DEA Congressional Testimony
Statement by:
Thomas A. Constantine
Administrator
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Department of Justice
Before the:
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Regarding:
International Drug Trafficking Organizations in Mexico
Location:
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Room 419
Washington, D.C.
Date:
August 8, 1995
Note: This document may not reflect changes made in actual
delivery.
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee: I'm pleased to appear before you
today to discuss the growing role of international drug trafficking
organizations operating in Mexico and to tell you what the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) is doing to attack these organizations that are
responsible for smuggling tons of illegal drugs across the U.S./Mexico
border.
Mexico is pivotal to the success of any U.S. drug strategy. Not only do we
share a common border, through which three-fourths of the cocaine enters our
country, but Mexico has long been a major source country for heroin and
marijuana. Within the last few years, it has also become a major source
country for methamphetamine, as well as a transit country for chemicals,
especially ephedrine, used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
My purpose at this hearing today is to talk about the drug trafficking
situation and to highlight our concerns about the increased role of these
international drug gangs operating in Mexico. My comments will be limited to
observations on trafficking organizations and their methods of smuggling, the
law enforcement communities' efforts to work with Mexico, and an assessment
of our chances for success in decreasing the flood of illegal drugs that
enter this country each day and have a devastating impact on the citizens on
both sides of the border.
A Glimpse of the Problem
Mr. Chairman, an important 1989 drug seizure gave us a glimpse of the
magnitude of the problem law enforcement faces and also illustrates just how
important Mexico is to our efforts to control illegal drugs coming into our
country. In late 1989, DEA made America's largest cocaine seizure on record
(over 21.5 tons) in Sylmar, California.
This cocaine came across the border at El Paso and was trucked to the West
Coast. Drug law enforcement was encouraged by such a huge seizure, and we
were convinced that we had seriously wounded the Colombian drug organizations
by preventing such a large amount of illegal drugs from reaching our
streets.
But, we realized our encouragement was premature when we analyzed seized
records. What we found was even more astounding. We learned that during only
a 3-month period, the organization had succeeded in smuggling 55 tons of
cocaine into the U.S. This cocaine had been trucked to Los Angeles and had
already been distributed on our streets.
One of the most disturbing aspects of this case is that ten years ago, we
measured drug seizures in grams and pounds. Today, we routinely measure
seizures in tons-even multitons. In January, for example, in Pasadena, Texas,
a suburb of Houston, we seized 6.5 tons of cocaine. In July, we seized over 5
tons of cocaine in the border town of El Paso. And one of the primary reasons
for these multiton shipments of cocaine is the efficient and
mutually-rewarding relationship that has emerged between the cocaine mafia in
Colombia and the drug trafficking groups operating in Mexico.
In fact, Mr. Chairman, we estimate that the Colombian drug mafia is using
Mexico as a cocaine safe haven to store, at any one time, as much as 70 to
100 tons of cocaine that will eventually be smuggled across the U.S. border
for distribution on American streets. This is enough to provide a line of
cocaine to every man, woman, and child on this planet--and then some. At a
conservative estimate, this cocaine would be worth over $700 million to $1
billion on America's streets.
Role of the International Drug Traffickers
The fact that these traffickers have been able to accommodate the
transportation needs of the Cali cocaine mafia is not something that happened
overnight. Criminal organizations from Mexico have had decades of practice.
Traditionally, the Mexican border economies have been significantly affected
by the smuggling activities into and out of the United States. It was these
organized smuggling organizations that rose to prominence in the late 1960s
and 1970s when marijuana trafficking presented the potential for huge
profits.
During the early 1980's, most of the Colombian cocaine entered the United
States through South Florida by way of the Caribbean. But, traffickers were
forced to find new routes when U.S. drug agencies increased enforcement
action in the Caribbean and South Florida. The Colombian drug lords naturally
turned to the trafficking groups in Mexico which had what they were looking
for: proximity to the United States, a 2,000 mile expanse of border offering
unlimited smuggling possibilities, and an already established drug
trafficking infrastructure that stood ready to serve their needs.
