Mexican official appears in US court in cartel-intel case

CHICAGO – A lawyer for a former commander of a Mexican intelligence unit charged with trading secrets to a drug cartel for millions in cash has told a federal judge in Chicago his client has no income.

Ivan Reyes Arzate entered court Thursday in green jail garb and sandals, his ankles shackled. A judge agreed he qualified for taxpayer-subsidized legal support. The 45-year-old suspect also indicated he would not, at least for now, challenge his detention pending trial.

A complaint unsealed last week accuses him of divulging the identity of an informant to the Beltran Leyva cartel. The person was later tortured and killed. The document estimates Reyes Arzate was paid at least $3 million.

If convicted, he faces a maximum five-year prison term.