Juan Arévalo Gardoqui (born in México City, July 23, 1921 – May 4, 2000, Mexico City) served as Mexico's

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

from 1982 to 1988.

Family

His parents were General Gustavo Arévalo and Magdalena Gardoqui. He had one brother, Gustavo Arévalo Gardoqui, who served as a federal deputy representing Baja California from 1961 to 1964. Juan Arévalo married Maria del Carmen Lamadrid from Ensenada, Baja California and had three children, María Magdalena Arévalo Lamadrid, Juan Arévalo Lamadrid and Laura Lorena Arévalo Lamadrid. He then spent the rest of his life quietly in Mexico City, he had an affection for horses and firearms. His youngest daughter married Eduardo Jose Danielewicz Mata from the Mexican army and anti terrorist forces.

Career

He began his military career in 1940 when he entered the Heroic Military College, graduating on June 30, 1943 as a 2nd Cavalry Lieutenant. He entered the Higher War College in 1947 and graduated three years later acquiring the status of officer of cadets. In his military career he held several important positions, among which stand out: General Director of Cavalry, Commander of the 1 / a. and 5 / a. Military Areas. He joined the PRI in 1957 and served as the head of security for Secretary

Adolfo López Mateos Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964. Previously, he served as Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, Secretary of Labor and Social ...

during his successful presidential campaign in 1957. In 1982, he was appointed Secretary of National Defense, a position he held until November 30, 1988. As Secretary of the branch, he supported the development of the military industry with the manufacture of new weapons, clothing and equipment and implemented the DN-III-E Plan for the Assistance of the civilian population in cases of disaster.

Corruption

In 1988, a

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

informant accused Arévalo of taking a $10 million bribe from drug trafficker

Rafael Caro Quintero Rafael "Rafa" Caro Quintero (born October 24, 1952) is a Mexican former drug lord who co-founded the now-disintegrated Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and other drug traffickers in the late 1970s. He is the brother of fellow ...

in return for protecting a

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

plantation in Allende (Chihuahua). In 1984, acting on information from the DEA, 450 Mexican soldiers backed by helicopters had destroyed the plantation. DEA Administrator

John C. Lawn John C. Lawn (born June 2, 1935) is an American former police officer who served as the 4th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 1985 to 1990. On March 1, 1985, Lawn, who had served as Deputy Administrator since 1982, w ...

expressed skepticism about the claim and Arevalo was never formally investigated. In 1995, the U.S. Justice Department's prosecution of drug trafficker Juan Benito Castro revealed that in 1993, the DEA had intercepted 348 kilograms of cocaine that belonged to Arévalo. In 2014, three former police officers in the

United States Federal Witness Protection Program The United States Federal Witness Protection Program (WPP), also known as the Witness Security Program or WITSEC, is a witness protection program codified through 18 U.S. Code § 3521 and administered by the United States Department of Justic ...

accused Arévalo and

Interior Secretary The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

Manuel Bartlett Manuel Bartlett Díaz (born 23 February 1936) is a Mexican politician, former director of the public energy company CFE, and former Secretary of the Interior. Bartlett was elected to the Senate of the Republic for the 2000–2006 term, whe ...

of participation in the interrogation, torture, and murder of DEA Agent

Kiki Camarena Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 – February 9, 1985) was a Mexican-American agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In February 1985, Camarena was kidnapped by police officers hired by the Guadalajara Cartel. After b ...

in 1985 as part of the

Iran–Contra affair The Iran–Contra affair (; ), also referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the Iran Initiative, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that centered on arms trafficking to Iran between 1981 and 1986, facilitat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardoqui, Juan Arévalo 1921 births 2000 deaths Secretaries of defense of Mexico Mexican generals Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians 20th-century Mexican military personnel 20th-century Mexican politicians Military personnel from Mexico City