From drug trafficking ties to conflicts of interest, Veracruz gave 140 million pesos to public security providers

10/25/2022

Translated from Spanish

In the context of budget increases for the fight against drug trafficking during Felipe Calderón’s presidency, the Veracruz Public Security Secretariat gave at least 140 million pesos to six irregular suppliers during the Javier Duarte gubernatorial administration. The private companies that received this money do not comply with legal requirements, as they have conflicts of interest due to family ties with public officials of the same agency, because they were reported by the SAT for irregular fiscal behavior, or because one of them is a partner of somone identified by the state government as a local boss of the CJNG.

By Elizabeth Rosales y Omar Escamilla

At least 140 million Mexican pesos of the public budget allocated to the Veracruz Public Security Secretariat (SSP-Veracruz) were diverted by criminal networks during the administration of Javier Duarte de Ochoa (2010-16),¹ currently imprisoned for criminal association and money laundering.

The money was dispersed through 13 public contracts that the SSP-Veracruz assigned to six irregular suppliers:² a business partner, two relatives of high-ranking SSP-Veracruz officials, and three contractors flagged by the federal Tax Administration Service (SAT) for operating as shell companies, according to Empower’s research findings.

Additionally, one of these suppliers was also linked to Francisco Navarrete Serna, who, according to the state government,³ was an alleged leader of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) in Veracruz and was killed in Tierra Blanca, in May 2020.⁴

The names of these irregular suppliers are:⁵ Porfirio Aspiazu Fabián, business partner of Navarrete Serna; Roberto Esquivel Hernández, who obtained public contracts both in his name and through the company Asever, S.A. de C.V.; Jesús Murillo Solis; Gloria Rodríguez Alcocer; Gabriela Vivaez Chávez, through the company Centro de Capacitación y Asesoría en Técnicas Policiales y Seguridad Privadas, S.A. de C.V. (CATS); and Abastecedora y Comercializadora de Productos de Veracruz, S.A. de C.V.

Empower reviewed a total of 197 public contracts (equivalent to 27% of all contracts awarded by the SSP-Veracruz during the Duarte administration), which covered services such as the acquisition of tactical equipment, food, tires, fuel, and vehicle maintenance, among others, according to official documents⁶ obtained through freedom of information requests between 2020-21 for the report ”Large-scale Corruption in the Veracruz Secretary of Public Security,” published by Empower simultaneously with this article, published in the Mexican magazine Proceso.

In 2006, the former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, implemented a security strategy that consisted of increasing the amount of police officers,⁷ including soldiers, in public security secretariats throughout the country and the budgets allocated to strengthening security in the states. The strategy was called the “fight against crime and drug trafficking,” popularly known as the War on Drugs. Consequently, Calderón quadrupled the budget for public security during his administration (2006-12) and doubled the resources allocated to national defense.⁸

h the Mérida Initiative, the United States provided Mexico with 1.6 billion USD, between 2008-10, to strengthen security. This cooperation program was activated by the U.S. in 2008 to combat organized crime in Mexico and Central America.⁹

Since the beginning of the program and until October 2020, Mexico received 3.3 billion USD from its northern neighbor to support federal security forces, according to the U.S. Congress.¹⁰

In this context, in Veracruz alone, the operating budget of the SSP-Veracruz increased by 142% during the Duarte administration, as compared to that of the previous administration of Fidel Herrera Beltrán (2004-10).¹¹ Meanwhile, the Fund for Public Safety (FASP),¹² a federal resource earmarked for public security in the states, increased by 32% for Veracruz.¹³

The administration of Fidel Herrera did not directly collaborate in the War on Drugs; rather, it was not until the Duarte administration that Veracruz joined the federal crime-fighting strategies.¹⁴

During the Duarte administration, Arturo Bermúdez Zurita was the head of the SSP-Veracruz from July 2011 to August 2016. Major José Nabor Nava Holguín became the head of the Secretariat in November 2016, after having been undersecretary of Public Security (2013-14) and undersecretary of Operations (2015).¹⁵

Bermúdez and Nava were prosecuted, between 2017-18, for the crime of forced disappearance in Veracruz;¹⁶ however, neither one is being investigated or prosecuted for the public procurement irregularities mentioned in this article. The former is out of jail while his judicial process for forced disappearance moves forward,¹⁷ while the latter is a fugitive from justice.¹⁸

