- Operation Solare
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Operation Solare (also named Project Reckoning in the U.S.A.[1]) is the Italian name for an anti-drugs operation involving the U.S.A., Mexico, Guatemala and Italy, involving a major Mexican drug cartel, the Gulf Cartel and the 'Ndrangheta mafia from the Calabria region of Italy.[2] In the operation, some 200 people were arrested in Italy and in the U.S.A.
According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency more than 16,000 kg (35,280 lb) of cocaine, 450 kg of methamphetamine, 9 kg of heroin, 23,300 kg of marijuana, 176 vehicles and 167 weapons were seized as well as approximately US$60.1m (£33m). Charges pending in the U.S.A. and Italy cover various crimes, including trafficking of cocaine and marijuana, kidnap charges, attempted murder, conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime and conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country.[2]
Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla and Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of Los Zetas.[1][3] Among those detained from the 'Ndrangheta are sixteen members of the Aquino-Coluccio clan – led by Giuseppe Coluccio – which dominates the Gioiosa Ionica area in the province of Reggio Calabria. They were identified and arrested in New York and Calabria.[4]
According to Nicola Gratteri, the Italian prosecutor, the Gulf Cartel is still present in Italy and Europe, despite the operation. "The traffic (between Mexicans and Italians) continues, because the Mexicans sold drugs for an even lower price (than the Colombians) and are content with lower profit margins, so it is considered convenient to buy from the Mexicans," he said.[5]
References
- ^ a b 175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members Arrested in Massive International Law Enforcement Operation, DEA Press Release, September 17, 2008
- ^ a b Scores held in global drug bust, BBC News, September 17, 2008
- ^ (Spanish) Golpe en 2 países a cártel del Golfo, El Universal, September 18, 2008
- ^ Narco-’Ndrangheta Drug Ring Smashed – 200 Arrests, Corriere della Sera, September 18, 2008
- ^ (Spanish) Cártel del Golfo opera en Italia y el viejo continente, afirman, El Universal, December 9, 2008
Mexican Drug War (2006–present) (Names in italics represent dead or arrested individuals)Federal forces Mexican Army • Mexican Air Force • Mexican Navy • GAFE • Federal Investigations Agency • SIEDO • Federal PoliceBeltrán-Leyva Cartel
(Extinct in 2010)FoundersArturo Beltrán Leyva • Alfredo Beltrán Leyva • Carlos Beltrán Leyva • Edgar Valdez Villarreal • Sergio Villarreal Barragán • Héctor Beltrán LeyvaLa Familia Cartel
(Extinct in mid-2011)FoundersNazario Moreno González • Carlos Rosales Mendoza • Arnoldo Rueda Medina • Dionicio Loya Plancarte • Rafael Cedeño Hernández • Alberto Espinoza Barrón • Enrique Plancarte Solís • José de Jesús Méndez Vargas • Servando Gómez MartínezGulf Cartel FoundersLeadersOsiel Cárdenas Guillén • Antonio Cárdenas Guillén • Jorge Eduardo CostillaJuárez Cartel
(Armed wing: La Línea)FoundersRafael Aguilar Guajardo • Pablo Acosta Villarreal • Amado Carrillo FuentesLeadersVicente Carrillo Fuentes • José Luis FratelloKnights Templar Cartel
(Armed wing: La Resistencia)FoundersEnrique Plancarte Solís • Servando Gómez MartínezLeadersEnrique Plancarte Solís • Servando Gómez MartínezSinaloa Cartel
(Armed wing: Gente Nueva)FoundersLeadersTijuana Cartel FoundersRamón Arellano Félix • Benjamín Arellano Félix • Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix • Carlos Arellano Félix • Eduardo Arellano Félix • Francisco Javier Arellano FélixLeadersEnedina Arellano Félix • Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano • Edgardo Leyva EscandonLos Zetas Cartel FoundersArturo Guzmán Decena • Jaime González Durán • Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar • Heriberto LazcanoLeadersHeriberto Lazcano • Miguel Treviño MoralesSee also Other cartelsEarly drug lordsSome corrupt officialsJesús Gutiérrez Rebollo • Victor Gerardo Garay Cadena • Arturo Durazo Moreno • Noé Ramírez Mandujano • Ricardo Gutiérrez Vargas • Rodolfo de la Guardia García • Francisco Navarro Espinoza • Raúl Salinas de Gortari • Julio César Godoy ToscanoOperationsMérida Initiative • Project Gunrunner • Project Coronado • Operation Solare • Operation Xcellerator • Operation Michoacan • Operation Baja California • Operation Sinaloa • Joint Operation Nuevo Leon-Tamaulipas • Operation Chihuahua • Operation Quintana RooVehiclesVariousTimeline of the Mexican Drug War • Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez • Enrique Camarena • Jaime Jorge Zapata • War on Drugs • House of Death • Piracy in Falcon Lake • List of massacres in Mexico • Most wanted Mexican drug lords • Blog del NarcoCategories:- History of the 'Ndrangheta
- Drug Enforcement Administration operations
- History of drug control
- Operations against organized crime in Mexico
- Organized crime events in Italy
- Operations against organized crime in the United States
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