CIA ZEROS IN ON MEXICO CORRUPTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01390R000100090015-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 7, 2012
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: November 21, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

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The CIA has been conducting a
wiretap operation In Mexico that has
corroborated allegations of corrup-
tion among isw enforcement and po-
iltical officials In that country, the
.San Diego Unldh has learned.
The CIA's cooperation in drug In..
vesti;ations is a recent departure
from its traditional role of intelli-
gence-gathering, sources say, and re..
suited from pressures generated by
the kidnap-torture slaying of Drug
CIA zeros lion
Stott tintere
Mexico! 'i
. If Wiretaps called c gifirmation:ot'e
of dishonesty in police,telecti i off his
By Jon Standefer . ? - ? calieil to'Vfr' she ton D `
,
and J. Stryker Meyer to dibcusa the PC* Aft the l f aidid..
Ces sa
tigations. added, in th ase of Mexico -
sations as evidence in any. court ' :fie in a rdance with that
ti. C 'i , , *
als that arise from the current i untry's laW Kev~ri .?3ource
Nunez would Il t commnmimt- on hie -.
trip, but other "Pure the sl
agency Is no logger P;O t og info
matron to the DEA.
,
The extent oI the^ ,cetep opera-
tion could not be, ?oollflttiied.: Al,.
though one source lh the Intelligence
comp unity Old 3t involved taps on
the felepbond:?otseveral high gov-
ernment officialA, othdt~a the. iA:
formatiop,pa33ad to the came
tro d a tap ont~tpe Mexico City'?te!e.
phone of a L~.P. citizen in cone dt
with numerous police officials, stag'
Enrique Camarera Salazar last year. offials and dttit.traffickers.
in Guadalajara. "If the CIAf1g ioing more, they're
Police differences recently sur? not telling D"." said a Justice De
faced between the CIA. which begin, partment offtojal who would not
passing information relating to drug-' spoak for attril~ldion.
related corruption to the DEA, and A spokesman'for the CIA yestor-
Department of Justice lawyers..wtlo day had no continent.
are planning future prosecutions. , Tl e?wiretap.pf',the American cite-
The CIA passed along the incriaii? zen raises a lea! question.
ndting conversations for "Intelll- For wiretap -evidence gathered in
gence purposes only," said one a foreign juri!diption. to bbq~ used in a
source, while the Justice De artmeht U,. court,. e! "d6stite Department
p so said, the wiretap generally
wants to use the wiretapped cpnver- ~
Enforcement Administration agent
without the knowledge of `thei.MdXib . ~ A 4'to. be in league
can government,.t sources said be- with Ak Zd8eeDr ato apply for
cause of fear that the operation a leeal wiretad might be tantamount
'wbWd be&endangered. to al~rting!thq. pects?
U.S. Attorney Peter K. Nunez was OD~
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M4. .
The source said there was no dis-
putt between the CIA and Justice
f epartmenl but merely discussion
about how far the CIA would be will-
ing to go publicly. including porsrble
disclosure of methods of operauors.
to authenticate the wiretaps. The
Justice Department needs to krww
that information before any prosccu-
tlon is undertaken. the source said.
Another source said the wr."-
tapped conversations gathered in
Mexico are notable fcr their candor.
-71iere's no pretense, no subtlety."
said the source. 'They just say.
'Bring 20 kilos of s-- (heroin) here by
tomorrow or I'll have your b---s cut
off.' No cute talk like in the U.S.-
where people might say. 'How many
oranges do you want?'"
The cooperation of the CIA in a
drug investigation has been a rarity
until recently.
Many DEA field agents and super-
visors who have worked in foreign
countries relate stories about past
cases where a drug trafficker has
been targeted. only to have the CIA
intervene and disaoiwage the investi-
gation on grounds that the trafficker
was working for the spy agency.
That was pcssatble because law en-
forcement agencies working in a for-
eign country must report the names
of their foreign infornucts to the
CIA station chief at the countrys
U.S. embassy.
