White House enacts strategy to attack Mexico's Zetas

The White House announced a new plan on Monday to fight Mexico's powerful and murderous Zeta drug cartel, along with other international crime organizations in Italy, Russia and Japan.

In an executive order signed by President Obama, the government will enact 56 "priority initiatives" aimed at dismantling the Zetas' economic power base and cracking down on US citizens who have links or do business with the cartel and other international organizations. The other groups targeted in the order are the Italian Camorra, the Japanese Yakuza organized crime syndicate, and the Russian Brother's Circle, which operates in the Eurasia region.

"By modernizing current racketeering laws and expanding their reach to cover new forms of crimes, we will enhance our ability to advance cases against transnational organized crime groups that engage in diverse criminal activities, including illegal weapons trafficking, healthcare and securities fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," said US Attorney General Eric Holder at a news conference.

Part of the strategy will allow US law enforcement to share intelligence about the Zetas with Mexican authorities. The Zetas are considered Mexico's most dangerous drug gang, whose members are responsible for thousands of deaths in their fight to gain control of the profitable narco routes to the United States.