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Narco News published original investigative journalism & analysis for 19 years (2000 - 2019) on the "war on drugs" from Latin America, and on social movements, community organizing, nonviolent resistance and election campaigns throughout the world.

In 2001, Narco News won the landmark New York Supreme Court case, Banco Nacional de Mexico vs. Al Giordano, Mario Menendez and Narco News; this case extended First Amendment rights to the Internet and journalists who publish on it.

The independent online newspaper did not accept advertising but “cut a wide swath” (Boston Globe), with "hard-hitting reporting" (Fairness & Accuracy in Media), that "broke a string of scoops" (The Guardian), that were "on the mark and well documented" (Washington Post).

"The new, independent journalists of the Internet, as personified by Al Giordano" (Electronic Frontier Foundation), who "actually makes things happen" (Gary Webb, 1955 - 2004), invented "the platinum standard in Authentic Journalism" (Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018).

You can read more of what the critics have said at www.narconews.com/mediacritics1.html.

Here, free to the public, you will find two decades of reports in seven languages, including major drug war scoops by Bill Conroy, the censored San Jose Mercury-News "Dark Alliance" series by Gary Webb, early viral videos from Narco News TV, translations to English of Latin American and other international news stories otherwise unreported in the United States, in-depth reporting on the Obama presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008 by Al Giordano, "the prophet of the Obama paradigm shift" (Vanity Fair), and original reporting by hundreds of journalists from almost every corner of the planet.

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We beg your patience as we complete this kind of archeological dig and repair of these vital reports and stories.

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Thank you for your readership and participation in 19 years of journalism history — and for your support as we continue to support authentic journalism in the present and future.

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<i>"The Name of Our Country is América" - Simon Bolivar</i> The Narco News Bulletin<br><small>Reporting on the War on Drugs and Democracy from Latin America
 English | Español August 15, 2018 | Issue #67


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Narco News Issue #66
Complete Archives

The Other Journalism with the Other Campaign

[EN] The Other Campaign

[ES] La Otra Campaña

[PT-BR] A Outra Campanha

[IT] L’Altra Campagna

[DE] Die Andere Kampagne

[FR] L’Autre Campagne

[FR] De Andere Campagne

[FR] «کارزاری ديگر» Farsi

Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion

The Bogotá Connection: Narco News Investigates DEA Corruption and Cover-Up in Colombia

The House of Death: U.S. Law Enforcement Complicity with Murder in Ciudad Juárez

Narco News is supported by The Fund for Authentic Journalism

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Publisher: Al Giordano

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David B. Briones

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Chris Fee

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Banamex vs. Narco News: The Drug War on Trial

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IMAGE: Johhny Sutton: House of Death

The House of Death

U.S. Law Enforcement Complicity with Murder in Ciudad Juárez


ICE Probe of Retaliation against House of Death Reporter Seriously Flawed

Federal Agency Investigates Itself and, “Surprise,” Finds No Wrongdoing, FOIA Records Show

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

en español... Seriamente dañada la investigación de ICE por represalias en contra del reportero de la Casa de la Muerte

September 6, 2010



House of Death Informant, a Confessed Killer, Soon to be Released from Jail

Sources Claim a Deal is Struck; Former ICE Operative Remains Key Witness to Drug War Corruption

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 8, 2010



Narco News’ House of Death Coverage is Often Imitated, Sometimes Misappropriated

Did “investigative journalist” Kimberly Dvorak Really Unveil the Cover-Up in the House of Death?

