CIA ZEROS IN ON MEXICO CORRUPTION SAN DIEGO UNION - 19 NOVEMBER 1986

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100160011-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: November 21, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

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* 19 November 1986
CIS zeros inon
Mexico! .co 1' l ion
Wiretaps called coIifirmationNof' li; kt,.,
of dishonesty in police,telect d' offi 'his
By Jon Standefer called toVshington, D.OIf week
and J. Stryker Meyer to discuss thecae, t h6 a cees said.
sukir Writers Nunez would ?ilot eonmttit' on hje -.
The CIA has been conducting a trip, but other'sourc the s(.
wiretap operation in Mexico that has agency is no lodger p ' ' ing intot
corroborated allegat!ons of corrup. mation to the DEA.
tion among law enforcement and Po- The extent of the^t etep opera-
litical officials to that country, The Lion could not be,.ao1ifltmed.: Al.:.
San Diego (akin has learned. though one source in the intelligence
The CIA's cooperation in drug in con) sMMd:it involved taps on
vesti;ations is a recent departure the telephones:?of several high gov-
from its traditional role of Intelli- ernment officialt, other ? the: Ut?:
gence-gathering, sources say. and re- Iormatiop,pa3spd to the '., came
suited from pressures generated by trout -a tap on tba Mexico City kale. .
the kidnap-torture slaying of Drug phone of a T)43 citizen in contsot
Enforcement Administration agent with numerous -,police officials, stag'
Enrique Camarera Salazar last year ? 96ffic als and ditl$:traf ickers.
in Guadalajara. "I the CIA46 &ing more, they're
Puller differences recently sur- not telling D%-" said a Justice De
faced between the CIA. which began: psrttnent offlgjel who would not
passing information relating to drug.' speak for attribution.
related corruption to the DEA, and A spokesman, for the CIA yestor-
Department of Justice lawyers..wilo day had no continent.
are planning future prosecutions. The.wiretap. pf -,the American citi--
The CIA passed along the incrimi- zen raises a letel question.
ndting conversations for "Intelli- For wiretap evidence gathered in
gence purposes only " said one a foreign jurlrfdiption tobg used in a
source, while the Justice Department U,S. court,. 'a=~Jitstie ? Ikperiment
said, the wiretap generally
wants to use the wiretapped epnver- u~se in a ? rdeince with that
cations as evidence i n a n
court
y
.ountry's law way v cU ',ource
! ?i
als that arise from the current i.9
added, in tit us of Mexico -
tigations
' ? ~
:
. gevernment
ono '"here vast numbers of g-
The wireta
o
erntioi=
p
p
a~
..without the knowledge of thei.M~tl.. oft1L ! o ad-to be in league
i~ with dt trd ern '- to apply for
can governmerit,.x .. court.3.39..11 be- a legal wi to 'might be tantamount
,cause of, fear that the operation
wbWd be-endangered. to al~raiig!thq spects.
U.S. Attorney Peter K. Nunez was O,
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The source said there was no dis-
pute between the CIA and Justice
Tepartment, but merely discussion
about bow far the CIA would be will-
ing to go publicly. including por,sibte
disclosure of methods of operation-S.
to authenticate the wiretaps. The
Justice Department needs to know
that information before any prosccu'
Lon is undertaken. the source said.
Another source said the vrl:c-
tapped conversations gathered in
Mexico are notable fcr their candor.
'Theres no pretense, no subtlety.
said the source. They just s3`.
'Bring 20 kilos of s-- (heroin) here by
tomorrow or I'll have your b--s cut
o((. No cute talk like in the U.S..
where people might say. 'Row many
oranges do you wane''
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 discourage the investi-
gation on grounds that the trafficker
Rae working for the spy agency.
That was Damble because law en-
forcement agencies working in a for-
eign country must report the names
of their foreign informants to the
CIA station chief at the country's
U.S. embassy.
This massive investigative effort
was undertaken after the kidnapping
and torture-slaving of DEA agent
Camarena. who was seized on a Gua-
dalajara street on Feb. 7.195.
`Operation Leyenda" is the name
of the year-and-a-half investgation
into the Camarena murder. " Leyea-
da" is Spanish slang for "lawman. " a
nickname by which the gung-to
Camarena was known to his col-
leagues The save-stigation irciuded
presenting evidence before a federal
grand jury in Washington. D.C. last
year. The probe recently s :sited to a
federal grand jury in San Diego and
is headed by two special prosecutors
from Departmect of Justice head-
quarters.
Sources say U.S. invcstigiitors in
Mexico reached and otherwise devel-
oped so many contacts that they did
not keep the CIA fully inforr::ed of
their activities
Alter rugh?level discus .ors. The
sources say. the DF_1 agreed to intake
the CIA aware of their -cfurmants
and the spy agency, to turn. a greed to
provide to the DEA information it
developed pertaining to the Camare-
na killing or to drug-related corrup-
tion in Mexico.
The interagency cooperation
comes nearly five years after Presi-
dent Reagan signed Executive Order
12335 on Dec. 4. 198l. autbonzing the
CIA to "collect. produce and dissemi-
nate intelligence on foreign aspects
of narcotics production and trafficl:
tog
But the order includes clear limi-
tations on what the CIA can do when
its surveillance involves a US. citi-
zen in a foreign country.
