NEW YORK.- Judge Brian Cogan revealed the last names of some possible cooperators in the trial of Genaro Garcia Lunaformer Mexican Secretary of Public Security accused of drug trafficking.
In a document, the judge limits the defense of the former government official of Felipe Calderon use certain information that seeks to “disqualify” potential cooperators, who have been accused and some sentenced for drug trafficking.
“There are four motions in limine before the Court: (1) the motion of the Government [150] to prevent the defense from presenting certain evidence, (2) the Government’s motion [153] to prevent cross-examination of Government witnesses on certain issues… and (4) the Government’s motion [170] to prevent the cross-examination of Veytia on certain issues”, indicates the document signed by Judge Cogan.
This January 23 begins the opening of the judicial process with the presentation of the case by the prosecutors and then the motion of the defense on the dismissal.
The list is not definitive, as it might exclude some people to include others.
Sergio Villarreal Barragan “The Great”
Sergio Villarreal Barragan is known as “El Grande” for its almost two meters high; he was a lieutenant of the Beltrán Leyva Organization. He was extradited to the United States in 2012, where he faced charges of cocaine trafficking and money laundering in a Texas court. He has been one of the main collaborators with US and Mexican authorities in different cases, such as revealing the names of soldiers who protected the Beltrán Leyva. He is under DEA protection.
“If Villareal Barragán testifies at trial about facts that contradict those of his sworn statement, the defendant can use Villareal Barragán’s own statements for the prosecution,” Judge Cogan says of a possible action by García Luna’s defense. “But he cannot treat the notes from the Mexican prosecutors as if they were actually the statements of Villareal Barragán, because they are not.
In other words, Villareal Barragán can be charged with his own affidavits, but not with the summary or conclusions of the Mexican prosecutors about what he allegedly said.
Miguel Angel Arriola Marquez
Miguel Ángel Arriola Márquez is perhaps one of the less famous characters in the group of possible cooperators revealed by Judge Cogan.
He was indicted in 2003 for cocaine trafficking in Colorado; He was extradited to the United States in 2007 and sentenced in 2010 to 20 years in prison for the criminal scheme that he coordinated with his brother.
Arriola Márquez was also sentenced in a federal court in Denver to four years of supervised release.
“The accused [García Luna] You can ask Arriola Márquez about the Colorado court’s factual conclusion regarding his dishonesty during his statements before the United States Attorney. […] If he denies that such a determination has been made, the defense may present the court’s statement,” Judge Cogan said.
However, it notes that the prosecutor’s statements in the Arriola Márquez sentence will not be admitted in the García Luna trial, but the court’s conclusion in the case against Arriola Márquez will.
Jesus “The King” Zambada Garcia
Jesús “El Rey” Zambada García was arrested in 2008, after a shootout in Mexico City, where he controlled drug trafficking for the Sinaloa Cartel through the international airport. He was extradited to the United States in 2008.
The Department of Justice obtained their collaboration to testify against Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera in 2018, being one of the star cooperators. There he revealed that he and his brother Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada met with García Luna between 2005 and 2006 -in the government of Vicente Fox-, when he was in charge of the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), to give him $3 million in dollars in a suitcase; He later said that when he was already secretary in 2007 -in the government of Felipe Calderón-, García Luna received another suitcase with up to $5 million dollars.
“The extrinsic evidence is not admissible to attack the character of the veracity of Zambada García […] but the defense may question him about this evidence to the extent that he doubts its veracity,” Judge Cogan said.
Francisco Canedo Zavaleta
Francisco Cañedo Zavales is a former agent of the extinct Mexican Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), who was accused of having ties to the Beltrán Leyva cartelHe even helped an armed command attempt to rescue Jerónimo Gámez, financial operator of that group.
Judge Cogan points out that there could be complications if García Luna’s defense argues that the aid worker’s arrest was an act of retaliation.
“Whether or not the arrest of Canedo Zavaleta was, in fact, retaliation by the defendant [García Luna]that is a clear basis for him to have prejudices against the defendant ”, warns the judge.
Edgar Veytia
In 2019, Édgar Veytia was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was ordered to pay $1 million after pleading guilty to conspiring to traffic cocaine into the United States with the H-2 criminal organization, which operates in Nayarit and Sinaloa.
The sentence was made by Judge Carol Bagley Amon, in the Eastern District of New York based in Brooklyn.
Veytia has dual citizenship, US and Mexican, and was the attorney general of the state of Nayarit, Mexico.
“The Government asks that Veytia be prevented from being questioned by the defense about the adverse credibility findings of various arms of the federal government and the related decision not to offer him a cooperative agreement,” Judge Cogan said.
It is revealed that García Luna’s defense has not reviewed information related to this cooperator.
Alex Cifuentes
One of the most controversial testimonies in the trial of “El Chapo” Guzmán was that of Alex Cifuentes Villa, who was the right hand of the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, with whom he lived in the mountains of that Mexican state.
In addition to believing in aliens and being fascinated by the Illuminati theory, Cifuentes Villa would have told prosecutors that “El Chapo” paid minors to drug them and have sex with them.
He even mentioned that former President Enrique Peña Nieto received $100 million from the Sinaloa Cartel.
The judge is denying the defense’s motion that Cifuentes Villa’s beliefs are sufficient to disqualify him as a witness.
“Heterodox beliefs, by themselves, do not render a witness incompetent to testify,” Judge Cogan says. “Questions about aliens and the Illuminati would distract the jury, confuse the issues and waste time.”