During the administration of both officials, Veracruz experienced a spike in violence proportional to the increase in federal monies allocated to fight it and became one of the states with the highest murder rates in Mexico. In July 2016, it registered a record of over 100 murders in a single month.¹⁹

These deaths include those of at least 18 journalists, as registered by the organization Artículo 19.²⁰ According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Duarte’s government ended with a total of 5,905 homicides, while the previous administration registered 2,908. At the same time, 1,968 people were reported missing during Duarte’s term.²¹

Irregular suppliers

Official documents, obtained through freedom of information requests, show how six irregular suppliers benefited from the SSP-Veracruz’s budget increase, all while violence and public insecurity were on the rise in that state.

One of the suppliers was Porfirio Aspiazu Fabián, who received 25,459,891.28 MXN from two public contracts with the SSP-Veracruz. At the time of procurement, Aspiazu Fabián was the brother-in-law of Major José Nabor Nava Holguín.²² He was also a business partner of Francisco Navarrete Serna. According to official identity documents, the personal information of Navarrete Serna is identical to that of a person known as “El Primo,”²³ a businessman identified in 2016 by the government of Veracruz as an alleged local boss of the CJNG in Tierra Blanca²⁴ and who was killed in May 2020.²⁵

In March 2015, Aspiazu and Navarrete jointly incorporated Rancho Baalam Kab, S.P.R. de R.L., a company dedicated to agricultural production.²⁶ According to media reports, Navarrete was also the owner of Rancho El Limón,²⁷ located in the municipality of Tlalixcoyan.

There, the Veracruz Attorney General’s Office (FGEV) found remains of five young people reported missing.²⁸ The victims were detained in January 2016 by state police, only to be handed over to the CJNG. The FGEV’s ministerial interventions also revealed the location of over 11,000 burned boned fragments at the same ranch.

Another irregular supplier of the SSP-Veracruz during Duarte’s term was Roberto Esquivel Hernández, a business partner of the head of that same institution, Arturo Bermúdez Zurita,²⁹ in the company Naturalia Operadora Gourmet, S.A. de C.V. Esquivel is also a shareholder of Asever, S.A. de C.V.,³⁰ a company through which he obtained additional public contracts.

Empower discovered that Esquivel also has business ties with eight companies linked to members of the Bermúdez family, which makes him ineligible to conduct business with the SSP-Veracruz, according to Articles 50 and 45 of the “Law of Acquisitions, Leasing and Services of the Public Sector” and the “Law of Acquisitions, Leasing, Administration and Disposal of Property of the State of Veracruz,” respectively.³¹

Both laws prohibit agencies and entities from entering into contracts with business partners and relatives of public officials involved in any stage of procurement.

During Arturo Bermudez’s time as head of the Secretariat, the SSP-Veracruz awarded five contracts for 43.4 million MXN to Roberto Esquivel’s companies.³²

Bermúdez, secretary of Public Security during the Duarte administration, was accused of illicit enrichment between 2017-18, but also faces criminal charges of abuse of authority, influence peddling, and forced disappearance, according to local media outlets.³³

Although he was imprisoned for a year and nine months, Bermúdez was released on December 5, 2018, on the orders of a judge who allowed him to continue his trial out of jail, considering that the crimes for which he was charged, including forced disappearance, were not serious, according to the Veracruz Criminal Code.

Other irregular suppliers include Abastecedora y Comercializadora de Productos de Veracruz S.A. de C.V., Jesús Murillo Solis, and Gloria Rodríguez Alcocer, all of them listed by the SAT as taxpayers who simulated operations and issued false invoices, under the criteria of Article 69-B of the Federal Fiscal Code (CFF).³⁴

This article establishes that, if a taxpayer does not have personnel, infrastructure, or operating capacity, or if it is not located at its tax domicile, the SAT will presume that it is a company that invoices simulated operations, which is commonly known as a shell company.³⁵ Finally, Gabriela Vivaez Chávez, who has not been reported by the SAT but is linked to members of a Veracruz special forces group called Los Fieles, rounds out the list of irregular suppliers.

