Mexico Trucker Online Articles

Cleaning up the corruption – Bridge official accused of embezzling 1.2 million

NUEVO LAREDO – The former director of the Nuevo Laredo department that oversees the Mexican side of the World Trade Bridge has been charged with misappropriating more than $1 million in city funds. Gabriel Marín Loya, 39, was appointed head of the Fideicomiso del Puente III by then-Mayor Daniel Peña Treviño and served nearly three years, until fall 2007, near the end of Peña Treviño’s term.

He was arrested Wednesday and taken to prison. On Thursday, he was taken before Judge Pedro Francisco Pérez Vázquez of the First State Criminal Court to hear the charges against him: bribery, abuse of official power and embezzling more than 13 million pesos ($1.2 million).

Marín Loya’s attorney declared his client innocent; Marín Loya declined to testify before the judge, invoking Mexico’s constitutional right against self-incrimination. It is similar to pleading the Fifth Amendment in the United States.

“I abstain from making a statement as well as from being interrogated by the state prosecutor,” he said. “I am protected under Article 20 of the Constitution.”

Marín Loya arrived at the courthouse in handcuffs, surrounded by 10 law enforcement officers. The hearing started at 11:55 a.m. and ended at 1:47 p.m.

The secretary of the court advised Marín Loya that he and 12 others are accused of taking more than 13 million pesos from the coffers of the Fideicomiso del Puente III (the World Trade Bridge). The names of the other suspects were not immediately available.

According to court documents, the money was taken at different times by means of checks signed by Peña Treviño and Marín Loya. The former mayor has not been charged in the case.

Morelos Jaime Canseco, representing the Fideicomiso under the new administration as well as the government of Tamaulipas, gave evidence to the state attorney general’s office, claming that some of the money spent during Marín Loya’s tenure was not used as described.

State prosecutors then interviewed several representatives of companies, officials and other citizens cited in city records as having done business with the Fideicomiso del Puente III. According to the court documents, the witnesses testified that, contrary to what the city records seemed to show, they had not done any business with the department or Marín Loya.

The evidence includes a series of checks drawn on the department’s account; prosecutors allege signatures were forged to cash the checks.

The business owners and representatives said receipts in the city record may look like the real thing, but the business owners presented original receipts to show they had not been issued to anyone.

Each of the businesses, which had allegedly received 1 million, 2 million and up to 4 million pesos for service rendered, testified that they had not performed those services and had not received any money from the city. Among those testifying was a legal representative of a company that had allegedly conducted an environmental study at the bridge. The representative testified, however, that his company had done no such thing and had never received any city funds.

During the presentation of the evidence, Marín Loya remained in control, somber but calm, occasionally glancing at his attorney, Alberto Robles Cortes.

At one point, Robles Cortes tried in vain to object when his client was asked for the names of his wife, children and parents. The secretary of the court told the attorney he was not allowed to interfere with the questioning, which was a personal interview and vital to the process.

The secretary, who read the entire 40-page document explaining the charges, stopped several times to take sips of water before continuing to read.

The atmosphere in the small courtroom was suffocating, as numerous reporters and others crowded around to hear Marín Loya give his account of the charges against him.

Robles Cortes told the court that his client is innocent, and asked for an extension of time to provide evidence on Marín Loya’s behalf. He also asked that bond be set for his client, but prosecutor José Raúl Rodríguez Órnelas argued against that request, saying bribery is a serious charge and the law does not allow a defendant to go free on bond in such cases.

Each of the three charges against Marín Loya carries a penalty of six to 14 years in prison.

State’s attorney Jaime Canseco said the state is seeking restitution of the allegedly embezzled money.

At the end of the proceeding, Judge Pérez Vázquez denied bond and said he would issue a ruling in the case next week. In the meantime, he ordered Marín Loya to be taken back to prison.

Under Mexican law, a person who is charges is presumed to be guilty unless proven innocent, the direct opposite of U.S. law. Proceedings are rarely held in open court; usually, the judge makes his decision based on written briefs filed by the defense and the prosecution. The entire process can take years.

Mexican police still patrolling without guns

CIUDAD MIGUEL ALEMÁN, MEXICO — Police in five Tamaulipas border cities continued to patrol the streets Monday without service weapons, nearly a week after military forces confiscated them in a series of surprise raids.

But officers in Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo and Valle Hermoso have managed to maintain the peace armed only with nightsticks and batons, officials from each city said.

