Operation Solare (also known as Project Reckoning)
DEA Press Release, September 17, 2008 is the Italian name for a 2008 anti-drug operation involving the United States, Mexico,
Guatemala and Italy, involving a major
Mexican drug cartel, the
Gulf Cartel, and the
'Ndrangheta mafia from the
Calabria region of Italy.
[Scores held in global drug bust]
BBC News, September 17, 2008 In the operation, some 200 people were arrested in Italy and in the US.
Background
According to the US
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
, more than 16,000 kg (35,280 lb) of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
, 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 United States 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.
[
]
Indicted
Among those indicted are three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Antonio Cárdenas Guillén, Jorge Eduardo Costilla and Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of Los Zetas
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...
.[Golpe en 2 países a cártel del Golfo]
El Universal, September 18, 2008 Among those detained from the 'Ndrangheta, are sixteen members of the Aquino-Coluccio clan – led by Giuseppe Coluccio – which dominates the Gioiosa Ionica Gioiosa Ionica ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria ( it, Provincia di Reggio Calabria) was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province ...
area in the province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria ( it, Provincia di Reggio Calabria) was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capita ...
. They were identified and arrested in New York and Calabria.[Narco-’Ndrangheta Drug Ring Smashed – 200 Arrests]
Corriere della Sera, September 18, 2008
Aftermath
According to , 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.
El Universal, December 9, 2008
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solare, Operation
Drug Enforcement Administration operations
History of the 'Ndrangheta
Gulf Cartel
Operations against organized crime in Mexico
Operations against organized crime in the United States
Operations against organized crime in Italy