Press Releases 07
Gulf Cartel Arrests in Tamaulipas Demonstrate Calderon’s
Determination and Results
Mexico City, December 12, 2007 – “I congratulate President
Calderon and the Mexican government on the arrests yesterday
of Marco Antonio Ramirez del Rio, number three in the Gulf
Cartel, and two associates, which once more demonstrate the
Calderon administration’s firm determination to confront the
drug cartels head-on.
“Marco Antonio Ramirez del Rio, AKA Tony la Palma, Mario
Rafael Morales and Dario Tristan Mendez were arrested by the
Mexican Army in a security operation in Tampico, Tamaulipas.
Ramirez del Rio is considered one of the bosses of the Gulf
Cartel, and is believed to control the cartel’s operations
in the Mexican states of San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Queretero,
Hildalgo and Mexico. In addition, it is believed that Ramirez
del Rio and his associates were behind the ambush of Mexican
Army troops in Tampico last month. When arrested, Ramirez
del Rio and his lieutenants were in possession of more than
a kilogram of cocaine, two assault rifles and other weapons.
“This arrest is yet another indication that the Calderon
administration’s determined campaign against narco-traffickers
and organized crime in Mexico is going strong and showing
definite results. The United States benefits, as does Mexico,
from taking these criminals off the streets. We will continue
to work ever more closely with our Mexican government and
law enforcement partners in the months and years to come,
until the streets are again safe for our children.”
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