FBIS3-60066 "jptdd003__l94031"
JPRS-TDD-94-003-L Document Type:JPRS Document Title:Narcotics 19 January 1994
LATIN AMERICA MEXICO

Ramifications of Case Against Tijuana Cartel Members Discussed

94WB0019E Mexico City EXCELSIOR in Spanish 8 Dec 93 pp 4-A, 43-A, 45-A 94WB0019E Mexico City EXCELSIOR Language: Spanish Article Type:CSO [Article by Rafael Medina] [Excerpts] The attorney general of the republic, Jorge Carpizo MacGregor, gave notice that "no one will deter us" in fighting the drug trade, and claimed that "this battle is for the nation's health." He also made a steadfast commitment to implement the arrest warrants issued for the members of the Tijuana Cartel, including the brothers Benjamin, Ramon, and Javier Arellano Felix, thereby to eliminate one of the most powerful rings engaged in drug trafficking. The nation's attorney general declared: "We shall continue to intensify our unrestricted battle against organized crime, particularly the drug traffic; because this battle is for the health of our children and youth, and for the nation." He provided details on the capture of Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, who is now confined in the maximum security federal prison at Almoloya de Juarez, in Mexico State. [passage omitted] Carpizo MacGregor revealed that the institution, backed by the society, the National Institute to Combat Drugs, and even international authorities, is conducting "an extensive investigation to locate and apprehend those who are now fugitives from justice." Describing the capture of the oldest Arellano Felix brother as a victory for Mexico, he claimed that the war against the drug trade can be won only if the government and society act together. He noted that such cooperation, through anonymous reports, contributed greatly to that operation, during which Luis Enrique Cortes Zatarain, Tomas Adan Velarde Espinosa, Benjamin de la Pena Farias, and Diego Gonzalez Martinez were captured as well. [passage omitted] The assistant attorney for branch agencies and inspection, Mario Ruiz Massieu, in turn, explained: "Arellano Felix had been subject to three previous criminal suits: in 1978, with his wife, for crimes against health; again in 1988, for the same crimes; and a year later, for carrying a weapon reserved exclusively for use by the armed forces." He added that, in all three instances, the subject managed to evade the action of the courts, because one of the orders for his formal imprisonment was revoked and, on another occasion, the case records were lost. Despite this, the accused himself declared that he had been acquitted by a federal judge in Tijuana. In the assistant attorney's opinion, Ramon, Javier, and Benjamin Arellano Felix are the heads of the so-called "Tijuana Cartel." He said that the PGR [Office of the Attorney General of the Republic] has now fully identified the members of that family who, although not directly linked with the drug traffic, have been aiding their relatives in money laundering and in managing the enormous fortune that they possess. [passage omitted]
Espionage Team To Learn Police Action
During this investigation, culminating in the capture of one of the Arellanos, it was discovered from the seizures made of communications equipment and systems that the drug traffickers had been following the activity, not only of the municipal and state police, but also of the federal force, step by step, using monitors. Their equipment, of the most sophisticated type, besides tapping phone calls anywhere in the country, also managed to enter the authorities' restricted frequencies. In this way, the traffickers were learning first-hand about the action being planned against them. Ruiz Massieu commented: "Through this discovery, it has been proven that drug traffickers listen to and tape conversations of PGR public servants. There is further evidence of this in the case of several employees of the newspaper EL MANANA, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, who were remanded, and in the case involving the Ochoa Bali Hai restaurant. In the confiscated vehicles, cassettes with tapes of our officials' conversations were discovered, and some of the spies even attempted to imitate their voices." He remarked that, in view of this situation, the authorities have changed the codes and frequencies used by the PJF [Federal Judicial Police]. [passage omitted] Ruiz Massieu added that the exhaustive investigation of the Arellano Felix brothers, presumed to be the material perpetrators of the murder of Cardinal Jose Jesus Posadas Ocampo and of six other persons, has made it possible to capture and remand scores of members of various drug cartels. He commented: "At the time of his arrest, in order to procure his release, Francisco Rafael attempted to bribe the police agents with $100,000. As a result, he was also remanded for the crime of bribery in the degree of an attempt." [passage omitted]