Frontera NorteSur, September 1999

The Flow Of Drugs Through México: Is It Diminishing? Two Views

The View From México City

In late July Mexican drug czar Mariano Herran Salvatti stated that surveillance of drug smuggling activities indicate that shipments of Colombian cocaine to México have been reduced by more than 50 percent. Cocaine trafficking shipments from Colombia to the U.S., he explained, have recently shifted away from Mexican routes toward other countries. He identified a new organization, the Peten cartel, operating in Guatemala, receiving shipments of cocaine from air drops and then transporting them to areas in the Caribbean sea for shipment to the U.S. This, in turn, has caused an increase in Mexican opium trade as traffickers seek to replace cocaine with other drugs. Seizures of Mexican opium paste increased from 330 pounds in 1998 to 1401 pounds in the first few months of 1999, he said.

The View from the U.S.-México Border

Evidence from the U.S.-México border, however, suggests that trans-shipment of cocaine through México is if anything increasing. In early July a high-ranking U.S. Treasury Department official, James E. Johnson revealed on a visit to El Paso that drug seizures on the U.S.-México border were up significantly from the previous year. According to figures released by the U.S. Customs Service seizures of cocaine in FY1998 were 17,154 pounds, increasing to 25,589 in the first seven months of FY1999. In the same time period heroin and marijuana seizures increased from 123 to 189 pounds, and from 468,081 to 617,142 pounds, respectively. Projected at an annualized rate, cocaine and heroin seizures in 1999 will each increase by about 250%. While Johnson attributed some of the rise in seizures to the success of a new multi-agency initiative (the Border Coordination Initiative) designed to improve U.S. coordination of interdiction efforts, drug seizure quantities at the border are a strong indicator of the overall flow of drugs into the U.S.

In the El Paso region, U.S. Customs Service data, as reported by the El Paso Times on July 17, showed a significant increase in cocaine seizures in 1999. In FY1998 cocaine seizures averaged 221.9 pounds per month, while in the first nine months of FY1999 they averaged more than three times as much, 706.5 pounds per month.

In June U.S. anti-drug officials in Washington said México now accounts for nearly 42 percent of all heroin brought into the United States, second only to Colombia, while the number of heroin users has increased from 500,000 to 600,000 during the past two years.

Younger Drug Transporters

Drug traffickers appear to be increasing their use of minors to get drugs across the border. At a multi-agency press conference on July 1, El Paso county prosecutor José Rodriguez indicated he expects a 90% increase this year in arrests of youths between 10 and 16 years of age accused of transporting drugs. Most, but not all, are Mexican citizens. So far more than 160 youths have been arrested. District Judge Philip Martínez stated at the press conference that drug traffickers promise $400 to $500 to the youths to transport the drugs, and there has been an increase in the use near the Rio Grande of drainage tubes not large enough for adults to crawl through. Rodriguez said all of the youths, even those from México, will be prosecuted, adding that some may spend as many as 40 years behind bars.

Drug Consumption in México

Earlier in the year Mexican Secretary of Health Juan Ramon de la Fuente indicated that, while in 1993 one in 200 (0.5%) Mexicans admitted to having tried cocaine at some point in their lives, by 1998 the figure had increased to 3 out of 200 (1.5%). Consumption of all illicit drugs went up in the same period from four to five percent. In the U.S., according to statistics compiled by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1997, 35.6% of the population over 12 have admitted using an illicit drug at some point in their lives, and 10.5% admitted having used cocaine. In Cd. Juárez, however, 36% of a recent sample of citizens admitted to having used cocaine at some point in their lives, according to an El Diario article that quoted statements made by General Barry McCaffrey during his August 10 visit to the region.

Comments From Border Government Officials On The Drug War

The Governor of Chihuahua: Complaints About Federal Roadblocks

On July 10, Governor Patricio Martínez questioned the efficacy of anti-drug roadblocks (known as Precos) near Cd. Juárez, staffed by agents of the PGR. The governor interpreted the seizure of a four-ton load of marijuana by municipal police in Juárez on July 7 (see below) as proof the Precos are "a waste of time and causes unnecessary inconvenience for citizens," since drug traffickers simply go around the checkpoints. One of them, he said, has been at the same spot for four years. The governor added that his administration has shown a "complete willingness to collaborate in federal anti-drug operations as well as to promote procedures to maintain social order."

