Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports'La Familia' drug cartel members indicted
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Associated Press - November 20, 2009 4:04 PM ET
CHICAGO (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted 15 alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana (MEE'-chu-a-kah-nah), a violence-prone Mexican cartel that has flooded American cities with millions of dollars worth of drugs.
Those indicted Thursday were arrested in August as part of the federal government's Operation Coronado, a nationwide sweep designed to break La Familia's grip on the U.S. market for cocaine and other drugs.
Agents have arrested more than 300 people in 19 states. Prosecutors said 250 grams of cocaine and $8 million were seized in the Chicago area, most in raids in several suburbs, including Berwyn, Bolinbrook, Oak Lawn, Hickory Hills and Joliet.
All 15 Chicago-area defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess and distributed cocaine.
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