U.S. citizen Joel René ‘N’, a resident of Visalia, California, remains detained in Mexico accused of participating in the illegal theft of fuel, while his family maintains that he was arbitrarily arrested as he was leaving a soccer match in the state of Colima.
Cárdenas Carrillo, who has lived in the United States for more than 25 years, had traveled to Mexico to visit his father for his birthday. His wife and two children are also U.S. citizens and remain in California while the judicial proceedings take place in Mexico.
The man was arrested on August 12 in Manzanillo, a port city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, along with his friend Leonel ‘N’ and four other people.
The arrest has two completely different versions.
The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) maintains that the six men were arrested while allegedly illegally extracting hydrocarbons from a Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipeline in the community of Tapeixtles. They were subsequently brought before the federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and bound over for trial.
However, relatives of Joel René and Leonel say that both men were at a soccer field and were not involved in any fuel extraction.
“On August 12, it was at the field here that is near Pemex […] they were leaving the field when the operation arrived, the government arrived, and they simply grabbed them,” said Yerania Cárdenas, Leonel’s sister.
In Mexico, the illegal theft and sale of fuel is popularly known as “huachicoleo,” an activity that for years has generated million-peso losses for the state-owned oil company and has also been linked by authorities to organized crime groups.
The federal investigation led to a search of a property where, according to the FGR, seven tanker trucks, fuel, two underground taps, and three pickup trucks were seized, along with other evidence.
Family Gathers Evidence to Prove Joel and Leonel’s Innocence
The family does not dispute that authorities found these items, but rejects the claim that Joel René and Leonel were captured at that location.
According to their relatives, Joel René had not visited Manzanillo for approximately four and a half years. On the day of his arrest, they say, he spent part of the day carrying out family activities: in the morning he visited Cerro de la Cruz and later spent time with his father before attending the soccer match.
Relatives have asked people who attended the sporting event on August 12 to provide photographs and videos showing Joel René and Leonel, with the intention of using them as evidence to establish where they were when the operation took place.
The family says it already has some images that would place them at the match and continues gathering evidence for their defense.
The case now has additional significance for Cárdenas Carrillo’s family because of his U.S. citizenship and because his immediate family—his wife and two children—are in the United States.
The next court hearing is scheduled for October 20, according to the family, which says it has received little information about the progress of the proceedings.
The case has also prompted demonstrations in Tapeixtles. Residents of the community have held peaceful protests demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances under which the men were arrested.
“We feel that the case is not moving forward […] that is why we are demonstrating, so that the government is aware that these people are unjustly imprisoned,” said Yerania Cárdenas.
A federal judge will determine the responsibility of the six defendants. As the proceedings continue, Joel René’s family is attempting to demonstrate that the U.S. citizen traveled to Mexico for a family celebration and that, when the operation that led to his arrest took place, he was watching a soccer match rather than stealing fuel, as alleged by federal authorities.
Source: milenio
