U.S. federal agents Tuesday raided a ranch in Oklahoma and a race track in New Mexico allegedly used by Mexico's vicious Zeta drug cartel to launder money.

U.S. officials have indicted 14 suspected cartel members. Seven were arrested in Tuesday's raids, including a brother of Zeta chief Miguel Angel Trevino Morales.

The U.S. Justice Department alleges the Zeta cartel used the ranch and race track to hide millions of dollars of drug money in what appeared to be a legitimate enterprise.

A senior U.S. tax official calls the case a prime example of the ability of Mexican drug gangs to establish a foothold in U.S. industries.

The Zeta cartel is one of Mexico's most violent drug gangs, accused of such ruthless acts as beheading their enemies and dumping the bodies along highways.