“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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The Kidnapping of Garcia Luna
He was then released. Arturo kept bribing him with $1 million monthly payments.
Arturo Recorded Meetings with Mexican Officials
The cross-examination of “El Grande” ended with him revealing that Arturo Beltrán Leyva often made recordings of his meetings with corrupt officials, including “some” with García Luna. But the US government doesn’t have these tapes. “That’s what Arturo said, I know there were tapes but I never had them in my possession…I never stored them myself.”
He also testified about the various arsenal that the cartel had in their possession. There were AK-47s (some gold-plated), AR-15s, and grenade launchers. Some weapons were marked “Property of the US Government.” They also had bazookas or “some sort of missiles, but these were Russian-made or came from other countries.” Among other supplies that the Sinaloa Cartel would have acquired thanks to García Luna were surveillance cameras, phone call inhibitors, and wiretapping equipment.
Record 20 Ton Cocaine Seizure was Faked
“El Grande” referred to a setup in which the authorities had allegedly intercepted 20 [26] tons of cocaine in the Port of Manzanillo and which belonged to Arturo Beltrán Leyva. However, the cocaine was a mixture of sugar, flour, acetone, ether, and anise to make it shine. Police and marines discovered the drugs in 2007 in a cargo container aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ship Esmeralda, which sailed from Buenaventura, Colombia. Initially, they stated that 12 tons were discovered, but an additional 14 were found a total of 26 tons of “cocaine.”
Cocaine was found in more than 21,000 packages and authorities were still searching for more drugs.
Mexico’s government called it the largest drug seizure in the country’s history. Now, we know that it was either completely faked or inflated numbers due to the fake cocaine.
Truce Between Los Zetas & Sinaloa Didn’t Include “El Chapo”
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Tirso Martinez’ Testimony a “Waste of Time”
The next cooperating witness against Genaro García Luna is Tirso Martinez Sanchez “El Futbolista.” Tirso was also a witness against El Chapo, testifying about a cocaine route to the US that used railroad train cars. He claims that he smuggled 50-60 tons worth up to $1 billion. Tirso spoke for almost an hour and a half about how he moved cocaine on trains from Mexico City to Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, but everything would have happened between 1997 and 2001, that is, in a period unrelated to that of García Luna.
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The prosecution told the judge that in the early 2000s Tirso’s boss offered to introduce him to García Luna as someone friendly with the cartel, but it is unclear whether that meeting ever actually happened.
Tirso was nicknamed “El Futbolista.” as he owned several soccer teams in Mexico. They included:
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| Tirso testified in “El Chapo’s” trial but is being restricted in his testimony here. |
Sources Keegan Hamilton, Proceso, La Silla Rota, Proceso, Deseret