Ex-Mexico City Police Chief Loses Appeal to Block Extradition Order

Former Mexico City Police Chief Arturo Durazo lost an appeal Friday and was ordered extradited to Mexico to stand trial on extortion and illegal weapons charges.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matt Byrne Jr. upheld an order by a federal magistrate last August that there was sufficient evidence to return the 68-year-old Durazo, a childhood friend of former Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo, to Mexico for prosecution.

Byrne discounted defense claims of U.S. government misconduct and that Mexican authorities falsified evidence against Durazo.

“I believe . . . that there was no violation of due process (rights) on the part of the United States government,” the judge said.

Evidence Certified

He added that the alleged falsifying of evidence could not be addressed by him, because John Gavin, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, was within his authority in certifying evidence presented to him by Mexican authorities for use in the U.S. extradition proceedings.

The extradition order by Byrne does not take effect until March 10, when attorneys for Durazo are scheduled to ask the judge to stay his order.

If he refuses to do so, Durazo could be sent back immediately to Mexico, unless a federal appeals court agrees to intervene, said Assistant U.S. Atty. J. Stephen Czuleger, who handled the case on behalf of the Mexican government.

Durazo is one of very few high-ranking officials in the Lopez Portillo administration to be sought for trial, and his extradition has been a priority for Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid, who promised to fight government corruption when he took office in December, 1982.

Appointed to the Mexico City police chief’s post by Lopez Portillo, Durazo is accused by Mexican authorities of extortion and illegal stockpiling of weapons during his tenure in office between 1976 and 1982. Mexican authorities charge that Durazo became a wealthy man through extortion and bribes of men under his command in licensing bureaus and auxiliary police units.

Ordered to Pay

The head of one licensing bureau said he was ordered to turn over 10,000 Mexican pesos ( at the time, a little more than $400) a week to a man, who, in turn, gave the money to Durazo, Mexican investigators said.

Durazo’s palatial mansion outside of Mexico City, equipped with stables, a discotheque, a dog track and a collection of vintage automobiles, was confiscated by authorities and later opened for a time as a “museum of corruption.”

Durazo’s wealth was accumulated at a time when his salary as Mexico City police chief was equivalent to less than $1,000 a month, Mexican investigators said.

The former police chief, who fled Mexico, was arrested at San Juan’s international airport in Puerto Rico in October, 1984, on a Mexican warrant charging him with failure to pay more than 50 million pesos in duties for valuables found in his possession. He has been in federal custody since that time.

Decline Comment

Aides to Mexican Atty. Gen. Sergio Garcia Ramirez, who were present in the courtroom, declined comment on Byrne’s ruling. A spokesman for Garcia Ramirez said later in a telephone interview from Mexico City that government officials “were pleased” with the judge’s order.

A dozen federal security guards were in the courtroom as Durazo, who has been the target of death threats in the past, sat impassively as a Spanish language interpreter translated the court proceedings for him. He showed no emotion when Byrne handed down his order.

Later, one of his attorneys, San Francisco lawyer Bernard Zimmerman, said the former police chief was disappointed at the ruling.

“He thought that he should have walked out of here (Byrne’s courtroom) with me today,” Zimmerman said.