$207 million drugs raid

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The money found hidden inside walls, suitcases and closets in one of Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods came from the profits of methamphetamines sold in the United States, [DEA chief Karen Tandy] said.

Mexican law enforcement and the DEA worked for a year on the operation, she said.

Mexican federal agents also seized eight luxury vehicles, seven weapons and a pill-making machine during the raid in Lomas de Chapultepec, a neighborhood of walled compounds that is home to ambassadors and business magnates. Seven people were arrested and were ordered Monday to be held for three months while the investigation continues.

In addition to the dollars, officials found 200,000 euros and 157,500 pesos.

Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said the money was connected to one of the hemisphere’s largest networks for trafficking pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in methamphetamines.

Mora said the ring had been operating since 2004 and was run by a native of China who had gained Mexican citizenship. The alleged gang leader is in hiding, possibly outside of the country, Medina Mora said.

The operation should reduce the supply of methamphetamine to the United States, where Mexican drug gangs control at least 80 percent of the market, Tandy said.