It requires the CIA to use "the
least intrusive collection techniques
feasible" and exrresssly prohibits the
use of such txlinniques as "electronic
su vetl!anee. ucconsenied physical
search or nxmitoring devices unless
they are... approved by the attorney
general."
She order st.:tes that such approv-
al is not to be granted "unless the
attorney general has determined in
each case that there is probable
cause to believe the (s:rveilJancei
technique is directed a;tiin st 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 agency has a
standing policy against dt usacg Its
operations and. therefore, would not
comment publicly on the wiretap
allegaticm
But a senior intelligence official
said the U.S. intelligence canmucity.
including the CIA. collects informa-
tion on narcotics and passes it on to
other government branches. includ-
ing the UEA.
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
ecmesbed in ii"
The State Department and DEA
lead the U.S. anti-drug effort in Mex-
ico. including the gathering of aar-
ccLcs-related intells_ once. the offi-
cial said. aiding that the C[A's role is
to provide czar ours t7furmalion that
otter age-ties cannot get_
The cllicral de':urCJ to Say
wwLcth, r that iaelu:es r.iormzuen
frcm wtrri.pc, rlvetr:.r.,c irterccpLs
or ether iforau of s;rr vc'iliance
An adn-j_istrt:.;c cff:;:L! familiar
with US :cap ligence 3CUvrtirs 1:1
Mexico said yesterday. -You bet . .
(the (-,Ai collect- i:i`orrialion on
narcotics (there and :r, other nations:
its one of the agency's pn :ernes '
The aJirinlstrit:on official al-,) d.!-
clined to) be idenIUfie?
White House spokesman Doc
Maths., said he is absolutely certain
there is ap exchange of drug-relatt'J
information between the Stale De-
partmer.t. the National Secnr:ty
Couoc:l and the D.4- But he had no
comment on-any CIA role.
DEA Administrator John Lawn
was in Palermo. Sicily. yesterday
and could tot be reached for com-
ment. DEA Public Affairs spokes-
tnan William Alden said the agency
would make eo comment
Contributing to this story were
Copley News Sen* a Waskinjtos
correspondents Benjamin Shore and
Mares 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
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 WASHWGTON 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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19 C&L_'&)
LOS ANGELES TIMES
20 November 1986
SEA, DEA Reported at Odds on Mexico Wiretap
y RONALD J. OSTROW. Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON-Justice De-
partment and CIA officials. in a
We that could serve as a preced-
ent op a key element of the
Administration's anti-drug policy,
are struggling to resolve differenc-
-over the use of narcotics evi-
ce gleaned from a wiretap in
co. government sources said
esday.
e conflict marks the first time
that officials have confronted the
ntral question of how to use
~naitive information from the CIA
tinder a national security directive,
issued last spring, ordering intelli-
gence agencies and the military
services to take part in the Admin-
istration's drug law enforcement
campaign.
CIA officials are said to fear that
an attempt to use the disputed
information as evidence in court
could "blow a source" that has
been providing information for
several years. The data at issue are
recordings of a suspected trafficker
who is a resident alien in the San
Diego area, sources familiar with
the matter said.
"Suppose they [the Justice De-
partment and its arm. the Drug
Enforcement Administration] want
to put the agent on the stand." said
one source familiar with the CIA's
reservations. "He won't be of any
use in Mexico from then on."
Meanwhile, addressing another
question, the CIA ? issued a rare
public denial Wednesday of a San
Diego newspaper report that a CIA
wiretap operation in Mexico had
corroborated allega%ions of corrup-
tion among Mexican law enforce-
ment and public officials.
"The San Diego Union story is
untrue and misleads the American
public," said George Lauder. the
CIA's chief spokesman. "The sug-
gestion that the CIA has been
targeting Mexican officials in con-
nection with narcotics trafficking is
false."
Justice Department officials also
denied the story and expressed
concern that it might rekindle
resentment in Mexico of DEA oper-
ations there.
Controversy involving U.S. dis-
satisfaction over lack of coopera-
tion from Mexican law enforcement
in prosecuting those responsible for
the 1985 torture-slaying of DEA
agent Enrique S. Camarena and
charges of Mexican corruption
drew protests from Mexico and
raised fears that DEA agents would
be banished from that country.
CIA and Justice Department of -
ficials would not comment on the
current dispute over the CIA wire-
tap, which is understood to be
unrelated to the Camarena investi-
gation.
Knowledgeable sources said that
the tap was installed after Presi-
dent Reagan, on April 8. issued a
top-secret national security deci-
sion directive that enabled the
government to use military sur-
veillance and intelligence capabili-
ties in its drug fight.
The directive. an unclassified
version of which was disclosed by
Vice President George Bush on
June 7. for the first time said the
international drug trade is a na-
tional security concern, because of
its ability to destabilize democratic
allies through the corruption of
police and judicial institutions.
In Tijuana. Mexico. Mayor Rene
Trevino Arredondo canceled a joint
meeting of the Tijuana and San
Diego city councils. scheduled for
today, in the face of the reports that
the CIA tapped the phones of
Mexican police and government
officials.
Luis Manuel Serrano. a spokes-
man for Arredondo, said Wednes-?
day that cancellation of the meet-
ing. which was to have been in San
Diego, was to protest what he
called a "violation of Mexico's sov-
ereignty by the CIA."
Times staff writer H. G. Reza in
San Dieg6 contributed to this story.
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