Houston Feds Charge 52 with Drug Conspiracy

Federal authorities here have arrested at least 13 of 52 people charged in an alleged conspiracy to sneak drugs into the United States. The Houston-based indictment accuses them of smuggling a large amount of marijuana, as well as money laundering. 

Indictment

Authorities declined to comment Wednesday on the arrests, which took place in the Rio Grande Valley. An indictment in which the names of people who have been arrested are made public, and the names of those who have yet to be caught are redacted, shows the number of defendants.

Here is what the Associated Press is reporting:

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Thirteen people have made their initial appearances in federal court in McAllen, among 52 named in an indictment alleging a wide-ranging drug conspiracy.

Those who appeared in court Wednesday were all charged with conspiring to traffic drugs and launder money, as well as other individual counts. The indictment, which originated in Houston, was partially unsealed. The case is the result of a two-year investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Its targets include command structure, smuggling and distribution for a drug-trafficking organization that moved drugs from Mexico through Texas.
 Arrests were made Tuesday in the Rio Grande Valley, Houston and border counties near Laredo. Some of those named were already in custody and others who remain on the loose are believed to be in Mexico.

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