FBIS4-56434 "drlat086_c_94004"
FBIS-LAT-94-086 Daily Report 2 May 1994
MEXICO

PGR Arrests Tamaulipas Cartel Money Launderer

PGR Arrests Tamaulipas Cartel Money Launderer PA0405124894 Mexico City LA JORNADA in Spanish 2 May 94 pp 53, 72 PA0405124894 Mexico City LA JORNADA Spanish BFN [Article by Roberto Garduno Espinosa] [Text] The Attorney General's Office (PGR) has said the arrest of Carlos Resendez Bertolousi in Monterrey is one of the most important blows dealt to drug trafficking. Resendez was in charge of laundering the money the Tamaulipas Cartel made by selling drugs. The PGR added that the alleged criminal, who is linked to Juan Garcia Abrego, main Tamaulipas Cartel leader who is on the loose, was sent to the Topo Chico Social Readaptation Center in Nuevo Leon State. A group of judicial policemen, led by Horacio Brunt Acosta, received a tip on 19 March and arrested Resendez as Raymundo Gumaro Garza Sanchez and Eliseo Hernandez, who had $110,000 in their possession. The two men said the money came from the sale of 50 kg of cocaine owned by Resendez. The PGR based its investigations on reports by U.S. DEA and Federal Judicial Police (PJF). These reports indicate the following: "Carlos Resendez is a key and essential figure in the operational and financial organization owned by Juan Garcia Abrego, currently on the loose and alleged author of many crimes, including health crimes, arms warehousing, and fraud [usurpacion de funciones]. The relationship between the two capos began in 1982, when Resendez was a Tamaulipas Judicial Police chief. Upon meeting Garcia, he offered him and his relatives protection. Years later, as he left the Judicial Police ranks, Resendez "suddenly" became a prominent businessman in charge of a company called Autolineas Mavi, Inc. Two large economic transactions cast a shadow over Resendez. On 19 May 1993, he made deposits of up to 5 million new pesos in the Banorte Bank, Account No. 1023597771, under the name of Nohema Quintanilla, whom the PGR believes is his mistress. The second incident was the confiscation of $432,000 from Cornelio Herrera and Adriana Castrocerio, who claimed the money belonged to Resendez. These reports indicate that the Tamaulipas Cartel, in operation for the last 15 years, is a multinational business whose tentacles reach into the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia. In the United States, the cartel operates in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Ohio, New York, and New Jersey. In Mexico, the criminal organization operates in 23 states. In addition, six estates, businesses, and companies linked to Resendez have been located. They all are under different names.
The Steps of Resendez
The PGR also detected the purchase of five 1994 vehicles from the Country Car Company, whose alleged owner is Garcia Abrego. Another case involves the hiring of a "large group of exclusive artists," who would presumably perform at his daughter Zulema's wedding on 15 May. The PJF learned Resendez introduced Ruben Ramirez to Juan Garcia Abrego to ensure that "Ramirez would become Garcia's legal representative in charge of recovering real estate and personal property owned by the Tamaulipas Cartel chief. In late 1993, the PGR captured several cartel members and Garcia's henchmen, including Luis Medrano Garcia, Jose Medrano De la Rosa, and Adolfo De la Garza, whom the federal government will prosecute. Medrano De la Rosa is charged with murder and criminal association. Our Monterrey correspondent, David Carrizales, reported that when Resendez was presented to the media, he admitted to being a friend of Garcia Abrego's, but said he is innocent of the drug trafficking charges. He added he is the victim of a vendetta by Eduardo Valle, private secretary of Attorney General Diego Valades Rios. Resendez is in the custody of the 6th Topo Chico District Court. Two arrest warrants on two associates of Garcia Abrego's are still pending.