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USA V. GARCÍA LUNA

EPISODE 9: THE DEA TAPES

PRODUCED BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES AND LATINO USA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEMONADA MEDIA. 

[FUTURO SONIC ID]

[FUTURO INVESTIGATES ID]

MARÍA: OYEME. AQUÍ ESTÁ LA BOTELLITA MIRA. 

OKAY, HERE WE GO. WE, WE HAVE GOT TO START THIS EPISODE LIKE THIS:

PENILEY: YEAH. I REALLY NEED TEQUILA NOW.

MARÍA: AYE SI LO LLENÉ. GIMME THE OTHER ONE. OKAY, HERE WE GO. SALUD.

PENILEY: SALUD.

MARÍA: EH, BECAUSE THIS IS HOW-–DEAR LISTENER-–CRAZY THE BEGINNING OF OUR WEEK WITH GARCÍA LUNA WAS. JUST TAKE A LISTEN:

OPENING SCENE

MARIA: WELL, IT’S 5:11 IN THE MORNING. AND GUESS WHO OVERSLEPT ON THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF THE TRIAL?

PENILEY: …I’M SORRY. OH MY GOD.

MARÍA: YEAH, THAT WOULD BE PENILEY. IT HAPPENS. WE’RE HUMAN, SO WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO THE TRIAL AND WE JUST HEARD THAT 10 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OUT IN FRONT OF THE COURT SINCE FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, SO WE ARE VERY UPSET BECAUSE NOW THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE WE’RE GONNA BE IN THE OVERFLOW ROOM, WHICH IS FINE. WE’LL HEAR EVERYTHING, BUT WE WON’T BE ABLE TO SEE. SO WE ARE SPEEDING TO COURT.

END POST

SFX

MARÍA: DEAR LISTENER, I’M MARIA [HINOJOSA. Y LA VERDAD, LA VERDAD, IT REALLY HAS FELT SO DRAMATIC, SO OVERWHELMING. TOTALLY TELENOVELA MEETS TRUE CRIME. 

PENILEY: YEAH. WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THE END OF THE TRIAL AGAINST GENARO GARCIA LUNA AND AS YOU CAN HEAR, THIS CASE HAS BEEN MENTALLY DROWNING FOR ALL OF US. 

MARIA: DRAINING 

PENI: MENTALLY WHAT?

MARÍA: DRAINING. 

PENI: OKAY. 

MARIA: OH, BUT ALSO DROWNING. SO KIND OF, OKAY

PENILEY: REALLY DIFFICULT SO IN THIS EPISODE, WE’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE LAST PROSECUTION WITNESS. AND THE NOT SO CLEAN STORY BETWEEN GARCIA LUNA AND THE DEA.

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MARÍA: DEAR LISTENER, WELCOME BACK. THIS IS EPISODE NINE OF SERIES USA VERSUS GARCIA LUNA, PLEASE, LET’S SAY SALUD. CUE THE MUSIC.

[THEME MUSIC]

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MARÍA: AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE SUPER PROUD OF THE REPORTING THAT WE’VE BEEN DOING ON THIS PODCAST, AND SO WE ARE BRINGING YOU A CLIP FROM THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF OUR SERIES CAUSE IT’S RELATED TO WHAT’S GOING ON.

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PENILEY: IN NOVEMBER OF 2018, SOMETHING REALLY CRUCIAL HAPPENED IN THE STORY OF HE GARCIA LUNA. HE WAS MENTIONED IN THE TRIAL OF JOAQUIN GUZMAN HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. I

NEWS: N HIS TESTIMONY, THE FORMER CARTEL ACCOUNTANT SAID HE PERSONALLY DELIVERED BRIBES TO MEXICO’S FORMER FEDERAL SECURITY CHIEF. 

PENILEY: SO FOR YEARS, PEOPLE IN MEXICO AND IN THE US HAVE BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF GARCIA LUNA. BUT IN THAT MOMENT DURING THE TRIAL, A LEADER OF THE SINALOA CARTELS TESTIFIED UNDER OATH THAT THE CARTEL HAS PAID MILLIONS [00:04:00] OF DOLLARS IN BRIBES TO GARCIA LUNA HIMSELF IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS HELP IN SMUGGLING DRUGS INTO THE UNITED STATES.

MARIA: SO YOU HAVE THIS WITNESS WHO’S FROM THE SINALOA CARTEL, HE’S ON THE STAND AND HE IS SAYING, GARCIA LU. OH YEAH, HE WAS WORKING FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. HE WAS A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, BUT HE WAS ALSO WORKING FOR EL CHAPO.

