Borderland Beat

Trial Watch: El Piolin Pleads Guilty to Murder of Jaime Zapata and more trial information

2013-05-25T05:23:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

A commander of the Zetas drug cartel pleaded guilty Thursday, May 23, 2013 to the murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata and the attempted murder of fellow agent Victor Avila.

Julian Zapata Espinoza, 32, also known as “El Piolin” entered the plea in a Washington, D.C., federal court before Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth less than two weeks before he was to stand trial on the charges of murder and attempted murder in the shooting of the federal agents.

Zapata, 32, a Brownsville native who worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was killed Feb. 15, 2011, near San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in an attack by members of the Zetas drug cartel.

Avila was wounded in the attack.

Authorities said Zapata struggled with his assailants as they tried to drag him out of his vehicle. Zapata was shot at least three times with the bullets flying through the car window that accidentally had been cracked open. Authorities said 83 spent casings from AK-47 bullets were found at the scene.

Agent Zapata’s family attended Thursday’s court proceedings along with attorney Trey Martinez of Brownsville, who said the Zapata family was “pleased” with the court proceedings that had occurred, but added this is just the beginning. The family has a $75 million lawsuit pending against the federal government and others.

“The Zapata and Avila families are pleased with this guilty plea and the steps taken to bring those responsible for this crime to justice. They are grateful to all those who have stood by them and have been instrumental in this process,” Martinez said in statement.

In his April 2013 statement to federal authorities, Espinoza Zapata admitted that he and other “estacas” or “hit squads” armed with AK-47s, AR-15s and handguns, surrounded the armored vehicle in which Jaime Zapata and Avila were riding in San Luis Potosi. El Piolin stated he fired several shots in the air trying to get the agents to exit the vehicle. When they refused to do so, the “estacas” fired weapons at the vehicle, Espinoza Zapata said.

Zapata Espinoza said he and the others did not know that Agent Zapata and Avila were U.S. citizens and federal agents until after the ambush. He was arrested Feb. 23, 2011, at his residence in Mexico.

The purpose of “stopping the armored vehicle was to steal it,” Espinoza Zapata said.

In an initial statement to Mexican authorities, Zapata Espinoza said that agent Zapata’s death was a case of mistaken identity. He and others believed the Suburban in which Zapata and Avila were riding belonged to a rival drug cartel.

In his April statement to U.S. authorities, Zapata Espinoza said Zeta members had a “standing order from the Zetas leadership to steal vehicles deemed valuable to the cartel.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., Thursday stated that three others also entered guilty pleas in connection with the killing and wounding of the agents. Ruben Dario Venegas Rivera, 25, also known as “Catracho,” and Jose Ismael Nava Villagran, 30, also known as “Cacho,” pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2011, and Jan. 4, 2012, respectively, to one count each to federal charges concerning the murder and attempted murder of agents Zapata and Avila.

In addition, Francisco Carbajal Flores, 38, also known as “Dalmata,” entered a guilty plea to a charge of “conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and to being an accessory after the fact to the murder and attempted murder of the agents.”

The defendants’ guilty pleas had been sealed until Thursday’s court proceedings.

Authorities said as part of the guilty pleas Zapata Espinoza, Venegas Rivera and Nava Villagran admitted to being members of the Zetas hit squad and participating directly in the ambush on the agents. Carbajal Flores admitted to assisting Zeta members in the attack.

All four men face a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. No sentencing date has been scheduled.

The case was investigated by the FBI, ICE, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Adminstration, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Marshals Service.

More cartel related trial news: Vincente Zambada's Trial Posponed Again

Vincente Zambada Niebla ties to Fast 'n Furious

From the level of anticipation in the courtroom, it seemed the audience would set the start date for defendant Vicente Zambada Niebla's this instant. Disappointed with still "no date in sight" because the it was postponed again today at the request of prosecutors and defense. so the Judge Ruben Castillo ruled that both parties will meet face to face again until next July 23.

Neither lawyers nor prosecutors, nor the Department of Justice of the United States, revealed the reasons by which the hearing was postponed (for the umpteenth time). They appeared only interested with the court's decision which was obeyed by the defense and the prosecution.

"That's all we were told: just that the hearing will be postponed at the a request of both sides," said Randall Sanborn, spokesman for the DOJ in the Northern District of Illinois.

Zambada Niebla was extradited on February 18, 2010, and has since participated in several hearings in Chicago Federal Court, but always without setting a date yet for the start of trial, which would be the beginning of a legal tug of war.

