lightly. That is why he has stepped forward for the first time to comment publicly
on the case.
Gonzalez, a 26-year veteran of DEA, has stellar track record with the agency,
which is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Previous to his post in El Paso,
Gonzalez served as associate special agent in charge of DEA’s Miami Field
Division. Prior to that, he oversaw DEA’s South American operations as chief of
the South American Section in the Office of International Operations.
Sutton, however, was seemingly not impressed with Gonzalez’ background, or at
least did not feel compelled to meet with him once he received the letter. Instead,
Sutton’s reaction was to reach out to his high-level contacts within the DOJ in
Washington, D.C., to bring pressure to bear on Gonzalez, to shut him up and to
ensure the letter was buried.
“When a U.S. Attorney gets a letter from another senior government official in
DOJ, and his first reaction is to go after that official behind his back instead of
looking at the issues, that is suspect,” Gonzalez told Narco News. “If he was on
the up and up, he should have at least called me to set up a meeting with me.
“Instead he goes behind my back to DOJ to complain. This is indicative of the
way the government works against all whistleblowers. When they go against the
grain, no matter how right they are, the government goes after them. The record
is rather clear on this.”
Threads of Death
Gonzalez’ letter exposed the complicity of U.S. federal agents in the multiple
murders in Juárez. The homicides were tied to an investigation into Heriberto
Santillan-Tabares, who U.S. prosecutors claim is a top lieutenant in Vicente
Carrillo Fuentes’ Juárez drug organization.
A confidential informant, who allegedly had attained high standing within the
Juárez organization, played a critical role in snaring Santillan. The informant’s
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