Former Mexican Federal Police Commander Enters No Contest Plea to Obstructing United States Investigation into Drug Cartel

CHICAGO — A former high-ranking commander in the Mexican Federal Police entered a no contest plea in U.S. District Court today to the charges of obstruction of justice and conspiring with others to corruptly impede a U.S.-based narcotics trafficking investigation. A no contest plea is one in which a defendant acknowledges that the facts of the case would result in a verdict of guilt, although the defendant is not admitting to those facts.

IVAN REYES ARZATE, 46, of Mexico City, also known as "La Reina," entered a no contest plea to charges that he obstructed and conspired to obstruct an investigation being carried out by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Reyes acquired information regarding the United States investigation through his position as a commander in the Mexican Federal Police, which was working with the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago to investigate an international drug trafficking and money laundering organization.

An indictment was returned in July 2017 charging Reyes and he has been in custody since the announcement of the charges. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve accepted the plea, and set the sentencing for August 29, 2018 at 9:30.

Today’s plea was announced by John R. Lausch Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Brian McKnight, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA. The investigation was conducted through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Illinois State Police, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Today’s plea is historic in that it represents the first time in this district that a high level foreign law enforcement officer is being held criminally accountable in a U.S. courtroom for obstructing a U.S. investigation targeting transnational organized crime," said U.S. Attorney Lausch. "This result follows over a year of hard work on behalf of our partners at the DEA and our counterparts in Mexico. We remain steadfast in our commitment to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and fight against corruption at all levels."

"The Drug Enforcement Administration continues to work tirelessly with the US Attorney’s Office as well as our Mexican counterparts in this shared fight against transnational organized crime, violence and drug trafficking," remarked Special Agent in Charge McKnight. "Chasing corruption across the border and holding those accountable for obstructing lawful investigations reinforces to narcotics traffickers that justice does prevail."

The obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Sawyer and Devlin Su.