El Chango Mendez denied amparo against extradition as his son is arrested

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from two Milenio articles

Subject Matter: La Familia Michoacana, El Chango Mendez, Jesus Mendez Velazquez
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Reporter: Ruben Mosso
A Federal Court denied an amparo to the ex leader of La Familia Michoacana, Jesus El Chango Mendez, against his extradition to the United States, after a case that lasted more than six years.

In its ruling, the First Collegiate Court in Criminal Matters based in Mexico City questioned the last minute legal action promoted by the defenders of Mendez, who bid the Court to appeal his case.

It took a little more than three months since the admission of this appeal for the complainant to make the request before the Supreme Court, a time scale that is considered reasonable, without affecting the normal course of the resolution of the matter by this Collegiate Court.




This context, coupled with the lack of legitimacy on the part of the complainant to promote such a request, and the absence of any provision that expressly authorizes this Court to stop resolving a matter that at the time did not have any circumstances that warranted its postponement... constitutes the elements for this Court to resolve.

Jesus Mendez Velazquez, son of Jesus El Chango Mendez, leader of La Familia Cartel, was detained last week by elements of the state of Queretaro for possession of firearms and drugs, revealed functionaries of the PGR.

Manuel Ruiz Tovar, was also arrested with Mendez Velazquez, a Judge qualified the legal detention of both men, and ordered preventative detention in the Cereso de San Jose el Alto, Queretaro. Next Saturday, their legal status will be determined because they requested an extension of the constitutional term to offer evidence in their favor.

The Federal Prosecutor accuses them as likely responsible for the crimes of carrying firearms without a license and against health.

According to the Police file, elements of the state Police of Queretaro received via radio, a report on two individuals who were armed, inside a truck in the vicinity of the municipality of Amealco, so they attended the scene.

At the location they observed a vehicle with the aforementioned characteristics, so they ordered the vehicle to stop, the occupants of the vehicle ignored the order, they tried to flee, and eventually got out of the vehicle and continued their escape on foot unsuccessfully, and were detained in the vicinity of a warehouse.

State Police confiscated a twelve bore shotgun, as well as a package of approximately 25 kilos of sodium hydroxide, a 20 litre canister with methamphetamine, and another of the same capacity with a mixture of hydro-carbons.

The State Police put both men at the disposition of the Public Ministry of the Federation, who initiated the investigations and requested a search warrant in the aforementioned warehouse after the public security official reported that at a distance they were able to perceive a strong smell of chemicals.

As a result of the search, drums of various capacities were confiscated, condensers and reactors, as well as sacks with various chemical substances, stationary gas tanks, metal drums and plastic boats, among other objects used for the production of synthetic drugs.