OIJ
By virtue of the powers conferred on him by his status, Mr. XXXXXX is granted the rank of ‘Corporal’ for having passed the first stage of Basic Infantry training ‘Patrol Techniques and Value Testing’.”
This is the text on the diplomas delivered by José Fabio Pizarro Espinoza, former director of Public Force, to those who enlisted in Patrol 1856.
Pizarro called himself the ‘commander-in-chief’ of the Patriotic National Defense Force and its staff.
This organization, created in 2010, intended to offer its services to ‘defend’ national sovereignty in the border conflict with Nicaragua.
However, seven years later, Pizarro is being held on suspicion of exploiting his extensive police and tactical knowledge to guard shipments of drugs owned by international drug organizations.
The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Public Ministry confirmed that four subjects, trained by Pizarro in this paramilitary group, were his faithful collaborators in drug custody functions.
The subjects, arrested this Thursday, were in charge of all the logistic support so that Pizarro fulfilled his objectives. They prepared vehicles, created hidden compartments to conceal drugs, and participated in the transfers of drugs made by the Commander-in-Chief.
Walter Espinoza, director of the OIJ, confirmed that Pizarro was a kind of ‘station manager’, who worked closely with an international group of Mexican drug traffickers. He did not say whether it was a cartel.
In an interview with the press in 2013, Pizarro said the group did not train with weapons. They only did group meetings and mountain activities.
The group has been investigated since 2013.
The former official led the Public Force between 2007 and 2008. However, in 2013 he completely left the position.