Sinaloa leader faces drug raps in Department of Justice

MANILA, Philippines - A Mexican man, believed to be a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa drug cartel, appeared before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday in connection with the drug charges filed against him.

Horacio Herrera, a 40-year-old native of Sinaloa, was presented by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) before Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera for preliminary investigation.

Escorted by a lawyer, he said he was not ready to submit his counter-affidavit on charges of violating Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The prosecutor then gave Herrera until Jan. 27 to answer the charges.

Herrera was arrested during a sting conducted by the PDEA and the police Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force in Makati City on Jan. 11.

He was caught in the act of selling P12 million worth of cocaine to undercover agents in front of a hotel along Makati Avenue.

Herrera was first brought to the DOJ last week for inquest proceedings, but requested a regular preliminary investigation instead so he could submit his counter-affidavit.

Authorities earlier tagged him as the “number three or four in the (Sinaloa) cartel’s hierarchy.”

The Sinaloa drug cartel is said to be the world’s most powerful drug trafficking, money laundering and organized crime syndicate operating in the United States, Australia, Europe, West Africa and some Asian countries.

In December 2013, authorities arrested four Mexicans – believed to be members of the cartel – and seized more than P500 million worth of illegal drugs during a raid on a ranch in Lipa City, Batangas. The ranch is owned by the family of Batangas Vice Gov. Mark Leviste.