The drug trafficking organizations easily adapted their operations to include
cocaine trafficking, and by the mid-80's, were well-established and reliable
transporters of Colombian cocaine. Delegating cocaine transportation to the
traffickers in Mexico was a tactical decision on the part of the Cali mafia.
With the transportation assistance of these traffickers, the cocaine barons
could now move larger bulk quantities through Mexico which would have been
logistically impossible to move by any other means. By turning the riskiest
part of the cocaine distribution cycle (the transportation) over to these
traffickers, the Cali mafia could turn its attention to other aspects of
their cocaine enterprise. This drug trafficking partnership has become one of
both convenience and profit.
One of the first traffickers to move cocaine through Mexico and to the U.S.
was Juan Ramon Matta-Ballesteros, a Honduran, who, from the mid-'70s to the
mid-'80s, was actively involved with the Mexican Guadalajara Cartel. This was
the group responsible for the kidnapping torture and murder of DEA Special
Agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena in 1985. The death of Agent Camarena outraged
the American public. Matta-Ballesteros has been convicted in three separate
U.S. cases and is serving a term of life imprisonment.
Emerging Traffickers Coming into their Own
Today, there is no question that drug traffickers operating in Mexico have
become major players in the international drug trade. These veteran
traffickers have been good students and have learned valuable lessons from
the drug experts--the Cali mafia. They have seen the benefit (and profits) of
working together in a partnership to provide a needed transportation service
to the cocaine organizations in Colombia. Receiving payment in both cash and
cocaine, they have begun to establish their own cocaine distribution networks
and territories, stretching from the Southwest border areas as far as New
York. In effect, the Cali mafia has been a willing partner in helping these
organizations create distribution and sales networks in the U.S.
Like the Cali mafia, these trafficking organizations have demonstrated their
flexibility to change trafficking routes when law enforcement action along
any one route becomes too risky to their business. These drug groups have
also followed the lead of their predecessors by expanding and diversifying
their product line. Sophisticated trafficking organizations based in Mexico
now manufacture methamphetamine and smuggle the precursor chemicals necessary
for its manufacture. And, perhaps most important, as they have expanded their
role in the drug trade, they have made valuable worldwide contacts, which
will be necessary as they continue to establish themselves as important
players in the world of illegal drugs.
There are a number of trafficking groups in Mexico that have gained a firm
foothold in the trafficking of drugs, but I'd like to take a moment to
describe the four major drug trafficking organizations that work closely with
the Cali mafia:
Tijuana Cartel
The organization sometimes referred to the "Tijuana Cartel," is headed by
Benjamin Arellano-Felix and his brother Francisco. They control most of the
drugs crossing the border on the West Coast between Tijuana and Mexicali.
Feuding between this group and other organizations has become increasingly
violent. In fact, it was the feuding between the Arrellano-Felix organization
and rival drug dealers that led to the killing of Catholic Cardinal Juan
Jesus Posadas-Ocampo at the Guadalajara airport in 1993
The Arellano-Felix brothers are currently the subjects of a nationwide
manhunt by law enforcement authorities for their involvement in the
Cardinal's killing. On June 23, Mexican authorities arrested Hector Luis
Palma-Salazar, the leader of a rival drug organization that is believed to be
behind the attempted assassinations of the Arellano-Felix brothers, as well
as the murder of Cardinal Posadas-Ocampo. Benjamin and Francisco
Arellano-Felix have both been indicted in San Diego, California, and are DEA
fugitives.
The Caro-Ouintero Organization
The Caro-Quintero organization is involved in the cultivation, processing,
smuggling and distribution of heroin and marijuana and the transportation of
Colombian cocaine into the U.S. This organization was previously led by
Rafael Caro-Quintero, known as the "Mexican Rhinestone Cowboy," who began his
criminal career at the young age of 12 or 13 as an apprentice to Pedro
Aviles, a notorious Mexican drug trafficker.
