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Sunday, December 22, 2019

OP ED: The Reasons Why Garcia Luna's Arrest is More Important than "El Chapo's"

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Buenrostro
OP Ed by: Javier Buenrostro

With the apprehension of García Luna, the history of contemporary Mexico will be rewritten, especially that of the governments of the PAN right, and in particular the Calderón administration, who should end up in an International Court for crimes against humanity.

The morning of  Tuesday, December 10, the news began to run like gunpowder in newsrooms, social networks and government offices. In Texas Genaro García Luna, secretary of Public Security in the government of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), had been arrested and was going to be transferred to New York (to the same Federal Court that prosecuted Chapo) for traffic conspiracy crimes of cocaine, false statements and receiving bribes from drug trafficking.

The first important accusations against García Luna date back to the distant 2001, when in the government of Vicente Fox (2000-2006) he was the head of the Federal Research Agency (AFI). His relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel was a constant theme in the notes of reporters specializing in drug trafficking.
Despite this background, Felipe Calderón decided to appoint him Secretary of Public Security, which ultimately turned out to be the most relevant position in his cabinet, making García Luna the most powerful man of his sexennium behind him . A kind of vice president.

It is in this sense that the arrest of García Luna is more relevant than that of the 'Chapo' Guzmán, because the first represents organized crime and the second only to drug trafficking. What I mean by this? In Mexico (and in other parts of the world, such as Colombia) a "drug trafficker mythology" has been built, as the sociologist Luis Astorga has pointed out. Official narratives have created the image of an evil entity (the drug trafficker) that attacks with all its means the purity of the State , corrupting some rotten apple, some authority that, despite its kind nature, falls into the sin of the Greed and accept the money.

Javier Buenrostro, historian from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and McGill University.

This narrative makes it appear that the world of the drug trafficker is one, while the world of politics and the economy are others, that they have nothing to do or that they only come into contact abnormally. The lie of this narrative, repeated a thousand times by the media, falls to the most basic evidence. Mexico has long been a drug producer (marijuana, opium) and, in that sense, there has been a long-standing relationship between local authorities at first, and then federal and drug traffickers. 

But perhaps the first great relationship does not come from drugs, but from alcohol, when it was illegal in the United States and there was a lot of traffic from Mexico, which together with the horse races made the Agua Caliente casino (1928), in Tijuana, a meeting place for movie stars, entrepreneurs, American gangsters and politicians. The main shareholder was the governor of Baja California and who would become president of Mexico, Abelardo Rodríguez.

In the name of Rodriguez, other top-level politicians such as Maximino Ávila Camacho, brother of President Manuel Ávila Camacho (1940-1946) can be added. But where there was always more cloth to cut, it was in the police offices, mainly in the Federal Security Directorate (DFS), founded by Miguel Aleman in 1946. This is where people who not only dedicated themselves to political and group repression guerrillas, but were linked to drug trafficking such as Fernando Gutiérrez Barrios (Governor of Veracruz and Secretary of the Interior) or Mario Acosta Chaparro and Fernando Quirós Hermosillo, who in addition to participating in the Dirty War of the 1970s, were linked to the Cartel de Juarez Miguel Nazar Haro, another member of the DFS and founder of the White Brigade,He was accused of protecting the Guadalajara Cartel , in addition to dealing with stolen cars.

Also director of the DFS was Javier García Paniagua, son of Marcelino García Barragán, in charge of the Secretary of National Defense during the 1968 massacre and governor of Jalisco. It is Guadalajara (Jalisco) a historical bastion of the right and the panism, where the narcos settled in the early 80's and became entrepreneurs to be able to launder their money. Guadalajara has been designated as the cradle of the 'Impunity Pact', as the US Department of the Treasury. He has sanctioned a large number of companies and commercial establishments for money laundering.

None of the characters mentioned above were convicted of any crime . That is why the arrest of García Luna is so important and because organized crime is much larger than drug trafficking. As we can see, security and justice management positions are key. It includes money laundering. Drugs are not the only field of action: there are car theft, arms trafficking, extortion and kidnapping, sale of other prohibited products such as alcohol or species of flora and fauna in extinction. 

Calderón's six-year term, which is García Luna's, emanated from electoral fraud and imposed a militarization under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, but which involves regions that have important natural resources that long for transnationals such as water, gas, oil and of course several mining products. This is one of Oswaldo Zavala's main arguments in his book ''Cartels do not Exist''. Without going any further, by chance or causation, the killing of the LeBarón family took place in a border area with important lithium deposits.

