Pubdate: Sat, 18 Dec 1999
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Page: 31A
Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle
Contact:  Viewpoints Editor, P.O. Box 4260 Houston, Texas 77210-4260
Fax: (713) 220-3575
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html
Author: James Pinkerton, Rio Grande Valley Bureau

OFFICIALS TO DELAY HUNT FOR BODIES AT MEXICAN RANCHES IN DRUG CASE

A day after the remains of a ninth person were pulled from the ground
near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, U.S. and Mexican authorities announced
Friday they would suspend the hunt for secret graves of a powerful
drug cartel until after Christmas.

A spokesman for Mexican Attorney General Jorge Madrazao said the
excavations at four ranches near Juarez, a bustling border city across
from El Paso, will end today and not resume until Dec. 27.

FBI agents, Mexican soldiers and Mexican federal anti-drug agents have
been searching for graves since Nov. 29. Based on tips from informants
and witnesses, authorities at first said they expected to find the
remains of as many as 100 bodies. They have since backed off that
prediction but they continue to press on with the investigation.

"There were hopes we would find more things faster," said FBI special
agent Andrea Simmons of El Paso. "But it's a large area, a lot of land
to cover, a lot to dig."

The ninth body was discovered Thursday covered with lime in a grave
less than three feet deep inside the walled compound known as the
Santa Elena Ranch. On Tuesday, Mexican agents were forced to halt
operations at Santa Elena briefly to remove thousands of gallons of
chemicals stored in a cocaine laboratory in the main building.

Juarez has been the site of hundreds of unexplained disappearances
this decade. The Juarez Cartel, once Mexico's largest and most violent
drug-smuggling operation, is believed to be responsible for the
disappearances of 200 people who had some connection to the drug
trade. In addition to the drug-related abductions, nearly 200 young
women have been abducted or murdered since 1993 in and around Juarez.

Although the hunt for bodies will continue, there are indications the
size of the recovery effort will be diminished.

A week ago, a third of the agents and forensic technicians from the
Dallas FBI field office were sent home. And calls to a toll-free
number established to accept tips and to provide information to
families who have lost relatives in the Juarez area have slowed.

"I know that during the first week we were inundated by calls, because
the (toll-free) number was getting a lot of publicity, but it has
tapered off considerably," Simmons said.

About 250 calls were made to the toll-free number that first week,
Simmons said. The number is 800-338-5856.

Autopsies or forensic examinations have been performed at FBI
facilities in El Paso on eight of the bodies but none has been identified.

Phil Jordan, a retired high-ranking Drug Enforcement Administration
agent, has been skeptical of the recovery effort.

"This move was calculated to allegedly improve relations between the
governments of Mexico and the United States, and I think it's kinda
backfired because I don't know of any DEA agents who believe there
will be 100 bodies buried in one grave," he said. "Now there are a lot
of killing fields that exist in Mexico, but the Mexican drug cartels
don't bury 100 bodies in one grave."

But other longtime law enforcement agents note FBI officials could
hardly have refused Mexico's request for assistance.

"There was solid information and the Mexicans invited them, and that
is so unusual they would have to do that to foster good working
relations," said Richard Schwein, a retired agent who ran the El Paso
FBI office.

Police informants are notorious for providing information about bodies
that doesn't pan out, Schwein said.

"I remember digging up a beach in Puerto Rico where a snitch told us
there were bodies, and all we got was chicken bones," Schwein said.
"You have to remember, a snitch usually gets his information second-
or third-hand."
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