175 Mexican drug trafficking suspects arrested

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In what prosecutors said was a significant step in fighting the drug wars raging on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Justice Department said Wednesday that 175 people believed to be connected with one of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels were arrested this week in a dozen states.

The arrests Tuesday and Wednesday were part of a 15-month investigation led by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration targeting the drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel. The group is a key target of Mexican President Felipe Calderon‘s 21-month offensive against drug mafias, reports Richard B. Schmitt.

Click here to read more about the arrested drug suspects, and here for more on the drug trade across Latin America.

For more on Mexico in general go here, and go to our Mexico Under Siege page for up-to-date coverage of the drug war in Mexico.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City