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Suit Filed Against US Gov't over Cartel Murders
KVIA ^ | 10.21.04 | KVIA

Posted on 10/23/2004 1:09:14 PM PDT by FITZ

His body was found in shallow grave in a Juarez backyard. The home was a burial ground for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel. A lawsuit that was filed late Thursday blames the United States Government for the death of El Pasoan Luis Padilla.

This lawsuit was filed just after 4pm Thursday in Federal Court. This suit is filed on behalf of the family of Luis Padilla, a Socorro High School graduate who had a wife and three kids. The suit alleges that the US Customs agents failed to pull out their informant after they heard him commit a murder at a Juarez home on Parsioneros street in August of last year.

The suit alleges that if the US agents had pulled their informant, as Government rules dictate they do, Luis Padilla - who was the very last victim- would still be alive today. In all, a dozen bodies were found bound and gagged in shallow graves. All but Luis Padilla were somehow involved with the drug cartel.

Raul Loya, a Civil Rights Attorney said, "I think this is one of the worst situations of Federal misconduct in United States, in that they allowed Federal Agents essentially to a paid informant to terrorize citizens of Juarez and the Border. They let him kill and work for the cartel unfettered."

Loya tells ABC-7 that Luis Padilla was taken and murdered by the drug cartel not because he was involved with the cartel but because he witnessed a kidnapping in Juarez. He was killed in order to make sure there were no witnesses.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Mexico; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: drugcartels; drugviolence; mexico
I don't get it --- someone who is possibly a Mexican citizen goes to Mexico, gets killed by Mexicans --- Mexican state police were involved in these tortures and killings ---- but the family doesn't sue Mexico --- sues the USA???

The drug lord wars go on whether there are informants or not.

1 posted on 10/23/2004 1:09:14 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: gubamyster; NewRomeTacitus

Interesting lawsuit ping. I guess if a dollar can be squeezed from the American taxpayers, they will find it.


2 posted on 10/23/2004 1:10:42 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ
Unfortunately, there's probably some truth in the charges. The prohabition of drugs and the policies that go with them are self defeating and misguided.

God save our constitution from this drug war.

3 posted on 10/23/2004 1:14:59 PM PDT by zarf (Toilet paper medicated with aloe is the greatest invention since the electric light!!)
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To: zarf

Why wouldn't the lawsuit be against the Mexican government? Certainly they are far far more involved in the drug trafficking --- which goes on whether or not there are double agents involved.


4 posted on 10/23/2004 1:17:16 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ

The Mexican government should not have allowed these thugs to do business in the first instance.


5 posted on 10/23/2004 1:17:21 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: FITZ

Basically, what they are saying is that the cops did not do a good enough job.


6 posted on 10/23/2004 1:18:21 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: zarf

Besides if it wasn't drugs, these same people would be committing other crimes --- the same guys are involved in human trafficking and kidnapping for ransom. It's their greed, their love of easy money that motivates them. They look for criminal ways to get very wealthy.


7 posted on 10/23/2004 1:19:34 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: Brilliant

Our cops can't do much about crime that takes place in Mexico --- we have no jurisdiction --- as far as Mexican police --- they were participants in the crime --- they did the tortures and killings. This was the case with the 12 tortured people who were dug up from someone's patio in Juarez.


8 posted on 10/23/2004 1:21:07 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ
I don't get it --- someone who is possibly a Mexican citizen goes to Mexico, gets killed by Mexicans --- Mexican state police were involved in these tortures and killings ---- but the family doesn't sue Mexico --- sues the USA???

Trial lawyers sue people with money.

9 posted on 10/23/2004 1:21:31 PM PDT by No Longer Free State
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To: Brilliant

The thing is --- this is all about Mexicans --- the victim was from Mexico --- he just attended school in the USA which is very very common. He was back in Mexico for whatever reason and got kidnapped and killed by the Mexican police and other drug cartel members. One was a double agent informant --- which is why certain arrests were made when some drug kingpins tried to cross the border.


10 posted on 10/23/2004 1:24:49 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ
Why wouldn't the lawsuit be against the Mexican government?

It's our demand that creates the problem and our policies that exacerbate them.

11 posted on 10/23/2004 1:39:39 PM PDT by zarf (Toilet paper medicated with aloe is the greatest invention since the electric light!!)
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To: zarf

At least with these criminals it's not just about drug trafficking ---- many are involved in the murders of Mexican women in Ciudad Juarez --- they're just criminals who use the border for many of their crimes. They're involved with all kinds of crime.


12 posted on 10/23/2004 2:28:22 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: FITZ

What I get out of the article is that they're blaming the US because they thought the US agents should have called the game before he was murdered.


13 posted on 10/23/2004 3:05:51 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: zarf

Besides --- the WOD being fought against Americans is one thing --- foreign criminals coming to the USA to commit any kind of crimes is another. There could be an argument made that the USA government shouldn't interfere with your rights to use drugs -- but that doesn't mean the border should stay a free-for-all criminal zone. The Constitution doesn't protect the rights of Mexican criminals to do anything in the USA.


14 posted on 10/23/2004 3:07:13 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: Brilliant

I don't see how that would stop him from being murdered --- it was his decision to be in Juarez --- not many people find much reason to be over there and likely he wasn't in the tourist shops --- his lawyer claims he wasn't involved with the cartels -- but likely he was. Working for drug cartels in any form is very dangerous --- everyone knows that going in. He was murdered because he was somewhere that a kidnapping took place and at the least was murdered for being a witness --- I don't see what this has to do with the double agent informant. It looks to me that his family just has dollar signs in their eyes --- figures they'll hit a goldmine with this lawsuit.

More information on this case --- it's pretty involved --- and some big arrests were made with the informant in question. All the killings were done by Mexicans in Mexico --- our government has no control over that but can arrest them when they come over the border -- and some were.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/8180628.htm?1c

Sources: U.S. informant oversaw killings


15 posted on 10/23/2004 3:16:44 PM PDT by FITZ
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