“We don’t know when our weapons will be returned,” Rio Bravo police Chief Adan Nava Correa said in Spanish on Monday. “But until then, we are working normally.”

Weapons permits must be renewed annually according to Antonio Aguilar, deputy director of Public Safety in Nuevo Laredo.

Last week, tanks surrounded local police stations in the border towns and soldiers took away department-issued firearms, searched officers and checked radio communications for signs of cooperation with drug smugglers.

The coordinated raids halted patrols for the day, but officers in most of the affected cities were allowed back on the streets without weapons by that evening, said Miriam Medel Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Mexican consulate in McAllen.

“They were all very cooperative with the military,” she said.

By Monday, only officers in Ciudad Miguel Alemán — across the river from Roma — had their weapons returned, despite the city’s growing reputation as a base for cartel activity.

“We can say that our police are now certified,” Mayor Servando Lopez Moreno said. “Miguel Alemán is a very safe city.”

The raids, which followed the arrests earlier this month of four Nuevo Laredo police officers charged with radioing information of military activity to cartel members, have become a frequent tactic of Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s administration, in his efforts to weed out police corruption across the country.

Last year, the army conducted similar operations in Tijuana, B.C.N., and Monterrey, N.L., as well as towns in the Michoacan, Sinaloa and Sonora states. In each case, confiscating officer’s weapons allowed military officials to check whether weapons held by local police had been used in past drug crimes.

But so far, the Tamaulipas searches have yielded few obvious results.

Although at least 17 officers were detained during the sweeps, none have been officially charged with criminal activity, government officials said. Three officers were taken into military custody in Matamoros and soldiers seized a semiautomatic rifle not officially registered to the police.

In Rio Bravo, the search resulted in the seizure of two unregistered police vehicles and the detainment of 14 officers whose radios were not tuned to official channels. All of the officers were later released, city officials said.

Representatives of the Mexican defense ministry, which controls the army, could not be reached for comment Monday and have yet to publicly acknowledge last week’s operation.

The coordinated searches came after weeks of violence between soldiers and elements of the Gulf Cartel, which controls smuggling routes throughout much of Tamaulipas and into southern Texas. Since taking office in December 2006, Calderón has dispatched thousands of soldiers to the region in an effort to stamp out the group’s influence there.

Part of that effort, government officials said, must address corruption of municipal and state police who are believed to tacitly allow — and in some cases even aid in — smuggling activity through their jurisdictions.

Last week, a federal jury in McAllen convicted former Tamaulipas state police commander Carlos Landin-Martinez, who was once believed to have been second-in-command of the Gulf Cartel’s Reynosa operations.

A former drug trafficker and witness in that case told the court that smugglers routinely rely on police cooperation to move their loads through cities such as Reynosa.

But Lopez, Miguel Alemán’s mayor, is just content his city’s police force appears to have turned up clean. Fighting his nation’s drug war, he said, remains somebody else’s problem.

“(The cartel) is another story,” he said. “Federal authorities have to deal with that.”

Editors Note: The last two comments are the whole problem. Somebodies elses problem!

Calm prevails – Military still in control of the bordertowns

NUEVO LAREDO - The people of the Mexican cities along the Texas border have not been left unprotected in the wake of the disarming of more than 1,000 municipal police officers earlier this week, officials said Thursday.All of the city police are reporting to their respective bases and some are assigned to patrols “on foot and on bicycles, since it’s impossible to use their patrol cars because of the inspections being carried out by the Army,” said Nuevo Laredo Police Chief Alfonso Olvera Ledezma.

Later, Olvera Ledezma said that six patrol cars had been reactivated and were in use in various parts of the city. Seized firearms that pass inspection could be returned as early as Monday, officials said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Mexican Army was cautioning that its soldiers are not searching private homes as part of this latest anti-crime initiative. The statement came after reports that men dressed as soldiers had raided several homes, confiscating goods and cash.

Olvera Ledezma said anyone who is the victim of assault or other crime should report it to the authorities.

“If someone needs police help, they should call 066, the number for emergencies,” Olvera Ledezma said. “They will be channeled to C-4 (headquarters), and they, in turn, will notify the state and local police who are patrolling the city.”

Olvera Ledezma emphasized that state police, federal agents and the Army itself were involved in protecting the population. In some cases, city police officers are working side-by-side with state police officers.