CATS and Los Fieles

A company linked to an undercover operations team of the SSP-Veracruz, called Los Fieles, became a contractor of the same institution. This company is Centro de Capacitación y Asesoría en Técnicas Policiales, Protección a Personalidades y Seguridad Privada, S.A. de C.V. (CATS),³⁶ which had Gabriela Vivaez Chávez as a shareholder, according to its articles of incorporation.

Vivaez Chávez was the romantic partner of Miguel Ángel Domínguez Jasso, deputy regional director of the Northern Zone of the SSP-Veracruz between 2008-16³⁷ and alleged member of Los Fieles, the clandestine group of police and ex-military members linked to human rights violations in Veracruz, according to FGEV documents.³⁸

In 2013, CATS received a 7.8 million MXN contract from the SSP-Veracruz.³⁹ Empower identified links between members of Los Fieles and three companies.

In addition to the aforementioned CATS, commercial registries were located for Grupo de Capacitación y Asesoría en Técnicas Policiales, Protección a Personalidades y Seguridad Privada, S.A. de C.V. (Grupo CATS)⁴⁰ and Línea de Tiro, S.A. de C.V.,⁴¹ all with shareholders in common.

In May 2010, Domínguez founded the company Grupo CATS together with nine other business partners. Among them was Roberto González Meza, former director of the Fuerza Civil,⁴² who is said to be in charge of Los Fieles, and Roberto Carlos López Flores, identified as a member of the same group of elite police officers.⁴³

But CATS and Grupo CATS share more than just a similar name. Both were founded in the same year, in the same municipality, in the same office, and by the same notary. Moreover, they have the same corporate purpose and, according to social networks, there is a romantic relationship between their legal representatives, Gabriela Vivaez Chávez and Miguel Ángel Domínguez Jasso.

One of CATS’ shareholders, Elba Xonane Retureta Bonilla, owns another company called Línea de Tiro, S.A. de C.V.,⁴⁴ where she is a business partner of Gloria Rodríguez Alcocer and Hortencia Vivaez Chávez, as identified by Empower.

Rodríguez Alcocer was one of the SSP-Veracruz contractors that a 2017 audit, conducted by the Superior Control Body (ORFIS), identified as untraceable at her fiscal address.⁴⁵

According to the CFF, if a taxpayer cannot be located, the non-existence of the operations that they invoice will be presumed, an assumption that, if not clarified, as is the case of Rodríguez Alcocer, may warrant a penalty of two to nine years in prison. As for Hortencia Vivaez Chávez,⁴⁶ her last name matches that of Gabriela Vivaez Chávez, a CATS shareholder.

In 2015, the Superior Auditor of the Federation (ASF) – Mexico’s highest auditing entity – summoned several state officials as part of Audit 928 of the 2014 Public Ledger to review the use of federal subsidies allocated for public security in Veracruz.⁴⁷

One of the names that appears in the ASF documents is that of Hortencia Vivaez Chávez, who is identified as head of the SSP-Veracruz Auditor’s Office. She is the one who audited the public tender of at least one SSP-Veracruz contract for 7,826,499.98 MXN to CATS.⁴⁸

Regarding Los Fieles, in 2018, the Veracruz government arrested 19 police officers, including González Meza, during the “Tiro de Gracia” operation.⁴⁹ Subsequently, Domínguez Jasso submitted four amparo lawsuits before District Courts in Veracruz, between 2018 and 2020,⁵⁰ in order to receive information about the existence of any arrest warrant, criminal case, or investigation against him.⁵¹

Both Domínguez Jasso and González Meza are shareholders of Grupo CATS and, allegedly, were part of Los Fieles. Both have a background in the Armed Forces and joined the SSP-Veracruz when Duarte used the institution as part of the War on Drugs to supposedly fight organized crime.

Less resources to fight crime

The diversion of public resources that should have been used for state security issues affected the Veracruz population to such an extent that several collectives, such as El Solecito de Veracruz, carry out searches for hundreds of missing persons using their own money.

El Solecito is comprised of over 300 people who conduct searches for those who are alive, such as in prisons and hospitals, but also perform forensic searches, where they dig to find clandestine graves and human remains.

