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WORLD NEWS A11
Friday 5 February 2016
Lawyer: Mexican actress
willing to talk about drug capo
E.J. TAMARA have not sought to ques- she looked forward to tell- In this July 31, 2012 file photo, actress Kate del Castillo poses
E. EDUARDO CASTILLO tion Penn, Braun assured ing her side of the story. during a photo call to promote the documentary Esclavos In-
Associated Press that his client is willing to Mexican authorities say visibles or “Invisible Slaves” in Spanish, at a local movie theater
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An at- talk. “In the course of the the October meeting in Mexico City.
torney for actress Kate del investigation they are go- between Guzman, del
Castillo said Thursday she ing to talk to her, right?” Castillo and Penn in the Associated Press
is willing to talk to Mexican Braun said. “If we receive mountains of northwest-
authorities about her en- proper information and ern Mexico helped them appeared in movies and “Weeds” and “La Reina
counters with Joaquin “El credentials, she’ll talk to locate the cartel leader, TV shows produced in del Sur,” in which she por-
Chapo” Guzman and felt them. She’s not hiding any- though he escaped ar- the United States, Mexico trayed a powerful cartel
“betrayed” by actor Sean thing.” Earlier Thursday, rest on that occasion. The and elsewhere including boss.q
Penn, who wrote a lengthy two Mexican security offi- Mexican newspaper Mi-
article about his meeting cials said federal prosecu- lenio recently published a
with the drug kingpin after tors had issued the search series of text messages be-
the actress introduced the order because the movie tween del Castillo and “El
two men. The comments and telenovela star did not Chapo” in which the drug
by Harland Braun, del Cas- voluntarily appear before lord showed more interest
tillo’s U.S. lawyer, came authorities to give a state- in the actress than in Penn.
after prosecutors in her na- ment as requested. They The two had planned to
tive country issued an order spoke on condition of ano- meet again.
for her to be located and nymity because they were A federal official con-
brought in for questioning not authorized to discuss firmed the messages were
as part of a probe of pos- the matter publicly. authentic. Del Castillo has
sible money-laundering in- The officials said the order
volving Guzman and the applies only to Mexican ter-
actress’ tequila business. ritory and added that if del
She is officially considered Castillo were found to be in
a witness and has not been the country, she would be
accused of any crime. The detained to make a state-
clandestine meeting took ment as a witness and then
place last October as del released after doing so.
Castillo explored the possi- Braun said del Castillo, a
bility of developing a mov- naturalized U.S. citizen,
ie about the capo, and was currently in Los Ange-
Penn’s Rolling Stone inter- les, where she has lived
view was published Jan. 9, for years and feeling “a
a day after Guzman was bit disappointed.” He de-
recaptured in a raid in the clined to comment on her
city of Los Mochis. legal situation in Mexico or
“She didn’t know Penn whether he had been con-
was going to write for Roll- tacted by U.S. authorities.
ing Stone. Would you meet “All she wanted to do is
with ‘El Chapo’ and ap- a movie, and people are
prove to have the interview making a big deal about
for publication?” Braun it,” Braun said.
said. “After the interview Del Castillo recently sought
she had no choice about a court injunction that
it. Once Penn and Guz- would bar Mexican au-
man agreed on the article, thorities from detaining her,
what was she going to do? although the judge asked
She signed off after they her lawyers for more specif-
had done so.” ics before proceeding with
“That’s what made her feel the case. In mid-January
really betrayed by these she tweeted that many
people,” he said, referring people were making up
to Penn and two people “items they think will make
who accompanied him. good stories and that
While Mexican officials aren’t truthful,” and that
