BLO: U.S. Trial of El Mochomo is scheduled for February 16th

Lucio R with C. E. Martinez for Borderland Beat

Part 1 of 2: The history of BLO, and the United States 
case against Alfredo Beltrán Leyva

Legal Status

After attorneys for Alfredo Beltran Leyva aka ‘El Mochomo’ first pressed for a speedy trial, they then requested a delay to enter plea agreement discussions. 

The trial for the capo. is scheduled to commence on February, 16^th at 10AM in Washington D.C. with Judge Richard J. Leon presiding.

Mayito Zambada/ChinoAntrax 

Government's exhibit list, witness list, and the parties' proposed voir dire questions and jury instructions due by this Friday.

It is the witness list that is the most anticipated pretrial action, for on the list it is expected to include one or more,  of the following cooperatives; Serafin Zambada, Vincente Zambada, Chino Antrax, Jesus Zambada Garcia (El Rey).  Serafin, Vincente, are sons of El Mayo Zamabada,  Jesus is his brother.  All are members of the Sinaloa Cartel, all in U.S. custody, and all having cut deals with the U.S. for favorable sentences.

Another legal status the four share, is they all four were removed from the Bureau of Prisons data base, their locations are confidential and it is assumed they are in the Witness Protection program.

History

The Beltrán Leyva Organization, (BLO) was founded in the early 70s by the four Sinaloa Beltrán Leyva brothers,  Alfredo, Arturo, Hector, and Carlos.  The brothers worked with, and had close ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Loera, Alfredo married Chapo’s cousin.

In 2004 and 2005, Arturo Beltrán Leyva led powerful groups of assassins to successfully fight for trade routes in northeastern Mexico for the Sinaloa Cartel.

On January 28, 2008, the Defendant was arrested by the Mexican Army with eight pistols, one AK-47, and approximately $900,000 in United States currency.

Friction arose when Alfredo was arrested; Beltrán Leyva brothers blamed El Chapo for  providing information to the government that resulted in the arrest  in January 2008.  This resulted in a complete split from the Sinaloa Cartel.  

The trade-off for Chapo was the April 2008 release of his imprisoned son, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar, ‘El Chapito’, who was arrested in 2005 in Zapopan, the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, and was accused of laundering money for the organization led by his father. Within 90 days of Alfredo’s arrest, Chapito was abruptly released, after three years, for “lack of evidence”.

The month following the release of Chapito, Chapo’s son, Edgar Guzman Lopez, (above right) was gunned down, in a Culiacan shopping mall parking lot, by a convoy of BLO sicarios.

The killing of Edgar solidified the clash between BLO and Sinaloa Cartel.  It was at this point in time that BLO created an alliance with Los Zetas Cartel.

Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, leaves prison 2008, which set off BLO/Sinaloa war

It also marks the point where Chapito Isidro Mesa Flores, leader of the Mesa Flores Organization, chose to remain in alliance with BLO, rather than the Sinaloa Cartel.

December 16, 2009, brother Arturo, leader of BLO (below left),  was traced to another luxurious apartment community where a 90-minute shootout ensued. About 200 Mexican Marines, two Navy Mil Mi-17 helicopters, from which marines rappelled, and two small Army tanks surrounded the building complex where he was hiding.

Arturo Beltrán Leyva and three gunmen were killed; a fourth gunman committed suicide, by jumping to his death. Edgar “La Barbie” Villarreal, was at the scene, but  mysteriously, was able to circumvent death, injury or arrest.

Extradition and U.S. trial

On November 26, 2013, the Mexican government approved Alfredo's extradition to the United States, however, they denied his extradition  on the charges of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 1000 kilograms or more of marijuana. The Defendant then filed numerous “amparos” (equivalent to an appeal in the United States) which were litigated for the next year. Alfredo was then extradited to Washington, D.C. on November 15, 2014 and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay on November 17, 2014.

The Government anticipates proving at trial that Alfredo,  was a leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization known as the Beltrán Leyva Organization, based in Sinaloa, Mexico. The Beltrán Leyva Organization (cartel) was operated by the Beltrán Leyva brothers.

Charges against Alfredo Beltrán Leyva

In November, 2015, the state filed an updated evidence list they are prepared to present at trial.

On August 24, 2014, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Alfredo with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, one kilograms or more of heroin and one thousand kilograms or more of marijuana for importation into the United States.

The charged conspiracy occurred between January 2000 and August 2012. The indictment also carries a criminal forfeiture allegation. Noteworthy, is that Alfredo was arrested in 2008, yet the prosecution contends the conspiracy continued during his incarceration in Mexico.

Alfredo filed numerous “amparos” (equivalent to an appeal in the United States) which were litigated for at year. The Defendant was then extradited to Washington, D.C. on November 15, 2014 and the Defendant made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay on November 17th, 2014.

The Government anticipates proving at trial that Alfredo was a leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization known as the Beltrán Leyva Drug Trafficking Organization, (BLO) ,  in Sinaloa, Mexico. BLO was operated by the Beltrán  Leyva brothers.

Jesus Zambada Garcia

BLO had worked with the Sinaloa Cartel, l since the early 1990s,  it existed as an organized crime syndicate, called the “Federation,” and created longstanding relationships between Mexico’s major drug trafficking kingpins,  including Alfredo, his brothers (Arturo and Hector), Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera, Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel Villareal, and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia.

Through this alliance, the allied group, operated through cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American cocaine sources of supply.

Using a corruption network of police, and political contacts, in addition to violence, BLO, with the Federation, directed a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air and sea transportation assets, shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Mexico, and finally into the United States.

The Government intends to show at trial that the Defendant was not only responsible for transporting multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, but also diversified into trafficking heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

The Government anticipates at, it will also show that BLO, had formed an enforcement unit of “sicarios”, (hit-men), who performed hundreds of acts of violence, including murders, kidnappings, tortures and violent collections of drug debts.

End of part one. 

Part Two includes 'The Case against Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, will include:Criminal evidence, evidence of broad scale corruption and intimidation, money laundering. And the story of the Mexican army general who could not be bought.  

Read part two here

Shootout Video Arturo Beltrán Leyva

Video 2 of 2

Funeral