On 22 January 2009 Mexican troops acting on a tip raided a chili-drying warehouse near Fresnillo and caught people loading marijuana onto trucks; the Associated Press reported a seizure of more than 10.3 tons.[1] A later U.S. diplomatic cable put the haul at 14.5 tons, plus drug seeds and packing molds, and said two people were detained at the warehouse.[2] The warehouse belonged to the family of Ricardo Monreal, a former Zacatecas governor and then federal senator, and was used to process chile plants; the family said the building stood empty in winter and the drugs had been planted for political reasons.[2] Monreal denied any knowledge, said his brother had reported a broken lock to police, and accused the state government of a smear campaign; as of 19 May his brother Cándido had not been charged.[1] The two people detained at the warehouse were freed days earlier when gunmen sprang 53 inmates from the Cieneguillas prison on 16 May.[2]
On 22 May Cándido Monreal was indicted for harboring more than 14 tons of marijuana on the property.[3] The federal attorney general’s office said no charges or inquiries were pending against Senator Monreal himself, who then took leave from the Senate.[3] The cable said federal prosecutors were investigating the family’s ties to the Zeta drug cartel.[2]
