Mexican envoy raises questions on reports Sinaloa drug cartel in PH

By: Matikas Santos - 10 years ago

MANILA, Philippines – The Mexican Ambassador to the Philippines questioned reports that an infamous Mexican drug cartel was already operating in the country since no Mexican has ever been detained by authorities.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced in December 2013 that the Sinaloa drug cartel, believed to be the most powerful drug syndicate in Mexico, was already in the Philippines.

Ambassador Julio Camarena Villaseñor. Photo from https://www.pcoo.gov.ph

The announcement was made by Senior Superintendent Bartolome Tobias, PNP-Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force chief, after a major drug raid in Lipa City, Batangas that yielded 84 kilos of shabu worth P420 million on Christmas day.

“No Mexican has yet been detained and we are working with [authorities] very closely to find any information that we can give to come to a specific conclusion,” Ambassador Julio Camarena Villaseñor told INQUIRER.net in an interview at his official residence last January 24.

“I do not understand why there is such as claim at this stage. There are Filipinos, Canadians, US nationals, and Chinese, but no Mexican has yet been detained,” Villaseñor said.

During the raid in Lipa, police apprehended three suspected drug traffickers identified as Gary Tan, a Chinese-Filipino, Aragay Argenos, and Rochelle Argenos, both Filipinos.

Tan was allegedly working with Filipino-American Jorge Torres who is believed to be the conduit in the country for the Mexican drug cartel.

The PNP has previously requested the assistance of the US Drug Enforcement Agency for help in tracking down Torres.

“Drug cartels don’t have nationalities, they’re international organized crime, they work from different parts of the world … no nationality should be tied to this event,” Villaseñor said.

“We will support the Filipino government in any which way to pursue their research and investigations,” he said.

The Sinaloa drug cartel is believed to be operating in 50 countries and is the biggest supplier of illegal drugs to the US.