George W. Grayson, a College of William & Mary government professor who has written extensively about Mexican drug cartels, said it’s not unusual for cartels to bribe U.S. public officials with small amounts of money. Some officials don’t make high salaries and those working in border towns may have relatives in Mexico and feel threatened by cartels, Grayson said.
Former Police Chief Angelo Vega
A former police chief in a New Mexico border town collected more than $2,000 a month from the Juarez Cartel in exchange for protection and help with smuggling drugs and guns, a former town official testified Wednesday.
Blas “Woody” Gutierrez, the former Columbus village trustee, told a federal court that former Police Chief Angelo Vega also received $1,500 each time he allowed cartel members to use village vehicles, including police cruisers, for the syndicate’s various operations, the Albuquerque Journal reported (http://bit.ly/1929zPJ ).
Gutierrez’s testimony came in a trial involving Danny Burnett, a former school superintendent who is charged with leaking information about a federal wiretap investigation into a Columbus gun and drug smuggling ring.
It was the first time such details from the 2011 gun smuggling case – which ensnared Gutierrez, Vega and former Mayor Eddie Espinoza – have been made public as all of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
Another former Columbus mayor and current city councilor, Martha Skinner, said Thursday she would have guessed Vega would have been paid more for the actions that cost him his career and could ultimately land him in prison. Vega made about $3,000 a month working for the city.
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