In response to the allegations, prosecutors said Zambada Niebla, along with other leaders of the cartel, would have tried to attack the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, or another public building in the nation's capital.

After those first attacks, Judge Castillo said that "due to the seriousness of the case," it would have to be postponed. And for the past two years the case has been postponed .

Tomas Arevalo Veazquez Renteria and Alfredo Hernandez, two of the defendants who were prosecuted with Vicentillo will be tried in separate trials, raising doubts and strengthening the possibility that Zambada Niebla's trial will be sequestered.

Zambada Niebla was arrested in Mexico City on March 19, 2009.

Eduardo Arellano Félix expected plead guilty in U.S. today

The Mexican drug lord Eduardo Arellano Félix, alias "El Doctor", will plead guilty to several charges Friday morning in federal court in San Diego, California, federal sources reported Thursday. The last of the Arellano Félix brothers prosecution will present its statement after reaching an agreement with federal prosecutors to reduce his sentence, revealed, Debra Hartman, the prosecution spokeswoman . "El Doctor", 65, was extradited from Mexico on August 31, 2012 without having completed his sentence in Mexico, to stand trial in California on drug conspiracy and money laundering. Arellano Félix, the former leader of the Arellano Felix organization is the last of the brothers to be tried, after Francisco Javier, alias "El Tigrillo", who was sentenced to life imprisonment, Francisco Rafael was repatriated to Mexico and Ramon was killed in a clash in Sinaloa.

According to federal court records in San Diego, "El Doctor" and two lieutenants of the Arellano Felix cartel are responsible for smuggling thousands of tons of cocaine from Colombia to the United States.

Still Awaiting Sentencing Date for Jose Trevino Morales and accomplices

There still is no sentencing date set in the conspiracy to launder Los Zeta's cartel money trial from Judge Sam Sparks @United States Western District Court of Texas

for Jose Treviño Morales, Francisco Cessa Colorado, Estebio Maldonado Huitron and Fernando Solis Garcia awaiting sentencing in custody.

Borderland Beat Trial coverage: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Verdict Watch,

Jose Treviño Morales Guilty

Sources:Brownsvilleherald, Proceso, lmartinez@brownsvilleherald.com,

Riodoce, Riodoce

Gulf Cartel Attorney Gunned Down in Southlake, Texas

2013-05-23T16:11:00.002-06:00

Thursday afternoon Texas officials with the Southlake Police Department confirmed the victim of Wednesday's daylight shooting murder was Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa.

The 43-year-old is believed to have been a lawyer for the notoriously violent Gulf

Cartel drug trafficking organization but police have not confirmed it.

Four separate law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation identified the victim as Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa, 43, of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Chapa has been named in various Mexican news reports as a lawyer for the Gulf Cartel, one of the largest and most violent drug organizations in Mexico.

According to the respected Mexican investigative magazine Proceso, Guerrero was arrested on drug charges by the Mexican military on Feb. 26, 2002, and taken to the maximum-security prison known as La Palma.

At the time of his arrest in 2002, Guerrero was representing the second-highest ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. The attorney was soon freed because of an apparent lack of evidence, Proceso reported.

Chapa lived in legally in a highly-secure, gated community in Southlake with his family. A guard at the front gate prevents uninvited guests from entering.

Wednesday afternoon the city of Southlake had its’ first murder in more than a decade. The murder happened when a gunman walked up to a married couple, sitting in their Range Rover in the parking lot of the city’s popular Southlake Town Square and fired several shots.

"I don’t want to speculate on the motivation of the suspects but everything we’re receiving is this is not a random shooting," Mylett told NBC 5 on Wednesday. "This was a targeted incident."

Police say the 43-year-old man had been sitting in the passenger seat of a Range Rover with his wife parked in the parking lot of the city's popular Southlake Town Square, near Banana Republic, when a white SUV pulled up next to them.

Witnesses say a masked shooter got out and fired at least five rounds with a gun that possibly had a silencer on it. The male victim was hit multiple times by the gunfire and later died at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

The shooter escaped with a getaway driver and was last seen driving West on Southlake Boulevard, police said. Investigators only have a general description of the suspects.

Chapa, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, and was shot at least five times. Police say most of the bullets hit him in the upper torso. They recovered 9 casings from the scene.

His wife was in the driver’s seat and wasn’t injured. She and the couple’s three teenage children are currently under police protection.

The suspect, who was the passenger in a white SUV with Texas license plates,emerged with his face covered, fired shots and returned to the vehicle and fled. He’s described at a Hispanic male, 5’7-5’10.

