A DEA want poster with some of those extradited from

Mexico to the United States.

 

 

La Jornada, Mexico

Ten of Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Traffickers Extradited to U.S.

 

"With this judicial action, up to now 192 people have been handed over for extradition, 184 of which have been sent to the United States."

 

NOTIMEX

 

Translated By Paula van de Werken

 

December 31, 2008

 

Mexico - La Jornada - Original Article (Spanish)

A man who got on the wrong side of the Arellano Felix Cartel: Mexico's government is now engaged in a feroicious battle against organized crime, in good measure with funds provided by the United States government. As Colombia has done, Mexico has begun sending some of their most dangerous outlaws to the United States.

 

BBC NEWS VIDEO: Eight Mexican soldiers decapitated by drug gangs, Dec. 23, 00:01:26 RealVideo

Juan Espinosa, alias El Tigre, the romantic partner of the Queen of the Pacific [Sandra Avila Beltran ], Jesus El Chuy Labra, along with two other suspected members of the Tijuana Cartel, and three from the Golfo Cartel, are among those extradited.

 

Mexico City, Federal District: The government of Mexico has extradited to the United States, ten alleged members of organized crime, including members of the Gulf and Arellano Felix Cartels [also known as the Tijuana Cartel], the Attorney General's Office announced Thursday [Dec. 31].

 

[Editor's Note: According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Arellano Felix Cartel  of Tijuana is controls smuggling across the border to California, is among the most violent of the Mexican organizations and has been connected by Mexican officials to the violent death of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas-Ocampo, who was killed in the crossfire of rivals drug gangs at Guadalajara Airport in 1993. During 1994, the group was engaged in a turf battle over methamphetamine territory in San Diego. Twenty-six homicides were committed during one summer as rival groups battled over trafficking regions. The Gulf Cartel  is based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas State. It distributes cocaine into the United States as far north as Michigan, New Jersey and New York. DEA has reports that this organization has smuggled in excess of 30 tons of cocaine into the United States.]

 

Among the extradited suspects were Jesus Labra Aviles, aka Chuy Labra of the Tijuana Cartel; Armando Martinez Duarte and Efrain Perez Arciniega, alias El Efra, and Jorge Aureliana Felix, alias Macumba. All are members of the Tijuana criminal organization headed by the Arellano Felix brothers, and face charges of engaging in organized crime, criminal association and crimes against health. The proceedings against the alleged drug traffickers were conducted at the Federal District Court of Southern California, the Attorney General's office said.

 

From left to right, members of the Arellano Felix Cartel

[aka the Tijuana Cartel] who have been extradited to the

United States: Jorge Aureliano Felix, aka Macambra; Efrain

Perez Arciniega, aka El Efra; Jesus Labra Aviles, aka Chuy

Labra; and Fidel Chan Amador, member of another group.

 

Members of the Gulf Cartel who were transferred to U.S. territory are Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna, alias El JC, Ruben Sauceda Rivera and Juan Manual Barrientos. The first two will be prosecuted before the Federal Court for the Southern District of Texas, while Manuel Barrientos will appear before a similar tribunal in Georgia.

 

Another of those who have been extradited is a Colombian, Juan Diego Espinosa Ramirez, alias El Tigre, who is the romantic partner of the Queen of the Pacific [Reina del Pacifico] and presumed member of the Norte del Valle Cartel of Colombia. He'll be charged with criminal association and crimes against health at the Federal District Court of South Florida.

 

Completing the list are Fidel Chan Amador and Luis Octavio Arellano Enciso, who belong to various criminal groups and are wanted by California authorities.

 

Arrest warrants for crimes punishable in the United States have been issued against all of the extradited suspects

 

Before and after shots of Mexican beauty Queen

Laura Zuniga, the latest victim of Mexico's 'war on

drugs,' arrested on December 23. Miss Sinaloa of

2008 was recently crowned Miss Hispanoamerican

in Bolivia, was detained two weeks ago with a group

of armed men suspected of drug trafficking

 

With the in the Bilateral Extradition and Judicial Assistance Treaty, the governments of both countries established legal procedures to accomplish the transfer of the suspected drug traffickers. The constitutionality of the Treaty was approved by the Federal Judiciary.

 

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Security approved their release and transport from federal prison to the United States via an aircraft belonging to the Attorney General's office, which reports that the ten suspected criminals have already been put into the custody of U.S. authorities.

 

The co-coordinated handover was carried out at the Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and de Touluca airports in Mexico.

 

The Attorney General's office added that with this judicial action, up to now 192 people have been handed over for extradition by the present federal administration, 184 of which have been sent to the United States.

 

Some of the Charges in Detail:

 

-- Fidel Chan Amador, charged with marijuana distribution and importation conspiracies. He allegedly is responsible for the importation of some 11,500 pounds of cannabis seized in the United States from 1996 to 1999 and about eight tons of the contraband narcotics destined for U.S. sales but confiscated by Mexican authorities.

 

-- Efrain Perez Arciniega, an alleged lieutenant of the Arellano Felix Organization responsible for handling logistics related to the receipt of large cocaine and marijuana shipments;

 

-- Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles, a suspected member of the Arellano Felix gang who was allegedly responsible for shipping thousands of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States from 1986 to 2001;

 

-- Armando Martinez Duarte, a former member of the Mexican attorney general's office who allegedly served as security chief for the Arellano Felix Organization, protecting its activities from interference by Mexican law enforcement agencies and "policing" the Mexicali area by kidnapping, torturing and murdering the syndicate's enemies; and

 

-- Jorge Aureliano Felix, a former Mexican state judicial police officer who allegedly acted as a top Arellano Felix lieutenant responsible for safeguarding the storage of illicit drugs and for taking delivery of and keeping account of drug proceeds.

 

Each of the latter four suspects is charged with substantive racketeering based on drug and money-laundering crimes; conspiracy to commit racketeering; and other drug-trafficking and money-laundering offenses.

 

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US January 2, 1:23pm]

 







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