Infiltrators in PGR and SEIDO

Borderland Beat

PGR and SEIDO: Clean Up.... Round Two 

Prosecuting States Attorney, José Cuitláhuac Salinas announces that 7 federal officials, among them 3 from Subprocuraduría Especializada en Investigación de Delincuencia Organizada (SEIDO) were arrested for providing protection to "El Chapo Guzman." 

The Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman had managed to weave a web of corruption within SEIDO involving several officials who supplied them information about ongoing investigations against the criminal organization. One of the detainees Juan Carlos Berrera Vite, worked at SEIDO and as well as in the Supreme Court of Justice for the Minister Sergio Vallis.

Salinas indicated also among those detained was Manuel Arroyo Hernández an important member of  Cuerpo Técnico de Control de la SEIDO - a technical control team for SEIDO, and of whom, according to the declarations of two collaborating witnesses, bragged of having a close relationship with the PGR boss Marisela Morales. 

Repeat time for Prosecutor Marisela Morales to clean up SEIDO

Salinas signaled that it was false.  Arroyo Hernández was not close to Marisela Morales, boss of PGR, and continued saying that the statement simply was made to earn favors from criminals with whom Arroyo had agreements. 

"For these type of corrupt workers to have the chance to give services that criminal organization require, they are always going to brag about their closeness to the higher public officers. This is the link they have in order to get the information.  In this particular case, it is evident that it was a lie," he said.

Gerardo Ortega Maya, son in law of former Secretary of Navy, Ricardo Ruano Angulo, was arrested on May 3 and is currently imprisoned in the federal prison in Matamoros along with Juan Carlos de la Barrera Vite, formerly of SIEDO and the Supreme Court, and Omar Martinez Victor Ferrara, who worked for the Federal District Civil Protection.

El Azul

According to the record, collaborators of the PGR who were also part of a team of officials who included several of "El Chapo's operators, assured that Ortega Maya, the long time 'public relationista' had known "El Azul" from the 90's and that their relationship went beyond providing  simple information about government sources.

Gerardo Ortega Maya was established in El Huizachal, a neighborhod where the military live, including Generals and even former Secretaries of National Defense. "Libre" testified that Israel Rivera and Adolfo Rocha, also advocates of "el Chapo", the  Sinaloa drug trafficker, witnessed many stories that had Ortega Maya related in connection with "el Azul."

"Gerardo Ortega Maya is related to the Cártel del Pacífico, by Juan Jose Esparragoza, whom he refers to as his great friend, he calls him  'dad',  and has helped this drug dealer carry out with illicit criminal activities, warning the capo to evade a military operation in Guadalajara this past January," declared the PGR "He told us that he has known 'El Azul' from the time of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, 'the Lord of the Skies', ie, for many years, he has provided protection," because when it comes to Mexico City, Ortega is responsible for serving you and providing hospitality in this particular area." Gerardo Ortega intervened in operations by saying the code word "Watermelons"  as means of a dire warning. It meant the the military was moving to capture Azul and his security had to act accordingly. "He warned "El Azul" in Guadalajara which succeeded because he was not arrested. " On the date mentioned, there is no public record of a military operation in the capital city Guadalajara, however,  January 9 in the town of Puerto del Cuarenta in Lagos de Moreno, the army secured a rifle, 55 cartridges, a charger and a vehicle, but there were no reported detentions. El Azul In Proceso's 2010 article, the Secrets of El Azul, it  described Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno, "El Azul" as the Dean of Mexican drug lords, skilled in negotiations to end old conflicts. He  has the ability to form highly organized structures involving officials, police and military, and even the Mexican Army major commands. He has survived little more than four decades in the drug trade and today is the most discreet and at the same time, the most effective in the reconstruction of the social fabric and the narco business in Mexico. Art Werge, FBI spokesman in El Paso, Texas, announced that there was a reward of $ 5 million for  information leading to the capture of Esparragoza Moreno. "The Attorney General's Office, since the arrival of Marisela Morales, has been punctual in their determination to act against all public servants engaged in acts of corruption, Salinas said,  "For the first time the name of Attorney Specialized Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO)  is being used since before of the organization was Office of Special Investigations on Organized Crime (SIEDO). The change was a modification to the rules on July 23.  There was an agreement not to use the name until preparations regarding this change were in order." Sources: Reforma,  Proceso, Mundo, Treasury Dept., Vanguardia