Mexican official charged with aiding drug dealing
Jul. 23, 2010 01:01 PM
Associated Press


SAN DIEGO - A Mexican law enforcement official who worked with U.S. authorities was charged with passing along classified information to drug traffickers and arranging the arrests of his drug boss' rivals, according to an indictment unsealed Friday.

Jesus Quinones, a liaison to U.S. law enforcement with the Baja California attorney general's office, was among 43 defendants named in the federal racketeering complaint that alleges murder, kidnapping and other crimes.

The U.S. attorney's office released the indictment following raids in San Diego and Mexico in which 31 of the defendants were arrested this week. Quinones was arrested Thursday in San Diego during a traffic stop.

Prosecutors allege Quinones and other defendants worked for Fernando Sanchez Arellano, a nephew of the brothers who head the Arellano Felix cartel and one of the most wanted alleged drug traffickers in Tijuana, Mexico.

Sanchez's high-ranking lieutenant, Armando Villareal Heredia, was also named in the indictment, but U.S. authorities were unaware if Mexican officials had him in custody. Sanchez was not named in the indictment and officials declined to say if he was facing any charges under seal.

"We will certainly not tolerate the seepage of drug-related violence in our communities," U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said. "We are committed to disrupting their operations."

Federal officials began investigating the defendants in January after an initial investigation by the San Diego district attorney's office. A task force consisting of federal and local authorities participated in the sting, using wiretaps and other technology to collect evidence.

Authorities said Quinones was taped sharing information with drug traffickers but declined to elaborate on the nature of the information.

Raids conducted Thursday and Friday yielded a ton of marijuana, 30 pounds of meth and 15 pounds of cocaine.

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