Shipmates,
I returned today from a trip that took me to San Antonio on Wednesday to address our Coast Guard financial management team at the annual conference for the American Society of Military Comptrollers. Driving through San Antonio we passed the Judge John H. Wood Jr. Federal Court House. This post is a personal retrospective of an event that occurred thirty years ago today, 29 May 1979.
My involvement
In the spring of 1975 I was transferred from USCGC GALLATIN where I was the Ops Boss to the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). At that time EPIC was just starting up and I was part of the first group of Guardians that was assigned to help build out the maritime capability at EPIC. The Center was run by the Department of Justice and the two main agencies represented were the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Coast Guard officers were assigned to the EPIC 24-hour watch where we answered inquiries and conducted background checks for field offices throughout the federal government, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies.
Because of our maritime expertise we often assisted the EPIC analytical section with maritime cases. It was in this role that I became involved in analytical work in support of an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) centered on several brothers from a family in El Paso, the Chagra Family. My involvement was related to the DTO's maritime movement of marijuana from South America to the United States. Ultimately, members of the family were indicted and prosecuted in federal court.
In the spring of 1979, I was preparing to relocate to Atlantic City, NJ, as the Group Commander. On May 29, 1979, I along with the rest of the country was shocked to learn that the federal judge who was trying the Chagra case had been murdered.
What happened?
Thirty years ago today, United States Federal Judge John Wood was slain in the driveway of his town house in San Antonio, Texas, struck by a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle. The assassination came at the height of a Justice Department campaign to slow the flow of illicit drugs across the Mexican border.
Less than a year before Judge Wood was slain, Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra, a key member of their family's criminal enterprise, was arrested for drug trafficking. As described in numerous media reports and several books on the event, he and his associates lived brazen lifestyles of "greed and fear", importing hundreds of tons of marijuana and cocaine, maintained an "office like a fortress", employed corrupt lawyers, had private jets on standby, stashed millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts, and wagered huge gambling stakes in Las Vegas.
Jimmy Chagra faced indictments on several narcotics charges at the time of the judge's assassination. The Chagras were convinced that Judge Wood, who was scheduled to preside over Jimmy's case, had a bias against them. Judge Wood denied any impropriety and refused to remove himself from the case; he also reportedly refused a $10 million dollar bribe from Jimmy's brother Joe Chagra. Jimmy's trial was to commence on the day the Judge died.
Judge Wood's murder, the first assassination of a Federal Judge in a century, sent shock waves throughout South Texas and the criminal justice system. The federal government?s response to the assassination, described at the time as "the crime of the century" was quick and overwhelming, and resulted in the biggest FBI investigation (lasting over 3 years and costing $5 million dollars) until the 1995 Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing.
Judge Wood's assassin, Charles Harrelson, father of Actor Woody Harrelson, was arrested, charged, and convicted of murdering a Federal Judge for $250,000 dollars. He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole. Charles Harrelson died in prison of a heart attack on March 15, 2007.
Jimmy Chagra's brother Joe was sentenced to prison for his role in the assassination as was Jimmy's wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth died in prison of cancer. Joe died in an automobile accident after serving his sentence. Jimmy passed away of cancer in 2006.
Today
While I had not thought about this event for some years, recent events on the southwest border brought it to mind and seeing the courthouse in San Antonio was another reminder.
Thirty years later, I view what happened in 1979 from my position as Commandant of the Coast Guard and Chairman of The Interdiction Committee (TIC), an interagency body that provides recommendations to Director Gil Kerlikowske, Office of National Drug Control Policy, on federal drug interdiction operations.
The recent levels of violence on the southwest border are a stark reminder of the corrosive, devastating effect of drug trafficking and associated illegal activities. We must remain committed to our international partners and effectively deal with criminal enterprises that traffic drugs, other contraband, and human beings across our air, land, and sea borders. We must also focus on the movement of weapons and money that flows south.
Secretary Napolitano is providing strong leadership and the Department of Homeland Security is completely engaged in this effort. Our partners in DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are leading the effort on the land border.
The Interdiction Committee will meet next week for the first time under the leadership of Director Kerlikowske. The commitment of Director Kerlikowske and our interagency partners in The Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of State, and the Intelligence Community is strong. Better intelligence sharing, collaboration, and coordination have produced record cocaine seizures and have forced the DTOs to adapt to our success. Recent legislation that makes operation of a self-propelled semi-submersible in international waters a violation of U.S. law is an example of the progress we have made.
As we remember the events of thirty years ago we will continue to improve interagency cooperation to create a whole of government approach, not only on the Southwest Border, but the air and maritime domains as well.
ADM A