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PENI: WE MET THAT WITNESS IN COURT THIS WEEK, MARIA. AND HE WAS JESUS ZAMBADA, AKA EL REY, OR THE KING,

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MARÍA: WHICH MEANS OF COURSE TO YOUR LISTENER, IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER APODO, ANOTHER NICKNAME. 

SO TELL US, PENILEY, CUZ YOU KNOW THIS GUY INSIDE AND OUT. WHO IS EL REY ZAMBADA?

PENILEY: WELL, ZAMBADA WAS A TOP BOSS IN THE SINALOA CARTEL. HE’S THE BROTHER OF EL MAYO ZAMBADA, ONE OF THE TOP LEADERS OF THE CARTELS. HE WAS ARRESTED IN MEXICO CITY IN 2008. HE WAS ACCUSED OF SMUGGLING COCAINE, MAINLY THROUGH THE MEXICO CITY AIRPORT, AND HE WAS EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED STATES FOUR YEARS LATER. AFTER HE TESTIFIED AGAINST EL CHAPO AND HE DECLARED HIMSELF GUILTY. HE PAID $3 MILLION. AND BOOM 

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HE’S FREE.

MARÍA: YEAH, IT’S KIND OF CRAZY. AND BY THE WAY, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE JURY IS GONNA TAKE AWAY WAS JUST HEARING THE SUMS OF DOLLARS THAT WERE BEING TRANSFERRED AROUND, THAT’S QUITE SHOCKING.

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PENILEY: EL REY OR THE KING IS ONE OF THE TOP WITNESSES OF THIS CASE. WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION ABOUT HIM?

MARÍA: I FOUND HIM TO BE IMMINENTLY CREDIBLE. I FOUND HIM TO BE PLEASANT TO LISTEN TO, SO NOT THREATENING

PENILEY: HE WAS WEARING A SUIT.

MARÍA: YEAH. VERY PRESENTABLE NOW I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT’S IMPORTANT ABOUT HAVING HIM THERE IS THAT IT GIVES THE JURY A VIEW OF, WOW, SO THIS WAS A LEADER IN THE CARTEL DE SINALOA AND HE LOOKS LIKE MY UNCLE.

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PENILEY: SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED LISTENING TO ZAMBADA IS THAT HE WAS SORT OF THE ACCOUNTANT OF THE CARTEL. SO HE WAS A BUSINESS GUY AND HE EXPLAINED WITH A LOT OF DETAIL HOW THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF THE CARTEL WERE CONDUCTED.

FIRST, HE PERSONALLY DELIVERED THE MONEY TO GARCIA LUNA, ACCORDING TO HIS TESTIMONY OF COURSE. SECOND, HE SAID THAT HE HAD TOTAL CONTROL OF THE MEXICO CITIES AIRPORT, AND HE DESCRIBED WITH A LOT OF DETAIL HOW THE FEDERAL POLICE, WHEN GARCIA LUNA WAS LEADING IT, THEY WERE THE PEOPLE UNLOADING THE CARGO PLANES, UNLOADING THE SUITCASES WITH ALL THE COCAINE COMING FROM COLOMBIA, AND THESE POLICE OFFICERS WERE PUTTING THE COCAINE IN PATROL CARS AND DELIVERING IT TO THE SINALOA CARTEL. SO IT WAS LIKE DELIVERISTAS FOR THE CARTEL.

MARÍA: I LOVE THAT. DELIVERY PEOPLE. OKAY.

PENILEY: YEAH. BUT YOU HAVE THE FEDERAL POLICE, AGAIN, PARTLY FINANCE WITH MONEY FROM THE MERIDA INITIATIVE AND THE US GOVERNMENT, AND US TAXPAYERS DELIVERING THE COCAINE FOR CARTEL. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

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MARÍA: NOW, DEAR LISTENER THERE WAS A LOT OF SERIOUSNESS THAT HAPPENED IN COURT THIS WEEK, BUT ALSO THERE WERE SOME LAUGHS.

PENILEY: SO YOU’LL REMEMBER YOUR LISTENER ABOUT EL GATO PERICO. THE PERICO CAT. 

[MARIA WIPES HER FINGER UNDER HER NOSE]

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PENILEY: IN OUR PREVIOUS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT THIS WHITE, BEAUTIFUL CAT THAT EL CONEJO OR THE BUNNY HAD.