Caro-Quintero is currently in a Mexican maximum security prison for his
involvement in the kidnaping, torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique
Camarena, as well as for marijuana and cocaine trafficking. His brother,
Miguel Caro-Quintero, now runs the organization, and is under indictment in
Tucson and Denver.
Juarez: Cartel
One of the most notorious and powerful of these trafficking organizations is
the Amado Carrillo-Fuentes organization, sometimes referred to as the "Juarez
Cartel." Carrillo-Fuentes has been the chief transporter for the recently
arrested Cali mafia leader Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela.
Carrillo-Fuentes owns several airline companies, which enables him to fly
727s from Colombia into Juarez, where he runs his organization from his ranch
headquarters. Increasingly, murders in Juarez have been associated with
Carrillo-Fuentes. In July, the leader of the juvenile gangs he recruits to
smuggle drugs across the border was found shot 23 times in the head. Here in
the United States, Carrillo-Fuentes has been indicted in Miami on heroin and
marijuana charges, and in Dallas on cocaine charges.
Juan Garcia-Abrego
Another influential Mexican trafficker acting in concert with the Cali mafia
is Juan Garcia-Abrego, who is involved in smuggling drugs from the Yucatan
area in Mexico to South Texas and up to New York. Juan Garcia-Abrego was
recently added to the FBI's top ten most wanted fugitives, with a $2 million
reward for his capture. This is the first time an international drug
trafficker has been included on the FBI list.
This organization transports large quantities of cocaine for the Cali mafia,
as well as marijuana and heroin for other traffickers. Garcia-Abrego
pioneered deals in which Mexican traffickers take payment in cocaine, which
substantially raised their profits, and at the same time diversified their
involvement from beyond smuggling to the role of suppliers to their own drug
distribution networks. He and his organization are notorious for the violence
they employ to further and protect their illicit trade.
He also ships bulk amounts of cash for the Cali mafia. During a four-year
period, from 1989 to 1993, $53 million was seized in connection with the
Garcia-Abrego organization. Two American Express bankers in Brownsville,
Texas, were indicted for laundering $30 million for Garcia-Abrego, and to
date, 70 members of his organization have been prosecuted and convicted in
the U.S. Juan Garcia-Abrego has been indicted in Houston and remains a
fugitive.
Expanding Influence: Cocaine and Methamphetamine
DEA is very concerned about the expanding role of drug organizations based in
Mexico which are playing an increasingly larger role in the shipment and
distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States.
Cocaine
In the last few years, we've seen international trafficking organizations
make major changes in their efficiency in transporting bulk shipments of
cocaine to transporting organizations in Mexico. Traditionally trafficking
organizations used twin-engine general aviation aircraft to transport cocaine
from Colombia to transhipment locations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Today,
however, the Cali mafia has bought passenger jets (like 727's) gutted them,
and are using them to transport multiton loads of cocaine to the trafficking
organizations in Mexico. In March of this year, for example, a Caravelle jet
aircraft was seized in the Mexican State of Sonora, after being abandoned by
traffickers when its tires became stuck in the dirt runway. Mexican
Government forces later seized 2.8 tons of cocaine that are believed to have
been off-loaded from that Caravelle.
Law enforcement has also uncovered two tunnels built to move cocaine from
Mexico into the United States. The first was discovered in Arizona in 1990.
The second nearly-completed tunnel was discovered in 1993 near the Tijuana
Airport and led to an unfinished warehouse in the United States.
Methamphetamine
U.S. law enforcement is also concerned about the growing role of trafficking
gangs operating in Mexico involved in the methamphetamine trade. We directly
attribute the increased amounts of methamphetamine available in the U.S. to
these trafficking organizations which have replaced domestic outlaw
motorcycle gangs as the predominant methamphetamine producers, traffickers,
and distributors.
Unfortunately, DEA is very much aware of the problem of these methamphetamine
gangs operating in the U.S. Last summer, DEA Special Agent Richard Fass was
shot and killed in Tucson by a methamphetamine trafficker during an
undercover operation. The ring leader of the gang responsible for Agent Fass'
death has still not been apprehended and is believed to be in Mexico. The DEA
is currently working with both the FBI and Mexican authorities to apprehend
him.