This massive investigative effort
was undertaken after the kidnapping
and torture-slaying of DEA agent
Caruarena. who was seized on a Goa-
dalajars street on Feb. 7.19e5.
Operation Levenda" is the name
of the year-and-a-half investigation
into the Camarena murder. "Levea-
da" is Spanish slang for -lawman." a
nickname by which the lung-to
Canrarena was known to his col-
leagues The investigation included
presenting evidence before a federal
grand jury in Washington. D.C. last
year. The probe recently shifted to a
federal grand jury in San Diego and
is headed by two special prosecutors
from Department of Justice head-
goartxrs.
Sources say U.S. investigators in
Mexico reached and otherwise devel-
oped so many contacts that they did
not keep the CIA fully informed of
their ac?tivitir
!user tugh?level discuses:ores, the
sources say. the DF_k agreed to rn:ile
the CIA aware of their irJ n mants
and the spy agency. to turn. agreed to
provide to the DEA information it
developed pertaining to the Camare-
oa killing or to drug-related corrup-
tion in Mexico.
The interagency cooperation
comes nearly five yearn after Presi-
dent Reagan signed Executive Order
1233.3 on Dec. 4. 191l. authonziag the
CIA to "collect produce and dissemi-
nate intelligence on foreign aspects
of narcotics production and traffih-
ing.
But the order irclu:les clear bmi-
tations on what the CIA can do when
its surveillance involves a U.S. citi-
zen in a foreign country.
It requires the CIA to use the
least intrusive collection techniques
feasible" and expressly prohibit, the
use of such techniques as -clectromc
surveillance. ucconsenied physical
search or nioaitoring devices unless
they are... approved by the attorney
general.-
The order states that such approv.
al is not to be granted "unless the
attorney general has determined in
each case that there is probable
raise to believe the (surveillance;
te0nique is directed a;taittst a for-
eign power or an agent of a foreign
Power." '
A Justice Department spokesman
yesterday refused comment on this.
CIA spokesman George Lauder
yesterday said the agenuv has a
standing policy against &4-Using its,
operations and. therefore, would not
comment publicly on the wiretap
allegations.
But a senior intelligence official
said the U.S. intellgence a nmucity.
including the CIA. collects informa.
tion on narcotics and passes it on to
other government branches. includ-
ing the DEA.
The official, who spoke on the con-
dition that be not be identified. said:
"Narcotics in Mexico is not (the
CIA's) cupcake. Other organs of the
United States government are deeply
eamesbed in it"
The State Department and DEA
lead the L.S. anti-drug effort in Mex-
ico, including the gather.ag of oar-
c?ctres-related intelLeente. the offi-
clal said. acding that the CU's role is
to provide ear otits oiorrnation that
otter ag?1ncles cannot get_
TLe cf(tciat ce.-Ile J to jaN
w'tctbi r that io?l;i,:e, :r,inr:rruc-
teem Mirrt.pc. rhttr:.r.,c :nterc:pt.~
or other r= of sj:-vciliaace
An adf',izistrat:,:c CfII::Jt (arIUll2!
with US uapllir;ence 3cavitivs in
Mexico said ycscerea.. " 1'uu bet
the C:A: cellcc'_ iafo-rnation in
narcotics (there and :r. other nations:
It's one of the ages v s rn :r.4es
The adirriistrat:on official al::4) d-.-
dined to be identifiel
White House spukeirnan Don
Mathis S 3A he is atsniutely certain
there is at exchange of drug-related
infortnauon between the Stair De-
partmert. the National Secor.ty
Council and the DE.. Eat be had no
comment on any CLI role.
DEA Administrator John LAwn
was in Palermo. Sicily. yesterday
and could not be reached for com-
ment. DEA Public Attain spokes-
man William Alden said the agency
would make no comment
Contributing to this story were
Copier News Se** a Washington
correspondents Benjamin Shore and
Marcus Stern.
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UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
19 November 1986
SAN DIEGO
A CIA spokesman Wednesday denied a published report claiming the
intelligence agency listened in on the conversations of several high-ranking
Mexican officials in order to find evidence of corruption.
The San Diego Union reported Wednesday that the CIA listened to the calls
of Mexican officials without their knowledge in order to find evidence of
corruption involving drug dealers.
Information collected was turned over to the Justice Department and Drug
Enforcement Administration for use as they saw fit, The Union said.
in a statement issued in Washington, CIA spokesman George Lauder said the
newspaper's story was false and misleading.
''The CIA doesn't normally comment on stories concerning alleged CIA
activities,'' the statement said. ''We are making an exception in this case
because The San Diego Union's story is false and misleads the American public.
''The suggestion that the CIA has been targeting Mexican officials in
connection with narcotics trafficking is false.''
The newspaper said one source believed the wiretaps were on the phones of the
high-ranking Mexican officials. Another source said the taps were on the phone
of a U.S. citizen who lived in Mexico City and that the government officials
were heard talking on the lines. The unidentified American had contacts with
drug traffickers and government officials.
The Union said it was not known if the operation was continuing.
An anonymous source quoted by The Union said some of the taped conversations
were quite candid.
''There is no pretense, no subtlety,'' the source said. ''They just say,
'Bring 20 kilos here by tomorrow . . .' No cute talk like in the United States
where people might say, 'How many oranges do you want?'''
The investigation grew out of a probe into the murder of DEA Agent Enrique
Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico, last year. There were allegations that Mexican
law enforcement and government officials were cooperating with the drug
traffickers who allegedly tortured Camarena to death.
The unidentified sources told The Union that the DEA agreed to give the CIA
a list of its informants in exchange for whatever drug-related information the
agency came up with in foreign countries.
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UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
19 November 1986
DATELINE: SAN DIEGO
The CIA listened in on the telephones of several high-ranking Mexican
officials in order to find evidence of corruption, The San Diego Union reported
Wednesday.
The newspaper said the intelligence agency listened to the calls of Mexican
officials without their knowledge in order to find evidence of corruption
involving drug dealers.
Information collected was turned over to the Justice Department and Drug
Enforcement Administration for use as they saw fit, The Union said.
The newspaper said one source believed the wiretaps were on the phones of the
high-ranking Mexican officials. Another source said the taps were on the phone
of a U. S. citizen who lived In Mexico City and that the government officials
were heard talking on these lines. The unidentified American had contacts with
drug traffickers and government officials.
The CIA and Justice Department had no comment on the matter and The Union
said it was not known if the operation was continuing.
An anonymous source quoted by The Union said some of the taped conversations
were quite candid.
''There is no pretense, no subtlety,'' the source said. ''They just say,
'Bring 20 kilos here by tomorrow . . .' No cute talk like in the United States
where people might say, 'How many oranges do you want?'''
The investigation grew out of a probe into the murder of DEA Agent Enrique
Camarena in Guadalajara last year. There were allegations that Mexican law
enforcement and government officials were cooperating with the drug traffickers
who allegedly tortured Camarena to death.
The unidentified sources told The Union that the DEA agreed to give the CIA
a list of its Informants in exchange for whatever drug-related information the
agency came up with in foreign countries.
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Story on Mexico wiretaps
prompts denial by CIA
By Michael Hedges
THE WASHMIGTON TIMES
A report in a San Diego newspa-
per that the CIA tapped the phones
of Mexican police and government
officials to gain information in the
slaying of a U.S. drug enforcement
agent has provoked an unusual of-
ficial denial from the CIA.
"The CIA doesn't normally com-
ment on stories alleging CIA activi-
ties. We are making an exception
because the San Diego Union story'
is untrue, and misleads the Amer-
ican people;' the CIA said in a
statement late yesterday.
The story published yesterday
quoted unidentified "intelligence
sources" as saying taps were placed
on the phones of high-ranking Mexi-
can officials and that the informa-
tion gained confirmed charges of
corruption among Mexican officials.
The newspaper said the operation
was conducted without the know-
ledge of the Mexican government
because of fears that would endan-
ger the probe into the kidnapping
and torture-murder of Drug En-
forcement Administration agent En-
rique Camarena Salazar, whose
body was found in March 1985 out-
side Guadalajara, Mexico.
