Mexico and the United States blame each other for mistaken identity arrest
The Mexican Navy announced that on Wednesday its special forces had captured Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar AKA El Gordo, the son of Sinaloa drug cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera AKA El Chapo. But according to various Spanish and English language news reports, the captive was not El Chapo’s son El Gordo. Instead he was a hapless used car dealer from Guadalajara caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. How embarrassing – a true Oh Shit moment.
It turns out that the man they thought was El Gordo was really Felix Beltran, an American citizen born in Los Angeles. Beltran had moved to Guadalajara two years ago to go into the used car business. Beltran’s half-brother, Kevin Daniel Rios, was also detained by the Mexican marines.
Here is where the fun comes in. Mexico and the United States are blaming each other for the fuck-up. Mexico claims that the Marines acted upon information furnished them by the DEA. The DEA claims the information came from the Mexicans, not from them. Both sides are running DNA tests on Beltran and Rios.
Borderland Beat’s Chivis Martinez doesn’t buy Mexico’s claims. “Why would the DEA then congratulate Mexico after the arrest? The entire scenario is best described as the Keystone Cops in a pit of revolving ‘truth’ and a landslide of incompetence, on both sides the border.”
It’s gratifying to see how well the U.S. and Mexico are working in concert with each other in the War on Drugs. Did I say concert? Well, you’ve got to expect a sour note every once in a while.
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