THE BORDER REPORT

Arturo Beltrán Leyva's become the new narco non grata and the Mexican government is trying to tie him to the murder of the acting federal police chief last week. But a year-old case involving another murdered high-level official raises some questions about this latest hit.

There is some reason to believe that a high-level murder last year in Mexico City was an inside job. And the murders bear some exploring this week as Congress is set to decide on the first of a $1.5 billion payment to Mexico.

The Mexican Feds tell El Universal that Beltrán, "El Barbas," managed to escape a gunbattle with federal police more than a week ago. Plausible, except for the timing of it. They released this information about six days after the fact.

Now, they're painting a portrait of one man versus another: The assassinated acting federal police chief, Edgar Millán against the current narco non grata Beltrán Leyva.

They say the military and federal police were alerted to a convoy that was passing through the state of Morelos and a firefight broke out. Somehow, Beltrán managed to escape.

The next day, the Feds say, Millán was betrayed by one of his own men, allegedly, security chief Javier Herrera, and a killer lay in wait for him inside his house. The gunman used two guns; only one had a silencer. He shot Millán eight times.

What we're told is this all happened as a result of Millán's stalwart efforts against Beltrán and the Sinaloans.

Go back a year.

Last May, the chief of intelligence for the Mexican CIA, Jose Nemesio Lugo, was murdered in Mexico City. Two men on a motorcycle approached Nemesio in his SUV and shot him as he started to roll down his window.

The intelligence community on both sides of the border was outraged. Then an informant came to the U.S. He told investigators that Nemesio had been investigating a house in northern Mexico used for sex-trafficking young women; the children of migrants heading toward the U.S. The informant told investigators that the girls were being used by government officials. Nemesio's investigation, the informant told U.S. authorities, was the reason for his murder.

Granted, these are informants we're talking about. Their motives for talking can be extremely self-serving at times.

But occasionally, they're also correct.

Nemesio's murder was never solved; as usual, the intellectual author behind the killing has never been found.

Nemesio's murder makes me think of motives behind Millán's killing a week ago. Is it truly as simple as a revenge hit by a narco on the run? Or was Millán onto something nobody wants to talk about?

I would find it very, very useful if the United States Congress asked more questions about Nemesio's and Millán's killings before they sign off on the first $500 million payment to Mexico. Congress is set to vote on the Merida Initiative this week.

Before they go cutting that check, I'd like them to ask a few intelligent questions first.

-- Michel Marizco