Drug Cartel Spies in American Embassy in Mexico

Two senior officials of Mexico's drug enforcement agency have been charged with providing information to a drug cartel in return for millions of dollars.

The officials and three lower-level agents, who were members of SIEDO, the Mexican state organization tasked with investigating drug and weapons smuggling, kidnappings, and terrorism, have worked for the Beltran Leyva cartel for years, Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora said on Monday.

Eduardo Medina Mora, titular de la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR), anunció ayer la reestructuración de la Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada (SIEDO), dependencia que fue infiltrada por el cártel de los Beltrán Leyva, que pagó grandes sumas de dinero a dos funcionarios de alto nivel por información clasificada.

En conferencia, Medina Mora confirmó la información que publicó EL UNIVERSAL, sobre la detención de Miguel Colorado González y Fernando Rivera Hernández, dos altos funcionarios de la SIEDO que filtraban información sobre operativos, cateos, investigaciones, órdenes de aprehensión e investigaciones policiales a los Beltrán Leyva y, al parecer, a otros grupos criminales.

Mexican media also reported a protected witness has told authorities that he spied on US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents for the Beltran Leyvas cartel while employed as a criminal investigator at the US embassy in Mexico City.

DEA intelligence chief Anthony Placido said he could not confirm that the embassy had been infiltrated, adding it was too early to pull out undercover agents for fear their identities may have been compromised, AFP reported.

The U.S. State Department is investigating an allegation that an employee of the American Embassy in Mexico City passed sensitive information to a major drug cartel.

The report stems from a scandal at the organized crime unit of the Mexican attorney general's office, where 35 employees were accused yesterday of passing information about investigations to the Beltran-Leyva narcotics organization.