CBS
News reports that U.S.
gave me immunity to Mexican drug suspect.
(emphasis mine) [my comment]
(CBS News)
October
26, 2011 8:29 AM
Mexican drug suspect: U.S. gave me immunity
By Sharyl Attkisson
A Mexican drug suspect awaiting trial in
Chicago is making a startling claim. He insists he can't be prosecuted because he worked as an informant
and had a secret immunity deal with the U.S. government.
Prosecutors say Vicente Zambada-Niebla oversaw drug
running on a massive scale into the U.S. But now, from behind bars at a maximum
security prison in Chicago, he's making his own explosive accusations -- that U.S.
government agents have been aiding Mexico's infamous Sinaloa cartel -- even
tipping off leaders on how to avoid capture.
CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports that Zambada's
court filings claim federal Drug
Enforcement Administration agents gave him, cartel kingpin Chapo Guzman, and
other Sinaloa leaders "carte blanche" to "operate their drug
business without interference," as long as they
snitched on other cartels. For years, Zambada's attorney argues, Sinaloa
leaders helped "authorities capture or kill thousands of rivals."
Their chief rivals are the Zetas, considered the most vicious and ruthless of
all.
?c in court documents, prosecutors do admit THE
U.S. HAD A SIGNED COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH A DIFFERENT SINALOA CARTEL LEADER.
That agreement was with Sinaloa cartel lawyer Humberto Loya-Castro. Starting as early
as 2004, Loya passed information to the DEA from cartel leaders including Zambada -- the one now on
trial. In return, Zambada claims, the U.S. dismissed a major case against Loya
and agreed to "not ... interfere with" the cartel's "drug trafficking"
or actively prosecute their leadership.
...
Jordan points out that Panamanian dictator
Manuel Noriega was once on the CIA's payroll. And that in
Colombia, the U.S. worked with select cartels, allowing them to continue drug
smuggling operations in the U.S. as long as they helped in destroying the
more dangerous Cali and Medillin cartels.
?c
The Examiner
reports that drug
trafficker's claims on Operation Gunwalker gain some credibility.
Drug trafficker?fs claims on Operation Gunwalker gain some
credibility
Dave Gibson, drug
cartel Examiner
October 10, 2011
The same drug trafficker, Vicente Zambada
Niebla, who now claims the U.S. government entered into a deal with
the Sinaloa drug cartel to allow tons of drugs into the country over the last
five years, has also alleged that
thousands were murdered in Mexico as a result of the now, infamous ATF scheme.
Though the U.S. government has denied his claims, it
now appears that they may have some merit.
In April, Mexican
authorities uncovered a cache of weapons, including 40
assault weapons purchased under the ATF's Operation Gunwalker (aka Fast and Furious) program in a home in Ciudad
Juarez. The arsenal belonged to Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, the top enforcer in the Sinaloa Cartel,
according to recently released government documents.
In addition to the assault rifles, an
antiaircraft gun and a grenade launcher were also found in the house.
At the time of the seizure, Chihuahua state Gov. Cesar Duarte said: ?gWe have seized
the most important cache of weapons in the history of Ciudad Juarez.?h
Gov. Duarte was not yet aware that THE ATF WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SENDING MOST OF THE
WEAPONS TO THE CARTEL OPERATIVE.
Though Torres Marrufo has been indicted in the United States, he remains
at-large at this time.
An unidentified U.S. government source recently told The Los Angeles Times: ?gThese Fast and Furious guns were going to Sinaloans,
and they are killing everyone down there. But that's only how
many we know came through Texas. Hundreds
more had to get through.?h
In August, attorneys for Vicente Zambada Niebla filed documents in U.S.
District Court in Chicago claiming that the
government allowed him to bring cocaine into the U.S. in exchange for
information on rival cartels.
Also, included in those briefs, is Zambada Niebla?fs assertion that
approximately, ?gthree thousand
people?h were killed in Mexico with weapons from Operation Gunwalker (aka Fast and Furious),
?gincluding law enforcement officers in the
state of Sinaloa, Mexico, headquarters of the Sinaloa Cartel.?h
His attorneys wrote: ?gMr. Zambada Niebla believes that the
documentation that he requests [from the US government as part of his
court case] will confirm that the weapons received by Sinaloa Cartel
members and its leaders in Operation ?eFast & Furious?f were provided under
the [immunity] agreement entered into between the
United States government and [Chapo Guzman confidante, DEA cooperating
source and possible CIA asset] Mr. Loya Castro on behalf of the Sinaloa
Cartel?c.?h
Although the feds have denied the allegations,
they have also requested that testimony from
Zambada Niebla?fs trial be kept hidden from the public.
On September 9, prosecutors filed a motion
in U.S. District Court seeking to invoke the Classified Information Procedures
Act (CIPA), in the trial. The CIPA was enacted over 30 years ago to
prevent public disclosure in criminal cases of classified information.
"Operation
Fast and Furious" was part of a trend of state-sanctioned law-breaking
The Hawaii Reporter reports that Operation
Fast and Furious Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg.
Operation Fast and Furious Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
?c
Zambada IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO CLAIM
THAT THE DOJ SANCTIONS ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO GET CLOSER TO THE CARTELS. Days after prosecutors
denied Zambada?fs allegations, a former law
enforcement officer went to the El
Paso Times with allegations that
THE FBI HAD ALLOWED DRUGS TO CROSS THE BORDER AS PART OF A LARGER INVESTIGATION. William Dutton, a
former New Mexico livestock investigator, claimed that during his 18
months working with the FBI, HE ACCEPTED
SEVERAL SHIPMENTS OF NARCOTICS ON THE AGENCY'S BEHALF. "The
drugs were concealed in horse saddles, and
we started getting a lot of them," Dutton told the Times. "But the
FBI kept putting me off when I asked for the money to pay the cartels for the
drugs. I had to use my own funds. The FBI still owes
me thousands of dollars for these out-of-pocket expenses.?h
?c
While the burden of providing actionable evidence is on Dutton and Zambada, the
burden of justifying drug war collateral damage is on the Justice Department. Mexico's
drug-related death toll for the last five years is creeping toward 50,000
people. Guns from Operation Fast and Furious have been recovered not
just across northern Mexico, but also in Texas. Those
same guns were used to kill not just a U.S. Border Patrol agent, but also the
brother of Chihuaha State Prosecutor Patricia Gonzalez and roughly 150 other
Mexicans. If that weren?ft bad enough, Mexico Attorney General
Marisela Morales still
has not been briefed on the supposedly rogue operation by her U.S.
counterparts, a fact that lends
weight to Zambada?fs claim that the Sinaloa Cartel worked with the DEA without
the knowledge of officials in Mexico.
If the U.S. can?ft enforce its own drug laws
without first violating them, perhaps it?fs time for a new strategy.
Grenade-walking
Gunwalking case gets more dangerous?
For more, see "Grenade-walking" part of
"Gunwalker" scandal - CBS News
Guatemala Times reports about Mexico's
maze of mirrors.
Inside
Mexico?fs maze of mirrors
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 07:01 Carlos Antonio Flores Pérez
Mexico?fs government has led a five-year
war against organized crime that has turned parts of the country into sites of
atrocious violence, claimed more than 40,000 lives, and generated
heated debate over its priorities and preferences. ?c
Images
of the carnage have
travelled the globe: beheadings, maimed corpses, brutal tortures, massive
clandestine graves which together have generated a mountain of dead bodies. In only four
years, the
toll of murders supposedly related to organized crime exceeds 40,000.
Besides many members of criminal groups slaughtered by their rivals, this
figure includes a candidate for state governor, several municipal majors and
security force officers of different ranks. Civilians
who did not have anything to do with the conflict, and only had the misfortune
of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – leading to their death at the
hands of one of the rival factions, including the armed forces - count for up
to 10 per cent of the total.
The fight against
organized crime has been the priority of Felipe Calderón?fs
government since it started. However, almost five years on, the violence is
unrelenting, and the country has grown tired of an apparently never-ending war
and its maze of mirrors, where few things are what they first seem to be.
History and El Chapo
?c
The problem is that arresting El Chapo might not exactly be one of the
Mexican government?fs priorities. Indeed, the fight against drug
organizations appears quite inequitable. Where as the Sinaloan group is responsible for around 45 per
cent of drug trafficking, the number of their members arrested (941) until January 2010 represented less than two per cent of the
whole (53,174). The harshest fight has been mostly against Sinaloa?fs rivals, and this
inequality has not only been noted by analysts, but also by criminals, who OPENLY ACCUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND OTHER
AUTHORITIES OF PROTECTING EL CHAPO. In a country
in which some of the anti-drugs czars have even been arrested for shielding
drug traffickers, this would not be surprising.
Suspicions look north
What comes as a major surprise, however, is evidence appearing to show that THE GOOD WILL TOWARD THE
SINALOA CARTEL, or at best, the incapacity to prosecute
its associates, MIGHT
NOT BE LIMITED TO MEXICO.
For instance, in June 2009, the
Justice Department (DOJ) of the United States asked a federal judge to throw
out drug charges against Zhenli Ye Gon, a
Chinese businessman and naturalized Mexican, who was found to own 205 million
US dollars in cash, seized in his Mexico City house, and
which were purportedly obtained by selling pseudoephedrine in order to
manufacture methamphetamines for the Sinaloa cartel.
The federal
attorney?fs failure to find supporting evidence – a witness recanted on his
former statements, and some others refused to testify – resulted in a rather
unusual turn of events. Despite the
well-known problems of the Mexican justice system, the prosecutors worked on
behalf of Ye Gon?fs extradition to Mexico, where, they
said, the authorities had a stronger case against him. Ye Gon had formerly
stated that the millions in cash seized at his house were remnants of illegal
funding for the ruling party PAN?fs political campaigns. The extradition to Mexico has already been granted and, in
this country, relatives of Ye Gon have obtained the protection of a federal
court, which has dismissed any charges of
organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering against them.
