Mexico Investigates Fugitive Cop for Purchase of Spy Software Used on Journalists
Authorities in Mexico announced a new investigation into one of its former top law enforcement officials and some of his closest staff in connection with the purchase of illegal spy software. The software — Pegasus — is a phone hacking application that government officials used to spy on journalists. The former official is currently a fugitive on multiple charges tied to a coverup of the mass killing of 43 education students from Ayotzinapa.
On Monday afternoon, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced an investigation into Tomas Zeron Lucio, the former head of Mexico’s Criminal Investigations Agency. The agency was part of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). Zeron is currently believed to be hiding from authorities in Israel in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation. The fugitive law enforcement official is accused of designing a government cover-up in connection with the 2014 kidnapping and murder of 43 education students from Ayotzinapa by police forces and cartel gunmen.
Also named in the investigation are three former top officials who worked with Zeron. Authorities identified the officials as Judith Aracely Gómez Molano, Vidal Diazleal Ochoa, and Rigoberto García Campos. According to the FGR, they are under investigation for fraud, embezzlement, and other related charges.
The case is related to the purchase by the PGR (since renamed FGR) of the Pegasus phone hacking system for $460 million Pesos (approximately $23 million USD) in 2014. The current administration claims to not have the software system in its possession. In a statement, the current administration claims that the purchase was illegal in nature and not approved.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Pegasus is a phone hacking software that caused a scandal in Mexico in 2017 when it was first revealed that government officials had used it to spy on journalists critical of the government. At the time of the initial scandal, the President of Mexico was Enrique Pena Nieto. However, activists and journalists claim Pegasus is still being used to spy on them by Mexican government officials, a claim that has been publicly denied by current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
