Photo: Eastern District Court of NY / Courtesy
NEW YORK.- Prosecutor Erin Reid establishes in the Eastern District Court of New York, What was the alleged criminal organization led by Genaro García Luna like? from the government, starting when he was director of the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), in the government of Vicente Fox.
When questioning the first cooperating witness, Sergio Villarreal Barragan, “The Great”the prosecutor mentioned several ex-police officers, later known as “supercops” in Mexico, due to their work in the war against drugs, led by García Luna.
The first photograph to appear on a blackboard was that of García Luna; This is evidence of charge “1” with which the prosecutor questioned “El Grande” if she knew him.
“Yes, I saw him in various meetings,” said Villarreal Barragán, who lives up to his nickname, as he is more than two meters tall.
From there, between questions about bribes received by the former director of the AFI and later Secretary of Public Security in the government of Felipe Calderón, the prosecutor began to build the government framework that practically formed part of the Sinaloa Cartel, initially from the faction of the Organization of the Beltrán Leyva.
“El Grande” was operating in organized crime from 2001 to 2010, when he was arrested, as far as the modus operandi de García Luna in two different presidential terms in Mexico.
He added that the former official received between $1 and $1.5 million dollars per monthbut on one occasion he obtained between $14 and $15 million dollars from Arturo Beltrán Leyva after the seizure of two tons of cocaine on a route between Morelos and Mexico City.
García Luna took the wads of $100 dollar bills in stationery boxes, but he had to borrow a van, because the ones he had with his people were insufficient to transport the money, says “El Grande”, who is the first cooperator of The prosecutors.
Who are the accomplices
After narrating part of his own criminal career, Villarreal Barragán –elegantly dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and dark-toned tie– also spoke about the criminal organization to which he belonged, the name of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera came to light, like that of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambadaboth leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Those leaders and others from the cartel put together a “cock” or collection to collect the monthly payment for García Luna and his henchmen, indicated “El Grande.”
“They put the suitcase, they opened it, they showed [el dinero] and they closed it,” said Villarreal Barragán about how the dollars were delivered in bundles of $100 each month, in a safe house, most of the time in front of a shopping center known as Perisur, in Mexico City, near the luxurious neighborhood Mountain Gardens.
The picture of Luis Cardenas Palomino was added just below Garcia Luna. He was the AFI’s Director General of Police Investigation, a key position in the government.
“Luis was going home,” said Villarreal Barragán, referring to Cárdenas Palomino and the safe house where Arturo Beltrán Leyva met with federal police leaders to pay their monthly bribes and refine subsequent actions.
Other photos of characters with key positions in the AFI that were important to ensure the operation of the Sinaloa Cartel were added to the board, said “El Grande.”
came the face of Iván Reyes Arzate, known as “The Queen”, who pleaded guilty to the charges against him for drug trafficking in the US. He managed to become commander of the Sensitive Investigation Unit (“SIU”) of the Mexican Federal Police. “Sensitive” information that he shared with the narco.
The image of Ramon Little Garcia, who was Chief of Intelligence of the Mexican Federal Police. His relationship with the DEA was essential.
The face of Víctor Gerardo Garay Cadena, former head of the Federal Police, was added to the blackboard so that the jury had an idea of the structure of corruption.
Others are Édgar Bayardo del Villar; Francisco Javier Gómez Meza, who in the AFI was the one who deployed the commanders for each region.
“[Se] I told him which commanders to put in the squares,” said “El Grande” about the work of Gómez Meza.
There are other characters whose relevance will increase as the trial progresses, such as the case of Commander “Domingo”, whom García Luna finally left adrift after the arrest of some members of Los Zetas.
“Let the anger be eaten,” García Luna would have said to Beltrán Leyva when they talked nonchalantly about that former criminal partner commander.