SAN ANTONIO – During cross examination in the trial of accused Zeta cartel boss Marciano Millan-Vasquez, defense attorneys questioned the credibility of Rodrigo Uribe, a paid government informant.
Defense attorney Jaime Cavazos asked Uribe if he had any documentation - phone records, ledgers or any tangible evidence - to support his testimony.
“It’s not like working for McDonald’s,” he said. “There are no records or anything.”
Uribe had testified about how the Zeta cartel operated an illegal drug dealing business in Mexico. He told how they murdered innocent women and children as part of their “ruthless, bloodthirsty” activities in towns in Northern Mexico.
He said he feared for his life and left his position as an accountant with the Zetas, and became an informant for the U.S. government.
Uribe said that while working for the cartel, he lived a luxurious lifestyle. But he left when he tired of living a life of stress and living in fear.
“If you make a mistake, they will kill you,” he testified. “It is not a fantasy. It is reality.”
Testimony will continue on Friday in federal court with Judge Xavier Rodriguez presiding.
If he is convicted, Vasquez is facing a maximum punishment of life in federal prison.