Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jun 2007
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Copyright: 2007 San Antonio Express-News
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Website: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/384
Author: Mariano Castillo
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

ZAPATA OFFICIALS FACE BRIBE CHARGES

LAREDO -- Three Zapata County officials were arraigned  in federal 
court Wednesday, charged with taking bribes  from drug traffickers in 
exchange for protecting loads  of marijuana that were hauled through 
their area.

FBI agents Tuesday arrested Justice of the Peace Manuel  "Meme" 
Martinez, 43; county attorney's office  investigator Jose Amaro, 40; 
and county code  enforcement worker Ruben Elizondo, 37.

Martinez was a Zapata County sheriff's deputy when he  was accused of 
taking money four times in late 2006  from a drug trafficker. He 
received $5,000 for each  1,000 pounds of marijuana he protected, 
according to  the indictment, which a grand jury returned last week 
and was unsealed Wednesday.

Amaro used his position within the South Texas Violent  Crime Task 
Force to leak sensitive law enforcement  information, and Elizondo 
worked as a lookout on some  of the smuggling attempts, the court 
document says.

"It is a sad day for the majority of good law  enforcement officers 
everywhere when greed overcomes a  fellow officer's oath to support 
and enforce the law,"  U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle said. 
"Accountability  will follow."

Martinez and Amaro face 10 counts that they extorted  money from the 
drug traffickers and conspired to  smuggle and distribute 2 tons of marijuana.

If convicted, the men face up to life in prison and a  $4 million fine.

A year ago, the deputy commander of the same task force  was arrested 
on the same charges. Julio Lopez pleaded  guilty last year for 
accepting more than $40,000 from  drug traffickers.

Before being elected Justice of the Peace for a term  starting in 
January, Martinez was a sheriff's deputy  for 11 years, Sheriff Sigi 
Gonzalez said. Amaro was a  deputy for nine years before leaving to 
become an  investigator for the county attorney.

The indictment details four instances when Martinez  coordinated with 
a narcotics trafficker, who was tipped  off about which days the drug 
task force was working,  to protect 1,000-pound loads of marijuana 
coming  through Zapata County.

The men communicated in code, using phrases such as  "are we going to 
eat" or "I was able to get Freon" to  signify whether a job was a go or not.

In some cases, Amaro would drive around the area to  make sure law 
enforcement wasn't around, the indictment  states.

Elizondo was hired for some of the jobs to be a lookout  as the loads 
were moved, the document states.

"We have positions where we ask the public to trust us,  and it's 
just not right to violate that trust,"  Gonzalez said, adding that 
his agency cooperated fully  with the FBI.

Martinez, who at the time was the sole deputy assigned  to monitor 
illegal dumping, would file paperwork saying  he was using an 
unmarked vehicle to perform that duty.

Now, the sheriff has his doubts.

"Sometimes things like this fall through the cracks,"  he said.

The incident may affect the future of the task force,  as state 
funding for it ends Sept. 30, Gonzalez said.  The sheriff is asking 
for the task force to be assigned  to his command, so that closer 
tabs can be kept on it.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman