EMBATTLED SAN PEDRO MAYOR REFUSED ENTRY TO U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTERREY 000435

SIPDIS

DS FOR IP/ITA AND IP/WHA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2019
TAGS: KCRM PINS SNAR ASEC PGOV PTER SOCI CVIS MX
SUBJECT: EMBATTLED SAN PEDRO MAYOR REFUSED ENTRY TO U.S.

REF: A) MEXICO 3208; B) MONTERREY 344; C) MONTERREY 412

CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) Summary: On November 13, Brownsville, Texas CBP
officials denied entry to San Pedro's polemic mayor, Mauricio
Fernandez and a female companion. Fernandez told media sources
that he had forgotten his visa, but CBP sources indicated that
they found a small quantity of marijuana in a pipe in
Fernandez's suitcase and that his companion had both marijuana
and pills that preliminary tests indicated could contain the
drug 'ecstasy.' The pills will be further analyzed to determine
their content. Only 17 days into his term, the San Pedro mayor
continues to stir up controversy, calling into question his long
term viability in that position. End Summary.

Mayor Claims Forgot to Bring Visa
--------------


2. (U) On November 13, CBP officials barred entry to San Pedro
Mayor Mauricio Fernandez at the Brownsville, Texas border
crossing. According to media reports, Fernandez planned to
spend the Mexican holiday weekend fishing at South Padre Island,
a Texas beach resort. Fernandez told reporters that, upon
arrival, he discovered that he had forgotten his visa. CBP
officials then forced him to return to Mexico. However, some
media sources hinted at another version of events. According to
several newspapers, Fernandez was detained for possession of
marijuana. Others indicated he had another controlled substance
in his possession.

A Different Version
--------------


3. (C) Brownsville CBP officials told Post's ICE Attache that
they referred Fernandez and his young female companion, Aleyda
Ortega Peza, to secondary inspection. CBP inspectors then
discovered 6 grams of marijuana and 209 pills in Ortega's
possession and a pipe filled with marijuana in Fernandez's
suitcase.


4. (C) A preliminary test indicated that the pills Ortega
carried contained the illegal substance 'ecstasy,' but the
tablets could have been another substance, such as muscle
relaxer. For a definitive answer, CBP sent the pills to a
laboratory for more exhaustive testing, the results of which are
expected in 30 days. During his detention, Fernandez admitted
to CBP officials that he sometimes smoked pot (personal use is
legal in Mexico). Both he and Ortega were fined US$ 5000 (which
was then mitigated to US$500) and their visas were revoked
before they were released to return to Mexico.

Comment
--------------


5. (C) Only 17 days into his term, Fernandez continues to be
mired in controversy. In an earlier conversation with the CG,
he advocated extrajudicial action to eliminate organized crime
(ref B) and then later appeared to be collaborating with the
Arturo Beltran Leyva cartel in a plan to reduce kidnapping and
common crime in San Pedro (ref C). Most alarmingly, at his
October 31 inauguration, he announced the death of four drug
cartel members, who he claimed planned to assassinate him, hours
before police had identified the bodies. He has since provided
several different explanations as to the source of this
information.


6. (C) Given his increasingly erratic behavior, flamboyant
personality and apparent disregard for the rule of law, Post
currently questions whether Fernandez (a former PAN federal
Senator with a storied lineage in Monterrey),will be able to
complete his three-year term in office.

WILLIAMSONB