MARÍA: APPARENTLY IT’S A PERSIAN CAT.

PENILEY: WELL, WHEN’S EL CONEJO’S HOUSE WAS RAID[ED] IN MEXICO CITY AND ALL THOSE ANIMALS THAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THE PREVIOUS EPISODE WERE – 

MARÍA: THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, THE WHITE TIGER, THE LION,

PENILEY: WHEN ALL THEY WERE FILMED EL PERICO, THE CAT, WASN’T THERE. AND NOW WE UNDERSTOOD WHY.

MARÍA: BECAUSE THE CAT HAD BEEN DELIVERED TO EL REY AND IT WAS NOW HIS CAT

MARÍA: I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, DEAR LISTENER, TELENOVELA? SI. WHAT A WEEK!

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WELL, SOMETHING ELSE BIG HAPPENED. 

CLIP ABOUT CRISTINA

MARIA:  So we are outside of the courthouse on a very long day. What’s the wrap up? 

PENILEY: Well today we’ll learn who was the only witness for the defense, and that was Christina Barreda Garcia, Luna’s wife. 

MARIA: For me, the big takeaway  is that, you know, she was talking a lot about buying houses, selling houses, getting a business, selling a business, and I think all of it kind of gets jumbled up in, in the jurors and they’re just like, wow, you, you guys were not just public servants. Something else was going on. 

PENILEY: Yeah. So we will tell you everything about Christina in our next episode, but for now, we can tell you this is almost done. 

SFX

BY THE WAY, WE DID GET A CHANCE TO HEAR GENARO GARCIA LUNA’S VOICE BECAUSE HE DID IN FACT SAY, YES, SIR, TO THE JUDGE. WHEN THE JUDGE SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU’RE MAKING THE DECISION TO NOT TESTIFY? AND HE SAID, “YES, SIR.” AND WE WERE LIKE,

PENILEY: SI, SEÑOR. SI, SEÑOR`. 

MARÍA: YOU REMEMBER THAT FROM A PREVIOUS EPISODE, OBVIOUSLY.

PENILEY: SO MARIA, AFTER ALL THIS TIME, ALL THESE WEEKS, WE NEVER SAW ANY RECORDINGS. WE NEVER SAW ANY VIDEOS. WE NEVER SAW ANY. EVIDENCE BEYOND THE WITNESSES.

MARÍA: RIGHT. THERE’S NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. NO SMOKING GUN AS IT WERE, WHICH IS DIFFICULT IN A PROSECUTION CASE

PENILEY: BUT 

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THIS IS AN INVESTIGATIVE PODCAST, SO WE MANAGED TO HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE WHO TALKED TO US AND TOLD US THAT THE DEA ACTUALLY DID HAVE RECORDINGS OF GARCIA LUNA

MARÍA: SO WE’RE GONNA GO NOW TO THIS REALLY IMPORTANT INTERVIEW. YOU DID PENI.

PENILEY: WHEN WE COME BACK

MARÍA: NO TE VAYAS

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MIDROLL 

MARÍA: DEAR LISTENER, WE’RE BACK WITH MORE DRAMA FROM THE GARCIA LUNA CASE, AND AS PENI SAID, DOING OUR INVESTIGATIVE WORK. ENTONCES…

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PENILEY: WELL MARIA, NOW I WANT TO GO BACK TO DECEMBER 9TH, 2019, THE DAY WHEN GENARO GARCIA LUNA WAS ARRESTED IN TEXAS.[00:11:00]

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JOURNALIST: (MEDIA FILE) GARCIA LUNA WAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN MEXICO. YESTERDAY HE WAS ARRESTED HERE IN DALLAS ON CHARGES OF DRUG TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY

NEWS ANCHOR: THIS IS GENARO GARCIA LUNA, HE’S ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BRIBES, ALL IN EXCHANGE FOR PROVIDING PROTECTION TO DRUG KINGPIN JOAQUIN EL CHAPO GUZMAN, AND HIS CARTEL.

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MARÍA: YES. HIS ARREST WAS ONE YEAR AFTER HE WAS MENTIONED IN THE TRIAL OF EL CHAPO GUZMAN. AND THAT’S WHEN OF COURSE, UH, EL REY SAID THAT HE HAD GIVEN GARCIA LUNA MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BRIBES.

PENILEY: SO IN DECEMBER, 2019, FIVE DEA OFFICERS COME AND ARREST GARCIA LUNA. BUT THEN YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED, MARIA?

