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Posted: Friday, 03 July 2009 6:35AM

Some Drug Traffickers Apparently Upgrading Weaponry



SEATTLE (AP) — Federal agents have seized some impressive weapons during a crackdown on a Mexican drug ring operating in Washington state.

In an operation called Arctic Chill that involved 35 search warrants, agents found more than a dozen weapons, including an AK-47-type semiautomatic assault rifle and a .50 caliber Desert Eagle pistol.

An immigration official says the .50 caliber pistol can "blow a hole the size of a Mack truck through a person."

Mexican drug cartels have become known for their violence on both sides of the border. The immigration official says knowing there are meth traffickers on the street carrying .50-caliber handguns or assault rifles "is very sobering."

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