"The suggestion that the CIA has
been targeting Mexican officials in
connection with narcotic trafficking
is false;' the CIA statement said.
State Department officials also
denied the report, saying, "Any sug-
gestion that we are targeting Mexi-
can officials is untrue"
The Mexican Embassy in Wash-
ington said it was considering a
response, but had not released a
statement at press time yesterday.
The office of Karin Winner,
managing editor of The San Diego
Union, was contacted yesterday, but
she did not return calls by early eve-
ning.
President Reagan signed an ex-
ecutive order five years ago autho-
rizing the CIA to "collect, produce
and disseminate intelligence on for-
eign aspects of narcotics production
and trafficking."
It requires the CIA to use "the
least intrusive collection techniques
feasible" and prohibits the use of
"electronic surveillance, unconsent-
ed physical search or monitoring de-
vices unless they are ... approved by
the attorney general"
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
20 November 1986
fy DEA Reported at Odds
on Mexico Wiretap
RONALD J. OSTRO W, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON-Justice De- Controversy involving U.S. dis-
partment and CIA officials, in a satisfaction over lack of coopera-
Case that could serve as a preced- tion from Mexican law enforcement
ent op a key element of the in prosecuting those responsible for
Administration's anti-drug policy, the 1985 torture-slaying of DEA
are struggling to resolve differenc - agent Enrique S. Camarena and
over the use of narcotics evi- charges of Mexican corruption
e gleaned from a wiretap in drew protests from Mexico and
o, government sources said raised fears that DEA agents would
esday. be banished from that country.
e conflict marks the first time CIA and Justice Department of-
that officials have confronted the ficials would not comment on the
ntral question. of how to use current dispute over the CIA wire -
*naitive information from the CIA tap, which is understood to be
tinder a national security directive, unrelated to the Camarena investi-
ifsued last spring, ordering intelli- gation.
gence agencies and the military Knowledgeable sources said that
services to take part in the Admin- the tap was installed after Presi-
istration's drug law enforcement dent Reagan, on April S. Issued a
campaign.
CIA officials are said to fear that top-secret national security deci-
an attempt to use the disputed government directive
to use that military enabled the
information as evidence in court g aur-
its and intelligence capabili-
could "blow a source" that has ties in its veillance
could
providing information for drug fight.
several years. The data at issue are The directive, an unclassified
recordings of a suspected trafficker version of which was disclosed by
who is a resident alien in the San Vice President George Bush on
Diego area, sources familiar with June 7. for the first time said the
the matter said. international drug trade is a na-
"Suppose they (the Justice De- tional security concern. because of
partment and its arm, the Drug its ability to destabilize democratic
Enforcement Administrationj want allies through the corruption of
to put the agent on the stand." said police and judicial institutions.
one source familiar with the CIA's
reservations. "He won't be of any In Tijuana. Mexico. Mayor Rene
use in Mexico from then on." Trevino Arredondo canceled a joint
Meanwhile, addressing another meeting of the Tijuana and San
question, the CIA. issued a rare Diego city councils, scheduled for
public denial Wednesday of a San today, in the face of the reports that
Diego newspaper report that a CIA the CIA tapped the phones of
wiretap operation in Mexico had Mexican police and government
corroborated allegations of corrup- officials.
tion among Mexican law enforce- Luis Manuel Serrano. a spokes-
ment and public officials. man for Arredondo, said Wednes--
"The San Diego Union story is day that cancellation of the meet-
untrue and misleads the American ing, which was to have been in San
public," said George Lauder, the Diego. was to protest what he
CIA's chief spokesman. "The sug- called a "violation of Me)ico's sov-
gestion that the CIA has been ereignty by the CIA."
targeting Mexican officials in con- Times staff writer H. G. Reza in
nection with narcotics trafficking is an Dieyd contributed to this story.
false."
Justice Department officials also
denied the story and expressed
concern that it might rekindle
resentment in Mexico of DEA oper-
ations there.
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