Presumably the same person but I might not bet the farm on it. A wordpress blog identifies Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa as a cattle rancher in Guanajuato and raises a “wide range of livestock and farm animals.”

Another page also identified him as the owner of Elite Charolaise Mexico and gives his hometown as McAllen.

“Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa enjoys the regional flavors of the restaurants in his hometown, and he often donates cows and calves to be prepared by Mexican chefs,” the profile said

Proceso adds to his previous life:

In his book Los Narcoabogados, reporter Ricardo Ravelo described Guerrero Chapa:

"Lawyers Juan Jesus Guerrero, Agustin Rojas and Francisco Flores admitted to La Palma (the February 26, 2002). They spoke with Gilberto Garcia Mena (El June), the second most important man of the Gulf cartel to refine the legal strategy, and began efforts to defend the 17 detained, all linked to the Gulf Cartel. However, maneuvering the PGR would end in tragedy. In their investigation, prosecutors found that the Gulf cartel structure was varied and complex: operating not only with an armed group, Los Zetas, but they also had a well-organized network of lawyers, whose task is not only limited to legal work, but who also performed other operating activities. It was, according to the PGR, of lawyers in their professional exceeded the post by doing expected work , but also paid the payroll of the members of the organization and at the same time, relayed instructions to keep the criminal enterprise briskly functioning. All this was done under their profession, whose title and professional license allowed them to enter the prisons, dialogue with customers and define strategies, spending time more or less unnoticed. So they moved the threads in the murky world of criminal law

"Based on these and other documents, the PGR focused their research towards the legal team of Osiel Cardenas, who at that time still enjoyed freedom and leadership.The main suspect for preforming these tasks was Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa, legal adviser called Mata Amigos. For PGR this character was, in reality, a narco-lawyer. In and out of the Palma many times wanted or was ordered. He was seen as a litigator carrying out his job, but the veil of suspicion darkened it.

"On leaving the jail the criminal lawyers were persecuted and harassed by plainclothes military, to cause a crash of their vehicle and capture them. The soldiers walked with their arms to the crashed car and arrested Rojas Vazquez and Guerrero Chapa, who was blindfolded hit and pushed into vans. The soldiers realized that Iruegas Flores had several shots to his body but still had signs of life, but left him to his fate. Juan Guerrero Chapa was consigned by the PGR and, later, he was released for lack of evidence "

Lately, Guerrero Chapa and his family enjoyed every luxury, residing in private, exclusively in Southlake; after the execution of the alleged 'narco-lawyer', his wife and children are hiding under police guard.

Lastly,

Sources: videos: http://nbcdfw.com.Universal, informador, dfwlocal,nbcdfwlocal, telemundo, Lajornada,CNDH, CNDH,epochtimes, proceso

Boxes of Money found in Tabasco related to "the looting"

2013-05-23T12:37:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

VILLAHERMOSA, Tabasco - The head of the Attorney General of the state (PGJ), Fernando Valenzuela Pernas, exhibited yesterday afternoon what amounted to 88 million 560 thousand 134 pesos in cash seized from people linked to Jose Manuel Saiz Pineda, Secretary of Finance in the Andrés Granier Melo government of the state of Tabasco.

At a press conference, Valenzuela Pernas reported that investigations on the looting of Tabasco, led at 4:00 am to a house the Lomitas area in the municipality of Nacajuca about 15 miles north of the capital. They found five cardboard boxes filled with cash. Also seized two desktop computers and one laptop.

In one cardboard box they found 500 bundles of 500 pesos notes, a second box 70 bundles of 500 pesos notes, in the third 10 packs of one thousand notes, two of one thousand and 500 peso notes 18 more of 500 pesos notes and five of 200 pesos.

In the fourth box were found 23 bundles 500 peso notes and in the fifth box there were various banknotes of different denominations.

PGJ mentioned that so far 25 people have said linked to the looting Tabasco.

After the finding and based on statements of people involved, a warrant was requested, and at 14:00 hours entered the office of former Secretary of Finance, José Manuel Saiz Pineda, located at 1113 Sanchez Street Magallanes center of capital.

There was found and seized "abundant" documents and ledgers, presumably related to the ex-Governor Granier Melo's budget and to be audited by experts of the PGJ.

Ex-Governor Andrés Granier Melo called to testify Photo: Eduardo Miranda

Pernas Valenzuela announced that on instructions from Governor Arturo Nunez Jimenez, the secured money will be deposited at the branch of Banjército of the capital, until the appropriate steps towards due diligence are taken..

