Durazo Ordered Back to Mexico to Stand Trial

A federal magistrate in Los Angeles today ruled that former Mexico City Police Chief Arturo Durazo, accused by Mexican authorities of amassing a huge fortune while in office, must be returned to Mexico to stand trial on extortion and illegal weapons charges.

Finding sufficient evidence in the charges against Durazo, the ruling by U.S. Magistrate Volney V. Brown Jr. is a victory for the administration of current Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid, who has promised a campaign of “moral renovation” to end corruption.

“The crimes are extraditable within the meaning of the extradition treaty between the United States and Mexico,” Brown said in his 38-page decision.

Durazo, 68, is one of the very few high-ranking officials in the administration of former Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo to be sought for trial, and his extradition has been a top priority for Mexican authorities.

Appointed to the Mexico City police chief’s post by Lopez Portillo, a childhood friend, Durazo is accused by Mexican authorities of extortion and taking bribes from subordinates, illegal stockpiling of weapons and illegal possession of imported goods during his tenure between 1976 and 1982.

Mexican investigators said Durazo lived well beyond his means--his police chief’s salary was the equivalent of less than $1,000 a month--accumulating millions of pesos through extortion schemes.

‘Museum of Corruption’

His $2.5-million mansion outside of Mexico City, equipped with stables, a disco, a dog track and a collection of vintage automobiles, was confiscated and opened to the public as a “museum of corruption.”

His attorneys opposed extradition on several grounds, insisting, for example, that Durazo might be a target for assassination because he was privy to many secrets held in the highest circles of the Mexican government.

They also argued that there is no direct evidence linking Durazo to the alleged extortion schemes.

He has been held under 24-hour guard at an undisclosed location in the Los Angeles area since he was arrested at Puerto Rico’s international airport in October, 1984.

The extradition case was weakened last month when Brown ruled that he would not consider the sworn statements of a key witness who had implicated Durazo in one massive bribery scheme.