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

March 28, 2010



House of Death Informant Won't be Deported to Mexico

Board of Immigration Appeals Agrees that Mexican Government Agents or the "Cartel" Would Likely Torture and Murder Him

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

March 24, 2010



ICE, Justice Department Playing with Cards up the Sleeve in High-Stakes Deportation Case

Concern Over U.S. Government’s Latest Jailhouse Deal Prompts House of Death Informant to Contact Narco News

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

January 18, 2010



ICE Agent Fired for Not Reporting US Informant’s Role in Juarez Murders

But informant claims ICE officials monitored call in which the murders were discussed

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

December 5, 2009



ICE Puts House of Death Informant in Harms Way

Informant Ramirez Peyro suddenly transferred from County Jail to Federal Detention Center in New York

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

September 7, 2009



U.S. Appeals Court Sides with House of Death Informant — Again

Judges Find U.S. Government’s Reasoning Lacking in ICE Snitch’s Deportation Case

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

August 4, 2009



ICE Informant Recounts the "Whataburger Murder"

The Informant Interviews Part III: Fast Food with a Side Order of Death and Betrayal

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

June 28, 2009



Informant: First Victim Buried at House of Death Was US Citizen

David Castro Killed, Buried at Juarez Home After Bungled Kidnapping

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

June 21, 2009



ICE, U.S. Prosecutors Turned Blind Eye to Juarez Death Houses

Informant Claims His U.S. Handlers Ignored Carnage Because it Occurred “On Mexican Soil”

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

June 5, 2009



Ex-US Attorney Johnny Sutton is Back in the "Justice" Game

Recently Retired Prosecutor Will Work Once Again for Former Boss: John Ashcroft

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

May 18, 2009



Johnny “House of Death” Sutton is Coming to a TV Near You

Federal Prosecutor Resigning, Hopes to Become New Voice for Conservatives

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 17, 2009



The House of Death Is Now in the Obama Administration’s Court

U.S. Appeals Court Hearing Raises Unsettling Questions “Under Color of Law”

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere

March 14, 2009



House of Death Informant, Facing D-Day in Court, Pens Letter from Prison

Narco News Obtains Ramirez Peyro Letter on Eve of Hearing that Could Bring a Death Sentence Called Deportation

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

August 18, 2008



The House of Death: Now Available on Video

Major Overseas TV Network Tackles a Story the U.S. Networks Fear to Cover

By the People and Power series
Al-Jazeera English

June 19, 2008



The House of Death is No Longer the New Kid on the Block

Two More Houses Doubling as Graveyards Discovered in Ciudad Juárez

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

May 7, 2008



Foreboding and Loathing in the Quest for the House of Death

After Years of Reporting on the Infamous Juárez House, Narco News Pays a Visit

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 22, 2008



In the Valley of the House of Death, We Shall Hide All Evil

Four Years and Seventy Reports Later, Not a Single Official Responsible Has Been Removed from Power

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 15, 2008



Sex, Lies and Missing Tapes in the House of Death

As Congress Remains Silent, Evidence Mounts on Details of Juárez Mass Murder Cover-Up

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

November 3, 2007



As White House Unveils “Plan Mexico,” DEA Administrator Gets Wired on Motorola

Karen Tandy, Who Oversaw the DEA During the “House of Death” and “Bogotá Connection” Scandals, Becomes Vice President of a Company Deeply Involved in Law Enforcement

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

en español... Mientras la Casa Blanca revela su “Plan Mexico”, la directora de la DEA se enchufa a Motorla

October 24, 2007



Immigration Judge Rules “House of Death” Informant Will Not Be Deported to Mexico

Homeland Security Tried to Send “Lalo” to Near-Certain Death After Using Him to Bust Juarez Trafficker then Covering Up His Crimes

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

October 12, 2007



Leaked Document Links U.S. Attorney Sutton to Cover-Up in House of Death

Letter Proves Justice Dept. Knew of Informant's Participation in Juárez Murders All Along

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

September 15, 2007



Judge’s House of Death Ruling Reveals the Truth of the Drug War

“They are all Playing a Parlor Game that has Nothing to do with the Interest of the Common Citizen and Everything to do with the Interest of the Privileged Few...”