On Tuesday, soldiers and federal agents swooped into the border towns of the state of Tamaulipas, relieving every single officer of his or her firearms, radios and other police equipment as he or she reported for duty. All officers were given a drug test, and their credentials are being intensely scrutinized as the federal government continues its major offensive against drug traffickers. Firearms are undergoing ballistics tests to determine whether they have been involved in any drug crimes, and to ensure they meet licensing requirements.

An estimated 500 officers are in the Nuevo Laredo city police force. As of Thursday, 367 officers had been tested, and only two had tested positive for drugs. The rest of the force is expected to take the drug test, approved by Nuevo Laredo Mayor Ramón Garza Barrios, by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the Mexican Army spokesman told reporters that soldiers are patrolling the streets at this point, not serving search warrants. Some residents have reported that men dressed as soldiers have burst into homes, going through the premises and confiscating electronics, household goods, jewelry and even cash.

“We are not conducting any raids,” said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We know we need an order from a federal judge.”

The Army is, however, continuing with its checkpoints in neighborhoods to the east, west and south of the city, inspecting vehicles and searching for suspects, he said.

On Thursday, soldiers were readily seen in various parts of the city; there was no sign of any city police officers.

Mayors of the border cities and Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernández Flores reached an agreement to ensure the safety of their people, a state official at the capitol said, resulting in more state police assigned to the border regions for the time the Army will need to review the city police officers’ credentials and firearms.

11 Nuevo Laredo police officers, civilians, arrested by Federal Police

Editor’s Note: Anybody who thinks President Calderon and his government are not serious about fighting the cartels and suppressing the corruption, needs to think again. It is a new era in Mexico. The people are fed up with the violence and corruption and demanding change.

Four police officers and seven civilians accused of working for Mexico’s powerful Gulf drug cartel were flown to the capital Sunday for prosecution.The four municipal officers, detained in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, on Saturday, had allegedly funneled police and military information to the cartel by radio, Public Safety Department spokesman Edgar Millan said.

Authorities previously said they were arrested for carrying unregistered guns.

“The power of criminal organizations has permeated the police,” Millan said, adding that internal investigations are underway to weed out corrupt officers.

Police corruption is widespread in Mexico, particularly in states like Tamaulipas plagued by organized crime. In October, 25 federal police officers were detained in the state on suspicion of providing protection for the Gulf drug cartel.

Along with the four officers, seven people suspected of working for the Gulf cartel were detained in various parts of Tamaulipas state and transported to the capital Sunday. Among them was a U.S. man identified only as Marcos Estrada Delgado.

Authorities did not give Estrada’s age or home town, and the U.S. Embassy said it hadn’t been contacted about his arrest.

The arrests came after two weeks of bloody clashes along the border between federal agents and gunmen who allegedly work for the Arellano Felix and Gulf cartels.

A federal agent and a gunman were killed Thursday in a three-hour fire fight in Tijuana, days after three police officials and one of their wives were shot dead.

An officer filling in for one of the slain officials was kidnapped Saturday night by a group of armed men while he drove his car, Tijuana municipal police said. His family was later brought to a police station for protection.

Investigators also discovered an underground weapons arsenal and shooting gallery in Tijuana on Saturday, which they believed the Arellano Felix cartel used to train new members, police said.

Earlier this month, four other federal agents were killed and 13 injured in shootings in Michoacan state and Tamaulipas.

No more fighting the bridge traffic – Wal-Mart comes to Nuevo Laredo

NUEVO LAREDO – In the next eight months, the Sister City will have a new Wal-Mart, Cineápolis, Home Depot and more than 100 other stores in a $90 million development going up on the city’s south side on Avenida Reforma.Fernando Rodríguez, director of Latino American Realty, recently briefed city leaders, including Mayor Daniel Peña Treviño, about the development’s progress.

With 58,000 square meters under construction, the entire development is situated on 125,00 square meters of land, officials were told.

More than 400 people are working on construction, and once the businesses are up and running, it’s estimated there will be more than 1,000 jobs.

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More proof of the emergence of Mexico into an dynamic economy. Jobs means less illegal migration, although most illegal’s don’t have the skills to work in this type of environment.

Historic La Loma prison demolished (15 photos)

NUEVO LAREDO – Since time immemorial, U. S. travelers to Mexico have been cautioned not to drink the water.On the U.S. side of this Mexican border city, however, visitors are also warned to stay out of trouble or, at best, don’t end up at La Loma (The Hill).

