JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: United States federal agents busted a multimillion-dollar heroin drug ring on Thursday, arresting over 170 people in raids across the United States. CNN's national correspondent Bob Franken joins us now with more -- Bob.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Judy, we just got some late figures from the Drug Enforcement Administration: 243 is the number of arrests right now. And Operation Tarpit -- so named because it targeted a Mexican drug cartel that dealt in Mexican black tar. It's called a very, very pure form of heroin, one that can easily cause overdose deaths and has in fact throughout the United States. There were raids in 22 cities in the United States and 21 states, an unusually elaborate network that gets its start in Mexico. Transportation of the drugs comes up from Mexico to Los Angeles, which was the operations center. Then the drug is distributed by a network of people, according to the officials. The allegations are that many of the people arrested were underage women and older men, who would trap the material to their bodies and distribute it across the United States. The arrests have been taking place for about the last 24 hours. The officials who introduced their indictments today said that in fact this was a very ruthless drug ring. It was, first of all, dealing in a deadly material. Second of all, it would market it very quickly by going to methadone clinics, appealing to people who were desperately trying to get off of heroin who would in fact then be enticed back onto the very dangerous drug and many times would suffer fatal consequences. Operation Tarpit is still unfolding. It got its beginning in Sand Diego a couple of years ago and has now come out with an arrest record that they say is one of the largest drug busts in recent memory. Bob Franken, CNN live, Washington.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, Bob. Thanks very much.
Feds Make Bust on Heroin Ring