A complaint of representatives from these search groups is that the authorities do not investigate the locations of missing persons nor the identities of those found dead.

Juan Carlos Trujillo, representative of the collective Familiares en Búsqueda, agrees. “There is no field investigation and, basically, the authorities have been carrying out desk research that leads nowhere.”

Even with the deficiencies and omissions, in Veracruz alone, federal and local agencies have located at least 661 clandestine graves, as Empower discovered for its report “Graves Crímenes en Veracruz: Fosas Clandestinas y Desaparición Forzada.” Veracruz is the state with the highest number of clandestine graves recognized by the National Search Commission, between 2006-20.⁵²

Corruption also increased with the arrival of the Armed Forces. In terms of freedom of information, it has been impossible to access all of the public contracts that the SSP-Veracruz tendered during the Duarte administration, since they are not public.

After months of freedom of information disputes with different authorities between 2020-21, the SSP-Veracruz handed over to Empower only 27% of the public contracts it assigned during the Duarte administration.⁵³ These contracts were analyzed for the report “Large-scale Corruption in the Veracruz Secretary of Public Security,” published this October 19, 2022, on Empower’s website.

*This article, along with the articles “Vitol still has contracts with Pemex; its former CEO in Mexico is an associate of a deceased financial operator of Los Zetas” and “Clandestine graves in Veracruz: from under registration to economic interests,” is part of an investigative project about the violence, corruption, and forced disappearances that have plagued Veracruz since the administration of Javier Duarte de Ochoa, and which remain ongoing today. Empower has worked for over three years to document human rights violations in the state. You can now find the three investigations that comprise this project at https://crimenesgraves.empowerllc.net.

1 “Base de datos de contrataciones de la SSP-Veracruz, 2011-16,” Empower, 2021, archive.org/details/contratos-ssp-veracruz-publico.

2 There are actually seven suppliers, because Roberto Esquivel issued invoices in his name and also as a representative of the company Asever, S.A. de C.V. However, to simplify the reading of this article, these will be counted as one. See: “13 contratos a 7 proveedores,” Archive.org, 21 September 2022, archive.org/details/13-contratos-a-7-proveedores_202209.

3 “Gendarmería Nacional y Fuerza Civil Veracruz detienen al jefe de plaza de la delincuencia organizada en Tierra Blanca,” Gobierno de Veracruz, 24 January 2016, www.veracruz.gob.mx/seguridad/gendarmeria-nacional-y-fuerza-civil-veracruz-detienen-al-jefe-de-plaza-de-la-delincuencia-organizada-en-tierra-blanca.

4 Noé Zavaleta, “La Estela de Muerte alrededor de Navarrete Serna, capo del CJNG, caído en desgracia,” Proceso, 7 June 2020, www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2020/6/7/la-estela-de-muerte-alrededor-de-navarrete-serna-capo-del-cjng-caido-en-desgracia-244134.html.

5 “13 contratos a 7 proveedores,” Archive.org, Op.Cit.

6 In a response to a freedom of information request, the SSP-Veracruz acknowledged the existence of 726 public contracts issued during the Duarte administration. In other words, the agency only provided Empower with information for 27% of the contracts assigned during the period 2010-16. “Respuesta a solicitud de acceso a la Información dirigida a la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Veracruz. Folio: 00731421,” Plataforma Nacional de Transparencia (PNT), www.documentcloud.org/documents/22279074-respuesta-al-folio-00731421.

7 “Número Total de Policías Estatales INEGI,” Oficina de las Naciones Unidas Contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC), auditoriadeseguridad-cdeunodc.org/indicador/numero-de-oficiales-de-policias-estatales-inegi.

8 The percentage is based on a comparison between the first and last years of the Calderón administration. To access this information, choose the year of the Federal Expenditure Budget (PEF), go to “Budgetary Information Branches,” download “object of approved expenditure” and, finally, identify the amounts of branches 07 (National Defense) and 36 (Public Security). At: “Analíticos del Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación (PEF) para los años de 2005-12,” Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP), 2021, www.pef.hacienda.gob.mx/es/PEF/Analiticos_PresupuestariosPEF.