The Governor of Sinaloa: State Resources To Fight Drugs Are Not Sufficient

Governor Juan S. Millan of Sinaloa flatly stated that "the resources available to narcotraffickers and organized crime are vastly superior to those available to state governments." The governor, who was quoted in El Norte on July 25, made this statement in Los Angeles on his first official visit to establish contact with Sinaloans living in California. In Sinaloa, he added, there have been over 300 executions believed to be connected to drug trafficking since the beginning of the year, more than 350 in Baja California, and over 100 in Tamaulipas. In many cases the victims were tortured and mutilated.

The Governor Of New México: Decriminalize Drug Use?

On August 22 Republican Governor Gary Johnson of New México appeared on the national television program Face the Nation, repeating his desire to place decriminalization of possession of marijuana on the table for a national debate. He characterized the war on drugs as a "miserable failure" which has not stemmed the availability of drugs in the U.S., but which has resulted in the incarceration of over 750,000 persons, and which is costing taxpayers $17 billion per year not including the costs of incarceration. In prior statements Johnson has said he would not favor unilateral decriminalization of drugs in New Mexico, since that might simply create a safe haven for drug dealers. Other Republican leaders in New Mexico have disagreed publicly with Johnson's position on decriminalization.

Legislators From Tamaulipas: Decriminalize Drug Use?

On July 26, in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, México, Representative Jose Ortiz of the PRD party proposed legalization of the use of drugs as a measure that should be considered to stem the tide of narcotrafficking in the border region. He said there is not now a close coordination between state and federal authorities to combat narcotrafficking. "We are concerned to see drug trafficking on the increase at various levels of society, including various police forces, and it is enveloping the whole country and society," he said. At the same forum Panista legislator Enrique Duenez criticized the efforts of Tamaulipas Governor Tomas Yarrington in drug enforcement. The governor should "take concrete measures to stem criminal activity on the border," and said that the police authorities leave a lot to be desired. Both Ortiz and Duenez agreed that there should be a stronger federal (Mexican) presence in drug enforcement efforts along the border.

PAN Senator: Is U.S. Drug Strategy Appropriate?

Also on July 26 Francisco Molina Ruiz, the former commissioner of the National Institute to Combat Drugs, now a Senator for the PAN party, warned that the Juárez cartel has become the most important criminal organization in México. He stated that it continues operating in México City, in the states of Morelos, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Chihuahua, and, for financial affairs, in Monterrey. A few days later, in an interview for El Norte published on August 6, Molina argued that stronger efforts should be made to disrupt the financial activities of drug traffickers. He criticized U.S. policy makers for what he characterized as a focus on drug traffickers rather than on drug funds. Drug-related financial activities are vulnerable at two points, which should be more closely monitored. First, he said, there should be a stronger monitoring of businesses that deal in cash, such as hotels, casinos, horse racing establishments, circuses, etc., through which drug dealers "pre-launder" their funds. Second, monitoring efforts should be made to detect the return to drug lords of funds "pulverized" through legitimate businesses of all kinds, but later returned to the traffickers. He stated that drug lords are willing to spend up to 30% of their money in the laundering process, and he criticized U.S. officials for their lack of understanding about how money laundering works in México.

The National Mexican Legislature: Pointing Fingers

On July 8 PAN and PRI legislators in the Chamber of Deputies in México City exchanged heated accusations about each others' party associations with drug trafficking organizations. A week earlier PAN Senator Gabriel Jiménez Remus had accused the PRI party of receiving drug cartel funds for political campaigns. When PRI Senator Dionisio Perez Jacome denied those charges, PAN legislator Ricardo Garcia Cervantes asserted he could reveal 70 names of Mexican politicians tied to drug trafficking money, and proceeded to mention ex-governor Mario Villanueva, accused of complicity with the Juárez cartel; the former governor of Sinaloa; the former governor of Jalisco, and others. He also alleged that three of the four PRI presidential candidates had accepted campaign funds from sources tied to drug organizations. PRI legislator Amador Rodriguez replied that the brother of former PAN Governor Ruffo has long been accused of ties to drug traffickers, and reminded PAN legislators that the chief security officer for Ruffo is still in jail in Los Angeles because of his ties to the Arellano Felix brothers. The three PRI presidential candidates mentioned in the attack, Jaime Labastida, Roque Villanueva, and Jorge Madrazo, all announced later that the charges were unfounded. PRI president Gonzalez Fernandez accused the Panista legislators of trying to affect upcoming elections in the states of México and Nayarit.