In the last three years, these trafficking organizations have virtually
saturated the western United States market with high-purity methamphetamine,
known also as "speed" or"crank." In some areas of California, it has now
reportedly replaced cocaine as the drug of choice. With a saturated West
Coast market, these traffickers have begun to expand their markets to the
East Coast and in the South. DEA's southern offices report a growing presence
of these trafficking groups providing methamphetamine to domestic trafficking
organizations in rural and suburban areas of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky,
and the Carolinas.
As supplies have increased, prices have fallen, making it a cheap alternative
to cocaine. Some have called it the "poor man's cocaine." In 1991, for
example, the lowest pound price nationwide was $6,000. Today, in California,
methamphetamine sells for between $2,500 and $3,600 per pound.
With increased availability, methamphamine use has increased. According to
the Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of emergency room episodes
involving methamphetamine has increased steadily since 1991, particularly in
the West. From 1991 to 1993, episodes more than doubled in both Los Angeles
and Phoenix.
The dominance of Mexico-based, poly-drug organizations in methamphetamine
trafficking is further evidence of their growing sophistication. The
smuggling skills developed while transporting cocaine for the Cali mafia has
enabled these organizations to branch out into moving other contraband, such
as precursor chemicals, especially ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, used in the
manufacture of methamphetamine .
They have established international connections in Europe, Asia and the Far
East to obtain the shipment of tons of precursor chemicals, particularly
ephedrine, to addresses in both United States and Mexico. During 1993 and
1994, the majority of ephedrine shipments destined for Mexico were supplied
by such diverse countries as China, India, the Czech Republic, and
Switzerland. From mid-1993 to early 1995, DEA documented the diversion of
almost 170 tons of ephedrine used in illicit methamphetamine production. It's
important to note, however, that DEA has obtained cooperation from many of
these countries to stem the flow of chemicals going to Mexico.
It's difficult to predict where this newest surge of methamphetamine use and
trafficking will lead, but we must not assume that it has peaked. Unlike
other drugs, methamphetamine is one that these criminal organizations can
control entirely from beginning to end. They have the international contacts
to obtain the necessary precursor chemicals to make the drug. They have the
clandestine labs to process the chemicals into methamphetamine on both sides
of the border. They have expanded their distribution networks across the
nation by the use and intimidation of illegal aliens. And, unlike their
previous role as middle-men moving cocaine and heroin, they can keep 100
percent of the profits from their methamphetamine sales.
U. S. law enforcement may be in for a difficult and violent few years as we
work to get the methamphetamine problem under control. We've already seen
"meth" smuggling gangs face off against each other. Recently, in San Diego, a
confrontation between meth smuggling groups with ties to Mexico resulted in
26 homicides. There may be more bloodshed on our streets, as these drug gangs
fight to protect (and expand) their drug turf.
DEA's Response
In response to the threats of the Mexico-based trafficking organizations and
their surrogate drug gangs operating here in the United States, DEA has taken
a number of steps to work with our law enforcement partners in Mexico, as
well as with our Federal, state, and local colleagues here at home.
DEA has joined forces with the FBI in a Southwest Border Initiative that
targets the major Mexican trafficking organizations for enforcement actions.
Combined teams of state, local and federal law enforcement led by DEA and FBI
Special Agents are working together with a common goal of disrupting these
gangs and bringing their leaders to justice.
For the first time, the DEA, the FBI, the Department of Justice Criminal
Division, and respective U.S. Attorneys in every state along the Southwest
Border are coordinating both intelligence and manpower resources against a
common enemy--the poly-drug trafficking organizations that are transporting
increased amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine across
our borders. Both the DEA and the FBI hold high expectations for the success
for this operation.
Three new binational Border Task Forces have been established and will focus
on the four principal trafficking organizations. Senior personnel of the DEA,
FBI, and DOJ Criminal Division serve on a U.S./Mexican Plenary Group, working
to enhance our cooperation against narcotics, money laundering, arms
smuggling, and other crimes.