9 César Estrada, “La Iniciativa Mérida y el combate al narcotráfico. Cooperación bajo concepciones inadecuadas,” Revista de El Colegio de San Luis, vol. II, no. 3, January-June, 2012, pages 266-79, www.redalyc.org/pdf/4262/426239575012.pdf.

10 “Mexico: Evolution of the Mérida Initiative, 2007-2021,” Congressional Research Service, 13 January 2021, crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10578/19.

11 “Presupuesto Asignado y Ejecución, periodos 2005-16,” Secretaría de Finanzas y Planeación de Veracruz, 2021, www.veracruz.gob.mx/finanzas/transparenciaabrogada/fraccion-ix/ppto-asignado-y-ejecucion.

12 The FASP is just one of the funds used by the states for public security purposes. The others are the Subsidy for Security in the Municipalities (SUBSEMUN) – now FORTASEG –, the Subsidy for Accredited Police (SPA), and the Public Security Support Program (PROASP). At: “Fondo de Aportaciones para la Seguridad Pública FASP,” Gobierno de México, 2020, www.gob.mx/sesnsp/acciones-y-programas/fondo-de-aportaciones-para-la-seguridad-publica-fasp; and, Gerardo Hernández Hernández, “Transformaciones del Estado Nacional e incidencia en los ámbitos de seguridad pública y justicia. Análisis de la política de seguridad en México 2006-2012,” Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, 2015, redalyc.org/jatsRepo/676/67652755004/html/index.html.

13 “Presupuesto Asignado y Ejecución, periodos 2005-16,” Secretaría de Finanzas y Planeación de Veracruz, 2021, Op.Cit.

14 “Comunicado de Prensa 017/2012. Presentación de resultados de la operación coordinada ‘Veracruz Seguro”,” Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), January 2012, 2006-2012.semar.gob.mx/sala-prensa/prensa-2012/2049-comunicado-017-2012.html.

15 “Solicitud de acceso a la Información Pública dirigida a la SSP-Veracruz. Folio 06168419. Titulares de Centros de Trabajo de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública 2013-16,” PNT, www.documentcloud.org/documents/22279105-respuesta-folio-06168419. Page 5.

16 “Vinculan a jefe policial de Duarte en fosas de Colinas de Santa Fe,” Animal Político, 4 April 2017, www.animalpolitico.com/2017/04/jefe-policial-duarte-fosas-colinas-santa-fe; and, “Vinculan a proceso a ex titular de SSP-Veracruz por presunta desaparición forzada,” El Universal, February 2018, www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/vinculan-proceso-ex-titular-de-ssp-veracruz-por-presunta-desaparicion-forzada.

17 “Secretario de Seguridad de Duarte sale de prisión; hay pruebas sólidas en su contra por desapariciones, reclama fiscalía,” Animal Político, December 2018, www.animalpolitico.com/2018/12/exfuncionarios-duarte-prision.

18 In response to freedom of information requests regarding the legal status of Major José Nava Holguín, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) and the Veracruz Attorney General’s Office (FGEV) have withheld this information. In: “Respuestas a solicitudes de acceso a la información pública dirigidas a la FGEV” (Responses to requests for information directed to the FGEV). Folios: 00850221 and 00830221,” PNT, 2021, www.documentcloud.org/documents/22140616-solicitudes-00850221-y-00830221; “Respuestas a solicitudes de acceso a la información pública dirigidas a la FGR. Folio: 0001700180721,” PNT, 2021, www.documentcloud.org/documents/22140617-0001700180721; and, “Exduartista ligado a desapariciones de menores cumple 2 años prófugo,” La Silla Rota, August 2020, lasillarota.com/veracruz/estado/2020/8/25/exduartista-ligado-desapariciones-de-menores-cumple-anos-profugo-243907.html.

19 Arturo Ángel, “Homicidios en Veracruz alcanzan nivel récord; 132 casos en julio, la cifra más alta desde el 97,” Animal Político, 23 August 2016, www.animalpolitico.com/2016/08/los-homicidios-en-veracruz-alcanzan-un-nivel-historico.

20 “Periodistas asesinados,” Artículo 19, 2000-22, articulo19.org/periodistasasesinados.