La Loma, Nuevo Laredo’s municipal jail, became known to the general public as some kind of landmark for no good reason. La Loma, nevertheless, is no more.

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Feds get tough; Officers, army set up checkpoints throughout city

NUEVO LAREDO — In a much-needed show of force, agents with the Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI, similar to the FBI) and federal highway police set up a checkpoint Friday on the Bulevar Ribereño for vehicles headed to the Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge.Every vehicle was stopped and searched.
It was a welcome sight for many Nuevo Laredoans as well as city and state leaders, a day after there was a report of a gun battle Thursday that left one man dead in Los Torres subdivision. The body was removed before police could arrive.

Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernández Flores, in Monterrey to inaugurate Casa Tamaulipas, said Friday the efforts of federal police and the Mexican Army are welcome and should bring peace to Mexico.

“The federal agents and the Army are fighting organized crime and are giving no quarter,” the governor said. “There are orders from the President of México, Felipe Calderón, not to yield a single centimeter.”

Hernández Flores said he stands in solidarity with Calderón’s action because he is fulfilling his commitment to the people.

Officials said the checkpoints will be seen throughout the city, as agents and soldiers verify whether drivers have legal possession of their vehicles, whether they are carrying illegal arms or drugs, and checking IDs to look for outstanding federal warrants.

The latest group of agents arrived from Mexico City on Wednesday and promptly set up a checkpoint on Bulevar Luis Donaldo Colosio, at the entrance of the Fundadores-Infonavit neighborhood in the south part of the city.

One of the officers said they weren’t authorized to talk to the media about their operation, saying that the federal attorney general’s office or someone from federal police headquarters in Mexico City would be releasing a statement. None, however, was forthcoming Friday.

For his part, Infonavit resident Fabian García, who was one of the drivers stopped at that checkpoint, said he was pleased that the federal authorities are finally taking on its responsibility to protect people along the border.

Many drivers were surprised when they came up on the checkpoint and found themselves directed to wait in line as agents conducted the generally routine inspections. As officers searched the vehicles, others stood with arms at the ready, stern and alert.

The high level of precautions match the level of aggression exhibited by organized crime lords as they seek to frighten law enforcement.

The most recent attack occurred in Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora, where armed commandos attacked police officers in a brutal five-hour exchange of gunfire, ending with the deaths of 15 attackers and five officers.

In the state of Nuevo León, police officers, commanders and high-ranking law enforcement officials have been assassinated. In Nuevo Laredo, law officers also have been the victims of brutal attacks.

The show of force around Nuevo Laredo is promoting confidence among the residents, who have seen at least eight executions, including the one Thursday, in recent days.

Another woman who passed inspection at one of the checkpoints said that at least the federal officers are seen in public, patrolling and staffing checkpoints, which helps dissuade those who would commit a crime.

Meanwhile, in the Monterrey metropolitan area, the bodies of three more men were found at about 7 a.m. Friday. That brings the total number of homicides attributed to organized crime to 64 so far this year.

Road Trip 3 NL-Celaya

I just returned from my third trip this year to Celaya and wanted to share a few thoughts on the experience.

Driving in Mexico

For the third time, I have returned from a 1200 mile round trip to the interior although this time it was not a trip of pleasure.

A few things I have learned from the experiences. Almost without exception, the other drivers on the road are friendly and courteous and will not hesitate to stop and assist another motorist who is broke down.

The exceptions? The assholes who drive 100 mph + and tail gate you flashing their lights until you move over. My middle finger got quite a bit of excercise this trip!

Truckers

The truckers on the highways are beyond courteous. Moving out of your way on hills, assisiting you in passing them and unnecessarily letting you know when you have cleared their vehicle. It appears that most of the trucks in Mexico are governed at between 55 and 62 mph as are the buses. 95 kph seems to be the norm here. And as I said, all of them are extremely courteous unlike those in the U.S.

I am still looking for all the unsafe junk trunks that the opponents of opening the border to Mexican trucks. People, they simply do not exist! most of the old 10 wheel DINA’s are being retired or used for farm to market work. New (2004-2006) Internationals of the same configuration are taking their place. But these are trucks for the interior of the country. The lifeblood of the smaller communities. The road tractors are the same as what you will find on U.S. highways, maintained to the same level of mechanical and safety standards, perhaps higher than their U.S. counterparts.