Mr. Chairman, in this open forum I cannot explain the specifics of how this
new initiative will work, but I would be happy to discuss this in more detail
in a closed session or a private briefing.
Our support for Mexico's drug fighting efforts is critical to their
success--and ultimately to our own. Attorney General Reno and Mexican
Attorney General Antonio Lozano-Gracia have pledged to work cooperatively to
address the problems. Hopefully, a close and coordinated law enforcement
response by our two countries will have an impact on this growing
problem.
Future Threats: An Assessment
There is no question that the international drug trafficking organizations
operating in Colombia and Mexico have had a direct impact on the multiton
quantities of cocaine law enforcement is forced to deal with today. These
organizations have proven to be a serious threat to both the United States
and Mexico.
In recent years, as the political and economic ties between the United States
and Mexico have strengthened, a new generation of international traffickers
have been able to carve out an ever larger share of the world's drug trade
and pose a growing threat on both sides of the border. We've seen these
trafficking organizations grow from low-level smuggling groups to
sophisticated organizations that smuggle more and more drugs of every
kind--cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and now methamphetamine--into the U.S. They
are increasingly being paid for their transportation expertise with cocaine,
a move that could prove to be the undoing of the Cali mafia and could shift
the balance of power within the worldwide cocaine trade.
Mr. Chairman, in a few years down the road, I believe it's entirely possible
that these newly emerging groups could rise to an equal (or superior) footing
with the Cali mafia. If this happens, life as we know it in both the United
States and Mexico will change dramatically. They care little for the
devasting impact they have on the people of Mexico and the United States.
They are international criminal elements that must be dealt with.
The President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, has publically stated to the
American media that drug trafficking is a threat to Mexican national
security, not only because of the crime that is inherent in such activity,
but also because of the growing wealth that enables traffickers to corrupt
police and government institutions.
As these organizations grow in wealth and sophistication, they threaten to
overwhelm the capabilities of any law enforcement system, including Mexico.
By comparison, we have a professional law enforcement system in the United
States, at the Federal, state and local level, that promotes and encourages
high standards in recruitment, training, internal inspections, standards of
operations and accountability to electecl officials.
We have a criminal justice system that is quick to respond to charges of
unethical or corrupt actions on the part of law enforcement. It has helped to
professionalize our law enforcement agencies and insure a continuing quest
for ethics and integrity. Despite our best efforts, unethical or illegal
activities do occasionally occur within the ranks of our law enforcement
agencies, requiring swift and decisive government action to preserve the
public's faith and trust.
As a society, we provide modern and sophisticated resources to our law
enforcement agencies to combat the criminal elements confronting them. The
law enforcement institutions in Mexico do not presently have an
infrastructure similar to those in the U.S. The development of such
institutions will require a substantial commitment of time and resources to
achieve the necessary level of professionalism. The potential exists that if
this is not done, they may be overwhelmed by the wealth and influence of the
drug organizations.
We are not alone in recognizing this problem. Attorney General Lozano has
moved to have special police units report directly to him. He has announced a
plan to include reviews of all Federal police officers and prosecutors, with
mandatory drug testing, to combat internal corruption. I cite this only to
illustrate that the Mexican government itself recognizes this is a
problem.
It is imperative that we work with our partners in Mexico to blunt the
influence these drug traffickers are having in both our countries. It is also
imperative that our own Federal, state, and local law enforcement continue to
work cooperatively together to make the best use of our resources, as well as
to increase our impact on these trafficking organizations. Surely, when we
speak of tons of drugs coming across our borders and causing tremendous
damage to the health and well-being of our citizens, we are talking of a
national security threat that demands our immediate and continuous
attention.
DEA is hopeful that future counterdrug efforts with Mexico will be
successful. In the past year, Mexico has instituted new programs that include
attempts to professionalize its law enforcement institutions and increase
cross-border cooperation to address the threat of the international
traffickers. The direct and cooperative communication between Attorney
General Reno and Attorney General Lozano should be of great help in securing
a coordination of our resources to address a common problem. The threat is
serious--and it is real.
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