21 The period of time that was reviewed corresponds to the Herrera administration, from December 1, 2004 to November 30, 2010, and to the Duarte administration, from December 1, 2010 to November 30, 2016. At: “Defunciones por Homicidios: Veracruz, 2004-2016,” INEGI, 2021, www.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/olap/proyectos/bd/continuas/mortalidad/defuncioneshom.asp?s=est; and, “Registro Nacional de Personas Desaparecidas y No Localizadas (RNPDNO). Estadística del RNPDNO por filtros: Veracruz 1 de diciembre al 30 de noviembre 2016,” Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda de Personas (CNB), 2021, versionpublicarnpdno.segob.gob.mx/Dashboard/Sociodemografico.

22 “Comparecencia del Mayor José Nava Holguín, Secretario de Seguridad Pública del Gobierno de Veracruz,” Congreso del Estado de Veracruz, 2016, www.legisver.gob.mx/videosSesiones/COMPARECENCIAS/AUDIO/a281116co_1.mp3. From 3:59:47 to 4:04:55.

23 To confirm the identity of Francisco Navarrete Serna and discard a homonym, Empower obtained the birth certificate of “El Primo” and contrasted his personal data with that registered with the Public Registry of Commerce. See page 3 for Clave Única de Registro Población (CURP); see page 5 for Francisco Navarrete’s address; and see pages 14-18 for Navarrete Serna’s birth certificate. At: “Identificadores de Aspiazu-Navarrete,” Empower, 2021, www.documentcloud.org/documents/21084164-identificadores_rfc_curp-aspiazu-%20_-navarrete.

24 “Gendarmería Nacional y Fuerza Civil Veracruz detienen al jefe de plaza de la delincuencia organizada en Tierra Blanca,” Gobierno de Veracruz, 24 January 2016, www.veracruz.gob.mx/seguridad/gendarmeria-nacional-y-fuerza-civil-veracruz-detienen-al-jefe-de-plaza-de-la-delincuencia-organizada-en-tierra-blanca.

25 Noé Zavaleta, “La Estela de Muerte alrededor de Navarrete Serna, capo del CJNG, caído en desgracia,” Proceso, 7 June 2020, www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2020/6/7/la-estela-de-muerte-alrededor-de-navarrete-serna-capo-del-cjng-caido-en-desgracia-244134.html.

26 “Rancho Baalam Kab, S.P.R. de R.L. FME: 28125. Oficina registral: Campeche. M4. Fecha 24/03/2015. Instrumento: 77,” RPC-SIGER, 2015, Op.Cit.

27 José Manuel Alor, “El Limón, donde incineraron a jóvenes de Tierra Blanca, es de Navarrete,” Quadratín Veracruz, 9 February 2016, veracruz.quadratin.com.mx/El-Limon-donde-incineraron-a-jovenes-de-Tierra-Blanca-es-de-Navarrete.

28 “Recomendación No. 5VG/2017. Sobre la Investigación de violaciones graves a los derechos humanos, por la detención arbitraria, tortura, desaparición forzada y ejecución de V1, V2, V3, V4, y MV, ocurridas el 11 de enero de 2016, en el municipio de Tierra Blanca, Veracruz,” Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH), 2017, www.cndh.org.mx/sites/default/files/doc/Recomendaciones/ViolacionesGraves/RecVG_005.pdf. Page 187.

29 Additionally, Esquivel and Bermudez owned six commercial brands. See more at: “Empresas y marcas de Arturo Bermúdez Zurita y Roberto Esquivel Hernández,” RPC-SIGER and Marcanet, 2021, documentcloud.org/documents/21067031-empresa-abz-reh. Page 48.

30 “ASEVER, S.A. de C.V. FME: 10124. Oficina Registral, Xalapa, abril de 2003. Formas M4. 2004; M10, 2016 y M10, 2017,” RPC-SIGER, 2021, documentcloud.org/documents/21067015-asever.

31 “Ley de Adquisiciones, Arrendamientos y Servicios del Sector Público,” Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión, www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/14_200521.pdf; and, “Ley de Adquisiciones, Arrendamientos, Administración y Enajenación de Bienes Muebles del Estado de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave,” H. Congreso del Estado de Veracruz, www.legisver.gob.mx/leyes/LeyesPDF/ADQUISICIONES170217.pdf.