Another case emerged
in April 2006, when a DC-9 jet transporting 5.7 tons of cocaine landed in a
southeastern state of Mexico. The drugs belonged to the
Sinaloa cartel. An investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration
discovered that the plane had been bought with money
laundered in Wachovia Bank, part of Wells
Fargo. Signs that Wachovia was not complying with money laundering laws
appeared as early as 2005-2006, when an officer of the bank?fs British branch
discovered that certain crucial documents were missing, pointing in turn to
massive illegal money transfers involving Mexican currency exchanges.
Between 2004 and 2007, Wachovia had processed 378 billion US
dollars which had been sent from those Mexican casas de cambio, but did not fulfil the proofs of legitimate origin imposed
by anti-money laundering laws. More than likely, this was
blood-soaked money. The bank was punished by the Justice Department. However, the
fine was for 50 million US dollars, less than two per cent of the bank?fs
profits for 2009 of 12.3 billion dollars. No
one went to jail, and by the end of the affair, a cost-benefit analysis would
seem to have been quite favourable for the bank. Antonio María Costa,
former head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, once
declared that drugs money might be the only liquid investment capital in the
context of a global economic crisis.
During his ongoing trial before an American court, Vicente Zambada,
the extradited son of Ismael Zambada, aka El
Mayo, the other
most powerful baron within the Sinaloa cartel, appeared to confirm the
suspicions raised in these cases. He alleged
that along with other
high-ranking members of the organization, he had cut deals to
operate as DEA informers, providing the organization with information about
their rivals and obtaining de
facto permission for their trafficking business.
?c
The Daily
Caller reports that 38
congressmen demand Eric Holder's resignation.
As
a victim?fs family speaks, 38 congressmen demand Eric Holder?fs resignation
Published: 12:43
AM 11/10/2011 | Updated: 8:14 PM 11/10/2011
By Matthew Boyle - The Daily Caller
Republican congressmen Bill Flores of Texas and Frank
LoBiondo of New Jersey have added their names to a list of
members of Congress calling for Attorney
General Eric Holder?fs immediate resignation, INCREASING
THAT LIST'S NUMBER TO 38.
A spokesperson for Flores said he is calling for Holder?fs resignation ?gin light
of Tuesday?fs testimony?h before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During that
hearing, Holder deflected questions about who he is holding accountable for
the scandal-prone Operation Fast and Furious, changed the timeline of his recollections, refused
to provide details about a letter to Congress containing at least one false
statement, and said he had not spoken to
the family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
On Tuesday former Arizona U.S.
Attorney Dennis Burke admitted to leaking documents aimed at smearing Fast and
Furious whistle-blowers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives. When Burke resigned in August, Holder
issued a glowing statement saying he ?gdemonstrated an
unwavering commitment to the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney?fs
office.?h
On Wednesday afternoon, Terry?fs family broke their nearly year-long silence since his murder, issuing their first
statement about what they think of the congressional investigation into the
scandal. The Border Patrol agent was killed in December 2010 by a gun
trafficked into Mexico as a result of Operation Fast and Furious.
?gMr. Holder needs to own Operation Fast and
Furious,?h the Terry family?fs statement read. ?gIn the end, Mr. Holder
may chose not to apologize to the Terry family for the role that ATF and DOJ
played in the death of Brian Terry, but the
Attorney General should accept responsibility immediately. It is without question,
the right thing to do.?h
?c
The Justice Department and the White House
continue to ignore calls for Holder?fs resignation despite their steady growth in
recent weeks. DOJ spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler again
wouldn?ft comment when TheDC asked her Wednesday for a response to news that 38
congressmen now think Holder should resign immediately.
Members who have previously called for Holder?fs immediate resignation include:
Rep. Connie Mack, Rep. Walter Jones, Rep. Dan Burton, House Transportation
Committee Chairman John Mica, House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam
Graves and Reps. Ted Poe, Blake Farenthold, Louie Gohmert, Quico Canseco,
Rodney Alexander, Paul Gosar, Allen West, Tim Huelskamp, Mike Pompeo, Duncan
Hunter, Devin Nunes, Dennis Ross, Trent Franks, Lynn Jenkins, Raul Labrador,
Joe Walsh, Gus Bilirakis, Paul Broun, Randy Hultgren, Stephen Fincher, John
Culberson, Michael Grimm, Andy Harris, Mike Coffman, Kenny Marchant, Thaddeus
McCotter, Diane Black, Bob Latta, Denny Rehberg and Vicky Hartzler.
My reaction: The gunrunning scandal is
continuing to grow.
1) 38 congressmen now think Holder should resign immediately.
2) In addition to guns, the US allowed thousands of ("Grenade-walking")
into Mexico.
3) The guns/grenades ended up in the hands of US-supported El Chapo. This wasn?ft an accident.
Conclusion: The fact that US government's connections to drug trafficking
are being openly exposed is evidence that events are spiraling out of
control. I will post more examples of this.
If you are confused about why the US government openly works with
the largest drug dealers in the world, watch The ESF And Its History
(part 5) below.
--------------------------------
Sorry for the downtime on MarketSkeptics, I needed a break.