Drug operation linked to Mexican cartel

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The multimillion dollar drug and money-laundering ring busted in Albuquerque last week had definite ties to a deadly Mexican drug cartel, federal agents confirmed Friday.

Federal, state and local agencies took down what they called a major drug-trafficking laundering operation in raids that included three Albuquerque homes and the indictments of 15 suspects

It was believed ring was linked to a Mexican drug cartel.  But Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Keith Brown said the local operation was bigger than just supplying small-time drug pushers on the streets.

“It was to receive drugs from the cartels in Mexico, bring them north to Albuquerque,” Brown said.  "Then they distributed the drugs in Albuquerque and sometimes elsewhere.

"Then collect the money, take their profit out of it, and send the money back south.”

Friday federal agents confirmed the men named in the indictment had ties to the Sinaloa cartel , one of the deadliest drug cartels in Mexico. It’s run by Joaquin Guzman, known as El Chapo, and has contributed to the bloodshed on streets in Ciudad Juarez just across the border from El Paso, Texas.

“This is a vicious organization with resources to be as vicious as they want to be,” Brown said.

Brown said the Sinoloa cartel was in direct contact with Homero Varela, who is the alleged Albuquerque ringleader. He was named in the indictment and turned himself in this week.

Brown said the group has been operating for years, trafficking drugs to include methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana and money laundering.

Agents said the size of their shipments were huge, and Brown spoke about one bust in November.

“He had 26 kilos of cocaine and over 550 pounds of marijuana,” Brown said. “When you bring that out to money terms, you're talking about just short of a million dollars in drugs.”

IRS criminal investigators said Albuquerque firefighter Steve Chavez helped the operation cross state lines all the way to Florida.

“It looks like he was selling to individuals in Florida who would deposit the proceeds into his accounts,” Gabriel Grchan said.

Chavez is currently jailed without bond.

Agents said the illegal scheme used at least one front. Grchan said the proceeds in the drug business were put into horse racing accounts. He said that some of those indicted bought eight race horses.

Two people named in the indictment are still at large.