Roads

The roads? As you will see in the photos, are top shelf! Well maintained and built for speed. The speed limits vary from 80 KPH (55mph) to 110 KPH (68mph) but there is little enforcement. Not that there is not a Police presence on the roads. It seems enforcement of speed is not a top priority.

Federal Highway Police & Others
Let’s touch on the Police for a moment. The entire trip, and I used the free roads and stayd off the toll roads for the most part, The Federal Highway Police in their black and white cruisers were very much in evidence. Watching traffic and assisting stranded motorists and occasionally, you would see them with a big truck pulled over doing a safety check on it. These guys are professionals. Young, educated, well groomed and proud of their profession.

Other police agencies were in evidence, most specifically state police units but again, they were patrolling and did not look twice at the gringo in the Suburban. Even when I passed them with the cruise on 80 in a 55 mph.

A lot of you have had troubles with the Transito or Vialidad cops (traffic cops) in the past as have I when I lived in Cd. juarez. I have always been a little leery of them. However that is rapidly changing. For example, in Monterrey, I had a couple of motorcycle cops on big Harleys pull up next to me and ask me very politely to fasten my seat belt. Nothing more, just a reminder. Friendly and professional. The same thing in Celaya. A transito cop on a dirt bike motioned for me to do the same thing from two lanes of traffic over. Seat belt use is obligatory in Mexico people.

More on the transito though. this trip, I had to go to centro in Celaya to pay the light bill and double parked in front of the municipal palace while Ileana went in to pay. A transito cop, a young kid maybe 20 years old who was directing traffic came up to the window and in perfect English asked how long I would be there and why. We had a nice conversation and he allowed me to wait for about 15 minutes in a no parking zone while business was conducted with CFE!

Society and Schools in Mexico

Monday and Tuesday past were school holidays for all the children in Mexico in celebration of The Bi-Centennial birthday celebration of Benito Juarez! Monday afternoon, we took the two younger kids to one of the many city parks in Celaya to ride their bikes and for us to relax. These parks are fantastic. Many high shade trees. Palms and Oaks coexisiting. Extremely clean and well lighted with antique lights and benches you would have see in parks at the turn of the century in Hometown America. And in the middle of it all, a huge bandstand built in the victorian style.

But what amazed me the most was to see all the father’s in the park with their children, mostly daughters, enjoying quality time with their children. You don’t see that in the U.S. anymore.

Wednesday morning found us at the PanAmericano primary school that the two younger ones attend for an awards ceremony for sports. Refreshing to see the children presenting the flag of their country, formally, while the students and adults saluted their flag and sang their national anthem. It seems that in the U.S., everyone wears their patriotism on their sleeves while persuing individual agendas. Here, in Mexico, it is simple pride and patriotism for their country instilled in the people from birth. Another amazing thing! Prayer in school! They began and ended the assembly with a prayer! I didn’t see anyone become offended or walk out and go crying for a lawyer because they felt their rights were violated! I wonder? Who has the better society?

Thursday, the day I have to return to Nuevo Laredo, we go to the older children’s school for the monthly meeting with the school directors and parents one on one! This is a concept I like and think should be instituted in the United States. In Mexico, all parents are involved in their children’s education. At these meetings, parents talk one on one with a director of the school who reviews the childrens progress, grades and test scores from the previous month. Report cards are not sent home with the children but given to the parents at the meetings.

Something else came from this meeting that might quiet those amongst us that complain about Mexicans not speaking english. The man we met with spoke perfect english and thanked me for speaking to him in my language. His credentials were impressive and in the course of our conversation, he explained that most Mexicans whon can speak english, and amongst the educated class of this country, it is the majority, welcome the opportunity to speak the english language but have very little opportunity to do so. Something to think about folks.

All in all, and despite the purpose of the trip, a very enjoyable mini vacation. I would urge anyone with a sense of adventure to contemplate a road trip in Mexico. Stay off of the toll roads and enjoy the scenery and the people you will encounter on the free roads. And while I think about it, the warnings against driving at night in Mexico are too old to worry about. Most of my trip, both coming and going was made at night, well into the early morning hours! There is plenty of traffic and gas is available 24/7. The only dangers are the occasional slow moving car or pick up with very dim lights or a goat or mule that might wander into the highway.