Chapo's Charade

   

El Chapo, the most popular drug kingpin of recent times was found guilty of all counts except two by a New York court on February 12th 2019.

The man from the state of Sinaloa became a legend, a new myth in an era devoid of herculean protagonists that can take on the world and most powerful justice systems. While there’s no doubt of his importance and prowess as a mastermind in illicit activities, he was benefited by belonging to a state made up by a society prone to violence (physical, economical, emotional and psychological) and one of the most inefficient and criminal judicial systems of the 21st century.

Historians and reporters have traced the rise of the Mexican and mafias back to the cold war, where agencies of the United States government, gave infrastructure, equipment and some protection, in exchange for money needed to support anti-communist forces in the continent. Part of it was involved using CIA airplanes and fields, where drugs and weapons were moved. Indeed, the "Dark Alliance" series by deceased reported Gary Webb is one of the many works that sheds light into these alliances, as is the work of Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández.

These criminal groups, during the 1970’s and 80’s, worked under the supervision and some guidance of the Mexican state. In that epoch there were strict rules and procedures about the modus operandi, part of the money government elements and agencies received were spent on equipment for themselves and some state operations. But with the controversial presidential victory of Carlos Salinas de Gortari (the 1988 elections are considered by many as fraudulent) a new pack of politicians with a mentality of acquiring money changed how the game was played. The rules became lax and personal interests became more important than the national ones.

El Chapo was a junior officer in the Sinaloa cartel during this period. The older generations did not foresee that a changing of the guard was on the horizon. The youngsters were more temperamental, ambitious, ruthless and sincere, and by that last one I mean that they did not romanticize a code of honour, a concept that literature and cinema exploit, but forget to remember that these men kill and live off the weakness of others.

This drug dealer had two stays in Mexican jails and escaped both times. The first time, there are two versions of the escape. The official one points to el Chapo hiding in the laundry cart, and this version was also “certified” by the gringo trial. However, other sources, which have investigated his life and the Mexican judicial and penitentiary system, declare that he walked out, dressed as a member of the Federal Police. Now this version seems like the most logical. For one, there’s solid evidence that he controlled the prison of “Puente Grande”. Testimonies reveal: parties, payouts, drugs, women and meetings with other cartel members. Antonio Aguilar Garzón, Deputy Director of Security and Internal Custody of Puente Grande, denounced the corruption in the prison and after his judicial statement, he died in a mysterious road accident. The operator of the prison´s monitoring control centre was asked, on the day of el Chapo’s escape, to give a ride to somebody. Something he had never been asked before.

Be that as it may, the Sinaloan Godfather escaped and remained at large until 2014 when he was recaptured. This time he was sent to another maximum-security prison. His stay there was short for in July of 2015 he escaped via a tunnel.

His final capture was on January 8th 2016 thanks to an elite team of Mexican marines.

The Sinaloa group is one of the most powerful ones, but by no means the only one. Numerous clans fight for the control of the drug trade and also for past offences or revenge. The Zetas, ex Special Forces are known for their ferocity and cruelty, which surpasses fictional representations on celluloid.

Experts compare the dismantling of cartels with the Lernaean Hydra, each time you cut a head a two new ones grow. Survivors of one group form their own and the cycle continues.

The trial in the United States hardly rocked the boat, at least in my opinion. There are other key players in the drug trade and violence, which were not touched and/or hardly mentioned. A business this huge attracts willing participants, not just gunmen and traffickers, but governmental agencies, military, bankers, businessmen and politicians.

HSBC paid a 1.9 billion financial settlement for its laundering of drug money. As the NYT put it: “Federal and state authorities have chosen not to indict HSBC, on charges of vast and prolonged money laundering, for fear that criminal prosecution would topple the bank and, in the process, endanger the financial system.” this is one example where a major bank was in collusion, but the big chiefs got away lightly. And might I add that it doesn’t mean they have stopped doing it, and there are many other banks which could also be engaged in laundering.

The drug dealers also make partnership with established or rising businessmen in communities, they buy properties or invest in infrastructure projects, and other services. Their “civilian” partners can be aware of the money’s origin, some probably are, but hardly any of these accommodated entrepreneurs face prison time or lose their capital because of their illicit partnerships.

As for the military and politicians, some generals have been accused and the same goes for politicians. However, even though some were mentioned during the trial, including ex-presidents, little follow up was given nor is there a possibility of investigation by U.S. authorities in the future. In fact, the judge, during the trial, stopped a witness from recounting payoffs to politicians, including Mexico's president-elect.

But the dirt is not one sided. If one thing this trial highlighted is that once the drugs cross the border, corruption disappears. Even though illegal substances and money reach far north as Chicago and other metropolises. No mention of collusion from authorities or businessmen from the United States was ever whispered. As if crossing the Rio Grande was a sort of baptism that made the locals immune from the sins of temptation and corruption.

   

Money like cheating on your partner always leaves a trace. For as long as civilizations have been engaging in trade or organized systems of government, methods of record keeping, accounting, and accounting tools have been in use.

Some of the earliest known writings discovered by archaeologists are accounts of ancient tax records on clay tablets from Egypt and Mesopotamia.

We know nobody get’s that rich without official help, including impunity. And if there existed a genuine will to tackle the evils of the illegal drug industry, all the evidence is out there. Which is why I found this trial to be an utter charade.

Now the United States Government wants to keep the money whilst bodies piles up. More than 100,000 dead in Mexico plus the overdosed or addicts in the United States. The moral of the story says that the poor, the civilians, pay the toll whilst the elite reap the benefits.

As the song, “The Muleteer” by argentine musician Atahualpa Yunpaqui says:

"Las penas son de nosotros

Las vaquitas son ajenas."