Mexican Judge Releases Former Border Governor Wanted in U.S. by DOJ

A state judge in Mexico ordered the release of a former border state governor who remains wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice on various money laundering charges.

This week, Tamaulipas State Judge Ignacio Garcia Zuniga held a hearing and ruled there was no reason for former governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores to be held behind bars on the charge of illicit enrichment and operating with illicit funds. According to information released by Hernandez’s attorneys, the former politician is awaiting a ruling of an injunction that could get him released in the coming days.

The charge from the most recent hearing was one of several state charges that Tamaulipas authorities filed against Hernandez in 2017. Prosecutors accused him of using straw men to illegally purchase government properties during his time as governor from 2005 to 2010 while a member of the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), Breitbart Texas reported at the time.

The charges in Mexico are separate from an indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas. There, prosecutors accused Hernandez of money laundering. If released from prison in Mexico, Hernandez could face ongoing extradition efforts outside of jail. Federal prosecutors in the U.S. claim Hernandez funneled illicit bribes into Texas and used them to purchase properties. Both Hernandez and his predecessor Tomas Yarrington (also from the PRI) have been linked to the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Yarrington is currently in U.S. federal custody awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to money laundering conspiracy. As part of the agreement in the Yarrington case, authorities dismissed various drug conspiracy charges.

Hernandez has been in a Mexican prison since his arrest in 2017. However, earlier this month, his attorney, Jose Javier Lopez Garcia, held a press conference where he announced they were close to getting his client released. During the news conference, the attorney refused to talk about the pending extradition process but simply focused on the Mexican case claiming it was political prosecution by former Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca who hails from the National Action Party (PAN).

In the past, Hernandez’s attorneys and relatives have approached Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) claiming that the case against Hernandez was political and asking for his help. Like Hernandez, several PRI politicians have approached or switched sides with AMLO’s MORENA party. The recent developments in Hernandez’s case have led to much speculation about political maneuvers aimed at solidifying MORENA in Tamaulipas.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.