Authorities said they arrested the leader of a ring that smuggled 60 tons of cocaine into the United States during the past year, including a record 21 tons seized near Los Angeles.
At least 50 federal police officers stormed a downtown motel Wednesday and arrested Rafael Munoz Talavera. But a half-hour later, his attorneys served federal officials with a court order restraining police action against their client.Federal prosecutor Rolando Aguilera said the order required that authorities release Munoz, who lives in this border city, by Thursday afternoon unless he is formally charged with a crime.
On Sept. 28, U.S. officials seized 21.4 tons of cocaine at a suburban Los Angeles warehouse in what authorities called the world's largest cocaine seizure ever. Officials also raided six warehouses in El Paso, Texas, believed to have been a staging area for the cocaine.
Six men have been arrested in the United States in connection with the case, and all have pleaded innocent to drug charges. One of the six identified Munoz as the mastermind of the smuggling operation, authorities said.