The United States Central Intelligence Agency has maintained a constant presence in Mexico since its inception. During the Cold War, Vienna and Mexico were the agency’s largest and most important stations in its fight against communism. The CIA’s Operation Lintempo had several Mexican presidents and other high-profile politicians on its payroll.
In the 1970s and 80s, they actively collaborated with Mexican authorities to monitor cartels and their trafficking routes to the United States. They also formed alliances with drug traffickers to supply weapons to the Nicaraguan Contras, an alliance that led to the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent “Kiki” Camarena by Rafael Caro Quintero.
Today, the CIA’s presence is much more institutionalized. For years, they have collaborated daily with the Ministry of Defense, the Navy, the National Intelligence Center (CNI), and other institutions, providing training, technology, intelligence, and coordination for operations against high-value targets through communications interception, geolocation, satellite analysis, drones, and forensic analysis of financial transactions. This information is invaluable to Mexican authorities who lack the equipment and capabilities of this agency.
Yesterday, CNN exposed a CIA operation to eliminate Francisco Beltrán Leyva, alias “El Payín,” using an explosive device in the car he was traveling in. The explosion was captured on video from another vehicle at the AIFA airport.
The video is very impressive and quite clear, showing the detonation in real time.
This is the basis of the CNN report. The report, written by four reporters and backed by the reputation of this news agency, was picked up by the New York Times, which asserts that it wasn’t the CIA that carried it out, but rather Mexican authorities with CIA intelligence support.
Mexican authorities and the CIA itself have denied this.
The question that remains is: who do we believe?
Is there a permanent presence of American intelligence agents in Mexico? Absolutely. There are 13 security, justice, and intelligence agencies working daily with Mexican authorities on matters of interest to both countries. Are there clandestine operations by these agencies in Mexico? Yes, there is a precedent of CIA agents in Chihuahua collaborating with state authorities in operations to locate drug labs, operations in which, unfortunately, two of these agents and two Mexicans were accidentally killed. This incident has not been clarified by U.S. authorities.
So, was the explosion at Felipe Ángeles Airport a CIA operation, or did the CIA collaborate in some way with Mexican authorities in this explosion, as the NYT suggests?
I think there are other questions that should be asked.
What is the purpose of blowing up a car at an airport in a friendly country with which we cooperate every day, to eliminate a low-level drug trafficker?
Didn’t they consider the damage this supposed operation would do to cooperation and the bilateral relationship?
Why do it in such a spectacular way?
Does the CIA or the Mexican government need to eliminate criminals in this way?
Was it really an explosion intended to eliminate the occupants of the vehicle? What if the occupants mishandled a grenade or explosive and it detonated?
The report and investigation by the Attorney General’s Office are not yet public. They will analyze CCTV footage from the airport, examine traces of explosives, search for forensic evidence and clues, etc. It is very likely that some American agencies may assist in this investigation to determine what really happened.
Source: elindependiente