Any business consists of different branches or chains. Production, logistics, sales, marketing, accounting, finance, legal, new products, etc. In the case of organized crime and drug trafficking is the same. From the marijuana and opium of the 40s to the cocaine of the 70s and 80s to the production of designer drugs today there is a chasm of difference. They are not the same business to put it in some way. No one doubts the relevance of ephedrine or fentanyl in the current drug market, which involves the pharmaceutical industry because of its volume. As was the case with Zhenli Ye Gon, a Chinese pharmaceutical entrepreneur nationalized by the Vicente Fox government and apprehended in 2007. 

Most of the journalists on foot or who reported to local newspapers reported on the links and complicity of the governments of the right with "El Chapo'' Guzmán and the Sinaloa Cartel. While, at the national level, the mainstream media danced to the music of García Luna and pleased him in everything . For example, the journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, who was in charge of the most watched morning newscast, lent himself to disseminating a montage that simulated that kidnap victims were released by AFI elements. Others wrote in newspapers about the achievements in security of García Luna, who from the Ministry of Public Security (SSP) allocated significant amounts of money in advertising contracts.

Likewise, it is logical to think that the intelligence services of the United States make profiles of important officials, especially those related to security and drug trafficking issues, which are the issues that Americans most care about in their relationship with Mexico. So, if his bond with the Sinaloa Cartel was an open secret, why didn't he act against him? Since 2012 when  the Calderón government ended, García Luna decided to reside in luxury in Miami, where he acquired several properties of millionaire value and where he established a public safety and risk management consultancy. To do all this he had the temporary permission of the United States government, which granted him permanent residence and it seems that he ignored the origin of the resources with which he settled in Miami and where he had no intention of going unnoticed.

García Luna is the first character in a long police line to be brought to American justice. He was also the second most important man in the Calderón administration and the architect of his main government actions. He is not a man who received a bribe, he was a core part of Mexico's public policies and the relationship with the United States . He is a man who was applauded by popular journalists and by civil associations that "fight" against violence. It's not like "El Chapo", an outsider.

He is a main figure of the system whose links are woven in all its extension: with the presidents Fox and Calderón, with other members of the PAN, with the main media, with businessmen, with people of the justice system such as Eduardo Medina Moraor today's prisoner prisoner Javier Collado. And even with US authorities and agencies such as the DEA, who ignored all the information they had for years.

They say that the big fish eats the boy, but this time it is turning out that a small fish delivers an increasingly larger one. First they apprehended the brother and son of ''Mayo'' Zambada, then on to Chapo Guzmán. These operations and the derived information led them to García Luna. "What will this do to reduce your sentence? Will you deliver to your superiors? To his cabinet mates? To entrepreneurs and media informants? To the judges and police who helped him? To corrupt civil associations that supported him? To authorities in the United States who are also involved? A few of all?"

With the apprehension of García Luna, the history of contemporary Mexico will be rewritten, especially that of the governments of the PAN right, and in particular the Calderón administration, who should end up in an International Court for crimes against humanity.

29 comments:

  1. Apparently he thought he could live a life of luxury with his ill gotten gains. You don't take drug money and then live in peace in America. Criminals probably should not go to the only country in the world where the authorities will lock you up in solitary confinement so long you'll want to take your own life. Better yet how about not being a narco. I wonder how living a life where you are always on the run or about to be shot in the back by police or even your own friends. Not worth it.

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    1. Should have gone the Carlos Salinas route and run off to Ireland. Why the USA? Dumb fuck.

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    2. My friend you’ve never met a US politician/DEA/FBI/Big Corporate.They live at PEACE with ill gotten money here in the US. Just remember the US government doesn’t like competition 😉

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    3. Genarco Garcia Luna had a partner, the richest man in the world, carlos slim held, whose brother "el commandante olvidado" julian slim helù bossed the Mexican airports after being a DFS commander who used to work with corrupt DFS commander miguel nazar haro, famous murdering, torturer, bank robber, drug trafficker and car thief who was once released from a US prison on orders of the CIA...
      THE MEXICAN LEBANESE MAFIA never sleeps, there are reports at Reporte Indigo...

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  2. The gov't turned on Chapo, Chapo spilled the beans on them, Gov't officials are now being apprehended as the truth unfolds. I would like to see EPN apprehended, worst president in the history of Mexico.

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    1. So your saying ALMO is better

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    2. ALMO is a disaster! Can I take my vote back?

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    3. Chapo didn't spill the beans on the politicians... Let me correct you. Rey Zambada spilled the beans on this guy thank you

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    4. I wonder how many were dissolved, disappeared and were buried in clandestine graves during the 3 prior administrations that are now being found. Let's keep that in mind

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  3. Beautifully said Sir!

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    1. 9:33 Associating with julian leyzaola in the same NatGeo video was wrong,
      He is like garcia luna, but as a retired military more incompetent and brutal.

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  4. There has to be someone whom influenced Calderon to appoint a young 30 year old to that position. If you do the math on his age he was a young man with an important position which doesn’t make much sense. I think his age also made him vulnerable and an easy target to bribe.

