Saturday, February 18, 2012

Rrun Rrun

EL RRUN RRUN
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BORDER BANKS PLAYED ROLE IN ZETA-GULF CARTEL-YARRINGTON CONNECTION
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Various Sources</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Following the disclosure earlier this month that a&nbsp;Mexican businessman was being held in&nbsp;U.S. custody accused of money laundering and serving as a liaison between drug cartels and powerful politicians, including a former governor who allegedly received millions of dollars in exchange for protecting the criminals, the role of banks on the U.S. side which played a role in the scheme has come to light.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ85_q-rFceahnFQoxoM2wZPOtvb8YpvDsAmjcGhjiCytmgPSIyJIPToPwAUGl0-4I4p9HAuXof3wArstUmO-I-RVybQfLR_tkGpi40YNYqQrSUhgsLn6xb1CK4sjVboeAtXxH7qU3JhY/s1600/mexican-governor-got-millions-in-drug-cash.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ85_q-rFceahnFQoxoM2wZPOtvb8YpvDsAmjcGhjiCytmgPSIyJIPToPwAUGl0-4I4p9HAuXof3wArstUmO-I-RVybQfLR_tkGpi40YNYqQrSUhgsLn6xb1CK4sjVboeAtXxH7qU3JhY/s200/mexican-governor-got-millions-in-drug-cash.png" width="200" yda="true" /></a>According to a 14-page court filing from the United States District Court for the Western District, middlemen for the Zeta and&nbsp;Gulf Cartel drug-smuggling organizations moved millions easily in their purchase of real estate and other consumer goods.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Banks such as the Commerce Bank in California, Falcon Bank and the International Bank of Commerce provided millions without the required reporting to ere easily moved by Antonio Pena-Arguelles, who&nbsp;was paid millions by leaders of the Gulf cartel and the Zetas to help influence politicians, including Tomas Yarrington, the former governor of Tamaulipas state, which borders Texas.<br />At least four confidential informants told the Drug Enforcement Administration that&nbsp;Pena-Arguelles, arrested in San Antonio earlier this month, acted as the go-between the Zetas and Gulf Cartel along with his brother Alfonso, who was killed last November by the&nbsp;Zetas after&nbsp;Antonio failed to pay back $5 million that the criminal organization had given him to pay politicians, according to the complaint filed in San Antonio.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The money was meant for “politics,” but the process turned into “lies,” according to the document, citing a text message allegedly sent by Zetas leader Miguel Trevino Morales to Antonio Pena-Arguelles the day his brother’s body was discovered near a popular monument in Nuevo Laredo.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">“There will not be a safe place for you, Mr. Tono, so good luck,” the&nbsp;DEA documetn treads.“Don’t be an idiot and pay attention to whom you rob.”</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNYfXEiQ_5fhpv-4433TIJeIZbLesqC-jFEn0QrE5yY9qEOciVx8BEknzUodHoZpbKGEDwVGD-RGAV-EHr2SAHHFRSrtGjOxVS0IdsOlsrDpCbAfOKurEE3miCL6ui-gKTLU51iRoyuU/s1600/alfonsopena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNYfXEiQ_5fhpv-4433TIJeIZbLesqC-jFEn0QrE5yY9qEOciVx8BEknzUodHoZpbKGEDwVGD-RGAV-EHr2SAHHFRSrtGjOxVS0IdsOlsrDpCbAfOKurEE3miCL6ui-gKTLU51iRoyuU/s320/alfonsopena.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a>Another former employee of Pena-Arguelles, listed as one of the informants, allegedly witnessed Pena-Arguelles and Yarrington arguing over money at Pena-Arguelles’ home in San Antonio, one of several properties, along with vehicles, paid for in cash through illicit proceeds, according to the court filing.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Authorities said that they have discovered as much as $10 million in bank accounts linked to Pena-Arguelles in U.S. states, including Texas and California.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A fourth confidential informant stated that "Antonio Pena-Arguelles "utilized bank accounts at Falcon Bank, Internatuional Bank of Commerce, HSBC Mexico, and Commerce Bank in California. The man&nbsp; now in custody allegedly showed the informant a bank satement for bank account(s) he had in California (California Commerce) which contained approximately $8-$9 million believed to be illegal drug proceeds. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Further investigation by the DEA revealed that the ledgers kept by Antonio and Alonso Pena-Arguelles for the years 2004-2006 revealed cash assets estimated at "over $10 million located in U.S. financial institutions, to include California Commerce Bank, Falcon Bank, and IBC."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The document&nbsp;filed in San Antonio further states that "large amounts believed to be narcotics-related proceeds&nbsp;were received by Alonso and&nbsp;Antonio Pena-Arguelles. These ledgers also&nbsp;included dates and name entries which document millions&nbsp;in pesos and U.S. dollar payment/disbursements to Tomas Yarrington's representatives and others. These ledgers revealed bank accounts at California Commerce Bank, Falcon, IBC, and other investment funds where&nbsp;Antonio Pena-Arguelles funneled his drug proceeds from Mexico."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The DEA&nbsp;complaint documents several multi-million dollar&nbsp;wire transfers believed to have been proceeds from narcotics-related activity&nbsp;and were used to purchase condominiums, expensive vehicles and make payments to politicians.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Yarrington and two other former governors from Tamaulipas state â€" Eugenio Hernandez and Manuel Cavazos â€" are under investigation by Mexico’s attorney general in connection with unspecified federal crimes. </div>Now the question becomes: Will the DEA investigation of Pena-Arguelles and Yarrington also reach into the supporting roles played by the banks in question as well?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-4052234015183409614?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/border-banks-played-role-in-zeta.html

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