Dámaso Castro resigns amid U.S. cartel allegations
Original reporting: Noroeste Culiacán
What happened
Dámaso Castro Zaavedra resigned November 5 after six months on unpaid leave; José Roberto Quiñonez Coronado remains in charge, Sinaloa’s attorney general said.
Reporting and context
Dámaso Castro Zaavedra resigned as Sinaloa’s deputy attorney general on November 5 after six months on unpaid leave amid U.S. allegations that he assisted Los Chapitos, according to Noroeste.
State Attorney General Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo confirmed the resignation on November 11 during an event at Culiacán’s international book fair. José Roberto Quiñonez Coronado remains in charge of the deputy attorney general’s office, she said.
Noroeste reported that Castro requested leave on May 5, six days after the U.S. Justice Department made public an indictment accusing 10 current and former Sinaloa officials of links to drug trafficking.
The indictment filed in federal court in New York alleges that Castro received about $11,000 a month from Los Chapitos in exchange for protection and information about security operations. U.S. authorities also identified him by the alias “Culiacán Regio” and accused him of leaking information about investigations and actions targeting members of that Sinaloa Cartel faction.
Quiñonez Coronado was assigned to oversee the office when Castro’s unpaid leave was authorized. Sánchez Kondo said he continues in that role when asked about a new appointment.
The resignation resolves an employment question Sánchez Kondo had raised in August. At that time, she said Castro’s situation would have to be settled in November, when the six-month leave ended, and that resignation would be legally required if he did not return to work.
Original reporting: Noroeste.