| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2008 
Zoo Animals Found In Drug Raid
 Sky News
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| | One of the lions discovered during the raid in Mexico City. | | |
A private zoo of exotic animals has been discovered during a drug-trafficking raid at a mansion in Mexico.
Eleven Colombians, a US citizen, two Mexicans and a Uruguayan were detained at the Desierto de los Leones in Mexico City on Saturday.
Organised crime prosecutor Marisela Morales identified the gang's leader as Teodoro Fino Restrepo, who allegedly arranged for sea-borne cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico's Beltran Leyva cartel.
The arrested American was named by Mexican authorities as Raul Munoz Montalvo, from Texas.
All of the suspects are being held on suspicion of drug trafficking, money laundering and organised crime activities, Ms Morales said.
The group, which was paraded by police at a news conference after the raid, has been under investigation since 2005.
Officers seized weapons, vehicles and a collection of animals including two lions and two tigers during the operation at the sprawling mansion.
"This is important, because it breaks a logistic link in the chain that supplies Mexican cartels with cocaine," Ms Morales said.
The mansion, whose walls, ceilings and furniture are made almost entirely of ornately carved wood, appeared to have been used by the traffickers for parties at nights and weekends, authorities said.
Those who received invitations were picked up at nearby shopping centre car parks in vehicles with blacked-out windows to prevent them from seeing where they were going.
Nine Mexicans working as waiters and DJs were briefly held and released. |
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