Corruption in the Mexican Government

This is hardly news to anyone who follows the situation in Mexico but I'm re-posting it here simply for the sake of context with my other contributions to the digital record.

Context

Edgar (La Barbie) Valdez Villarreal

Edgar (La Barbie) Valdez Villarreal (DOB 11 August 1973 - in Laredo, Texas) rose through the ranks of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) and became head of one faction of that cartel after it split following the death of Arturo Beltran Leyva in 2009. La Barbie was a particularly vicious and bloodthirsty narco, specializing in torture and decapitation on video tape. The Mexican Federal Police arrested him near Mexico City on August 30, 2010 and he faces charges in both Mexico and the United States.

On 27 November 2012, Erendira Joselyn Guerra Gutierrez, a lawyer representing Edgar Valdez Villarreal, submitted a letter to Reforma signed by his client. The letter was included in the 28 November edition of the paper and was translated as follows:

Principal Content

First of all, I want to make it clear that I did not agree to become a protected witness. Furthermore, I categorically deny the statements made by the arresting officers regarding the manner in which I was actually arrested. The truth regarding what really happened is as follows:

My arrest was the result of a political persecution carried out by Felipe Calderon Hinojosa. He began harassing me after I refused to participate in an arrangement he was making with multiple organized crime groups. He (President Calderon) conducted a series of meetings with organized crime group operators to discuss the agreement. After this, he (President Calderon) and Juan Camilo Mouriño ordered General Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro to hold meetings with two La Familia Michoacana leaders, Heriberto Lazcano, Miguel Angel Treviño, aka El Z-40, Arturo Beltran Leyva, aka El Barbas, and El Chapo Guzman.

General Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro,
bag man for Presidente Filipe Calderon Hinojosa

Calderon wanted to form a truce with Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, Vicente, Mayo, El Chapo, and myself. I refused to be part of the truce because I did not want to be connected to any other cartel. For this reason, he (Calderon) began pursuing me. He ordered police to raid several of my properties without a legal search warrant during which time they stole cash, jewelry, and vehicles from me.

Genero Garcia Luna

I attest that I paid bribes to the following individuals: 

- Genaro Garcia Luna, Head of the SSP (Secretary of Public Security) since 2002 

- Armando Espinosa de Benito, Regional Chief of Investigation for the Federal Police

- Luis Cardenas Palomino, Regional Chief of Investigation for the Federal Police 

- Edgar Eusebio Millan Gomez, Commissioner of the Federal Protective Police

- Fracisco Javier Garza Palacios, Secretary of Public Security for Colombia

- Igor Labastida Calderon, Commander, Agency for Federal Investigation (PGR)

- Facundo Rosas Rosas, Commissioner of the Federal Police

- Ramon Eduardo Pequeño Garcia, Chief of the Anti Drug Division of the Federal Police

- Gerardo Garay Cadena, Chief of the Federal Protective Police

I know that police were ordered to kill me, not arrest me. My arrest was carried out at the residence reported by media sources (an area known as La Cañada de Alferez in the Salazar village of Lerma, Mexico State). Police stated that no shots were fired during my arrest but that is a lie. The police officer that transported me that day encouraged me to run so that he could shoot me. In that manner, authorities could say that I attacked them and that they had to shoot in self-defense. This is how they killed Aron Arturo Gines Becerril; officers shot him in the back after he fled from them near the Perisu shopping center.

Genaro Garcia Luna still holds his position despite the fact that he has been accused of criminal activity before the American government, during discussions regarding the Merida Initiative, and through statements made by Mateo, a protected witness (Sergio Villarreal).

Federal police do not report seizures during arrests of items including drugs, vehicles, etc. On the contrary, SEDENA and SEMAR personnel are a bit more honest, they carry out arrests and report seizures.

I am guilty of my crimes, but they, the government officials that I mention here, are also part of the organized crime structure in this country. 

Signed, Edgar Valdez Villarreal

Commentary

It's really no secret that President Calderon shook down the cartels for money shortly after his election. The only people who seem to deny the fact is the leadership of the United States Government, who would rather look the other way where heads of state are involved.

It's also no secret that President elect (President as of 5 days ago) Enrique Pena Nieto had similar meetings between his election and his installation as President of Mexico. The United States Government is reluctant to accept even PHOTOS of these meetings because to do so would undermine their diplomatic efforts with the new Mexican President. It's traditional for Mexican Presidents to conduct these high level meetings to arrange for taxes to be paid by the cartels to the government for the personal enrichment of its leadership. Thus the commonly held statement - you enter the Mexican Presidency as a millionaire and leave a billionaire.