Senator Lee calling for sanctions against Mexican drug cartels

Republican Senator Mike Lee is calling for U.S. sanctions against the Mexican drug cartels responsible for the murders of nine Americans earlier this month.

In letters sent to the Treasury Department, the Secretary of State and the FBI, Senator Lee says Mexico is "leaning dangerously" toward becoming a failed state, and cartels must understand that the U.S. will respond if its citizens are attacked.

Three women and six children were killed in an ambush attack outside of a fundamentalist Mormon settlement.

Authorities believe the victims were caught in the middle of a fight between rival cartels.