MARÍA: UM, YEAH, THEY HAVE THIS MAJOR CASE AT THE DEA, WHICH LIKE IN A HUGE BUILDING WITH ALL KINDS OF TECHNICAL POSSIBILITIES, BUT THEY HAVE NOTHING TO RECORD. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY?

PENILEY: YEAH, [00:12:00] WE AS JOURNALISTS WILL SAY, JUST GET YOUR PHONE AND RECORD WITH YOUR OWN PHONE OR DO SOMETHING. OH, WE TRIED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES TO MAKE IT WORK, BUT WE COULDN’T. SO GARCIA LUNA AGREED TO BE INTERVIEWED WITHOUT A TAPE RECORDER, AND THEN WITHOUT EVEN A LAWYER PRESENT. THEY JUST WENT AHEAD AND INTERVIEWED HIM. THE DEA SUPERVISOR SAID IN COURT THAT GARCIA LUNA ALLOWED THE AGENTS TO GET INTO HIS CELL PHONE, HIS COMPUTER. 

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PENILEY: NOW I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, DEAR LISTENER, AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH A NEW SOURCE WHO TOLD ME ABOUT SECRET RECORDINGS IN THE DEA’S POSSESSION, THAT ALLEGEDLY INCLUDE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN GARCIA LUNA AND THE NARCO LORD ARTURO, BUT THEY WERE NEVER PRESENTED AT THE TRIAL.

MARÍA: AGAIN, YOU GOT A SOURCE TO TALK TO YOU. OKAY. WHAT DID HE SAY?

PENILEY: WELL, HE WAS A HIGH RANKING MEXICAN SECURITY OFFICER DURING FELIPE CALDERON’S ADMINISTRATION. SO WHEN GARCIA LUNA WAS THE SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SECURITY IN HIS POSITION, MY DEALT MAINLY WITH THE FBI, THE CIA, AND THE DEA. SO HE HAD ACCESS TO SENSITIVE INFORMATION. IN THE PAST, THIS SOURCE AND ME, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING OFF THE RECORD OF FOR BACKGROUND, BUT NOW DURING GARCIA LUNA’S TRIAL, WE HAVE BEEN ANALYZING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT HE THINKS IS IMPORTANT, BUT THE PROSECUTORS HAVE OMITTED.

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THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE SPOKE TO ME ON THE RECORD, BUT HE WANTED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND DIDN’T WANT US TO USE HIS VOICE, SO OUR PRODUCER, JUAN DIEGO RAMIREZ, IS VOICING WHAT HE SAID TO ME.

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: SIEMPRE HUBO EVIDENCIAS CIRCUNSTANCIALES [00:14:00] Y VERSIONES DE TESTIGOS, PERO MUY POCAS VECES HUBO PRUEBAS JUDICIALES QUE PROBABAN EL INVOLUCRAMIENTO DE GARCÍA LUNA CON LOS CARTELES. (CLIP 1)

MARÍA: SO BASICALLY HE’S SAYING THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONY FROM WITNESSES ABOUT GARCIA LUNA, AND A POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP HE HAD WITH THE CARTELS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THIS JUST WASN’T ENOUGH TO STAND IN COURT.

PENILEY: EXACTLY. AND THEN DURING A VISIT TO A DEA FACILITY IN THE US WITH OTHER MEXICAN OFFICERS, HE SAID THAT HE LISTENED TO SOME TAPES.

(CLIP 3)

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: LAS GRABACIONES ERAN EN GENERAL LLAMADAS TELEFÓNICAS QUE OCURRÍAN ENTRE [00:15:00] DIVERSOS OPERADORES DE DISTINTOS CARTELES.

PENILEY: HE SAID THAT HE WAS TOLD BY DEA AGENTS THAT THE VOICE IN THOSE RECORDINGS WAS GARCIA LUNA’S.

(CLIP 4)

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: REFIRIERON AL SECUESTRO DE GARCÍA LUNA EN DONDE BELTRÁN LE IBA. LE HABRÍA RECLAMADO SU LEALTAD. ESCUCHÉ EN VOZ ALTA Y LOS AGENTES DIJERON QUE ERA GARCÍA LUNA.

MARÍA: SO HE SAYS THAT HE HEARD GARCIA LUNA WAS KIDNAPPED BY THE DRUG, LORD ARTURO BELTRAN LEYVA, WHO WAS COMPLAINING TO HIM BECAUSE APPARENTLY, UH, GARCIA LUNA WASN’T BEING LOYAL TO HIM. SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE’S NOT LOYAL? UH, YOU KIDNAP THEM.

