After a 17-month investigation led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal, state and local authorities cracked down on a vast drug-smuggling network in Arizona that officials tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, making 76 arrests in three separate raids.

AP via NPR:

Authorities have dismantled a “massive” drug trafficking ring responsible for smuggling more than $33 million worth of drugs through the U.S. state of Arizona’s western desert each month in recent years, officials said Monday.

The ring is believed be tied to the Sinaloa cartel — Mexico’s most powerful — and its members smuggled more than 3.3 million pounds (1.5 million kilograms) of marijuana, 20,000 pounds (9,071 kilograms) of cocaine and 10,000 pounds (4,535 kilograms) of heroin into the U.S. through Arizona, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Read more

WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG