El Chapo Trial: "There is no code of silence among narcos"

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

"My brother said if I went to trial-he would be the first to testify against me"..Alex Cifuentes

Alex Cifuentes with Chapo---Remember this foto?

A Colombian man named Christian Rodriguez was an IT guy---not any IT guy, but the tech prodigy who happen to work for the most powerful cartel in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel.

Rodriguez is the person who had built an encrypted communications network for the Sinaloa Cartel. 

Rodriguez, then 25, was invited to meet in NYC with a “Russian organized crime figure”, in 2010.

The Russian supposedly wanted to hire Rodriguez to encrypt his system.  Rodriguez did not consider this out of the ordinary, so he traveled to Manhattan for the meeting.

It was a year later when it was revealed to Rodriguez, that the meeting was part of a sting operation by the FBI.  It wasn’t long before the FBI was able to convince Rodriguez to work for them and hack the Sinaloa Cartel communications network, that he had created. He became a cooperative witness in the trial.

From that ‘hacking’ of the network, which he, himself, had built for Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, it led to the Brooklyn Courthouse and the trial of El Chapo.

Rodriguez also told jurors that Chapo asked him to had him install spyware on the phones of  50 of his closest associates his wife, and mistresses.  And there a novella was born.

The testimony given, with respect to conversations revealed, was some of the most jaw dropping, yet given in the trial.  Much of it appearing to be so intimate, one feels almost as though there was a crossing the line of what is mannerly.  Especially with respect of Chapo and his ladies. 

Rodriguez also told jurors that Chapo asked him to had him install Flexispy software on the phones of  50 of his closest associates his wife, and mistresses.

That request by Chapo has now come back to haunt him.

Chapo's list of phone extensions and hand written phone book left at Cabo house

Emma: It's all good, "Muy Bien"

Chapo’s communication weapon, became a weapon used  against him, damaging at its strength, embarrassing at its least, as agent Steve Marston read aloud intimate text messages between Chapo and Emma---while both sat in the courtroom. Emma reportedly blew it off, acting happy and telling reporters everything was “muy bien”.

Also heard were messages from his mistresses at the time, former Mexican congresswoman, Lucero Sanchez Lopez and Agustina Cabanillas Acosta.

Agustina was in collusion with Chapo in the drug trade. She is young, only 28.

Two years ago, Reforma reported that the government had identified Agustina as a lover of Chapo in a security cabinets document prepared in 2013.  It was updated in 2014.  She began the relationship in 2000 when she was 20.

It was evident in the communications that Augustina was no push over.  She was one step ahead of the man who to his face called him “gorgeous” and professed her love.  On the other hand, while speaking to friends she referred to him as an idiot.

Agustina was arrested in 2012 in Baja California.

“Spy obsessed”

Rodriguez, who is described by court spectators as “baby faced”, “pudgy” and “soft spoken”, testified that Chapo paid him a half million dollars, to construct the ultra sophisticated communications network, using private servers, enabling the Sinaloa Cartel members could communicate without worrying of the conversations being intercepted.

Chapo’s spy-obsession drove him to ask Rodriguez to intercept all messages emitting from every Culiacan internet café.  Rodriguez revealed he planned to accomplish this via USB drive, but anti-virus prevented this and he failed.

“He wanted to have the possibility of intercepting every single internet cafe in Culiacán.”

Rodriguez said he held meetings with Colombian capo Jorge Cifuentes in 2008 in Ecuador, who hired him to install an instant messaging system for his cartel.

The system was installed for 100 users with a VPN. Cifuentes was so satisfied with the service that he recommended it to Chapo. Jorge Cifuentes' brother, Alex Cifuentes, worked with Chapo in the mountains of Culiacan and was in charge of contacting Rodriguez. 

The VPN is how Chapo was allowed to connect via Wi-Fi and communicate on the system.

IP telephone or Internet phone, VoIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it enables users to make calls over the Internet. To make a call, a telephone is connected to a network cable, rather than a phone line, or a call is made over a computer

Massive Faux Pas:  

Mica: The VOIP system in place was using a 3rd party encryption software.  The software key expired and when it did, the software shuts off by design until you pay the vendor for a new license key. 

If Rodríguez would have simply paid the bill...  And these software vendors email you, call you and alerts would be on the server.  He simply ignored and procrastinated.

