Arizona National Guard Soldier Extradited to US for Drug Trafficking

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

The Attorney General's Office (FGR) extradited to the United States government a member of the Arizona National Guard, Adalberto Valenzuela wanted for trafficking 40 kilograms of cocaine in his official vehicle.

In compliance with the Extradition Treaty signed between Mexico and the US, the FGR reported that the element, of Mexican and US nationality, is required by the Federal District Court for the District of Arizona. According to the agency itself, in 2002, the cash, identified as Adalberto Valenzuela, agreed to traffic cocaine for a drug trafficking organization, whose name was not revealed, from Nogales, Sonora, to Tucson, Arizona.

The authorities presume that Valenzuela, who at that time was serving in the Arizona National Guard, made two trips to deliver 40 kilos of cocaine; an operation for which he received USD $7,000 in exchange. He supposedly made his trips carrying his official vehicle and uniform so as not to raise suspicions. The operation that discovered how this criminal network operated, and Valenzuela's involvement in drug trafficking, was called Lively Green.

The United States Department of Justice reported in 2011 that the element of the Arizona National Guard carried out this type of operation from the period ending January 2002 to March 2004; a period of just over two years. The operation that discovered the way in which said criminal network operated, and Valenzuela's involvement in drug trafficking, was called Lively Green and was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ).

In exchange for large payments from the criminal organization, Valenzuela used his official position as a corporal in the National Guard to help, protect and participate in the activities of the organization and its operations in the transport and distribution of cocaine through Arizona and other US states.

The Mexican government granted the extradition of the requested person to the US government, after Adalberto Valenzuela was located in Mexico City on December 10, 2021, and detained for extradition purposes. An arrest warrant was issued for him in 2006, but he was declared a fugitive from justice. Valenzuela was handed over at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), to designated US agents for his transfer to that country.

The 10-count indictment returned in 2011 in U.S. District Court in Arizona charges Adalberto Valenzuela, 31, of Tucson, Ariz., with two counts of conspiracy, two counts of bribery, two counts of bribery involving programs receiving federal funds, two counts of Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charges arise from Operation Lively Green, an undercover FBI investigation that began in December 2001.

According to the indictment, Valenzuela was a corporal in the Arizona Army National Guard at the time he participated in the conspiracy. Valenzuela allegedly conspired to enrich himself by obtaining cash bribes from individuals he believed to be illegal narcotics traffickers, but who were actually FBI agents. The indictment alleges that in return for the bribes, Valenzuela used his official position as a corporal in the Arizona Army National Guard to assist, protect and participate in the activities of an illegal narcotics trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing cocaine within Arizona and from Arizona to other locations in the southwestern United States. In order to protect the shipments of cocaine, Valenzuela allegedly wore official uniforms and carried official forms of identification, used official vehicles, and used his official authority where necessary to prevent police stops, searches and seizures of the narcotics.

In 2006, an arrest warrant was issued for Valenzuela. Repeated attempts to locate and contact him have been unsuccessful. Valenzuela is now considered a fugitive and anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to contact their local FBI office.

If convicted on the conspiracy charges, Valenzuela faces a maximum of five years in prison. The bribery and Hobbs Act charges each carry maximum prison sentences of 20 years. The federal program bribery charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as do each of the drug conspiracy and possession charges. Valenzuela also faces a maximum $250,000 fine for each charged count.

As of 2011, 57 additional defendants have been convicted and sentenced on related charges as part of Operation Lively Green. An additional 14 defendants have pleaded guilty in the Western District of Oklahoma in a related investigation known as Operation Tarnish Star.

Source Infobae, DOJ