Austin — AUSTIN -- An international drug ring busted in North Austin.
Authorities arrested 18 people at the J and J Auto Service shop on Motheral Drive, near North Lamar Blvd., on Wednesday morning.
The arrests were part of a year-long federal investigation that involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Austin Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Hays County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Park Police Department.
Authorities said cocaine, meth and heroin were smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico, sometimes inside Spanx undergarments people wore.
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Authorities said J and J was the distribution center where drugs were unloaded before being sold on the streets in Austin or shipped to other parts of the country.
U.S. Attorney John Bash said the drugs made their way to other parts of the country like Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Luis Villagrana and Carlos Garcia-Duark are the accused leaders of the distribution cells operating in Austin. Authorities said Villagrana answered directly to the La Familia cartel in Mexico.
"Additionally, agents discovered that Villagrana established distribution cells scattered throughout the Austin area. The drugs were smuggled into the United States from Mexico crossing Texas from Eagle Pass all the way down through Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley," said Special Agent Will Glaspy with the DEA.
Glaspy also said, "this is the most significant operation we've run in Central Texas in years, if not forever."
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He said Austin and Central Texas is safer with these suspects off the streets.
Law enforcement agents in several jurisdictions seized a combined total of 148 pounds of crystal meth, 56 gallons of liquid meth, 62 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin and $400,000 in cash.
"We were very shocked to find 56 gallons more or less of meth suspended in liquid. If that comes out to 400 plus pounds of meth, we don't usually get those kinds of seizures even on the border," said Special Agent Glaspy.