Alleged Ojinaga narcos nabbed on Australian soil
By ROBERT LOUIS HALPERN
OJINAGA, Chih., Mexico – Two of the top three alleged narcotraficantes who control the illegal drug trade in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, were arrested last week in Sydney, Australia, while they were attending the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, federal authorities said.
The third man was arrested in Hawaii making his way back to Mexico from the games.
Francisco Kiko’ Javier Balderrama-Rios and his top-level managers, Ruben Carrasco Valdez and Eduardo Armando Mando Quiroz-Garcia are charged in a 24-count Midland federal grand jury indictment that accuses them in the murders of three men in or near Presidio and of running a continuing criminal enterprise, according to the indictment.
Known as ‘Los tres de la sierra’ (the three of the mountain), Balderrama’s organization is suspected of smuggling more than 62 tons of marijuana into the United States since 1996.
The suspects also are charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to import marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
"It feels like hitting the lottery three times in a row," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg of Midland. United States authorities in the past two weeks received intelligence that placed the trio in Australia, said Bill Blagg of San Antonio, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. "We determined we might have the opportunity to get our hands on them," Blagg said, and within a 28-hour period, federal prosecutors had an indictment and arrest warrants in hand against the three to commit money laundering and money laundering.
"It feels like hitting the lottery three times in a row," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg of Midland. United States authorities in the past two weeks received intelligence that placed the trio in Australia, said Bill Blagg of San Antonio, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. "We determined we might have the opportunity to get our hands on them," Blagg said, and within a 28-hour period, federal prosecutors had an indictment and arrest warrants in hand against the three men.
The suspects are charged in the deaths of Israel Shorty’ Ocon and Rigoberto Loera-Carrillo, both of Presidio, and Gerardo Urquidi Pando of California. Lorea was a former Presidio County deputy sheriff.
Ocon was mortally wounded outside his Presidio home on September 3,1997, and died a few days later. Lorea. and Urquidi were found shot to death in a pickup parked by the Rio Grande at the Polvo crossing near Redford on May 14, 1998.
Balderrama is alleged to have ordered the hits after suspecting that Ocon, Lorea and Urquidi had stolen 1,500 pounds of the syndicate’s marijuana, according to the indictment. Balderrama and Quiroz were arrested September 21 by Australian authorities.
After Carrasco left Australia, he was arrested by DEA agents in Honolulu, Hawaii, when his airplane made a refueling stop. The three suspects were initially arrested based on a sealed federal complaint from federal offices in Alpine. Based on that complaint and the resulting indict-
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