Mexican Liason To U.S. Charged With Helping Traffic Drugs

A Mexican law enforcement official has been charged in San Diego with using his position to help drug traffickers.

Jesus Quinones, a liaison to US authorities with the Baja California attorney general’s office, was among 43 defendants named in a federal indictment unsealed Friday.

The U.S. attorney’s office says Quinones arranged for rivals of the Arellano Felix cartel to be arrested by Mexican authorities. He also allegedly passed along classified intelligence to drug traffickers.

The announcement followed raids earlier in the day in which authorities arrested 31 of the defendants.

The complaint charges them with conspiracy to conduct a criminal enterprise through racketeering. It alleges the scheme included murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, money laundering and robbery.