32 The contracts are SSP-UA-118/11, SSP-UA-053/12, SSP-UA-099-14, SSP-UA-005/15, and SSP-UA-016/16, and are available at: “Base de datos de contrataciones de la SSP-Veracruz, 2011-16,” Empower, Op.Cit.

33 “Vinculan a jefe policial de Duarte en fosas de Colinas de Santa Fe,” Animal Político, 4 April 2017, Op.Cit.

34 “Listado de Contribuyentes (Artículo 69-B del Código Fiscal de la Federación). Definitivo,” SAT, August 2021, omawww.sat.gob.mx/cifras_sat/Paginas/datos/vinculo.html?page=ListCompleta69B.html.

35 The Financial Intelligence Unit of the SHCP and the Financial Action Task Force state that legal transactions through simulated tax receipts are a common procedure for money laundering. The common practice of this crime is to use shell companies and straw men to embezzle funds and evade tax authorities while hiding the identity of the beneficial owner.

36 “Centro de Capacitación y Asesoría en Técnicas Policiales, Protección a Personalidades y Seguridad Privada, S.A. de C.V. FME: 20776. Oficina Registral: Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz. Forma: M4. Fecha: 13/12/2010,” RPC-SIGER, documentcloud.org/documents/21067344- cats-m4.

37 “Miguel Ángel Domínguez Jasso. Declaración de Situación Patrimonial y de Intereses de los Servidores Público. Declaración de Inicio, 29/102/2020,” Declaranet, documentcloud.org/documents/21066982-domiguez-jasso-declaracion-2021.

38 “Dictan auto de formal prisión a ex comisario general de la SSP y 8 expolicías por la desaparición forzada de personas,” FGEV, 2018, www.comunicacion.fiscaliaveracruz.gob.mx/dictan-auto-de-formal-prision-a-ex-comisario-general-de-la-ssp-y-8-ex-policias-mas-por-desaparicion-forzada-de-persona.

39 “Contrato de Compraventa No SSP-UA-256/13 relativo a la adquisición de equipo táctico y de adiestramiento para actividades de infiltración y exfiltración destinado a la Fuerza Especial de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública,” SSP-Veracruz, December 2013, archive.org/details/ssp-sspua25613-cats.cleaned.

40 “Grupo de Capacitación y Asesoría en Técnicas Policiales, Protección a Personalidades y Seguridad Privada, S.A. de C.V. FME: 20522. Oficina Registral: Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz. Forma: M4. 13/05/2010,” RPC-SIGER, 2010, documentcloud.org/documents/21067390-grupo-de-capacitacion-y-asesoria-en-tecnicas-policialesproteccion-a-personalidades-y-seguridad-privada-sa-de-cv-m4.

41 “Línea de Tiro, S.A. de C.V. FME: 22587. Oficina Registral: Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz. Forma precodificada: M4. 10/09/2014,” RPC-SIGER, 2010, documentcloud.org/documents/21067414-linea-de-tiro-sa-de-cv-m4.

42 In February 2018, González Meza was arrested and charged with the disappearance of 15 people, which occurred between 2014-16 in different municipalities of Veracruz. At: “Roberto González Meza, Currículum Vitae,” SSP-Veracruz, 2015, www.veracruz.gob.mx/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/04/F3-FUERZA-CIVIL-2015.pdf; Ignacio Carvajal, “El sucesor del Capitán Tormenta,” Blog.expediente.mx, March 2018, www.blog.expediente.mx/nota/28643/periodico-de-veracruz-portal-de-noticias-veracruz/el-sucesor-delcapitan-tormenta; and, Noé Zavaleta, “Liberan al exdirector de Fuerza Civil de Javier Duarte acusado de desaparición forzada,” Proceso, December 2019, www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2019/12/25/liberan-al-exdirector-de-fuerza-civil-de-javier-duarte-acusado-de-desaparicion-forzada-236327.html.

43 Noé Zavaleta, “Liberan al exdirector de Fuerza Civil de Javier Duarte acusado de desaparición forzada,” Proceso, December 2019, Op.Cit.

