Appeal Court Keeps Zuno Arce in Jail

An appeals court Wednesday ordered a prominent Mexican businessman charged with perjury in a case related to the 1985 murder of a U.S. drug agent to remain in jail until it decides whether he should be released on bail.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruled that Ruben Zuno Arce, 59, should stay locked up until it reviews the $200,000 bail order issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi.

The U.S. attorney’s office sought the review, calling Zuno Arce a “profound flight risk� who should remain in detention until his trial on perjury charges in November.

Zuno Arce will remain in custody until the appeals court rules in the case. Federal prosecutors have until Monday to file their arguments with the higher court, and Zuno Arce’s attorneys have until Sept. 25 to respond. A ruling will follow.

Zuno Arce was indicted last week on charges that he lied about his acquaintance with three major drug figures accused in the 1985 torture murder of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena and his pilot in Mexico.

Zuno Arce once owned the Guadalajara house where Camarena was reportedly killed.

Since his arrest by immigration officials Aug. 9, Zuno Arce has been held for an immigration hearing, as a material witness in the grand jury investigation of the Camarena murder, and most recently as a defendant charged with perjury.