The accused cartel-linked former governor of the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas claimed in Italian court that he does not want to be extradited to the U.S. for multiple drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The politician faces allegations of being a surrogate of Mexico’s Gulf, Los Zetas, and Beltran Leyva Cartels.
According to information provided Italian authorities, Yarrington made a court appearance on Wednesday to announce his wishes against extradition. He will remain in an Italian prison as a flight risk to the U.S. Department of Justice until the matter is settled.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Yarrington was charged out of the U.S. Southern District of Texas on multiple drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The allegations in the indictment point to Yarrington having worked for various Mexican cartels while serving as governor of Tamaulipas. While U.S. agents tracked him down for years, Mexican authorities gave the politician official protection details.
On Sunday, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and Italian police arrested Yarrington in at a restaurant. The arrest was based on the investigation done by U.S. authorities and the Italian government; however, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) issued a news release taking credit for the collar and claiming that Yarrington would be returned home.
The claims by the PGR were proven to be lies by Breitbart Texas this week when it quoted diplomatic officials revealing that the arrest was solely a U.S. based operation. Soon after, the PGR tried to backtrack by stating they provided information beneficial in locating Yarrington.
One day later, Breitbart Texas reported that Mexican officials told the DOJ that they would not oppose Yarrington’s extradition to the U.S. While the PGR tried to claim the story was not accurate, Reforma published documents proving that PGR had once again lied. The PGR again issued a series of news releases to “clarify” previous statements.
One release by the PGR revealed that the agency requested Yarrington’s extradition two days after his arrest, while the U.S. acted much earlier. Breitbart Texas has since learned that the request filed by Mexico is only a temporary hold and is not considered a formal extradition document.
In an apparent attempt to ease tensions between the two countries Wednesday, both the PGR and DOJ issued a joint news release claiming they “are working together on a legal strategy which will allow Tomas Yarrington to face justice in both countries.”
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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