Law Enforcement Officials In Cd. Juárez Clash

Events surrounding the July 31 arrest of several men for firearms and possible drug trafficking violations resulted in a public dispute between the Cd. Juárez Chief of Police and the chief federal prosecutor (equivalent to the U.S. Attorney) in Cd. Juárez.

On the night of Saturday, July 31, municipal police officers arrested two men, apparently drunk, firing high powered weapons into the air. A search of their vehicle, a 1995 Dodge Ram pickup, led to the seizure of an AK-47 rifle and two pistols. A subsequent search of the house of one of the suspects uncovered $29,000 in cash, enough to raise suspicions of money-laundering. In addition, federal officials who later investigated the case reported that a municipal police officer, Angel Ruiz Zaragoza, was present in the suspect's house when police officers entered to search it. However, when municipal police turned the suspects over to federal authorities to be investigated for possible money laundering and firearms violations--federal offenses--the police report indicated that the cash had been found in the pickup. The police officer found in the suspect's house was not held for investigation--even though a number of other persons found in the house were held for possible federal violations.

Federal prosecutor Ismael Gonzalez Vera stated to reporters on Monday morning that Ruiz should have been turned over to federal agents along with the other suspects, and that federal agents should have been called to the house at the time of the search. In reply, Juárez Police Chief Javier Benavides held a press conference the following day in which he announced that the police officer in question had been fired, and that the police report had included the name of Ruiz Zaragoza among those being turned over to federal authorities. He produced a video recording showing that federal agents were present at the house when the detention of the suspects was ordered. He added that "while the federal prosecutor has the right to investigate federal crimes, I would like to see him place as much energy pursuing drug traffickers as he does in making accusations against the municipal police." He went on to state that he had turned over a list of "picaderos" (places frequented by drug addicts) to the federal prosecutor three months earlier but that nothing had been done. When reporters asked Gonzalez Vera to respond, he replied, "No comment, no comment." PAN party leaders were quoted by the Diario de Juárez as urging Gonzalez "not to try to find scapegoats for his own failures."

Drug Busts

Operation Southwest Express

After U.S. news organizations had given it national coverage, on August 17 David E. Alba, special agent in charge of the El Paso FBI office, said that one of the nation's top drug-trafficking organizations serving the Juárez and Tijuana cartels was "dismantled" with the arrests of 98 persons in various cities. Alba said arrests in El Paso included the Sotelo brothers, Daniel, Angel, and Raul, who headed the organization. The investigation, called "Operation Southwest Express" involved 14 FBI field offices and more than 50 state and local law enforcement agencies, according to national FBI director Luis Freeh. Mexican authorities also assisted in the case. The organization apparently shipped drugs into San Diego and El Paso and then transported them to associates in Chicago in hidden compartments in trucks and railcars that haul trucks. From Chicago the drugs were transported to Cleveland, Boston, Atlanta, New York, and Nashville. Asked about the operation, federal prosecutor Ismael Gonzalez Vera in Cd. Juárez refused to comment, although his boss, Attorney General Jorge Madrazo, said he would continue to work with the Department of Justice in the U.S. to investigate the network's operations in México.

Cd. Juárez Municipal Police Busts

In Cd. Juárez Municipal police captured nearly four tons of marijuana on July 7, in two operations in different parts of the city. Three persons were detained. Most of the drugs were warehoused in a private residence, and police officers received a tip from a woman who complained about "strange odors" emanating from the house at the corner of Aguirre Laredo and Plutarco Elias Calles. Although the multi agency police force, Grupo Orion, sent agents to investigate, they left and allowed municipal police to make the seizures and the arrest of one person who had tried to flee from the house.

On the same day in a separate action municipal police recovered nearly one ton of marijuana in 76 packets from a van in front of Rincones de San Marcos in Cd. Juárez. When police officers attempted to question two men in a 1998 Dodge Ram, the men locked their windows. At that point a 1998 Lobo pickup, which had fled the scene moments earlier, returned, and police saw a man pointing an AK-47 rifle at them. As the police prepared for a shoot-out, the pickup escaped again. Meanwhile, the men in the Dodge Ram van left their vehicle and tried to escape on foot. They were arrested and a search of the van revealed the marijuana. Federal agents (of the anti-drug unit FEADS) took over the investigation on July 9. A few days later one of the police officers who had participated in the seizure of the Van, Juan de Dios Alanis Hernandez, was shot in the leg in an apparent assassination attempt. A man in a blue Suburban opened fire on him with an AK-47 assault rifle as he was opening the hood of his automobile on the side of the street while in route to his home after completing his work shift.

