Thread: Mexican Mafia Bosses Arrested in Austin

By Miguel Liscano

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Friday, March 07, 2008

A man authorities say is the local head of the Mexican Mafia was arrested after investigators seized more than $500,000 in cocaine linked to him, police said Thursday.

Benny Martinez, 49, who is accused of being the Mafia's leader, and Richard Salazar, 40, were being held without bail at the Travis County Jail on federal drug charges.

Police said they were arrested as part of an investigation lasting nearly a year into the drug activity of Martinez, who they said leads about 40 local members of the gang, which originated in the prison system.

Officials confiscated about 6.5 kilograms, or 14.3 pounds, of cocaine tied to Martinez on Tuesday, Lt. Norris McKenzie said.

"I think this a significant dent," in the Austin drug market, Assistant Police Chief Sam Holt said. "I would estimate that probably 15 kilos have been confiscated in the last six months or so."

On Tuesday, police executed a search warrant at Martinez's home at 1001 Brass St., where investigators found nearly 21 ounces of cocaine in two coat pockets, in a pair of woman's shorts hanging in the master bedroom and in a dresser drawer, according to federal court records.

Authorities also found almost 20 grams of marijuana in a dresser drawer and on a stereo cabinet, the document said. There are 28.35 grams in an ounce.

Police seized about $70,000 cash at the house and equipment often used to cut, weigh and package illegal drugs, the document said.

On the same day, police followed Salazar's pickup after he pulled up to Martinez's home and left after about three minutes, the federal document said. Police pulled Salazar over for a traffic violation and asked him, and his wife Joanne Garcia, to get out of the truck, it said.

"I could see Mr. Salazar visibly shaking from the passenger side of the truck," Detective Leslie Kyle wrote in the document.

After Salazar gave the officers verbal consent to search the pickup, police found more than 10 ounces of cocaine in 10 bags stuffed into a surgical glove, the document said.

Salazar told police his wife did not know that the drugs were in the truck, it said.

McKenzie said he could not discuss details of the drug bust, including where the rest of the cocaine was found, because it's an ongoing investigation. The federal documents did not mention where or from whom the larger portion of the cocaine was seized.

McKenzie, who's been a police officer for more than two decades, said that as far as he can remember, the most cocaine Austin police have seized in a single bust was 14 kilos, 30.9 pounds, in 2004. On Jan. 28, police seized 8 kilos, or 17.6 pounds, of cocaine in a drug bust.

Holt said he is not sure how great an effect arresting the Mexican Mafia's local leader will have on local members of the gang.

"If you arrest one boss, usually somebody will take his place," Holt said.

Notice that there is no mention of their immigration status/ The Statesman is a very liberal rag and Austin, unfortunately, is a sanctuary city.

His immigration status doesn't really matter. The cocaine undoubtedly came from Mexico.