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 25, 2007



House of Death Cover-Up is Unraveling Fast

Pleadings in a Recent Discrimination Lawsuit Claim that an ICE Supervisor Falsified Documents and Demonstrated a Callous Indifference to the House of Death Murder Victims

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 17, 2007



House of Death Whistleblower Wins in Court against US Attorney General

Former DEA Agent Sandy Gonzalez Triumphs over US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on the Merits

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

August 14, 2007



House of Death Case Continues to Haunt Bush Administration

US Citizen Languished Three Years in Mexican Prison, Now Cleared of Wrongdoing

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 6, 2007



The Real Scandal Surrounding US Attorney Johnny Sutton

By Their Silence Today, US Senators Condone House of Death Murders

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

July 18, 2007



Welcome to the Drug War ... pick a card, any card

The Narco-Trafficking Shadow Lands: Complicity and Corruption

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

June 25, 2007



A Muse in the State of the Drug War

“Our Own Government’s Insane Drug Policy... Seems to Reward, even Encourage, the Corruption and Death, From the Top Levels of Power Down to the Street”

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

June 22, 2007



DEA Testimony Shows: DOJ, DHS Top Brass Implicated in House of Death Cover-Up

Court Transcripts and More Documents Surface, and Are Posted on Narco News

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

May 31, 2007



Questions Linger About the ’House of Death’

“The most extensive reports have been online in The Narco News Bulletin”

By Dave Montgomery
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Washington Bureau

May 21, 2007



Border Patrol Agents' Case, House of Death Cover-Up Go to the Heart of Justice Department Scandal

Political Ambition Mixed with Double-Standards Add to the Woes of Embattled Department

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 13, 2007



House of Death Informant Further Exposes U.S. Role in Juárez Mass Murder

Previously Unpublished Interview Chock-full of Claims of U.S. Law Enforcement Knowledge of Murders; High-Level Mexican Corruption

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

April 2, 2007



ICE Refuses to Release Records of Agents' Intimidation of Narco News

Two Years After Filing FOIA Request with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Narco News Receives a Response that Reinforces the Ongoing House of Death Cover-Up

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

March 22, 2007



House of Death Case Takes Another Turn After Federal Court Ruling

Order to Return the Suit to the Board of Immigration Appeals Creates a No-Win Situation for U.S. Government

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

March 1, 2007



U.S. Attorney Sutton’s Media Pitch on Border Patrol Agents’ Conviction May be a Spitball

Holding a Mirror to the House of Death: Two Cases, Two Standards, “…If we are to demand that the laws be followed… we must be prepared to apply them to our own agents…”

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

January 21, 2007



House of Death Live

US Government and Its Ex-Informant Present Their Arguments in Federal Court in St. Louis

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

January 13, 2007



DEA Botches Cover-Up of House of Death Documents

Portion of 'Classified' Agency Report Obtained by Narco News Shows Embarrassment Is Behind Government's Secrecy Claim

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

January 7, 2007



The Ghost of Christmas Past Returns to the House of Death

Documents From Pending Lawsuit Filed by the Families of Victims Expose ICE's Beforehand Knowledge that Murders Would Take Place

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

December 20, 2006



Another Body Turns Up in the House of Death Case

Business Cards of DEA and ICE Agents Taped to Forehead of Latest Corpse Found in Ciudad Juárez

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

December 15, 2006



DEA Chief Karen Tandy Avoids a Scheduled Trip to the Witness Stand in Miami Whistleblower Case

An Executive Branch In Fear of the Growing Clamor of the “House of Death” Case

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

December 10, 2006



“House of Death” ICE Supervisor Still in a Commanding Position

Giovanni Gaudioso Receives Slap on the Wrist and Pay Increase as Punishment for His Mishandling of the Ciudad Juárez Operation

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere

December 7, 2006



Government Reform Committee of US Congress Readies for “House of Death” Case Investigation

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has Been Attempting to Suppress Evidence from Public View

By Alex Gabor
OpEd News

December 6, 2006



House of Theft

London Observer Plays Carpetbagger on House of Death Story

By Bill Conroy
via the Narcosphere

December 3, 2006



FOIA Lawsuit Seeks to Force DEA, DOJ to Come Clean on the House of Death

Department of Justice Appears Willing to Defy Federal Law to Assure that Certain Documents Never Become Public

By Bill Conroy
Via the Narcosphere

November 18, 2006



DEA Veteran Claims House of Death Informant had License to Murder

New Document Points the Finger Squarely at the U.S. Government, with Specific Detail, in Terms of its Complicity in the Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

November 6, 2006



National-Security Trump Card Played in House of Death Cover-Up

Why are High-Level Officials so Desparate to Hide Contents of ICE and DEA’s Own Report on the Drug War Murder Case?

