By Anne Marie Mackler, FNS Editor and Natalia Sámano, FNS Staff Writer

As the anti-drug trafficking network made headlines in September with General Barry McCaffrey's proposal for intensified efforts along the border, the execution of Rafael Muñoz Talavera, and the massacre of Fermín Castro Flores' family, two alleged drug traffickers, also made the front pages, repeatedly alarming the border region.

JUAREZ CARTEL LEADER  ASSASSINATED

Rafael Muñoz Talavera who was said, by both U.S. and Mexican officials, to be one of the major drug traffickers looking to fill in the gaps in the Juárez cartel and who, according to the same officials, planned to be Amado Carillo's successor, was found  shot to death by the state police (PJE) on September 10.

Muñoz' body was found after an anonymous phone call to a local radio station lead police to a Jeep Cherokee parked on the intersection of two main avenues in  Juárez.

Muñoz Talavera, who was believed to be a key player in the Juárez cartel, had been prosecuted on drug trafficking charges twice since 1989. Arrested on his involvement with the  September 29, 1989, Sylmar, California incident involving the confiscation of  21.4 tons of cocaine, the largest amount of drugs to be found in one place in the U.S., Muñoz was released after a judge said there was insufficient evidence against Muñoz.  The second arrest and later conviction of Muñoz Talavera occurred on September 20, 1992. Muñoz was arrested on accusations related to the Sylmar incident and later, after being
found guilty of the charges, was released when a court of appeals ruled he had been prosecuted twice for the same crime.

Muñoz, who adamantly denied his relation with any drug cartels, published a letter on December 9, 1997, addressed to México's President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, Chihuahua's Governor  Francisco Patricio Barrio Terrazas, and both state and federal attorney generals where he denied any involvement in drug trafficking.

Muñoz Talavera also accused a "group of criminals who have the intention of kidnapping members of my family in order to put pressure on me because they believe that I am creating competition in their dirty business."

After Muñoz' letter was published in various daily newspapers across the country, Chihuahua's Governor Barrio revealed that he had received a letter from Muñoz weeks before in which Muñoz had listed  those  "presumed responsible" for the recent crimes and executions plaguing Cd. Juárez.  "He had also sent us letters in which he asked that both the federal and state governments work more diligently in their ongoing investigations involving drug traffickers," commented Barrio.

Muñoz ended the October 9 letter, "I beg that you intervene in this situation as soon as possible, so that the wave of violence, to which I am estranged and causes so much harm to our city, can end."  Muñoz Talavera also pleaded that the situation be addressed as soon as possible, for he said he feared for his life and that of his family.

After Muñoz' body was discovered officials feared the incident would prompt a "blood bath" between rival Mexican drug cartels and ordered increased security as well as putting the military officials on standby in order to call them into Cd. Juárez should it be necessary.  More than 65 people have been killed in Cd. Juárez since Amado Carillo Fuente's death in July 1997, in what is believed to be fighting among drug cartels, however, according to U.S. and Mexican officials, Muñoz Talavera was the first major figure to be murdered.

MASSACRE LEAVES FAMILIES DEAD IN BAJA CALIFORNIA

During the early  morning hours of September 17 at least 19 men, women and children were brutally murdered in what is believed to be a drug-related massacre in the small fishing town of Ensenada, Baja California.

Fermín Castro Flores, 38, his wife and two-year-old son, his brother-in-law, Francisco Flores Altamirano, 30, Flores' 52-year-old mother, his sister, his wife and five children four  through 13 years of age, and seven neighbors, including a pregnant woman were among the victims.  According to police the victims were removed from their homes, lined up against a concrete wall and shot to death by men dressed in black carrying AK-47s.

Fermín Castro, who is believed by Mexican and U.S. officials to be associated with the Arellano-Felíx brothers, survived the attack and remains in a state of coma in an undisclosed location in México.  The massacre occurred in Ensenada, 60 miles south of San Diego at Castro's cattle ranch, "Rancho El Rodeo."

Castro, according to José Luis Chávez García, delegate of the Republic's Attorney General's Office (PGR) did not directly form part of the Arellano-Felíx organization but did, however, direct a small group of drug traffickers and paid "service fines" to the brothers.

Shortly after the massacre, Baja California officials incited a search for the suspects.  Fourteen men have been arrested so far in relation to this case.  Among the suspects are Juan Carlos Moctezuma, 28, José María Bernal, 27, Francisco Javier Villalobos, 20, and José Torres, 38; these men all tested positive when administered the gun powder residue test.

Chavez García said "this has been the worst murder associated with organized crime ever to occur in this country." Among the three survivors are a 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.  State Commander Felipe Perez Cruz said that the children recalled the massacre lasting an eternity, "it was probably 15 or 20 minutes."

The massacre was not only the largest Mexican drug-related murder on record,  but the first in which entire families were killed.  "There is a rule among the cartels - the children are never touched," said one Mexican official with years of experience observing the country's drug operations.

GENERAL McCAFFREY'S PROPOSAL

This type of drug trafficking problem is one of many that brought retired General Barry McCaffrey, Cabinet-level director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy to El Paso on August 25 and 26.  McCaffrey discussed issues concerning the 2,000 mile U.S. Mexican border, its 24 ports of entry and its 39 other sanctioned crossing points.  "Corruption and violence on both sides of the border are really the worst aspects of the (border) problem."

McCaffrey campaigned for a proposal he will be presenting to the White House this fall with hopes of approval by next year.  In his proposal he contends that appointing a coordinator "drug czar"  in the war against drugs, someone who would work the entire southwest region and be stationed in El Paso, would help curb the existing problems.  "I don't think anyone believes we can eliminate drugs in America, but we'd like to see drug abuse go down 50 percent in the next 15 years."

The flow of illegal narcotics from Mexico to the U.S. has been increasing, according to a report in  El Norte on August 25, since NAFTA went into affect in 1994. At lest two federal agencies, the DEA and "Operación Alianza" (which coordinates the activities of 17 anti-drug agencies on federal, state and local levels) have reiterated the fact that "NAFTA has significantly contributed to the easy introduction of narcotics from Mexico to the U.S., especially on board cargo vehicles that are no longer subject to detailed searches as they were before, due to the tri-lateral commercial exchange law."

McCaffrey also noted the increase of drug traffic.  He comments that although resources used by different agencies in the fight against drugs have been improved, large quantities of illegal substances are still passing through.  In fact, 60% of all the cocaine and more than half of the marijuana and meta-amphetamines that are introduced to the U.S. come through the southern border.

And while U.S. border inspectors searched slightly more than a million commercial trucks and railway cars entering the United States from Mexico in 1997, they only found cocaine stashed in cargo compartments on six occasions.  The drug trafficking problem is estimated to cost 16,000 lives and $110 billion in damages in the U.S. each year according to McCaffrey.

Because there are so many agencies along the border (see list below) carrying out similar functions, efforts grow complicated.  For instance, "if more Border Patrol agents are hired, that drives the smuggling back to the ports of entry."  McCaffrey believes that a central coordinator could alleviate these types of problems.  His three-part plan includes 1) Coordination: Agencies must put aside their institutional concerns and work together so the efforts of one agency in one area does not hinder the work of another in another area; 2) Non-intrusive Technology: there must be continued improvement in technology such as x-ray machines; and 3) Better intelligence: "You can't search 82 million cars and trucks and 340,000 rail cars even with technology."

The coordination leg of his plan, the one which McCaffrey was quoted on most often during his August visit, contains four areas of concern.  He wants to 1) Establish a border coordinator's office to create a unified policy among agencies; 2) Appoint coordinators at each of the nation's ports of entry; 3) Assure all agencies of adequate staffing; and 4) Provide the technology that would assist border officers.  This "drug czar" that McCaffrey is proposing would pull together the nearly two dozen agencies and focus on areas to include drug addiction, processing of cargo, stopping illegal immigration and facilitating legal immigration.

Speaking at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, McCaffrey addressed the controversial issue of using military forces to provide additional protection along the border.  He does not support the militarization of the border. "It is not legal constitutionally, nor would it be effective."  McCaffrey added that "Both sides of the border must work together to maintain order and decrease corruption, violence and devastation that is forceful and currently out of control, if we want to prevent the social deterioration of both countries."  However, with the executions that occurred after McCaffrey's visit, Mexican military forces were on standby.

McCAFFREY'S PROPOSAL RECEIVES MIXED RESPONSE

In México, Jorge Madraz Cuellar, Attorney General of the Republic in Juárez, says there has been no decision in México on installing an anti-drug czar. They are awaiting the details of McCaffrey's plan. However, the Mexican government has acquired five x-ray machines with large capabilities for detecting drug cargo which will be installed along the U.S. and Guatemala borders according to El Diario.

Chihuahua Governor Francisco Barrio Terrazas, PAN, who could not attend events during McCaffrey's visit, did agree that "in order to more effectively combat drug trafficking it would be convenient to have top class officials designated by the government to coordinate the fight against the cartels."  He likes the idea of a Mexican official in Juárez and a U.S. official in El Paso monitoring anti-drug trafficking efforts.

In El Paso, the Border Rights Coalition fears the proposal could mean more problems for innocent people on the border "There's a hysteria, a stereo-typing of Hispanics as armed, drug smugglers," said Laura Valdez from El Paso.  "Increased law enforcement activity will lead to more deaths through undocumented immigrants taking more risks by going through desolate areas."

El Paso's Mayor Carlos Ramirez applauds McCaffrey's proposal and is encouraged by the binational efforts to bring Mexico to the table.  Pete Parraz, president of El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, hopes the appointee is someone from El Paso.  "They would understand our relationship with Juárez and our cultures.  That is a key."

Long time El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego fears that adding a coordinator for existing agencies is not the answer. "To me, the simple solution would be to create one big agency to handle it."

In the United States, Representative Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who chairs the U.S. House Immigration Subcommittee, has questions about one drug czar. "The administration should confront drug smugglers with more Border Patrol agents, not an election-year public relations campaign."

According to the NY Times News Service, it was reported on September 21 in the Las Cruces Sun News, that McCaffrey has received a cool response from government institutions such as the Justice and Treasury departments, where a spokesperson said only that McCaffrey's proposal was under review.  Several officials said that the proposal fails to spell out whom a new border drug "czar" would report to and who would control actual operations.

OTHER OFFICIALS

In related stories, two new border drug traffic officials have been recently named. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, on September 16, named New Mexico chief federal prosecutor John Kelly as special representative or "border czar" for the Southwest border.  Kelly will help coordinate federal agencies with overlapping responsibilities along the border from his office in Albuquerque.

Joseph R. Webber, 47, was named special agent in charge of the U.S. Customs Service in El Paso on September 13, according to officials at the agency.  Webber will oversee all Customs Services investigations in west Texas and all of New Mexico.

Sources: El Diario, El Norte de la Ciudad , El Paso Times, Las Cruces Sun News , Reforma