Mexican drug barons seized in nationwide American swoop

More than 300 people have been arrested in drugs raids across the US in the largest single strike at Mexico's drug operations in America.

An astonishing haul of weapons and cash was recovered as federal agents swooped on people suspected of links to La Familia, the newest and most violent of Mexico's drug cartels.

La Familia is based in the state of Michoacá* in south-western Mexico but its members extend coast to coast and deep into America.

Arrests were carried out across 19 states and in 38 cities including Boston, Seattle and Raleigh, North Carolina.

La Familia has grown a reputation for dominating the trade in methamphetamine - or "crank" - and grotesque violence, including beheadings.

One of the gang's alleged recruiters, detained last spring, ran drug rehabilitation centres and then forced recovered addicts to work for the gang or be killed, said Mexico public safety secretary, Genaro Garcia Luna.

In July, after a dozen Mexican police officers were found murdered, officials say alleged cartel leader, Servando Gomez-Martinez, proclaimed his membership of La Familia and said the gang was locked in a battle with police.

Attorney-general Eric Holder said: "We have to work with our Mexican counterparts to cut off the heads of these snakes, to get at the heads of the cartels; indict them; try them; if they're in Mexico, extradite them to the US."

The raids were part of Project Coronado, which has led to almost 1,200 arrests over four years.

Mexico's president Felipe Calderon has deployed more than 45,000 troops to fight drug gangs since he took office in 2006.

However, more than 11,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in that time.

In Dallas, Texas, 77 suspects were charged and face a combination of federal and state charges.