Thread: Five extradited from Mexico to be arraigned Friday

Five extradited from Mexico to be arraigned Friday

By Greg Moran (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
5:07 p.m. January 22, 2009

SAN DIEGO – Five men – four of whom were former high-ranking members of the Arellano Felix drug cartel – will be arraigned Friday morning in federal court in San Diego.

The five were extradited by Mexican authorities to face drug-trafficking charges in the United States.

The defendants are scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo. The five are among 10 men sent by Mexico to the United States last month. The others face charges in other U.S. jurisdictions.

Scheduled for arraignment Friday in San Diego are Jesus “Chuyâ€

Isn't there any way we can make a deal with Mexico, so that after we find them guilty, they can take their nationals back, put them into those wonderful Mexican prisons? I am sure most American taxpayers would be glad to contribute some pesos for their upkeep, rather than letting them live in luxury maximum security prisons at American taxpayer expense.

Mexico will most likely "meddle" in this too, as they did with Ramos and Compean

Originally Posted by mbrown

Mexico will most likely "meddle" in this too, as they did with Ramos and Compean

Not likely , since Mexico extradition them just so we could prosecute them.

Accused cartel leaders refuse to enter pleas

By Greg Moran (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
10:27 a.m. January 23, 2009

SAN DIEGO — A quartet of reputed high-ranking members of the Arellano Felix drug cartel made their long-sought appearance in federal court in San Diego Friday, where a magistrate judge made not-guilty pleas to racketeering and other charges for them.

The four were included in a batch of 10 men Mexico extradited to the United States on New Year's Eve. Jesus “Chuyâ€

Accused Mexican cartel leaders dispute extradition
January 23rd, 2009 @ 8:53pm
By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Four accused leaders of a Mexican drug cartel refused to enter pleas to drug, racketeering and money laundering charges Friday, claiming they were wrongly extradited to the United States.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy Bencivengo entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.

Attorneys for Jesus "Chuy" Labra, considered the financial brains of the Arellano Felix cartel, told reporters that the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Mexico requires that a verdict be reached on criminal charges in Mexico before he can be sent to the U.S.

Labra had been awaiting trial in a Mexican prison for nearly nine years when he was extradited Dec. 31. He was arrested in March 2000 while watching his son play soccer in Tijuana, Mexico.

"If this happened to an American in an American trial, it would be outrageous, to be in the middle of a trial and to be shipped to another country," said Guadalupe Valencia, an attorney for Labra.

Labra tapped extensive connections with Colombian cocaine traffickers and Mexican marijuana growers and regularly participated in the cartel's major decisions, according to the 2003 indictment.

Even if there had been a verdict in Mexico, Labra should not have been extradited because he is charged with essentially the same crimes in both countries, which would constitute double jeopardy, his attorneys said.

Debra Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego, declined to comment on the extradition issue.

John Kirby, a former federal prosecutor who co-wrote the indictment, said the U.S. and Mexico had an agreement before he left government in 2005 that allowed for defendants to be extradited to the U.S. pending resolution of their cases in Mexico.

"The Mexican process can take forever," Kirby said. "The idea was they could be sent up here and tried while the case is still fresh."

Labra and the three other alleged cartel leaders, all Mexican citizens, responded only to procedural questions during a brief hearing. Labra declined to seek bail.

The judge scheduled a Jan. 27 hearing to consider bail for the others: Armando Martinez Duarte, the cartel's "chief enforcer" in Mexicali, according to the indictment; Efrain Perez Arciniega, who allegedly handled logistics of moving large shipments of cocaine and marijuana through a San Diego border crossing; and Jorge Aureliano Felix, a former law enforcement official, accused of helping store drugs and keep financial accounts.

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=45&sid=1031363

The judge scheduled a Jan. 27 hearing to consider bail for the others: Armando Martinez Duarte, the cartel's "chief enforcer" in Mexicali, according to the indictment; Efrain Perez Arciniega, who allegedly handled logistics of moving large shipments of cocaine and marijuana through a San Diego border crossing; and Jorge Aureliano Felix, a former law enforcement official, accused of helping store drugs and keep financial accounts.

BAIL? And where are these nice boys going to be living while they are on bail? Not in USA I hope. Are they going to be staying in Mexico? Something is fishy about this if they are going to let them out on bail.