DEA knew about CIA murders in Guatemala Associated Press 07-23-96 By PAULINE ARRILLAGA= As

DEA knew about CIA murders in Guatemala

Associated Press
 07-23-96


 By PAULINE ARRILLAGA= Associated Press Writer=

 HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) The Drug Enforcement
 Administration knew about and helped cover up the CIA's
 involvement in Guatemala's drug war murders, a former
 DEA agent said Tuesday. The DEA denied the
 allegations.

 Celerino Castillo said he and other DEA agents were
 aware of specific murders committed by the Guatemala
 military with CIA involvement and were ordered to lie to
 keep the crimes secret.

 Castillo said a panel appointed by President Clinton to
 look into U.S. involvement in Guatemala focused on the
 CIA and overlooked the DEA. The panel concluded last
 month that the CIA took part in tortures and murders in
 1984.

 ``My point is don't only investigate the CIA, investigate
 the DEA. We worked with the same people,'' Castillo, who
 was a DEA special agent based in Guatemala in 1985-90.

 Castillo said DEA agents didn't participate in any abuses,
 but ``we knew that there were going to be atrocities
 occurring in those operations.''

 Van Quarles, a DEA spokesman in Washington, said
 Tuesday: ``These allegations have been analyzed, and we
 haven't found anything to validate the charges that he's
 made.''

 Last month, the Intelligence Oversight Board issued a
 report stating that several CIA agents in Guatemala
 ``were credibly alleged'' to have ordered, planned or
 participated in human rights violations such as murder,
 torture and kidnapping.

 Castillo, who retired from the DEA in 1992 and lives in
 McAllen, Texas, said he participated in several missions in
 which the Guatemalan Military Intelligence killed
 civilians with the knowledge of DEA and CIA agents.

 He said he was ordered by his superiors not to reveal the
 truth about the missions and that some agents were
 forced to lie in case reports to cover up the murders. He
 said the murders were kept quiet because the agencies
 wanted to continue working with the military against the
 drug trade.