Man Arrested in Italy in DEA Case Is the Wrong One
MILAN, Italy — A man arrested earlier this month is not the man Milan police thought he was--a former Mexican police commander wanted in the United States in connection with the killing of a U.S. drug agent.
Fingerprints proved that the arrested man is not Jorge Armando Pavon Reyes, a police captain said Monday.
The arrested man’s identity was called into question last week after another man held a news conference in Mexico City to declare that he is Pavon Reyes. Mexican law enforcement authorities have said there is no arrest warrant for Pavon Reyes.
Pavon Reyes was commander of the federal judicial police in Guadalajara when undercover DEA agent Enrique Camarena was abducted and killed in 1985.
The Italian police captain, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials went to Milan over the weekend to identify the man, who was arrested Oct. 15 on the basis of Interpol photographs and faxed fingerprints.
Faxed fingerprints are not as reliable as actual prints, which later arrived in Milan. The actual prints confirmed that the man in custody was not the wanted man, the police captain said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
