Generals Guilty in Mexico Drug Case
A military court Friday convicted two generals of aiding drug smugglers, concluding a high-profile case aimed at cracking down on Mexico’s drug trade.
The five-general panel convicted Gen. Francisco Quiros and Brig. Gen. Arturo Acosta of protecting cocaine and marijuana shipments for drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, who died in 1997 after undergoing plastic surgery.
It sentenced Quiros to 16 years in prison and Acosta to 15. They have already served two years. The court cleared the men of another charge of criminal association.
Prosecutors accused the generals of protecting drug smugglers and using military airplanes to transport shipments of cocaine and marijuana. Quiros was also found guilty of taking bribes from Carrillo Fuentes, who was Mexico’s most-wanted drug trafficker in the mid-1990s. The panel ordered two cars and other goods confiscated.
The men were stripped of their ranks and their military decorations.
Attorneys for the two said they would appeal.
The officers also face separate charges in the deaths of 130 leftist activists in the 1970s.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
