Outspoken Mexican general being transferred
Outspoken Mexican general being transferred
Baja post brought him praise, criticism
By Sandra Dibble
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 8, 2008
It started with a single, random gunshot inside a Brazilian restaurant in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California.
No one was injured on that Sunday afternoon last month. But the stray bullet tore open the deep fissure between the region's highest-ranking military
official and top state law enforcement officials.
MIGUEL CERVANTES / Special to the Union-Tribune
Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito, the outspoken commander of military forces in Baja California, is being transferred to Mexico City.
The conflict culminated yesterday with the announcement that Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito, the outspoken commander of military forces in Baja California,
is being transferred to Mexico City.
The general's supporters worry they are losing a fierce opponent of corruption and organized crime, but detractors say he created drama that diverted
attention from fighting such evils.
In a 21-page letter delivered to reporters Sunday, Aponte accused state law enforcement agents of corruption and said their bosses are upset that his
military forces have upstaged them in the struggle against drug traffickers.
During his 20 months in Baja California, El General Aponte, as he is commonly known, cut a powerful public figure. Inside a tightly guarded military
base perched above downtown Tijuana, he delivered news of the latest arrests and drug seizures in an authoritative baritone, standing near seized
items and calling on citizens to denounce wrongdoing.
In a country where military leaders traditionally maintain low profiles, he has spoken out boldly – some say imprudently – against drug traffickers
and government corruption. Such candor has been warmly received by many crime-weary Baja California residents.
“He has managed to awaken the sympathies and support of a large segment of society,” said Víctor Clark, a human rights activist in Tijuana.
The Mexican military is taking on a growing role against drug trafficking across the country under President Felipe Calderón. In the past three years,
about 6,000 deaths in Mexico have been attributed to drug killings, as violent cartels compete for lucrative smuggling routes to feed the demand of
U.S. drug users.
The military is generally viewed as more trustworthy than civilian forces, which have struggled with persistent corruption. But critics say soldiers
aren't equipped or trained for investigations, leading to potential human rights violations and leaving civilian prosecutors with faulty evidence.
In Sunday's open letter, Aponte, 64, accused the Baja California Attorney General's Office of “falsehood, incompetence and deceit.” He said state
authorities were trying to use the accidental restaurant shooting to sully his reputation.
“It would seem that I was subjected to the Holy Inquisition, . . . all for the simple fact that I was inside a family restaurant, when someone else
accidentally caused a firearm to go off,” the general wrote.
The next day, Francisco Blake, the state's lieutenant governor, faced reporters alongside the two main targets of the general's wrath: Rommel Moreno
Manjarrez, the attorney general, and Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, the secretary of public safety.
“The state government has never orchestrated a media campaign to harm any individual or institution,” Blake said. “Nobody is questioning his
commitment and dedication to the vigorous fight that all levels of government are waging against drug trafficking.”
José Carlos Vizcarra Lomelí, head of the Baja California Citizens Council for Public Safety, said the general is within his rights to speak out, but
that “these types of incidents are distracting . . . We just want them to sit together and talk and resolve their problems.”
Yesterday, a terse Aponte offered no explanations as he told a few local media outlets that he was taking a new position in Mexico City as president
of the Supreme Military Tribunal.
Despite the friction with state officials, the institutional relationships remain unbroken, said Gov. José Guadalupe Osuna Millán. “The military will
remain in their posts, and keep heading up civilian institutions until the governor decides this is no longer necessary, but for now it remains
necessary.”
Aponte says that under his watch, soldiers have seized 539 metric tons of marijuana, 3,871 kilos of cocaine and 282 kilos of crystal methamphetamine.
They have destroyed 800 clandestine airstrips and seized 1,243 vehicles, 1,583 weapons and 211,000 cartridges. They have made 1,388 arrests.
Despite the numbers, some won't be sorry to see the general go, saying his public accusations were inappropriate and potentially harmful.
“He's pursuing means that go beyond the bounds of the law when he makes pronouncements that impugn specific law enforcement officers without due
process,” said David Shirk, director of the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute.
Although the general's letter Sunday accused government officials of trying to link him to the accidental gunshot, he was never openly accused.
Justo Buenaventura, a retired army major and until recently the head of the State Preventive Police, initially denied it was his weapon, then stepped
forward to say it had gone off by accident.
Buenaventura has since been removed from his state police post.
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
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