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MARÍA: SO PENi, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY YOUR NEXT QUESTION WAS GONNA BE WHY DIDN’T THE PROSECUTION PRESENT ANY OF THESE RECORDINGS DURING THE TRIAL? I MEAN, IT’S, IT’S RIGHT THERE. YOU GET TO HEAR HIS VOICE.

PENILEY: THAT WAS EXACTLY MY QUESTION.

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: (CLIP 5) YO NO SÉ SI EL GOBIERNO DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS TENGA ESAS GRABACIONES O NO. MI PRIMERA TEORÍA DE POR QUÉ NO LO HAN HECHO SERÍA PORQUE NO SON GRABACIONES QUE HAYAN HECHO CON AUTORIZACIÓN DE UN JUEZ. PARA PRESENTARLAS COMO EVIDENCIA EN UN JUICIO

MARÍA: OH, OKAY. THIS WAS AN ILLEGALLY TAPED CONVERSATION, THEN IT’S NOT GONNA BE ADMISSIBLE. IN COURT, I GET IT

PENILEY: AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT MY SOURCE BELIEVES. SO HE SAID THAT FREQUENTLY. THE FBI GAVE GARCIA LUNA INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION ABOUT RIVAL ORGANIZATIONS – NOT ABOUT THE SINALOA CARTEL.

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: LE DABAN INFORMACIÓN DE GRUPOS DE ORGANIZACIONES CRIMINALES PUES, PORQUE ESAS SON ORGANIZACIONES QUE ERAN ENEMIGAS DEL CARTEL DE SINALOA Y DE LOS BELTRÁN LEYVA.

(CLIP 6)

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PENILEY: SO THEY WERE GIVING HIM INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER CARTELS. SO CAR LUNA WILL ATTACK ALL THE PEOPLE, AND THEN WE WILL GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SINOLA CARTEL TO THE NAVY OR TO THE MILITARY OR TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. 

AND THEN A DEA AGENT WHO ALSO TESTIFIED IN THIS TRIAL SET IN COURT THAT A FEW HOURS AFTER EL GRANDE WAS ARRESTED. HE MET WITH HIM AND HE GAVE THE AGENT INFORMATION ABOUT BRIBE PAYMENTS AND DETAILED DATA ABOUT HOW THE. FEDERAL POLICE AND GARCIA LUNA WERE WORKING FOR THE SINALOA CARTEL. HE ADDED THAT HIGH RANKING MEMBERS OF GARCIA LUNA’S POLICE RECEIVED PAYMENTS IN A RESTAURANT IN MEXICO CITY.

MARÍA: IT’S THE CHAMPS ELYSEES, WHICH IS A VERY FANCY MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN REFORMA, RIGHT?

PENILEY: AND THAT WAS THE RESTAURANT WHEN ACCORDING TO EL REY GARCIA WAS RECEIVING THIS PAYMENTS. SO THIS IS THE SAME INFORMATION THAT EL GRANDE GAVE TO THE DEA IN 2010. SO 13 YEARS BEFORE THIS TRIAL IS HAPPENING.

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MARÍA: SO AGAIN, THAT RAISES SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE US.  WHAT DID THE DEA KNOW? WHAT DID THE CIA KNOW AND WHAT DID THEY DO WITH IT? THEY ALLEGEDLY JUST TURNED AWAY.

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PENILEY: YES. AND AT LEAST TWO OTHER AMERICAN WITNESSES IN THIS TRIAL HAVE SAID THAT THE US BELIEVED THAT GARCIA LUNA WAS NOT PARTICULARLY ACTIVE AGAINST THE SINALOA CARTEL.

MARÍA: SO WHO WERE THOSE WITNESSES?

PENILEY: WELL, THE FORMER AMBASSADOR IN MEXICO. ANTHONY WAYNE, SAID THAT HE KNEW THAT THE FEDERAL POLICE WASN’T PARTICULARLY ACTIVE AGAINST THE SINALOA CARTEL

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PENILEY: AND THEN AN FBI AGENT WHO USED TO BE BASED IN MEXICO, SAID THAT IN 2012 THEY WERE READY TO RE-APPREHEND EL CHAPO. CHAPO WAS ON THE RUN SINCE 2001, AND THEY COULDN’T DO IT BECAUSE OF MISTAKES FROM THE FEDERAL POLICE.