El Paso Police Bust

On August 13 the antinarcotics unit of the El Paso Police Department seized nearly half a ton of marijuana worth over $800,000 in a stash house in downtown El Paso. The seizure began with a phone call to the police from a neighbor who pinpointed the address of a house in which the inhabitants seemed to be behaving suspiciously. Several arrests were made.

El Paso FBI Arrest Cartel Figure

On July 1, Jose Ismael Cruz, 28, alleged to be an agent of the Juárez cartel, was arrested on felony drug charges by FBI agents in El Paso. Cruz had been sought by the FBI since March 1998. He was indicted on several counts including conspiring to import more than 1000 kilograms of marijuana to the U.S. and conspiring to distribute marijuana. These counts derived from testimony of witnesses arrested on April 13 of this year in connection with an operation accused of transporting nearly 5 tons of marijuana. Following his arrest Juárez newspapers revealed Cruz is also suspected of participating in the kidnapping of between 7 and 9 persons on January 10, 1998, in broad daylight outside the Kentucky and Florida bars in Cd. Juárez. Most of the victims were from El Paso. At least one patrol unit of the municipal police of Cd. Juárez was accused of collaborating in the kidnapping.

General McCaffrey Visits El Paso-Cd. Juárez; Governor Martínez Complains Of Slight

U.S. Drug czar General Barry McCaffrey stopped in El Paso and Cd. Juárez on August 10. In El Paso he was briefed by officials of Joint Task Force 6, Operation Alliance, and the El Paso Intelligence Center. He later crossed into Juárez and met with mayor Gustavo Elizondo and other officials, held a press conference, addressed a youth group, and then visited the inspection stations on the Cordova bridge. While in Cd. Juárez he said 65 percent of violent assaults in Cd. Juárez are drug-related, and the problem is getting worse, since México is becoming a drug-consuming nation. In El Paso McCaffrey emphasized that the improvements in drug seizures during the past five years are due to good intelligence, good police work, and cooperative efforts with authorities in México. He also stressed the continued need to fight violence and corruption both in the U.S. and in México.

Governor Martínez Complains

A day later Governor Patricio Martínez complained to members of the Cd. Juárez press that he had not been informed of McCaffrey's visit through any official channels. "If the lack of coordination we saw (with respect to his visit) extends to the fight against drugs, well, you can draw your own conclusions," he said. In reference to remarks made by McCaffrey about the increased use of drugs in Juárez, Martínez said, "if there are lots of drug addicts in Juárez, there are a lot more over there." Referring to Martínez' complaints about being informed of McCaffrey's visit, Javier de Anda, spokesman for the Juárez City Hall, said that the governor's representative in Juárez, Aurelio Licon, had been informed of the visit and the governor's office apparently sent Alejandro Astudillo to represent the state at the press conference. "We don't know why the governor was complaining," he said. The Juárez Family Development agency (DIF), an NGO, had invited McCaffrey to speak to youths about the dangers of using drugs.

Related News

Change In Asset Forfeiture Administration For México

On August 18, Mexican asset forfeiture laws began to be administered by the Mexican Treasury Department rather than the national prosecutor's office. The Treasury Department declared that as of April of 1999 there were more than 1000 real estate properties, 269 aircraft, 51 businesses, 118 boats, 6637 automobiles, and more than $25 million (U.S.) in cash waiting to be sold and distributed.

Another Rotation of Federal Police In Chihuahua

In July all 150 agents of the federal police in Chihuahua state were rotated, replaced by military personnel on loan to the federal police. Federal prosecutor for Chihuahua, Ismael Gonzalez Vera, also confirmed the arrival of recently trained civilian personnel to support the prosecutor's staff.

Mexican Drug Czar Escapes Injury In Attack

On Sunday, August 16, in México City a group of armed men apparently tried to assassinate Mexican drug czar Mariano Herran Salvatti shortly after noon as he was driving home after breakfasting with his wife at a Sanborns restaurant. Four armed men on motorcycles penetrated Herran's security guard, which consisted of one motorcycle driving in front, and four men in an automobile driving behind, Herran's Suburban. In the ensuing shoot-out, three men were injured, two of them part of Herran's escort team, and one, a 17-year old, Alfonso Aguirre, driver of one of the attacking motorcycles. Herran and his wife were uninjured. Aguirre, arrested during the incident, later confessed to the crime and named the others involved. He denied it was an assassination attempt but rather, he indicated, it was an effort to steal one of the motorcycles.