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Show Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 Page 20 Juarez: El Paso being affected Factory Location in Richmond Across from Stadium 8 Theater in Providence IJ continued from page 19 administration, the U.S. Congress and leaders in the southwest states are spending billions of dollars and massing thousands of agents to keep the chaos from crossing the border. But in order to fight the drug traffickers, federal antinarcotics agents have brought Mexican cartel members north of the border, to use them to gather intelligence and build cases. That has led to friction between U.S. law enforcement agencies. In meetings with federal counterparts, El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen, who lives close to the Gonzalez home and heard the shots the night of the slaying, said he has complained about a lack of cooperation and information sharing. Allen told reporters he raised those complaints in meetings with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE, which, according to police and charging documents, arranged for Gonzalez's visa to live in the United States. APPUES TO ANY REGULAR PR<«D \lhiA 9/30. 09) Fri-5ah 1am Lowe said ICE agents were uncooperative during the investigation, misleading El Paso officers by failing to provide accurate names, photographs of suspects and timely intelligence that might have helped solve the homicide more quickly. "We've never worked well with ICE," Lowe said. ICE officials declined to comment on the specifics of the Gonzalez case or the conduct and cooperation of their agents. "As a matter of policy, we don't confirm or deny confidential sources or sources of information," said Richard Rocha, spokesman for ICE in Washington. "All allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and if reported will be fully reviewed." As the investigation into the Gonzalez killing progressed this summer, police said they were further surprised to learn that the man charged with orchestrating the slaying was a fellow drug cartel member, a specialist in assassination _ and also a federal informer for ICE living in El Paso. Ruben Rodriguez Dorado, a Mexican citizen, was detained this month and charged with murder in the Gonzalez case. Before he was a suspect, police detectives said, they were introduced to Rodriguez by ICE agents, who presented him as an informer who might be able to help on the case. When he met with El Paso police, who said they were not given his name, Rodriguez bragged that he was "the main man in El Paso" for the Juarez cartel. Detectives said they later learned that his specialty was arranging hits for hire. "I It* told us thai he was high in the food chain and that he'd ask around and see what lie could find and that he would let us know. Of course, he didn't let us know anything," Lowe said. El Paso police arrested three American teenagers they said Rodriguez recruited to his crew; U.S. Army Pfc; Michael Jackson Apodaca, 18, who allegedly pulled tintrigger, and Chris Duran. 17, who drove the getaway car, according to the court papers. Both were charged as adults with murder, along with a ltfyear-old who police said did surveillance for the gang. His name is being withheld. Lowe said that during the investigation, ICE agents introduced local police to other federal informers. One man was a cartel assassin. "His role was very brutal in Juarez. But here he is, just another cooperating witness, and we thought, if THIS guy is living here, how many more of them are there? This man is a known threat," Lowe said. "We should '"-' '/Albuquerque FJF) 0 J MIES ,/ >> 100? NEW MEXICO "%#LasCfuces Ciudad"^.; ; Juarez ^'\ ^\. TEXAS > CHIHUAHUA MEXICO '^Zpr Chihuahua® be informed, not only for our" safety but thu safety of the community' Ranchos di-l Sol. the east-side El Paso neighborhood where the cartel hit occurred, is invitingly neat. On each block arc new stucco homes painted" in sand and sunset colors inspired by (he desert. From the top of Bob Hope Drive, Ciudad Juarez can be seen in the hazy distance. A number of residents in l he neighborhood declined to give their names for print, sayinu they were nervous about becoming targets themselves. A father of two said he rode his bike past the cul-de-sac the night of the hit, moments before police arrived. "I would be outraged to know if the federal government owned that house and put a snitch in my neighborhood," he said. Law enforcement officials said El Paso is home to many cartel members and their > families. "Without a doubt, there are a lot of cartel members among us," said Robert Almonte, executive director of the Texas Narcotic Officers Association and a retired deputy chief of ihe El Paso police. "They've been here for a long time. They come for the same reasons as you or me. It's safer here. And it they have wives and kids, this is the place to be." Starting College? Losing Coverage? Make sure you are covered!! Short Term Health Insurance for less than $50/month ROADBENT 435-752-7200 V: vvvvw.broadbentfs.com a nc iaI S e r v i c e s |
