I get flamed for my grammar )
Report Post »and I am truly thankful that this raid went off as well as it did, and praying for the swift return to duty for the injured officer.
Quagaar Warrior
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:48pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »Snowleopard,
Agreed! I also am hurting financially. How ’bout we send him via a circus cannon over the Arizona/Mexico border right into the laps of the drug cartels. It’d be alot cheaper than a bus ride and a lotta fun to watch. We could sell tickets to real Americans and maybe make a profit at the same time. Ahhhh! Ya gotta love free-market, capitalistic entrepreneurship!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pamela kay
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 2:44amI agree SNOWLEOPARD, but is this an effort to win some votes and convince Americans that they are doing their job? Call me paronoid, but they do nothing that isn’t carefully calculated to their benefit.
Report Post »Sinista Mace
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 11:23amROTFLMFAO @ “Finally”.
LMAO!
Finally WHAT?!?!
Finally they caught a handful of cartel associates….billions of dollars of taxpayer funds and decades later?
WHAT
A
JOKE.
The War on Drugs is a JOKE FOLKS!
LAUGH OUT LOUD AT THIS BULLCRAP!
With all the billions wasted in the “WAR” on drugs, and all the years they’ve fought it, we ought to have every single cartel member who ever lived in Methico in custody!
Ask Charlie Sheen where the work is!
It’s EVERYWHERE!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Alphabet Boys (DEA, FBI, ATF,) are a J.O.K.E.!!!
I put my stash on it!
Report Post »Sinista Mace
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 11:29amHey Tower, this Dashriprock character is the lamest troll ever to grace the page on a website.
She laughs at herself so often, it’s apparent to everyone how LOW her self-esteem is and how desperate she is for attention.
You ever notice she only makes her stupid childish comments to those who post the truth in the face of the MSM’s bullcrap?
This clown defends the Federal Reserve, and simultaneously tries to ridicule others.
This idiot actually tried to argue with me that commodities aren’t traded on the stock market.
All I can do is laugh and SMH at this idiot.
Report Post »Bob Holland
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 2:34pmWhy is it my Bull Crap alarm going off! I have no doubt that those personally connected with these fallen hero’s are genuine in this operation. However my bullcrap meter says those at the top are just doing the minimum to keep the heat off of themselves and other Government officials by making it appear as if they are after the drug cartels. My bet is that when the dust settles “The Cartels” will have been apart of this operation possibly willingly giving up some players (lower level). While business goes on as usual and the important players continue with immunity in our Country.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 5:45pmSinista Mace you hurt little DASHES feelings
He is frightened by the Truth so he lashes out.
There’s a very destructive force in our society that for some reason goes unrecognized or unsaid because people are afraid to acknowledge it. I’m talking about “Victims” who instead of trying to get their revenge and hurt the people directly responsible for making them “Victims”, more often then not hurt people who did nothing to them in the first place and don’t do anything to the actual “Victimizer”. I‘m not trying to make fun of victims or advocating hurting people who victimize you but I just don’t understand what the victims are actually accomplishing by lashing out at and hurting the innocent instead of the guilty. Someone needs to tell these people something.
The worst of this is of course the people who go Postal. Instead of just going after the person who fired them or makes their life hell at work, it seems more often then not, these people go unscathed while the innocent Postal employees who just try to earn a living and mind their own business, get killed or wounded. What exactly is this accomplishing? It almost sounds like the Viet Nam era slogan that “in order to save the village, you have to destroy it”.
Report Post »