Pedro Ariel Mendívil, Former Mexicali PD Chief detained in his Mexicali home

ALFREDO AZCÁRATE VARELA
THE BAJA POST / EDITOR

Early morning of July 28 Pedro Mendívil, former Mexicali PD Chief, recorded and released a video, warning that he was about to be arrested and said that this was intended to be a distraction from various political scandals and his differences with the state attorney general.

Minutes later, a joint operation involving state and federal authorities arrived at his home, where Mendívil was arrested

Federal and State police, as well as Mexican Army and Navy elements arrested and took Mendívil to the State Attorney General’s Office and transferred to the Mexicali Correctional Center (Cereso), where he remained in custody pending his court hearing, which was held Wednesday July 29.

Along with Mendívil, other former police commanders were arrested are facing allegations related to forced disappearance of persons, vehicle theft, and criminal association, but Mr. Mendívil stated in the video he recorded, that it is only a smoke screen, set up to hide and conceal the attacks against Governor Marina del Pilar.

A hearing was expected to take place next Wednesday to determine whether they will be formally arraigned and thus will be tried for the aforementioned felonies, in fact, the audience started in the morning and the latest information was that there had been a recess as of 18:00 hours.

Regarding the so called “forced disappearance of people”, it is worth to mention that it is a huge problem that Mexican society faces the last few years, and that Baja California is one of the most affected by this heinous issue, and prior investigations found that several Mexicali PD cops were allegedly involved.

But those are “career cops” as well as the commanders detained along with Mendívil, but he is not a cop per se, he is a Criminal Law Attorney who has been head of the Mexicali Bar of lawyers and before being appointed as Mexicali PD Chief had worked in the State Attorney Office as Mexicali Under attorney

The allegations will now have to be established before the judicial authorities. The accused retain their right to the presumption of innocence unless and until a final judicial ruling determines otherwise.