Pubdate: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: PO Box 120191, San Diego, CA, 92112-0191 Fax: (619) 293-1440 Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/ Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX Author: Anna Cearley, Staff Writer JUDGE KILLS ONE CHARGE AGAINST SUSPECT LINKED TO DRUG CARTEL TIJUANA -- A Mexican federal judge dismissed a charge this week against alleged drug cartel member Ismael Higuera Guerrero that linked him with secret airstrips used to transport cocaine into Mexico. Although Higuera remains in prison on additional charges, the dismissal is considered a blow to investigators' efforts to detail his alleged drug-trafficking activities. Higuera, also known as "El Mayel," was captured by soldiers and federal agents May 3 after a morning shootout at an Ensenada beachfront house. He is believed to have operated as the chief lieutenant for the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel, overseeing the group's vast transportation and storage networks. The notoriously violent cartel is thought to be responsible for shipping cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine into the United States. The federal charge dismissed against Higuera stemmed from the 1995 capture of an airplane carrying 10 tons of cocaine. The plane landed at a hidden airstrip in the southern part of Baja California. Higuera still faces charges connecting him with organized crime and bringing cocaine into the country. He also is charged with illegally carrying a firearm. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D