The former governor of Chihuahua is believed to be hiding out in El Paso, Texas, to avoid facing multiple corruption charges in his state.
The explosive statements were made by Chihuahua’s Governor Javier Corral during a televised news conference where he announced that his predecessor, Cesar Orate Duarte Jaques, is currently a fugitive and is facing charges in connection with allegedly having used his office for personal gain, embezzlement, and bribery. Several other officials in Duarte’s cabinet have been charged; at least three have been arrested.
To avoid facing prosecution for those charges, authorities believe that Duarte crossed into Texas and is hiding out in El Paso, a city that is often hailed as being one of America’s safest–even though the Juarez Cartel and Sinaloa Cartels continue to run various operations there.
Cesar Duarte served as governor of Chihuahua from 2010 to 2016 for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The current governor is from the National Action Party. During Duarte’s term in office, PRI members, including Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, hailed Duarte as a trendsetter in promoting economic growth in the region. As Breitbart Texas reported, Duarte has been accused in Spain of using public funds to pay for private loans and services.
In recent years, U.S. journalists have praised Chihuahua’s border city of Juarez for a rebirth fostered by economic growth and renewed tourism after having been one of the world’s most violent cities. As Breitbart Texas has reported, what is often not mentioned is that the renewed peace in Ciudad Juarez was not due to political maneuvers, but Mexican cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s taking control of the region after a bloody struggle. Once Guzman was extradited to the U.S, violence has returned.
The charges against Duarte come at a time when gunmen with the La Linea wing of the Juarez Cartel murdered respected journalists Miroslava Breach. As Breitbart Texas reported, Breach had been investigating the various connections between PRI officials and drug cartels.
Cesar Duarte is the most recent Mexican governor added to a growing list of gubernatorial fugitives. Former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte (PRI) is currently a wanted fugitive by Interpol on embezzlement and organized crime charges. Former Tamaulipas Governors Tomas Yarrington and Eugenio Hernandez Flores, also from the PRI, are wanted by the U.S Department of Justice on money laundering charges. Yarrington is also facing drug trafficking conspiracy charges.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
“J.M. Martinez” from the Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.
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