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 28, 2006



What is the Dallas Morning News smoking?

Commercial Daily Fails Again to Uncover the Truth Behind the “House of Death”

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 15, 2006



“House of Death” Informant Fingers Mexican, U.S. Governments

“The Police, the Cartel, the Government, It’s All the Same People” Says the Former Mexican Cop in Court Records Obtained by Narco News

By Bill Conroy
Via The NarcoSphere

October 13, 2006



“House of Death” Informant Reveals His Story to Narco News

Former Mexican Policeman “Lalo” Alleges Corruption in U.S. Law Enforcement and a Plot to Send Him to His Death

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 9, 2006



DHS, DOJ Brass Turned a Blind Eye to “House of Death” Murder, Federal Prosecutor Confirms

Top U.S. Drug War Officials Knew their Informant Was Involved in Juárez Killings As They Happened, But Did Nothing to Stop Him

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 3, 2006



Terrorist Posada and “House of Death” Informant Are Stark Reminders of the Big Pretense

While One Murderer is Kept in Prison, Another Faces Deportation; Both Cases Suggest U.S. Govt. Is Trying to Keep Dark Secrets From Surfacing in Court

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

September 12, 2006



Web of Deceit Widens Around “House of Death”

A Look at Coverage of the Case in the Dallas Morning News

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 19, 2006



DHS, DOJ Seeking to Deliver Informant to House of Death's Door

After Participating in Mass Murder and Infiltrating a Narco-Trafficking Organization for the U.S., Mexican Narc Would Be Sent Home to Face the Very People He Ratted Out

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 15, 2006



U.S. Attorney General Backing Effort to Silence “House of Death” Informant

Why Did Justice and Homeland Security Want a Key Witness to Drug Trafficking and Mass Murder Out of the Country?

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 12, 2006



DHS Informant Implicated in “House of Death” is Still in the U.S., Attorney Confirms

Cover-Up of Mass Murder in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico by Justice and Homeland Security Departments Continues

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

August 5, 2006



Former DOJ Media Spin Chief Claims He Can't Recall House of Death Murders

Ashcroft’s Public Affairs Director, Mark Corallo, Received a Key Email on the Drug War Massacre in Juárez

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

July 1, 2006



U.S. Congress Pulls the Shades on the House of Death

Senators Were Briefed Last November About U.S.-Sanctioned Mass Murder in Juárez, Mexico Covered Up by DEA, ICE and Justice, but Did Nothing

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

May 7, 2006



Dallas Morning News Is All Hat, No Cattle in House of Death Story

The Commercial Daily Scolds Congress for Inaction, but Did Nothing for a Year as New Facts Kept Coming to Light in Juárez Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

March 15, 2006



Dallas Morning News Breathlessly Reports “House of Death” Drug-War Script

The Commercial Daily Takes Credit for Information Broken by Narco News, and Ignores Cover-Up of Government-Sanctioned Mass Murder in Ciudad Juárez

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

March 5, 2006



The House of Death and the Culture of Cover-Up in the U.S. Government

A DEA Whistleblower Goes On the Air to Speak About Juárez Murders While a Young New Customs Chief Arrives Amid Charges of Cronyism

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

February 6, 2006



Tracking the Bloody Footprints in the House of Death: Part III

The Bodies Are Uncovered, a Rogue Cop Gets Away, and a Cover-Up Begins

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

December 12, 2005



Tracking the Bloody Footprints in the House of Death: Part II

How the Informant’s Role and U.S. Law Enforcers’ Complicity Were Exposed

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

December 10, 2005



Tracking the Bloody Footprints in the House of Death: Part I

A Diary of U.S.-Backed Mass Murder in Mexico

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

December 8, 2005



Pacifica Radio in NYC to Air Four-Part Series on House of Death

Read This Article for Links and Airtimes, Plus Full Background on the Mass Murder Case and U.S Govt. Cover-Up