Cholo Ivan

Cholo Ivan made an appearance in the courtroom, without stepping a foot inside.

In the batch of transcripts are those of conversations between Chapo and Cholo Ivan. 

Cholo, [Ivan Gastelum Cruz] Sinaloa lieutenant and Chapo’s right hand man, can be remembered for two notable occurrences.  Most recent; he was the man who in 2016 was captured with Chapo in Los Mochis, after attempting to escape through the sewer system.  There is a famous photo of the two of them in the back of a police vehicle, with Chapo wearing a soiled tank top and Cholo with out a shirt.

Cholo is probably even remembered for a 2012 shootout, where his girlfriend a “Miss Sinaloa” was killed with an AK47 lying next to her.

Six people were killed in the confrontation between Sinaloa operatives and the Mexican Navy.

Our report at the time:

A clash between soldiers and an armed group that began at in the communities of El Palmar Leal and El Progresso, Mocorito and spread to Caitime, Salvador Alvarado left a balance of four dead, one being Susana Gámez Flores. 

María Susana Gámez Flores, 2012 Sinaloa Woman beauty pageant winner, was killed  amid a military confrontation against the armed group. 

State Ministerial Police authorities confirmed that the 22-year-old allegedly accompanied the group of attackers who confronted the soldiers at a safe house in the town of Caitime, in the municipality of Salvador Alvarado. 

Flores Gámez was crowned Sinaloa Woman in February 2012. In 2009 she was named Model of the Year. 

according to information from the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), a military convoy was traveling on the streets of Caitime when they were attacked by gunmen who later took refuge in a safe house Mocorito. 

Soldiers repelled the aggression, killing one. After that first attack, the command made it out of the home and took flight. However, they were chased by the military towards El Palmar Los Leal, where Maria Susana was killed. The El Progreso, neighbor was identified as Rosario Mendez Rios, 54, who was killed when gunmen seized his vehicle to escape. There are reports his wife also died in the fray, but it is unconfirmed. Authorities said the gunmen shot him several times trying to steal his truck. The armed group is allegedly linked to Orso Iván Gastélum Cruz, El Cholo Iván o El Cholo Vago,  who serves as head of the Sinaloa cartel hitmen in the region of Évora. In the safe house, they found seven AK-47s, a grenade launcher, two grenades, a .40 mm caliber rifle and a thousand rounds, and six vehicle (one armored)

A year after the shootout, "Cholo Ivan", through banners, asked Peña Nieto for help and blamed a General on the former Miss Sinaloa´s death.

The banners read: 

"General Gurrola, you frightened and murdered Maria Susana Flores and keep killing innocent people, Mr. Defense Secretary, let this general be investigated because he has only trampled the human rights, killed, tortured innocent people, just like you killed Maria Susana Flores, and many more. Mr. President, with all due respect, open an investigation on this General who should not be on the Army, but on jail.

Yours truly, Cholo Ivan".

On May, 2013, a series of small pamphlets were thrown from Army helicopters in the cities of Guasave and Culiacan, the pamphlets ask for citizens to denounce Ivan Gastelum Medina aka "El Cholo Ivan", who they accuse of "homicide, femicide, thief, kidnapper, extortionist, hitman, rapist and retail drug seller".

"Your call is anonymous" they claimed.

A reply came two days later. A banner was hung in the city of Guamuchil.

Two days later from military helicopters an answer was dropped in fliers and a banner was hung in the city of Guamuchil.

The banner read:

"It was already known which side you were on, why do you have to fill Guasave with pictures of "Cholo Ivan"?, where are the ones from "Chapo Isidro"?...".

Cholo Transcripts: Chapo Isidro's house

Two of the transcripts presented was that of conversations between Cholo Ivan and Chapo. In the conversations Chapo orders Cholo not to beat up cops and to protect innocents.  Also, Cholo says he has no money.

When Chapo orders Cholo not to beat up cops, Cholo replies;  "Well, you taught us to be a wolf, acting like a wolf… that is how I like to do it." 

Chapo tells Ivan to tie the cops up instead of fighting with them to "make sure we don't execute innocent people."

"Don't be chasing cops," Chapo tells Ivan.

"They're the ones who help."

