U.S. Government Starts secret Spy Program in Mexico
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2007/4/2/18923/15941
By Erich Moncada,
Posted on Mon Apr 2nd, 2007 at 06:09:23 PM EST
An American corporation is in charge of monitoring all types of communications in the country.

On March 5, “El Centro” (1) newspaper exposed information about a contract given by the U.S. State Department to Verint Technology Incorporated, a New York-based company, to spy on communications in Mexico.

An American corporation is in charge of monitoring all types of communications in the country.

On March 5, “El Centro” (1) newspaper exposed information about a contract given by the U.S. State Department to Verint Technology Incorporated, a New York-based company, to spy on communications in Mexico.

Verint Technology, according to its Web site (2), “is a leading provider of analytic software solutions for communications interception, digital video security and surveillance.” Its CEO, Dan Bodner, a former senior Israeli army officer, was under investigation by U.S. authorities for an alleged phone monitoring technology monopoly.(3)

On Feb. 23, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) awarded a US$2,963,438 contract bid (S-INLEC-07-M-0002) to Vernit thru the Federal Business Opportunities Web site (4).

The notice (5) states:

“The U.S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs intends to … purchase of Communications Intercept Systems to include installation, technical support and training on-site in Mexico.”

Solicitation No. 01 (Dec. 19, 2005) explains how the U.S. government aimed to obtain a system to “timely receipt, processing, analysis, and storage of intercepted communications from the national telephonic and other communications service providers in Mexico.”

It requested some delicate features, like real-time and off-line playback, call storing of all phone calls for at least 25,000 hours, installation of 30 monitoring stations and cell phone location and tracking devices.

The document describes the procurement was undertaken to “establish a lawful interception solution” and aid U.S. and Mexican security agencies with “the capability to intercept, analyze, and use intercepted information from all types of communications systems operating in Mexico (to) help deter, prevent, and mitigate acts of major federal crimes in Mexico that include narcotics trafficking and terrorism.”

Amendment 01 (Feb. 1, 2006) furthers about the project’s management. Mexico’s Federal Investigation Agency (AFI) will directly operate the system, aided by a Narcotics Affair Section (NAS) representative from the US Embassy in Mexico and the contractor.(6)

Authoritarian Proposals

On March 10, Mexican President Felipe Calderon proposed to Congress a constitutional reform (7) to increase detentions, search warrants, unlawful entries and wire tapping without judge authorization.

Calderon argued federal police have the need to search private property in “cases of flagrancy”; while the Federal Public Ministry requires “immediately” intrusion of private communications because “when there’s a request to judiciary authorities the investigation turns more difficult or impossible to do.”

The president assured the initiative concedes judges faculties to review wire tapings or search warrants after being executed.

Another troubling aspect of this new law is that evidence gathered without court’s supervision could became full proof. In current Mexican and U.S. legal systems, an exclusionary rule applies to dissuade prosecutors from using illegally collected or analyzed evidence in trial when in violation of constitutional principles.

To date, neither U.S. nor Mexican officials have confirmed or denied the existence of the spy program contract.

Links in English:

(1) “FBI Office Spies on Mexicans”
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp”ID=%7B3B7C173 8-40AB-4123-98EC-2BB56DA04867%7D)&language=EN

(2) Verint Technologies
http://www.verint.com/

(3) “Software maker Witness Systems to be acquired by Verint in $950 million deal”
http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2007/02/14/2337773.htm

(4) Federal Business Opportunities. “58—Communications Intercept System Mexico”
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=452c714167df2a77ab69e8e51925be42

(5) Federal Business Opportunities. “58—Communications Intercept System”
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1be92e46c2e7a4db688e9b6aebb0e0f1&tab=core&_cview=1

(6) Federal Business Opportunities. “58—Communications Intercept System Solicitation 01”
http://www.fbo.gov/spg/State/INL/INL-RM-MS/S%2DINL EC%2D06%2DR%2D4042/Attachments.html

(7) “Mexico’s Calderon pushes criminal law overhaul”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/09/us-mexico-crime-idUSN0923222520070309