News

DATE=6/11/99 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-250537 TITLE=MEXICAN BANKERS/DRUG MONEY (L-ONLY) BYLINE=MIKE O'SULLIVAN DATELINE=LOS ANGELES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: A U-S JURY IN LOS ANGELES (LATE THURSDAY) HAS CONVICTED THREE MEXICAN BANKERS OF CONCEALING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROFITS FROM LATIN AMERICAN DRUG CARTELS. THE JURY ALSO ACQUITTED THREE OTHER MEXICAN NATIONALS OF THE MONEY-LAUNDERING CHARGES. V-O-A'S MIKE O'SULLIVAN REPORTS THE CASE FOLLOWS A THREE-YEAR STING CALLED "OPERATION CASABLANCA," AND HAS STRAINED RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO. TEXT: THE THREE CONVICTED IN THE CASE WERE JOSE REYES ORTEGA GONZALES, A BANK MANAGER FROM TEPATITLAN, MEXICO -- MANUEL BARRANZA LEON, A BANK MANAGER IN TIJUANA -- AND A TIJUANA LAWYER WHO REPRESENTED SEVERAL BANKS, ALFONSO LABRADA GURROLA. THE THREE WERE FOUND GUILTY OF CONSIPIRACY AND MONEY LAUNDERING. THE JURY FOUND THREE OTHERS, INCLUDING TWO MEXICO CITY STOCK BROKERS, NOT GUILTY. AUTHORITIES HAD ACCUSED ALL SIX OF ACCEPTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUNDS FROM THE CALI DRUG CARTEL OF COLOMBIA AND MEXICO'S JUAREZ CARTEL. THEY SAID THE DEFENDANTS THEN REISSUED DRAFTS ON THE U-S ACCOUNTS OF SEVERAL MEXICAN BANKS TO DISGUISE THE SOURCE OF THE FUNDS. U-S OFFICIALS SAY THE MEXICANS EARNED COMMISSIONS OF ONE TO TWO PERCENT ON EACH TRANSACTION. IN MAY OF LAST YEAR, U-S AGENTS ARRESTED 167 PEOPLE. ONE-HUNDRED-TEN OF THEM WERE FINALLY INDICTED. OFFICIALS IN MEXICO WERE OUTRAGED WHEN THEY LEARNED THAT PART OF A THREE-YEAR OPERATION WHICH LED TO THE INDICTMENTS TOOK PLACE IN MEXICO, WITHOUT NOTIFICATION OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. U-S OFFICIALS WERE ALSO CRITICIZED FOR PAYING ONE INFORMANT TWO MILLION DOLLARS. THE INFORMANT MAY RECEIVE SEVERAL MILLION MORE FOR HIS COOPERATION. THE CASE WAS BASED ON MORE THAN 100 HOURS OF SECRETLY TAPED CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN UNDERCOVER AGENTS, WHO POSED AS DRUG TRAFFICKERS, AND THE DEFENDANTS. A LAWYER FOR ONE DEFENDANT WHO WAS ACQUITTED IN THE CASE, MEXICO CITY STOCKBROKER KATY KISSEL BELFER, ARGUED HIS CLIENT AGREED TO LAUNDER THE FUNDS BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT SHE MAY BE KILLED IF SHE REFUSED. ANOTHER LAWYER SAID MUCH OF THE VIDEOTAPED EVIDENCE WAS INCONCLUSIVE. THIS WAS THE FIRST OF FOUR TRIALS TO RESULT FROM OPERATION CASABLANCA. ELEVEN OTHER DEFENDANTS CAUGHT IN THE STING OPERATION SUBMITTED GUILTY PLEAS BEFORE GOING TO TRIAL. /// REST OPT /// THOM MROZEK (MUH'ROH-ZEK) OF THE U-S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SAYS A NUMBER OF OTHERS HAVE NOT BEEN APPREHENDED. /// MORZEK ACT /// THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FUGITIVES IN THIS CASE WHO ARE BELIEVED TO BE IN MEIXCO. ABOUT FIVE OF THOSE ARE IN CUSTODY IN MEXICO AND MEXICO HAS PLEDGED TO PROSECUTE THOSE PEOPLE UNDER MEXICAN LAW. /// END ACT /// MEXICO, HOWEVER, WILL NOT EXTRADITE THE FIVE TO THE UNITED STATES. OTHER SUSPECTS, INCLUDING SEVERAL BANKERS FROM VENEZUELA, WILL FACE TRIAL LATER THIS YEAR. TWO OF MEXICO'S LARGEST BANKS (GRUPO FINANCIERO BANCOMER AND GRUPO FINANCIERO SERFIN) WILL FORFEIT FUNDS SEIZED BY OFFICIALS IN U-S BANKS, AND HAVE AGREED TO PAY CRIMINAL FINES. A THIRD BANK (BANCA CONFIA) WILL FORFEIT TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS IN U-S HOLDINGS UNDER A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. (SIGNED) NEB/PT 11-Jun-99 3:46 PM EDT (1946 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .