Mexican mayor faces trafficking charges in N.Y.

Washington Times ^ | April 3, 2008 | Jerry Seper

[SwinneySwitch]

The newly elected mayor of a Mexican city in the country's southwestern part of the state of Puebla was returned to New York yesterday to face charges of trafficking multikilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States.

Ruben Gil, 41, who was elected in November, is charged with participating in a "far-reaching narcotics trafficking conspiracy" that involved the transportation and delivery of cocaine to co-conspirators in the New York metropolitan area in 2006 and 2007.

"This arrest exemplifies the commitment of global law enforcement to identify and arrest those individuals responsible for trafficking cocaine into New York," said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride, who heads the agency's New York office.

Mr. Gil was arrested in California on March 23 as he tried to fly into Los Angeles. His name was on a watch list because of his suspected drug-trafficking activity.

According to an indictment returned in December in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and statements made during a bail hearing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Mr. Gil and co-defendant Martin N. Garcia arranged for the delivery of 11 kilograms of cocaine to New York in November and more than 22 kilograms of cocaine to New York in June 2006.

In addition, as detailed during the bail hearing, Mr. Gil is responsible for the trafficking and delivery of additional large shipments of cocaine over the course of several years — often hiding the cocaine inside tractor-trailer trucks used by a national moving company controlled by Mr. Gil.

In March 2004, the DEA seized 150 kilograms of cocaine that had been transported by a truck bearing the name "Gil Moving & Storage," which was being driven by Mr. Gil's brother, Eduardo.

If convicted, Mr. Gil faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

[SwinneySwitch]

"Alejandro Armenta Mier, the state leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said Mr. Gil's arrest will not have a political cost for the party because his actions were personal acts and not party related."

[Melinda]

His “arrest will not have a political cost for the party because his actions were personal acts and not party related”.

Quoted from the DNC playbook.

[wideawake]

Once we get past all the whining and crying about how evil all Mexicans are, with corollary whining about the drug war and the obligatory paranoia about the imaginary "North American Union" - hopefully it will be acknowledged that this is pretty incredible.

Mexico is allowing a Mexican elected official to be extradited and most likely imprisoned for life, on evidence that is being partially supplied by Mexican authorities.

This is an excellent gesture by Calderon.

[VeniVidiVici]

I’m missing the part where it says he was extradited.....

[wideawake]

I’m missing the part where it says he was extradited.....

Good point. He was arrested in LA.

I stand corrected.

[SwinneySwitch]

Hope he was allowed to contact the Mexican consulate.