Border officials: Guatemalan sisters held captive in Douglas trailer

Two Guatemalan sisters were rescued Sunday from a residence north Douglas where they were held hostage for more than a week, law enforcement officials say.

More than ton of pot seized in Nogales, Ariz.

Federal agents seized more than 2,300 pounds of marijuana and arrested three suspects Wednesday during a surveillance operation in Nogales.

Man gets 14 years in Arizona beheading case

PHOENIX – A man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his murder conviction in a 2010 beheading of a man in Arizona who police say had stolen drugs from a Mexican drug cartel.

Chicago’s Public Enemy No. 1: Mexican drug kingpin Guzman

CHICAGO — A drug kingpin in Mexico who has never set foot in Chicago has been named the city’s new Public Enemy No. 1 — the same notorious label assigned to Al Capone at the height of the Prohibition-era gang wars.

Cash, marijuana seized at Douglas border crossing

Two Mexican nationals were arrested this week in unrelated smuggling incidents at the Douglas border crossing.

Fast and Furious gun buyer sentenced to prison

PHOENIX — A man who purchased two rifles found at the scene of the fatal shooting of a federal agent north of the U.S.-Mexico border has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Jaime Avila Jr. on Wednesday received a sentence of 57 months, a penalty on the lower end of federal guidel…

Man gets nearly 4 years in Fast and Furious case

PHOENIX — An admitted straw buyer was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for his part in a gun smuggling ring that was targeted in the botched investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious.

Mexican beauty queen killed in shootout

CULIACAN, Mexico —A 20-year-old state beauty queen has been killed in northern Mexico during a running gun battle between soldiers and the gang of drug traffickers she was traveling with, officials say.

Judge to sentence 2 men in Fast and Furious case

PHOENIX — Two men are set for sentencing Monday in Phoenix for their acknowledged roles as “straw buyers” for a gun smuggling ring that was monitored in the government’s botched investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious.

Arizona woman to be sentenced in Fast and Furious case

PHOENIX — A federal judge is scheduled to sentence a woman today who admitted to aiding at a gun smuggling ring that was monitored in the government’s botched investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious.

Justice Dept. seeks dismissal of Fast & Furious lawsuit

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday night sought dismissal of a lawsuit by a Republican-led House committee demanding that Attorney General Eric Holder produce records about the botched law enforcement probe of gun-trafficking called Operation Fast and Furious.

Violent street gang: US targets finances of MS-13

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration declared the ultra-violent street gang MS-13 to be an international criminal group on Thursday, an unprecedented crackdown targeting the finances of the sprawling U.S. and Central American gang infamous for hacking and stabbing victims with machetes.

'Fast and Furious' report excuses Holder, slams others in Justice Dept.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz referred over a dozen people for possible disciplinary action for their roles in Operation Fast and Furious. A report on the operation released today did not criticize Attorney General Eric Holder.

Blog: Sonoran politico becomes 'hot potato' after cartel arrests

A minor scandal has shaken Sonoran politics this month with the arrest of Rafael Celaya Valenzuela, who is accused of doing legal work for Sinaloan cartel members trying to establish a beachhead in Spain.

Fitz Blog: South of the Border

In Mexico the voters handed the country back to the corrupt party that governed Mexico for 70-years. It’s a global weather story. The Arab Spring has given way to Mexican Summer and democracy’s dog days are back.

DEA: Border drug tunnel found in Southern Arizona

Authorities say they have discovered a major cross-border drug tunnel that is linked to a commercial building in San Luis.

Arizona-based Sinaloa Cartel-linked cell busted

TEMPE — An elaborate drug trafficking cell in Tempe that is linked to the deadly Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico has been busted, officials say.

ID of man arrested as son of cartel head is in doubt

MEXICO CITY - After working months with U.S. intelligence, the Mexican navy said it had nabbed a big prize in a known Guadalajara narco-haven: the son of Mexico's top fugitive drug lord.

Mexico: Zetas gang ordered slaughter of 49 as part of ploy

MEXICO CITY - The army charged Monday that the top leaders of the hyper-violent Zetas drug cartel ordered underlings to leave 49 mutilated bodies in a northern Mexico town square, then had banners hung around the country denying responsibility in an effort to have their enemies blamed for th…

Mexican army: Zetas leaders ordered 49 killed

MEXICO CITY —The top leaders of the hyper-violent Zetas drug cartel ordered underlings to leave 49 mutilated bodies in a northern Mexico town square, and then hung banners around the country denying responsibility, the Mexican army said Monday.