MARÍA: THERE WERE JUST SOME MISTAKES. THAT’S WHY WE COULDN’T ARREST EL CHAPO.

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THERE’S SOMETHING THAT STILL BAFFLES ME. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WITH THE NICKNAMES WHO TESTIFIED AGAINST CA GARCIA LUNA IN NEW YORK, I MEAN THEY WERE ALL ARRESTED FIRST IN MEXICO. SO WHY IS IT THAT HE, GARCIA LUNA HAS NEVER FACED TRIAL IN MEXICO? 

PENILEY: YEAH, AND THAT’S [00:20:00] SOMETHING THAT EL REY ZAMBADA SAID IN COURT THIS WEEK, AND I ALSO ASKED MY SOURCE,

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: CUANDO UN TESTIGO TESTIFICA EN MEXICO, LO HACE CON MUCHO MIEDO. EL GOBIERNO MEXICANO NO LO VA PROTEGER Y NO VA OBTENER NINGÚN BENEFICIO DE TESTIFICAR. LOS TESTIGOS NO HABLAN MÁS HASTA QUE NO SON INTERROGADOS POR LAS AGENCIAS DE ESTADOS UNIDOS SON EXTRADITADOS.

MARÍA: RIGHT. SO YOUR SOURCE BASICALLY SAYS THAT THE WITNESSES, THEY’RE LIKE TERRIBLY SCARED OF RETALIATION IN MEXICO. AND THEY SAY THAT THEY KNOW THAT ONCE THEY’RE EXTRADITED HERE TO THE UNITED STATES, THAT THAT’S WHEN THEY CAN SPEAK.

PENILEY: YES. AND MANY OF THE WITNESSES IN THIS TRIAL ARE CONVICTED CRIMINALS WHO HAVE TESTIFIED AGAINST GARCIA LUNA SEEKING A LEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS, OR ARE REDUCED SENTENCE IN THE US AND THAT’S PART OF OUR QUESTION, MARIA, WHO HOLDS THE US ACCOUNTABLE OF MAKING ALL THESE DEALS WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE, RIGHT?

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MARÍA: YEAH. I’M TELLING YOU, DEAR LISTENER, IT’S FASCINATING AND WE ARE SO HAPPY THAT YOU CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO US. AND THERE’S GONNA BE MORE.

PENILEY: YEAH. NEXT WEEK WE WILL HAVE CLOSING ARGUMENTS, AND WE MIGHT HAVE A VERDICT.

MARÍA: AND SABES QUE, LISTENER, IF YOU GET CURIOUS AND YOU WANT MORE FOLLOW UP, JUST FOLLOW OUR TWITTER PAGE AT FUTU INVESTIGATES, OR ME AND PENI, WE’RE HAVING A GOOD TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SEE YOU THERE. UNTIL NEXT WEEK.

PENILEY: SALUD.

MARÍA: SALUD. DEAR LISTENER, 

CREDITS

USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA IS AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA AND FUTURO STUDIOS. LEMONADA MEDIA IS OUR ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNER.

OUR HOSTS ARE MARÍA HINOJOSA AND PENILEY RAMÍREZ, EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF FUTURO UNIDAD HINOJOSA, THE INVESTIGATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION OF FUTURO MEDIA.

THIS EPISODE WAS PRODUCED BY JUAN DIEGO RAMÍREZ AND SOFÍA SÁNCHEZ. THIS SERIES IS EDITED BY ANDREA LÓPEZ-CRUZADO. OUR ASSOCIATE PRODUCER IS ROXANA AGUIRRE. FACT CHECKING BY ARTURO ANGEL. 

NANCY TRUJILLO AND RAUL PÉREZ ARE OUR PROJECT MANAGERS. 

THIS EPISODE WAS MIXED BY STEPHANIE LEBOW, JULIA CARUSO, GABRIELA BAEZ AND LEAH SHAW DAMERON. MUSIC AND SCORING BY JACOB ROSATI. 

THIS SERIES WAS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT FROM THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE AND HISPANICS IN PHILANTHROPY. 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE REST OF “USA V. GARCÍA LUNA” TODAY, WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS, OR ON OUR WEBSITE AT FUTUROINVESTIGATES.ORG — THAT’S FUTURO INVESTIGATES DOT-O-R-G. VISIT OUR SITE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ON “USA V. GARCÍA LUNA”. 

The work of Futuro Investigates is made possible by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Tow Foundation, the Geraldine H. Dodge Foundation, Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and Hispanics in Philanthropy.

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