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

December 4, 2005



“House of Death” Informant Linked to Murder of U.S. Citizen

Cover-Up Within Justice and Homeland Security Departments Continues

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 26, 2005



Another Document, Dripping with Blood, Surfaces in “House of Death” Case

Debriefing Details Mass Murder in Juárez, Mexico Under U.S. Justice’s Watch

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 23, 2005



Ballroom Drug Warriors Peddle “Trust” in the Shadow of the Alamo

Doublespeak and Euphemisms in Meeting Between U.S. and Mexican Attorneys General

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 15, 2005



U.S. Attorney General Briefed on House of Death Murders, DEA Administrator Admits

DEA Chief Karen P. Tandy's Testimony Reveals Official Cover-Up of Mass Murders in Juárez

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

October 2, 2005



FOIA Records Link U.S. Officials to Mass Murder in Mexico

Newly Released Documents Trace “House of Death” Cover-Up to Upper Levels of the Justice Department

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

en español... Expedientes de la FOIA involucran a funcionarios de E.U. con asesinato masivo en México

September 12, 2005



National Whistleblower Group Calls on Congress to Probe “House of Death“

Retired DEA Agent Sandalio Gonzalez Points the Finger Squarely at U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

September 8, 2005



Another Lawsuit Filed in House of Death Case

Justice and Customs Officials Named for Alleged Responsibility in Juarez, Mexico Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

August 31, 2005



Ex-DEA El Paso Chief Slams U.S. Attorney Sutton Over “Murders Gov’t Could Have Prevented”

Veteran Agent Sandalio Gonzalez Wants Congressional Investigation Into the House of Death Case

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

en español... Ex jefe de la DEA en El Paso arremete contra procurador EU en relación a “homicidios que el gobierno pudo prevenir”

July 5, 2005



Another Travesty of Justice in "House of Death" Case

U.S. Attorneys Won’t Prosecute Mexican Police Commander Implicated Juárez in Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

May 5, 2005



U.S. Prosecutors Cut Deal to Bury “House of Death”

Plea Bargain in Drug Case Covers Up Mass Murder in Mexico

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

April 21, 2005



The House of Death Online

Narco News Publishes Full Archive of FOIA Documents in DEA/Customs-Linked Mexico Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

April 3, 2005



Watchdog Agencies Asleep at the “House of Death”

U.S. Drug Warriors Indifferent to Death Toll of Fifteen in Mexican Narco-Trafficking Case

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

March 28, 2005



FOIA Documents Open New Door on “House of Death”

Former DEA Supervisor's Letter Reveals Further Agency Complicity in Mass Murder

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

March 23, 2005



“House of Death” Exploded by Former DEA Supervisor's Revelation

New Answers to Questions About DEA Informant Implicated in Mass Murder in Juárez, Mexico

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

February 18, 2005



Connecting the Dots in the House of Death

Agents and Supervisors with ICE Were Allegedly Fully Aware of Informant’s Complicity in the Murders, Yet Did Nothing to Stop the Killing

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

December 30, 2004



House of Death is Starting to Rot

Family of Texan Luis Padilla, Killed in Ciudad Juárez by Narcos on U.S. Customs Payroll, Makes a Plea for Justice

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

November 13, 2004



Another Murder is Linked to the “House of Death” Case

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

September 9, 2004



“House of Death” Plot Continues to Unfold

The Washington Times Picks Up the Trail

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

July 29, 2004



House of Death on Fire

Narco News Story Caused a Major Shakeup at the El Paso ICE Office

By Bill Conroy
Via The Narcosphere

June 4, 2004



The House of Death

U.S. Prosecutors Protect an Informant Who Killed Mexican Citizens, as Two DEA Agents Barely Escaped Alive

By Bill Conroy
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

en español... La Casa de la Muerte

April 22, 2004