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E-Mail Rebuttal: Photos of a Mexican Drug Lord’s home after being raided…. WOW, NO WONDER WE ARE LOSING THIS WAR…

Although the specific claim — that all of these photos came from one bust — is false, the images have gone viral due to the emotional emphasis on “riches” and “guns” but the knee-jerk reaction masks the depth of the drug war that is taking place south of the border.

Timeline:

Various forums/websites with some/all of these images:

email claim Background/Provenance
Home of a Mexican Drug Lord being raidedMexico City Home Raid October 2008: Police officers patrol outside a home in the Desierto de los Leones neighborhood in Mexico City. Federal police arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged drug-trafficking ring in this upscale home, seizing weapons, vehicles and zoo animals. FOX News.
Yes, That is cash piled on that table in the background!EPA photo - cash on table  Undated EPA photo (per the credit in lower left) but probably 2007
Just a small collection of guns – these people are not really dangerous at all….PGR Undated  Appears to be an undated PGR photo
Yes, that is real gold on these guns!Guns on Display - Mexico City Guns on display – Mexico Government – no date
Gold and Titanium 45 Calibre semi automatic pistols – they found 16 like thisGuns on Display - 2008 Guns on display – Mexico Government – date July 2008
Go and kill in the name of the Lord my son! There was a matched pair of these found.guns on display mexico city Guns on display – Mexico Government – no date
357 Magnum semi automatic with solid gold grips.gun captured with money Gun apparently captured with money; no date but could possibly be November 2008 raid
This guy had a better gun collection that most legitimate museums doguns on display in mexico city Guns on display in Mexico City government building; no indication that this is from one raid
Just a quaint little villa in the hills – Drug money bought it all!mexico city home October 2008: Police officers patrol outside a home in the Desierto de los Leones neighborhood in Mexico City. Federal police arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged drug-trafficking ring in this upscale home, seizing weapons, vehicles and zoo animals. FOX News.
Man made cave and hot tub inside the homemexico city hot tub Oct. 20 2008: A member of the press walks around an indoor pool in an upscale residential home in the Desierto de los Leones neighborhood in Mexico City. Federal police arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged drug-trafficking ring in this home, seizing weapons, vehicles and zoo animals. FOX News.
A collection of exotic animals – which were cared for in the grandest fashion by the wayMexico City panthers October 2008: Black Jaguars, Mexico City Raid (USA Today)
8 Lions were on the propertyMexico City Lion October 2008: African Lion, Mexico City Raid (USA Today)
A very rare Tigermexico city albino tiger October 2008: An albino tiger found at the house of the suspected drug syndicate.
Photo: AP (SMH)
The back yard poolmexico city pool Eleven Colombians, a US citizen, two Mexicans and an Uruguayan were detained during a raid in a sprawling house in Desierto de los Leones. (AP/Telegraph)
Exotic art collection – some of which was illegal to own – some stolenZhenli Ye Gon Home Zhenli Ye Gon is Chinese. It is not clear if this is from his home (2007 raid) or the 2008 “zoo” raid.
More guns than you could ever imagine!guns on display Guns on display – no date, no location
This pile of cash before it was counted was estimated to be approximately 18 Billion Dollars!
After it was counted it turned out to be a little more than 22 Billion Dollars!Mexico City Raid 2007 $207 Million
PGR image : 2007A photo from March 16, 2007, provided by Mexico’s attorney general’s office, shows the largest seizure of cash in the history of drug enforcement, more than $207 million seized at the home of Zhenli Ye Gon, a Chinese-Mexican businessman in Mexico City. (AP, WaPo 2008)
From another angle2007 drug raid mexico city PGR image : 2007
Guns were hidden all over the house, along with ample ammo, just in case of trouble.2007 raid guns and dollars PGR image : 2007
Stacks of cash were found in every nook and cranny…PGR - 2007 raid PGR image : 2007
This case is filled with 100 dollar Bills estimated to be 1/2 a million dollars and no doubt headed out to make another drug by perhaps from the Columbians.PGR - 2007 raid PGR image : 2007
18 plastic bins filled with 100 dollar bills were found…PGR - 2007 raid PGR image : 2007
Another cabinet stack tight with cash – all 100’s.PGR - 2007 raid PGR image : 2007
More 100’sPGR - 2007 raid PGR image : 2007
Each of these stacks of 100’s holds 250,000 (a quarter of a million dollars)! They also had millions in Columbian money and Mexican Pesos although they preferred American dollars for the most part.PGR - September 19, 2008. This is what $26 million in cash looks like: Giant cash haul seized in a Mexican drug raid (PGR image)
There were even stacks of Chinese Yen found in one closet.  September 19, 2008. This is what $26 million in cash looks like: Giant cash haul seized in a Mexican drug raid (AFP-Getty image)
More Gold machine guns and pistols – most were never fired, just held for collection value.Gun - Reuters - 2009guns mexico city September 2009: Weapons, among other items including drugs, money and jewellery, seized during several anti-narcotics operations in Mexico are displayed during a news conference at the headquarters of the Attorney General in Mexico City. (Reuters)Weapons and munitions seized in several police operations against drug-trafficking in Mexico, are displayed at the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City. (news.com.au)
They just burned it all down!marine with fire in background No date; no location
The money and valuables found in this one house alone, would be enough to pay for health insurance for every man woman and child in the USA for 12 years!There are believed to be approximately 27 more of these houses in Mexico alone not to mention the ones in other countries who are enriching themselves in the drug trade. These people have so much money, they make the Arab oil sheiks look like welfare recipients.
Their money can buy the best politicians, the best cops, the best judges, whatever they need they just throw down stacks of cash and it is theirs!
This is why the drug problem is so difficult to fight.
Do the math – this claim isn’t in the realm of possibility:
The money and valuables found in this one house alone, would be enough to pay for health insurance for every man woman and child in the U.S.A. for 12 years!

350 million people x $500/month (conservative) = $175 billion x 12 years = $2.1 trillion (but there aren’t billions or trillions in these pictures, there are millions)

By Kathy E. Gill

Digital evangelist, speaker, writer, educator. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles! @kegill

One reply on “E-Mail Rebuttal: Photos of a Mexican Drug Lord’s home after being raided…. WOW, NO WONDER WE ARE LOSING THIS WAR…”

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! At least not all people are complete idiots eating this garbage up……….Even the jokers at Snopes haven’t caught this whopper

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