44 “Línea de Tiro, S.A. de C.V. FME: 22587. Oficina Registral: Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz. Forma precodificada: M4. 10/09/2014,” RPC-SIGER, 2010, Op.Cit.

45 In 2016, Rodriguez secured a contract in her name with SSP-Veracruz for 25 million MXN to provide food, groceries, and disposables, according to contract SSP-UA-019/16. A year later, she entered the definitive list of taxpayers who issued false invoices, according to the SAT. At: “Informe del Resultado de la Fiscalización Superior. Secretaría de Seguridad Pública. Cuenta Pública 2016,” ORFIS, www.orfis.gob.mx/informe2016/archivos/TOMO%20I/Volumen%202/002%20Secretar%C3%ADa%20de%20Seguridad%20P%C3%BAblica.pdf; “Base de datos de contrataciones de la SSP-Veracruz, 2011-16,” Empower, Op.Cit.; and, “Listado de Contribuyentes (Artículo 69-B del Código Fiscal de la Federación). Definitivo,” SAT, Op.Cit.

46 In the birth certificates of Gabriela and Hortencia, it is possible to see that their parents have the same first and last name. At: “Acta de Nacimiento de Hortencia Vivaez Chávez y Acta de Nacimiento de Gabriela Vivaez Chávez,” Gobierno de México, documentcloud.org/documents/21067411-actas-vivaez.

47 “Oficio núm. DARFT “A1”/254/2015/. Dirección General de Auditoría a los Recursos Federales Transferidos,” ASF, 30 September 2015, repositorio.veracruz.gob.mx/finanzas/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Oficio-928.pdf.

48 “Contrato de Compraventa No SSP-UA-256/13 relativo a la adquisición de equipo táctico y de adiestramiento para actividades de infiltración y exfiltración destinado a la Fuerza Especial de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública,” SSP-Veracruz, December 2013, Op.Cit.

49 “Informe de Resultados 2018,” FGEV, tinyurl.com/5dfrnae4. Pages 67-71; and, “Operativo Tiro de Gracia: Detienen a cúpula de la policía de Javier Duarte por desaparición forzada,” Animal Político, February 2018, www.animalpolitico.com/2018/02/detienen-policia-javier-duarte-desaparicion-forzada-15-personas.

50 In 2016, Domínguez Jasso left the SSP-Veracruz and joined, two years later, the FGR in the General Directorate of Institutional Security. By October 2020, he rejoined the Ministry of National Defense as section commander. At: “Miguel Ángel Domínguez Jasso. Declaración de Situación Patrimonial y de Intereses de los Servidores Público. Declaración de Inicio, 29/102/2020,” Declaranet, Op.Cit.

51 It is important to note that, in 2009, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requested, under the Leahy Law, an investigation to corroborate which elements of the Mexican Armed Forces were involved in serious human rights violations (including torture, extrajudicial execution, and forced disappearance). One of the names that appeared in the investigation was that of Domínguez Jasso. Empower does not know the outcome of that investigation. That law refers to two legal provisions that prohibit the U.S. government from providing assistance to foreign law enforcement units that violate human rights. At: “Cable 09MEXICO992_a. MX 2009-133, DEA LEAHY VETTING REQUEST,” WikiLeaks, April 2009, wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09MEXICO992_a.html; and, “What is The Leahy Law,” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, And Labor, 2021, www.state.gov/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/human-rights/leahy-law-fact-sheet.

52 “Búsqueda e identificación de Personas Desaparecidas,” Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB), 30 September 2020, www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/586166/B_squeda_e_Identificaci_n_7_de_Octubre_2020.pdf; and, “Búsqueda e Identificación de Personas Desaparecidas. Reporte semestral 1 de enero al 30 de junio, 2021,” Subsecretaría de Derechos Humanos, Población y Migración-SEGOB, June 2021, www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/650901/CNB_7_julio_2021_DEF.pdf. Accedido 15 agosto 2022.

53 In a response to a freedom of information request, the SSP-Veracruz acknowledged the existence of 726 public contracts issued during the Duarte administration. In other words, the agency only provided Empower with information about 27% of the contracts assigned for the 2010-16 period. “Respuesta a solicitud de acceso a la Información dirigida a la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Veracruz. Folio: 00731421,” PNT, Op.Cit.