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

Norteno star denies knowing gig was for drug gang

McALLEN, Texas — Latin Grammy winner Ramon Ayala says he only found out that his band was playing at a drug gang’s holiday party when the Mexican military raided the event.

The renowned norteno (nohr-TEHN’-yoh) accordion player spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday since the Dec. 11 raid of a home south of Mexico City.

Ayala says Los Bravos del Norte assumed the gig would be for a birthday party at a casino or event hall. When gunfire erupted, he says the band fled into a bedroom and waited for troops.

Ayala and his attorney’s office say he’s been cleared of any alleged ties to drug traffickers. But a spokeswoman for Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office says the investigation continues.

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