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    1. 9:39 genarco garcia luna started his criminal career in the CISEN, that used to be the DFS that degenerated into a drug trafficking organization after pretending to help the CIA save mexico from communism, he has had about 30 years career in mexican law enforcement and was older than 30 when he worked for the FECALATO as SSP

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  5. He should get the jail time as chapo as he did not only accepted money he asked for it. But USA won’t hang him high. But let’s see if amlo makes a difference.

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  6. That’s why Mexico wants him back so bad... he knows way too much info and they are afraid he will talk

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    1. Yes, please don’t send him back, let him sing the birdie songs

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  7. The importance of any high Mexican government official involved in drug trafficking will only reveal what's been said about Mexico all along (Narco State).
    For those who dispute the facts.
    Can only imagine how many others are worried of what will be revealed.

    Finally a light to this dark tunnel for its citizens.

    E42

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    1. You know many are feeling pangs of anxiety. By allowing the US to try Chapo, they really exposed themselves. Chapo didn't have to say a word. The witnesses against him told the story. I bet EPN regrets the decision to betray Chapo now.

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    2. hey, E42 where have you been?
      Thanks for the input.
      I , for one hope you are right .
      Paz

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    3. The US has been on top of the Mexican drug trafficking business since the times of WWI
      Let's stop pretending it is a silent blushing bride.
      --Drug trafficking has always been a painted prostitute many politicians and businessmen from the US and Mexico take home in the dark of the night and whose price gets fixed in US quiet smoke filled rooms...

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    4. Best wishes to all here at borderlandbeat. Always reading diligently when work is done. Moreover, replying to matters of interest. All else with no disrespect are a daily occurrence that has no impact for criticism. Nor disapproval of the ignorance that transpires globally associated (drug trafficking, usage and the violence associated with its many effects).

      Peace

      @ Granderojo
      EPN like many previous others can only be implicated. These implications will never be brought to justice unfortunately. Despite these claims. If anything monies have been moved to conceal any involvement by their legal experts from any forfeitures. The US has no jurisdiction of extraditing any Mexican government officials (past or present).
      This individual unfortunately happened to reside in the US for judicial purposes. Thus; bypassing any disputes from the Mexico's government.
      The only thing that will come about is all those officials involved.

      E42

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  8. This is one of the puppets of the grand master mind of all chaos in Mexico. What his masters didn’t count on was all this new technology and all the world being able to find out many of their greedy atrocities. Plazas have been in all of Mexico border towns for years and as every new group of politicians came in well it was always plata oh plomo. But this was probably their plan to change narco ways and take control of the plazas. When new politicians came in then new plaza groups also came in appointed by the main puppets in DF. Genaro Luna knew some exclusive plaza bosses knew things and got rid of some but not all. This is where he appointed CDS. But Genaro sets the rules for this guys in order for his plan to work. Follow directions and you stay low. Play the superheroes and when all is won then he would appoint plazas that they probably desired. But as one song says “ primero me dieron alas y ahora me quieren tumbar” well opened hell in all Mexico. Started with CDG but Zetas retaliated harsh and sent a quick message. Then around 2008 in Chihuahua but since CDS has always been in Parral well it was easy to set office. Making all of Chihuahua and border towns of Durango the start of the actual war as this cartels call it. Any fire arms, vehicles or houses confiscated to Juarez cartel were put up for auction to CDS and used against Juarez for the war. Rest is history and a mess all over this beautiful country. Dgo

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  9. First, Garcia Luna is not being brought to justice. AMLO's backers (US & Mex) only want destroy the influence that Garcia Luna (and his associates still wield). All/many Calderón associates are being taken down one after the other.

    Garcia Luna thought that AMLO's backers could not touch him in the US, but failed to realize that his previous backers in the US will not protect him anymore.

    But again: it is not about justice, just the fight for influence and political power.

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  10. So looking at it from a different point of view...we gotta thank El Chapo for all the high profile captures from 2006 to 2012....thank you Chapo you paid off the right people...

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  11. Garcia Luna remember when El Jefe De Jefe Don Arturo rolled up on you with el convoy de Fuerzas Especiales de Arturo.
    You begged him not to send you to hell.

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  12. Good read.

    Folks. Don’t be surprised when Luna suddenly dies of “natural causes.” or “commits suicide.”

    Queso

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  13. El era el jefe del cartel chilango poco mencionado pero existe y es la pplicia federal y pgr entre los jefes tambien esta uno llamado marrufo que en los tiempos de la familia el y el grupo de fuerzas especiales de la pf formaron parte de la ola de violencia y secuestros en michoacan el cartel chilango es afin a los viagras

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  14. I wish we paid more attention to what La Tuta was saying many years ago. He was right about everything.

    ReplyDelete

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