Associated Press - December 15, 2009 - TEPOZTLAN, Mexico — Latin Grammy winner Ramon Ayala was rounded up during a raid on a drug cartel’s Christmas party in a wealthy gated community, showing the audacity of traffickers who hold lavish gatherings despite being hounded by police.

A spokesman for the federal Attorney General’s Office said Monday the Texas-based Ayala was released after being questioned Saturday following a military operation that is part of the government’s campaign to crack down on drug gangs. Authorities found no grounds for charging him with a crime, the spokesman said.

Mexican norteno bands often sing about drug trafficking and violence and many have been rumored to perform at drug traffickers’ weddings and other parties, but few have been caught.

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