Latin Grammy winner detained during raid denies knowing he’d been hired for drug gang’s party

Norteno star denies knowledge of playing for gang

McALLEN, Texas — Latin Grammy winner Ramon Ayala said the lights went out, people started running and he and his band hit the floor when the Mexican military raided a drug cartel’s holiday party in December.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the raid and his arrest, the renowned norteno accordion player said Tuesday that he had no idea he’d been booked to play at a private home — much less a drug gang’s holiday party — before the raid near Mexico City. He and members of his band, Los Bravos del Norte, were detained.

Ayala has not been charged with any crimes and said Mexican authorities recently told him he was no longer under investigation for ties to drug trafficking. But a spokeswoman for Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office said the investigation continues into Ayala’s possible links to drug traffickers.

“We’re completely clean,” Ayala said. “We don’t have anything pending.”

A representative for Ayala’s attorney said they had a document in Mexico City proving that Ayala was no longer part of that investigation.

Flanked by band members at a packed news conference in McAllen, Ayala recounted how his band was booked to perform and what happened during the raid. The Mexican military has said three gunmen were killed and 11 people suspected of working for the Beltran Leyva drug cartel were detained.

Ayala said he and his band were home in south Texas when a booking agent called about a job Dec. 10 near Mexico City. Ayala initially thought they couldn’t get to the event, because of a commitment in western Texas. But the clients offered to fly them from Reynosa, a Mexican border town, to Mexico City.

Ayala said he thought they were going to play in a casino or event hall for a birthday until they arrived at a private home south of the city. Inside, they set up in a small room with other bands and performed with just two microphones.

“We couldn’t do anything else but follow through with our deal,” Ayala said.

The raid began in the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 11. The band made it into a bedroom as the gunfire broke out and waited there until troops found them.

Ayala said they yelled, “We’re musicians. Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.” Eventually, the marines recognized them. As they were led out of the house, Ayala said he saw vehicles shot full of holes but no bodies. The military has said the cartel’s chief, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in another raid a few days later.

Ayala said he never would have gone to Mexico had he known who was involved. He said his band had played several special events previously but never asked about the hosts or audience.

In the future, he plans to be more careful.

“We weren’t tricked,” Ayala said. “It was the situation, really, that took us there.”

__

Associated Press Writer Olga R. Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.