SAN DIEGO, July 24 (UPI) -- Authorities in San Diego say information they shared with an allegedly corrupt Mexican law enforcement official did not put anyone in danger.
A spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney's office said some information was compromised by Jesus Quinones Marques, However, American law enforcement agencies have long been wary of their Mexican counterparts.
"At meetings, we don't share critical information," spokesman Jesse Navarro told the Los Angeles Times. "We have to be cautious."
Quinones was the liaison officer between San Diego and the Baja California Attorney General's office and was among 43 defendants indicted by the United States for alleged ties to a Mexican drug ring.
Quinones' U.S. lawyer has called the charges a set-up. Federal prosecutors in San Diego contend he was tied to the ring and tipped them off to law enforcement activities.
The Times said Saturday that six of the defendants were current or former Mexican law officers.
The group allegedly used the brutal tactics of Mexico's drug wars within Baja, but also operated in the San Diego area. Prosecutors said surveillance by U.S. agents and police headed off six attempted murders and one kidnapping in California.
