INTERPOL General Secretariat describes stories originating in Mexico about an INTERPOL agent as false and misleading

LYON, France - On Tuesday, 28 October newspapers around the world published stories originating in Mexico City claiming a man arrested for passing information to drug cartels is or was an “INTERPOL agent.” Many of the stories contain the headline: "INTERPOL agent 'sold information to drug lords'".

The body of many of the articles falsely claims that an INTERPOL agent working in the US Embassy in Mexico City and at the international airport used his position to supply information on the Drug Enforcement Agency to the Beltrán-Leyva cartel.

In fact, no INTERPOL agent works at or has ever worked at the US Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. INTERPOL has never assigned any of its police or staff members to work in any embassy. Moreover, INTERPOL unequivocally states that the person arrested in this case never worked for INTERPOL, its General Secretariat, its regional offices in the Americas region or in any other region of the world.

Therefore the person arrested and whom the stories call "an INTERPOL Agent" is not, was never and could not have ever been an INTERPOL agent.

INTERPOL is concerned that the major wire services and press outlets publishing this false article failed to satisfy the minimum standard for journalistic ethics by not contacting the Organization and giving INTERPOL an opportunity to comment on and to correct this false story.

The credibility and integrity of all staff members of INTERPOL are undermined when false assertions are made, as in this instance, when it is falsely reported that a person "used his position (as an INTERPOL agent) to supply information on the Drug Enforcement Agency to the Beltrán-Leyva cartel."

Day in and day out INTERPOL General Secretariat staff around the world work in order to help prevent, investigate and prosecute international crime. To say that INTERPOL is greatly dismayed by these articles calling into question their honesty is an understatement.

The damage has been done. INTERPOL now demands an immediate correction from all publications that have run this false article.