Mexican graduates of the School of the Americas have played a key role in the "low-intensity conflict" in the States of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. At least 13 top military officials involved in the conflict are SOA grads. These are: Col. Harold B. Rambling Torres , Brig. Gen. Carmelo Teran Montero, Col. Jose Luis Ruvalcaba , Brig. Gen. Carlos Demetrio Gaytan Ochoa, Col. German Antonio Bautista , Gaston Menchaca Arias, Miguel Leyva Garcia, Enrique Alonso Garrido, Manuel Garcia Ruiz, Adrian Maldonado Ramirez, Edmundo Elpidio Leyva Galindo, Renato Garcia Gonzalez and Ruben Rivas Peña. (NAP and CAQ).
*COL Augusto Moisés García Ochoa | 1977, Jungle Operations | Suspected drug-trafficking, 1997: Listed by the Mexican news magazine El Proceso as one of the 32 Mexican officers under investigation in drug trafficking. |
Lt. Col. Julian Guerrero Barrios | 1981, Commando Operations | Charged with murder, 1997:On Dec. 26, 1997, La Jornada reported that Guerrero was charged with the murder of Salvador Lopez, one of a dozen young men in Jalisco that were kidnapped and tortured by the Airborne Special Forces Group. |
*TCL Rene Herrera Huizar | 1980, Operaciones de Patrulla | Suspected drug-trafficking, 1997: Listed by the Mexican news magazine El Proceso as one of 32 Mexican military officers under investigation by the Mexican government for suspected ties to drug-trafficking. |
*GEN Juan López Ortiz | 1959, Infantry Arms 1959, Infantry Tactics |
Ocosingo Massacre, 1994: Troops under his command massacred five persons in the Ocosingo market; the prisoners' hands were tied behind their backs before the soldiers shot them in the back of the head. |
*GEN Luis Montiel López | 1962, Counterinsurgency | Intimidation of human rights activists, 1992: Forces under Gen. Montiel's falsely accused human rights activists in Chihuahua of "aiding drug traffickers" in an attempt to intimidate them. (CAR) |
*GEN Fernan Perez Casanova | 1962, CIO Contrainsurrección | Suspected drug-trafficking, 1997: Listed by the Mexican news magazine El Proceso as one of 32 officers under investigation by the Mexican government for suspected ties to drug-trafficking. |
Information researched by Heather Dean.