Officials Seize Over Half a Ton Of Meth From Mexican Cartel Operating In Colorado

Federal officials said they seized more than half a ton of meth from a Mexican cartel operating in Colorado following a two-year investigation.

The Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office announced that 15 people have been indicted in the case. 11 have been arrested, but the remaining four, including the organization's ringleader, remain at large and are believed to be in Mexico.

DEA special agent in charge Dave Olesky said the investigation showed ties between the organization and the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels. He did not elaborate.

Most of the meth was discovered hidden in the corners of boxes of pear squash recently imported from Mexico. Moreover, 45 kilos were found on a Greyhound bus passing through Vail, in Colorado.

It is not the first time traffickers seek to smuggle drugs into the country by hiding them inside fruit. Another such case took place in November, when a Customs and Border Protection officer referred a tractor-trailer for secondary inspection. After conducting a nonintrusive scan and a canine sweep, officers discovered 733 packages of suspected methamphetamine hidden within the load of frozen mangoes.