Anti-drug chief charged with corruption

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A former U.S. anti-drug enforcement chief has been arrested and accused of working for the drug lords he was supposed to combat, court documents indicate.

Richard Padilla Cramer is accused of being in the pay of Mexican gangsters while working in U.S. anti-drug agencies, unmasking informants and setting up smuggling deals, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Cramer, Mexican-born but holding dual Mexican-U.S. citizenship, spent 30 years in border law enforcement. Speaking perfect Spanish led to undercover work, drug busts and a climb up the Immigration and Customs Enforcement ranks, the newspaper said.

Friends and co-workers said they were surprised when DEA agents arrested the retired Cramer in Tucson.

A federal complaint says informants told the DEA a drug lord had paid Cramer to retire and work for him full-time. Cramer is charged with investing $40,000 in a shipment of cocaine from Panama and allegedly communicating with gangsters on a cellphone registered to his Arizona home, the Times reported.