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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?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_e...p;v=5MCwgRGcRGA
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
target="_blank" 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, target="_blank" 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 target="_blank" fight
against organized crime has been the priority of target="_blank" 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 target="_blank" 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, target="_blank" 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.
target="_blank" 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 target="_blank" money
laundered in Wachovia Bank, part of target="_blank" 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. target="_blank" 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, target="_blank" 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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQf-u2nCVSw...player_embedded
Eric de Carbonnel
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