Minn. among states where drug cartels expanding
Law enforcement officials: Minn. among states where Mexican drug cartels expanding influence
CHICAGO (AP) -- Law enforcement authorities say Mexican drug cartel operatives who once stuck close to the U.S.-Mexico border are establishing a greater presence in the Upper Midwest.
Cases involving drug cartel members have been seen in Minnesota, and there has been activity in neighboring Wisconsin. The head of the Sinaloa cartel was recently named Chicago's Public Enemy No. 1, the same label once given to gangster Al Capone.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says about 230 American communities reported some level of cartel presence in 2008, but that number had climbed to more than 1,200 by 2011, the latest year for which statistics are available.