Cholo complains that the cops should respect him.

"Listen," Chapo says, "you already beat them up once. They should listen now."

Cholo also mentions Chapo  Isidro and being by his house.  At bottom of this post you can read the transcripts in full.

Mica: In another series of calls from 7/2011, Chapo is talking with a cartel operative named Gato who is reporting on his bribery of a new Federal Ministerial Police commander.

"Is he receiving the monthly payment?" Chapo asks.

"Yes," Gato responds. "He's receiving the monthly payment."

Then, astonishingly, Gato puts the commander on the phone.

Chapo tells the commander that Gato is from "the company" and asks the commander to "take care of him."

"Whatever we can do for you," Chapo says, "you can count on it."

The commander says, "You have a friend here."

Then Chapo is talking with a guy named M10 who was central in the war against Vicente Carrillo Fuentes' breakaway group, La Linea.

It's pretty clear Chapo has enlisted public officials in the war, asking M10 if he's reached out to a "governor." M10 says they're in "daily contact."

IT Guy Nervous break down

I have to say, when everyone was guessing who the CW was who had a breakdown Mica nailed it.  It was Rodriguez.

When the FBI busted Rodriguez in 2011, he said he agreed to cooperate. The government allowed him to keep the half-million he earned working for Chapo, and in addition paid him $480,000 for his expenses and technology services --- which he later neglected to pay taxes on, he admitted Thursday. In 2013, he had a nervous breakdown from the stress of being a double agent and received electroconvulsive therapy, [aka shock therapy] he said. 

Rodriguez, also worked for Colombia’s Cifuentes Villa trafficking family, allies of the Sinaloa Cartel.  Jorge Cifuentes testified in December.

“I gave them access to Chapo Guzman’s server,” Rodriguez said on the stand, “I gave them the usernames and passwords.” He installed a recorder to capture encrypted calls then downloaded to his personal computer the ones Chapo took part in and emailed the files to the FBI.

Rodriguez gave the agency access to Flexispy, through which they could access the GPS location, BlackBerry messages, text messages with Emma, the mistresses and associates, and  call logs.

The greatest blow to Chapo was in messages of the creation of two companies in Ecuador and Germany.  The plan was to export drugs to Europe, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. Chapo wrote this information in messages.

Also he wrote about the purchase of between 630 and 700 tons of cocaine in Belize with a purity higher than 90 percent.

The messages also gave us a peak into the possible collusion Emma had with her husband in the drug trade.  If not directly, then just by knowledge which of course she has always denied.

Mica's summary highlights:

1. Chapo became obsessive with spying and assigned Christian Rodriguez with a new task. Intercept every message being sent from every internet cafe in Culiacan. Rodriguez plan was to accomplish this via USB drive, but anti-virus prevented and he failed. “He wanted to have the possibility of intercepting every single internet cafe in Culiacán,” 

2. Rodriguez gave a detailed description of how he helped the FBI locate Chapo by providing real-time GPS info from his phones. He also automated a system to record all phone calls made by Chapo and his people.  

3.On the chaseHe was with Chapo during an army raid and had to walk in the mountains for 3 days with Chapo  

4. His BreakdownHe said he had a "nervous breakdown" and had to undergo "electroconvulsive therapy," which affected his short-term memory. He's still taking medication and getting therapy but says it hasn't impacted his ability to recall his work for Chapo. 

 5. The Call to Leave He went to the U.S, after he heard Alex Cifuentes tell his mother that he was almost 100% sure that Rodriguez was cooperating with the FBI. 

 The prosecution said they expect to rest their argument, giving the floor over to the defense later this month. Chapo’s team requested a witness in government custody, and that person could be in court as soon as Jan. 23. --end--

Alex Cifuentes took the stand right before court adjourned on Thursday, he will continue his testimony tomorrow. 

Alex Cifuentes: When asked to identify Chapo, he said "It's the first time I've seen him wearing a suit." Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel, laughed at this

Per Cifuentes, there’s no code of silence among narcos once the US gets them. Recalling a convo with his brother.

“He told me that with"The Americans" , I should confess the way that I would confess to God, and that if I were to go to trial he would be the first to testify against me."

Chapo and Cholo Ivan conser... by on Scribd

Chapo and Cholo Ivan Conver... by on Scribd