Gulf Cartel Arrests in Tamaulipas Demonstrate Calderon's Determination and Results
Mexico City, December 12, 2007 - "I congratulate President Calderon and the Mexican government on the arrests yesterday of Marco Antonio Ramirez del Rio, number three in the Gulf Cartel, and two associates, which once more demonstrate the Calderon administration's firm determination to confront the drug cartels head-on.
"Marco Antonio Ramirez del Rio, AKA Tony la Palma, Mario Rafael Morales and Dario Tristan Mendez were arrested by the Mexican Army in a security operation in Tampico, Tamaulipas. Ramirez del Rio is considered one of the bosses of the Gulf Cartel, and is believed to control the cartel's operations in the Mexican states of San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Queretero, Hildalgo and Mexico. In addition, it is believed that Ramirez del Rio and his associates were behind the ambush of Mexican Army troops in Tampico last month. When arrested, Ramirez del Rio and his lieutenants were in possession of more than a kilogram of cocaine, two assault rifles and other weapons.
"This arrest is yet another indication that the Calderon administration's determined campaign against narco-traffickers and organized crime in Mexico is going strong and showing definite results. The United States benefits, as does Mexico, from taking these criminals off the streets. We will continue to work ever more closely with our Mexican government and law enforcement partners in the months and years to come, until the streets are again safe for our children."