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GOVERNORS
DRUG SMUGGLING TRENDS
Disguised trucks Heroin found in cloned vehicles
Organizers hope to raise $4M for Abbott By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
On Dec. 4, federal agents arrested a man in the Encinal area and seized two pickups in connection with the seizure of 1,170 pounds of marijuana and 1.65 pounds of heroin. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents also found work gloves and safety reflective vests, among other equipment, inside the vehicles. “The white Ford F-150 and the white Ford F-250 … appeared to be cloned pickup trucks, which had various equipment utilized to blend in with ranch and oilfield company vehicles,” federal agents wrote in the criminal complaint. The Webb County Sheriff ’s Office and U.S. Border Patrol said it is common to see cloned oilfield vehicles in the area given the Eagle Ford Shale boom. Dan Ramos, assistant chief patrol agent, said transna-
See TRUCKS PAGE 11A
Inaugurals fueled by donors
Courtesy photo
The Webb County Sheriff’s Office displays 1,000 pounds of marijuana it seized from a utility truck in August 2011.
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
This truck has been cloned to blend in with ranch and oilfield company vehicles.
This photo shows bundles of drugs confiscated from a disguised truck.
AUSTIN — When it comes to parties, ringing in the new year has nothing on the swearing-in soirees for governors across the country. In Texas, organizers are hoping to raise $4 million to celebrate the incoming governor and are planning a concert headlined by Lady Antebellum, a parade through the state capital and a barbecue with four tons of brisket. Supporters of re-elected Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are scheduling a series of events that include a “black tie optional” gala funded in part through sponsorship packages costing up to $30,000 each. Inaugural activities celebrating the newly elected Democratic governor in Pennsylvania will cost donors up to $50,000 apiece and include an evening “Let’s Get Started” bash, with “celebratory attire” recommended. Eleven new governors are taking office this month, and nearly two dozen others are renewing their oaths for second, third or — in the case of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad — sixth terms. Many will celebrate with chart-topping bands and blowout balls, with much of the bill footed by the same supporters who bankrolled their victorious campaigns. In many states, corporate money that was banned before Election Day is allowed to cover the tab for inaugural parties. Critics see the events as another means for corporations and
See INAUGURALS PAGE 9A
ZAPATA COUNTY
ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE
2 men Cuba, US have been on same team indicted for firearms By JOSHUA PARTLOW AND NICK MIROFF THE WASHINGTON POST
One undocumented, other convicted felon By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Two men who were hunting in Zapata have been indicted in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm, according to court records obtained Monday. The indictment identified the suspects as Santos HernandezHernandez and David Omar Barrera. Hernandez was charged with possession of firearm/ammo by undocumented person while authorities charged Barrera with possession of firearm by convicted felon. Court records show that Barrera has not been arrested. Hernandez, who pleaded not guilty to the charge Dec. 31, remains in federal custody. If convicted, both men could face 10 years in prison, court documents state. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special
See INDICTED PAGE 9A
MEXICO CITY — The river of illegal drugs rushing north through Central America and the Caribbean tends to avoid one conspicuous hook-shaped obstacle. Cuba is surrounded by countries used as cartel way stations. But it has distinguished itself as a tough place to traffic drugs — and as an unlikely behind-the-scenes partner with its decades-long rival, the United States. While the U.S. and Cuban governments have squared off over politics and the American economic embargo for generations, they have also quietly cooperated on drug-enforcement issues, passing information on movements of suspected drug boats through the Caribbean. As relations may be warming between the United States and Cuba, and Latin American drug flows to the United States are shifting away from Mexico and toward the Caribbean, the narcotics issue could be a source of further cooperation between the two countries. The drug trade is "starting to move back into the Caribbean, and I think that is a call to arms. We need to work with the Cubans in a far greater capacity," said Mike Vigil, a former director of international operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who also served as a special
Photo by Joe Raedle | Getty
U.S. Coast Guard members stand guard near bags containing cocaine estimated to be worth more than $23 million in Miami Beach. Despite other disagreements, the U.S. and Cuba have worked together to fight the narcotics trade. agent in charge of the Caribbean. "It’s insanity not to do so." In the eyes of U.S. counternarcotics officials, many of America’s closest neighbors regularly receive failing grades for their efforts to stop the drug trade. Mexico, where 100,000 people have died in drug-related violence over the past eight years, remains "a major transit and source country for illicit drugs destined for the United States," according to a 2014 State Department report. In Ja-
maica, drug-related corruption is "entrenched" and "widespread," while in Guatemala, "transnational drug trafficking organizations are able to move drugs, precursor chemicals and bulk cash with little difficulty," the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report states. But the same report offers rare praise for America’s longtime communist foe. At a time when other Latin American nations have increasingly questioned the human and financial
costs of the drug war, Cuba has emerged as one of Washington’s most reliable allies in unwavering opposition to the decriminalization of narcotics. "Despite its location between some of the largest exporters of illegal drugs in the hemisphere and the U.S. market, Cuba is not a major consumer, producer or transit point of illegal narcotics," the report states. "Traffickers typically attempt to
See CUBA PAGE 11A