At a press conference, the state leader of the PAN, Jorge Luis Avalos Ramon, and the local deputy Francisco Castillo Ramirez showcased a list of 19 properties, residences and lots appearing on behalf of the former governor Andrés Granier Melo in the Public Registry,

Among all these properties is included 850 square meters in Miramar Beach, in the coastal municipality of Centla, where the former governor built, in the middle of his term, a huge and luxurious mansion with pool and finest of finishes, according to photographs published by a local newspaper.

Current Governor Arturo Nunez of the opposition Democratic Revolution Party has repeatedly accused his predecessor of having left a public debt of millions of dollars and of representing Mexico's corrupt, old-style politics (PRI).

Local media recently made public an audio recording in which Granier boasted about owning hundreds of suits, pairs of shoes and of only shopping at the best stores in Beverly Hills.

Former Governor Granier Melo later tried to save face by saying he was boasting about the things he doesn't have because he was drunk.

Pernas Valenzuela official said that in the next 15 days, former collaborators of Granier Melo implicated in the embezzlement of the state coffers will be forced to appear. Ex-Governor Granier Melo who is presently in Miami will be forced to appear as well as Saiz Pineda himself, and the ex-under secretary of the Secretariat of Finance, Miguel Angel Contreras..

Saiz Pineda and other former officials face charges before the PGR and the PGJ for the disappearance of over one thousand 900 million pesos stolen from education, public safety, federal healthcare programs, among others, led to the healthcare collapse late last year.

The Tabasco governor Nunez Jimenez has repeatedly denounced former governor Granier Melo's PRI tenure saying the state was the victim of "rapacious looting" that left a legacy of a 20 billion peso debt, when six years ago they barely reached 600 million pesos.

More experts from the Attorney General's Office (PGR) in the Tabasco Federal District will arrive this afternoon and assist in the accounting audits and continue with the investigation.

The federal Attorney General's Office has also opened an investigation into the handling of public funds by Granier, Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told Radio Formula on Wednesday."We will investigate and get to the bottom of this," Osorio Chong said.

He denied Granier is getting preferential treatment for being a member of the PRI.

"The investigation is going at the speed it needs to go," he said. "There are things being made public by the media but that doesn't mean they are evidence."

The PRI governed Mexico for 71 years and was seen as a party that encouraged corruption and authoritarianism. It lost the presidency for the first time in 2000 but it returned to power on Dec. 1 with Pena Nieto, who has said that his party has changed and that he will not stand for illegality.

Politicians and union leaders have not been shy about showing their extravagant homes and brand name clothes and jewelry despite their low salaries, leading many to suspect they were funding their flamboyant taste with public funds.

Sources: Tabascohoy,Proceso, Proceso,mysanantonio,Correo.

Armed suspects enter Jicamorachi in Chihuahua

2013-05-22T22:00:00.000-06:00

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A large group of armed suspects entered the village of Jicamorachi in Urique municipality in extreme western Chihuahua state Tuesday, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to a news report posted on the website of El Diario de Juarez Wednesday, an unidentified individual called the newspaper saying that armed suspects entered Jicamorachi sometime in the morning, firing weapons and threatening residents if they did not leave. The caller said that some residences had been torched.

At the time of the story, a telephone call was placed to the town clerk of Urique municipality, who was identified as Jaime Banda, who said he was unaware of the incursion by armed suspects.

However, according to a separate news account posted on the website of El Norte news daily, Carlos Gonzalez of the Chihuahua state Fiscalia general del Estado (FGE) or attorney general confirmed that three residences had been torched in Jicamorachi, firearms were fired, but no report of injuries had been made.

Urique municipality is no stranger to drug and gang violence. The most recent violent incident last November involved the murder of a local Sinaloa Cartel leader, Antonio Erives Arduño, 39, who was beheaded. The discovery of the body led to a shootout between elements of the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.

According to a news account which appeared on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily by Red Libre Periodismo writer Patricia Mayorga, last February armed suspects entered two mining camps in Urique municipality and kidnapped six men and stole two vehicles, cell phones and other items. The armed suspects also threatened to kill miners if they did not leave the area.

Both cartel compete in the area for routes and growing areas, and both treat local indigenous people as serfs if they do not cooperate.

Also in Jicamorachi two years ago a feud between two families led to six homes torched, another ten damaged by gunfire and four vehicles torched. The village, according to an archived news account posted on he website of El Mexicano news daily, Jicamorachi is evenly divided between supporters of the two competing families.

According to a separate archived news account posted on the website of Milenio news daily, the most recent census data puts the population of the village at 374 inhabitants, of which 95 are men and 171 are women. The male population reduction is mainly due to migration. About 30 structures are in the village which are classified as residences.
Jicamorachi is in a remote area of the Sierras de Tarahumara, so much so it takes about six hours to get from Urique, the municipal seat to the village.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

The war for Tijuana, a 20+ year conflict. PART 1

2013-05-22T01:11:00.001-06:00

Tijuano for Borderland Beat

The Arellano Felix Brothers.

Tijuana is a complex city; it´s location makes it unique in so many ways, including organized crime. The situation in Tijuana is unlike any other city in Mexico, the murder rates are still high but people on the streets feel “safe”, drugs keep moving in all directions, but the convoys of sicarios are all but gone. The kidnapping numbers dropped drastically but still people disappear without trace, federal agents are seldom attacked by criminals and the army has returned to its headquarters.

Many claim they “own” the Tijuana plaza, but almost all who do so seldom set foot in Tijuana.

Whereas in other cities of Mexico people know what cartel has the true hold of things, in Tijuana many cells work without a visible head, sure the Sinaloa cartel corridos claim that Tijuana is a CDS plaza, but that´s up for debate.

To even try to understand the current cartel situation in Tijuana we got to go back a few years, in the 90´s, the all-powerful Tijuana cartel ruled the city without any obstacles, Federal government didn´t care for cartels and the local authorities had -in almost all cases- arrangements with the cartel, Sinaloa´s cartel didn´t exist as such, in fact, most Sinaloa cartel leaders were part of the Juarez cartel at the time, Mayo Zambada had people in Tijuana but they usually kept a very low profile and many of them ended up dead.

In fact, Mayo Zambada used to work alongside the Arellano Felix brothers without issues, according to the book “El Cartel” by journalist Jesus Blancornelas, Mayo Zambada used to live in Tijuana, he paid “piso” to CAF and used to go around the city without bodyguards, however, he started being late on his payments to CAF, arguing that he had no money and sooner than later Ramon Arellano got fed up with it.

They sent a group of sicarios to kill Mayo but a discussion between the killers made them fail. Mayo got word of it and fled the city. That´s one side on the story, on Sinaloa I´m sure you´ll listen to a different one.

The following is a list of the most important events in this war that has been going on for more than 20 years:

The death of Armando Lopez aka "El Rayo de Sinaloa"

Armando Lopez was a well-known trafficker from Sinaloa, his area of influence was the Sonora desert where he used to land Cessna planes full of cocaine. Lopez was a close friend of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and was sent to Tijuana to speak with Benjamin Arellano on behalf of “El Chapo”.

When “El Rayo” arrived at Tijuana he went partying with his girlfriend, when both were drunk, they decided to crash the baptism party of one of Benjamin´s daughters, since they didn´t carry an invitation the guards at the door stopped them, this angered Lopez who started fighting with them, Ramon noticed this and without saying anything shot “El Rayo” in the head, after this he picked up the body and threw it in the back of a Pick-up truck, drove to the outskirts of Tijuana and dumped it. After the death of “El Rayo” a group of hit men travelled to Sinaloa and killed Lopez´s brothers and father, this was done in order to prevent possible retribution from Lopez´s family against Ramon.

Rigoberto Campos gets killed

Rigoberto Campos Salcido, cousin of the famed Manuel Salcido Uzeta aka “El Cochiloco” used to work in the plazas of Tijuana, Tecate, Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado without problems, when the Arellano Felix brothers grew in power they felt he was invading “their plaza”.

At first he was told to stop working in Tijuana but he refused to take orders from the young brothers, the Arellano´s felt they needed to send a message and dispatched a group to Mexicali where Salcido was kidnapped, his captors took him to a ranch where they ripped his arms with a thresher.

Rigoberto barely saved his life and ended up with prosthetic arms, however, he continued to visit Tijuana where his fate was sealed. In 1991 the Arellano Felix brothers got word that Salcido was betting on horse races in the outskirts of Tijuana, they knew the route he would use and set an ambush, this was the first major execution in which hundreds of bullets were fired to kill somebody in Mexico.

Grand Marquis from Rigoberto Campos after the attack.

El Cochiloco, an old debt gets settled

Manuel Salcido Uzeta aka “El Cochiloco” was the last leader of the Guadalajara cartel, the same legendary cartel formed by Miguel Angel “El Padrino” Felix Gallardo, Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca and Rafael “El Principe” Caro Quintero, Salcido used to control Jalisco and Colima, where he received large shipments of Cocaine from Pablo Escobar in Colombia. The Tijuana cartel didn´t had any intentions of owning Guadalajara in that time, they didn´t consider “El Cochiloco” as an enemy, yet.

Salcido´s mistake-like many more after him- was greed; he stole 4 tons of cocaine from a Colombian ship destined to Ensenada, Baja California. The cocaine belonged to the Cali cartel and was sent to the Arellano Felix brothers in Tijuana, only half of the original 8 tons shipment arrived at Ensenada and Ramon Arellano refused to pay the missing 4 tons to the Colombians.

At the end a deal was made, if the Colombians killed Salcido, Ramon would pay the 8 tons to the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers. On October 9th, 1991, Salcido was driving his Ramcharger SUV when a group of hit men from Colombia and Tijuana ambushed him, his body received more than 70 gunshots. From then on, the Guadalajara plaza became property of the Tijuana cartel.

Manuel Salcido´s corpse.

The Christine´s shootout

According to “El Cartel” by Jesus Blancornelas, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was the one who betrayed the brothers, in his book, Blancornelas claims “El Mayo” invited the brothers to celebrate in the Puerto Vallarta nightclub “Christine”, Benjamin, Ramon and Francisco Javier were ready to leave the hotel room when Zambada called Benjamin and said he wouldn´t make It because he got a tip someone was trying to cross a shipment without Benjamin´s approval.

Benjamin was angry and decided not to go out, however Ramon and Francisco Javier had already had plans for the night and went to the nightclub anyway. Ramon and “El Tigrillo” arrived at “Christine” with several Baja California state agents as bodyguards, Zambada didn´t show up, but someone from Sinaloa did, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman sent group of 50 men wearing military uniforms and bulletproof vests, when the group arrived at the nightclub they identified themselves as Federal Agents, the Tijuana cartel bodyguards identified as Baja California State Agents but were shot to dead.

Inside, a hit man from San Diego´s Barrio Logan by the name of David Barron noticed something wrong was about to happen and took the brothers to the bathroom. Barron killed some of the hit men from “El Chapo” and took their weapons, covering up for Ramon´s escape.

Francisco Javier wasn´t so lucky and was taken by Chapo´s gunmen. Ramon and Benjamin thought “El Tigrillo” was already dead, but he wasn´t, Chapo´s men told him the war wasn´t against him, nor the family but against Ramon and left him in the outskirts of Vallarta.

Christine in Puerto Vallarta.

To kill a Cardinal

If we were to pinpoint one single event that changed the whole course of the Tijuana cartel´s history, it´s got to be the shootout at Guadalajara´s airport in May 24th, 1993. Seeking revenge for the "Christine" shootout, the Tijuana cartel searched for Joaquin Guzman everywhere, one of their sources told them that “El Chapo” was hiding in Guadalajara and Ramon travelled there along with a group of Barrio Logan hit men.

Their search proved fruitless and they decided to go back to Tijuana, then, someone informed Ramon that “Chapo” was to take a flight and would arrive in a white Mercury Grand Marquis to the airport. Ramon quickly went there with his team and when they saw a white Grand Marquis, they started the shootout, “Chapo” wasn´t in that car, he was arriving in a green Cutlass when he heard the gunshots and run away from the scene. The passenger in the white Grand Marquis was none other than Catholic Church Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo.

Now that´s the official story, the Catholic Church believes someone set Posadas up and that the Arellano brothers had nothing to do with it, neither Chapo, that version isn´t confirmed yet, but Benjamin Arellano blamed the Mexican Government for Posada’s murder and claimed that both “Chapo” and the Tijuana cartel were framed. Anyway, this marked the beginning of the downfall for the brothers.

Posadas Ocampo´s car.

The capture of “El Chapo” in Guatemala

The Tijuana cartel, along with Joaquin Guzman Loera and his partner Hector Luis Palma Salazar became Mexico´s number one enemies after the death of Posadas Ocampo.

The Mexican Government needed to arrest ASAP at least one of them, “El Chapo” knew they were after him and decided to leave the country, before doing so, he ordered his lieutenants to continue with the shipments and to protect his family, then he fled to Central America, he was spotted in El Salvador but the Salvadoran Government said they didn´t had the resources to arrest him, Guzman knew of this and travelled to Guatemala were he paid 1 million USD to local authorities to protect him, instead of doing so, the Guatemalan Army arrested him and expelled him to Mexico.

This somehow took some heat away from the Tijuana cartel leaders who at the moment were hiding in places like Russia, Spain and even in the USA.

Chapo Guzman in Federal custody, circa 1993

The Bali-Hai shootout

In December 1993, the Tijuana cartel sent their “elite” group of killers, then known as “narcojuniors” to Mexico City, their mission was to gun down Amado Carrillo Fuentes aka “El Señor de los Cielos”.

Carrillo was the leader of the Juarez cartel and boss of both Ismael Zambada and Joaquin Guzman, with “El Chapo” in jail, the brothers saw this as an opportunity to kill the man they saw as their biggest threat.

Fabian Martinez aka “El Tiburon” or “9-9”, Federico Sanchez Valdez aka “G-1”, Merardo Leon Hinojosa aka “El Abulon” or “3-3” among others arrived at the Bali-Hai restaurant, they gunned down Carrillo´s bodyguards at the door and tried to kill him but were repelled by Alcides Ramon Magaña aka “El Metro” and his team of hit men, Carrillo and his family were saved, Carrillo’s wife was wounded in the shootout, at the time, the cartels didn´t mess with each other families, this escalated the war against the Tijuana cartel.

Amado Carrillo Fuentes aka "El Señor de los Cielos"

The Bomb against “El Mayo”

In June 1994, Ismael Zambada was to attend a birthday party in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the party was organized by known drug dealer Luis Enrique “El Kiki” Fernandez Uriarte, who was celebrating his daughter´s 15 years of life. “El Mayo” was one of the many top drug lords invited to the party and the Tijuana cartel knew that, they thought the best way to kill him would be with C4 explosives, when the men in charge of the explosives were putting them in place, one of their cell phones rang and triggered the detonator, killing them instantly and hurting members of “Los Coyonqui” and “Los Huracanes del Norte” outside the Camino Real Hotel.

The official military report on the subject mentions that several Federal and State police commanders along with prominent politicians attended the party. Benjamin Arellano is considered the mastermind behind this attack.

Remains of the attacker´s car after the bomb explosion.

The capture of Hector “El Guero” Palma
Hector Palma Salazar aka “El Guero” was a violent man, he started his criminal career as a sicario, then became bodyguard of the famous Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, soon he was in charge of the cocaine route from Sinaloa to San Luis Rio Colorado, but he fell from Felix Gallardo´s grace and his wife and children were killed.

Guadalupe Laija (Palma´s wife) was decapitated by a Venezuelan drug lord who also took Palma´s children and threw them alive from a bridge. All this just made the already violent Palma even worse, he became allied with “El Chapo” and ”El Mayo”, together they launched a campaign to conquer Sinaloa.

Palma Salazar´s actions were considered at the time so brutal, that even the Arellano Felix family paid for several, full center-page adds in the Excelsior newspaper complaining that both “El Chapo” and “El Guero” were the ones responsible for the violent acts in Sinaloa and accusing them of not respecting women and children in their attacks.

“El Guero” was a powerful foe for the Arellano Felix brothers, but luck was on their side in 1995, June 22nd to be exact. One day Palma left Ciudad Obregon on his way to the Toluca airport, at mid-air he was told that the army was waiting for him so he ordered his pilot to land in Zacatecas, the army also raided the Zacatecas airport so Palma thought about landing in Guadalajara.

On his way he was again told that the army already arrived at the Guadalajara airport so he finally decided for Tepic´s airport but as luck would have, his Learjet ran out of fuel and crashed near the Nayarit border.

Palma Salazar survived the accident but was badly hurt, then Federal Police commander Apolinar Pintor Aguilera saved him and took him to Zapopan were he was finally arrested after the army raided his house.

With both “El Chapo” and “El Guero” in jail, and “Mayo Zambada” on the run, the Arellano Felix brothers felt they had won the war in 1995.

Hector Luis Palma Salazar aka "El Guero"

The “Scorpion Operation”

On March 1st, 1996, an operation code named “Alacran” (Scorpion) was conducted in Tijuana by the Federal Police and Mexican Military, 22 homes were raided in search of Tijuana Cartel members. Many of the homes were destroyed and a minimal quantity of marijuana was seized, but no important members were arrested.

What made this operation relevant was the fact that then Federal Police commander Ernesto Ibarra Santes, was the one in charge of the operation. Ibarra Santes was in fact working for “El Mayo” Zambada and Amado Carrillo Fuentes.

Ernesto Ibarra Santes gets killed in Mexico City

Ernesto Ibarra Santes had just been named Federal Deputy Attorney General for the state of Baja California in August, 1996, he promised to capture the Arellano Felix brothers, and in fact, he really planned on doing so.

At the moment Ibarra Santes was seen as a good agent, but behind his “good work” in Tijuana, there was a dark story, Ibarra Santes was a friend and ally of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, according to witness testimony Ibarra Santes sold intelligence information about the Arellano Felix brothers to Amado Carrillo, he was so good at selling info on them that Amado soon made a close friendship with him.

It was in a reunion in Agua Prieta, Sonora, where Ibarra Santes gave Amado a yellow envelope with some wiretapped phone calls from Ramon Arellano, witness accounts claim Amado offered Ibarra all the Brazilian girls in the party but Ibarra said he didn´t had any time. Ibarra left and Amado continued talking with Mexican General Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro, who advised Carrillo to not mess with the Arellano Felix brothers. That was the last time Carrillo and Ibarra Santes met.

One week after the reunion, Ibarra Santes travelled to Mexico City, the Arellano brothers knew of this trip and sent their best hit men to kill him. Alfredo Hodoyan Palacios aka “El Lobo”, Emilio Valdes Mainero and Fabian Martines Gonzalez aka “El Tiburon” followed Ibarra after he left Mexico City´s airport.

Ibarra took two bodyguards with him and took a taxi towards his hotel. The Tijuana “Narcojuniors” caught up with him and stopped their white Cutlass in front of the taxi, Ibarra´s bodyguards did not react in time and they were all killed along with the taxi driver. Ibarra was the only one who survived the initial attack but died on his way to the hospital.

The same witness recalls that Amado Carrillo knew of this when he was watching the news along “El Mayo” Zambada, and some Colombian drug lords in Mexico City. Amado supposedly cried his friend´s death the whole night.

The bodyguards of Ibarra Santes had no chance.

The merger that never happened: Tijuana and Juarez

The late journalist Jesus Blancornelas narrated a series of reunions between Amado Carrillo and representatives of the Tijuana cartel, said reunions took place early in 1997.

The reunions were made following a recommendation by Mexican General Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, the idea behind was to end all confrontations between both cartels. Amado was interested in doing so, but he had only on condition, to be handed those who shot at her wife in the Bali-Hai shootout.

The first reunion took place in Sonora, the Arellano Felix brothers sent Manuel Aguirre Galindo aka “El Caballo” to speak with Carrillo Fuentes. At first, negotiations initially had a good course, but then Amado told Manuel his sole condition, Manuel quickly called Ramon who simply said “NO”, he wasn´t going to hand over three of his best hit men and more importantly to him, three of his friends.

Ramon then asked to speak with Amado over the cell phone but Carrillo refused. Negotiations continued anyway. Carrillo told Manuel Aguirre that he had to take a flight to Chile and he would be out of the country some time, Carrillo said he´ll call “El Caballo” when he came back, after that, “El Caballo” left on his way to Tijuana.

The call never came, but the Arellano´s knew Carrillo was back in Mexico. They knew he was to be admitted into a plastic surgery clinic to change his face and have a small liposuction.

Here´s where things get murky, the following is the official account of that surgery.

On July 5th, Amado Carrillo arrived at Mexico City where he was admitted in a plastic surgery clinic, the surgery lasted more than 8 hrs, everything seemed to be OK, but on the early hours of the next day he woke up with major pain, a sedative was injected to him which caused a massive heart attack.

Just like with almost all deaths of high ranking criminals, Amado´s death is full of conspiracy theories, some claim he really died in an accident, other´s claim he was killed either by Colombian´s or by the Tijuana cartel, some others claim Amado retired and fooled the DEA. Either way, Amado was gone and the Tijuana cartel had lost another enemy, maybe the most powerful enemy they ever faced.

Alleged corpse of Amado Carrillo.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Mayhem in Monterrey: 8 die -- UPDATED

2013-05-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

Updated with new information about El Cuervo

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of eight individuals were killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, according to Mexican press reports.

According to a news report which appeared on the website of Milenio news daily, a local drug gang leader identified only as El Cuervo, and four of his security detail were gunned down in a gunfight Tuesday afternoon.

The incident took place between elements of the Nuevo Leon state Policia Minsterial and the armed group at around 1740 hrs in the Cumbres sector of Monterrey, near the intersection of Avenida Leones and Calle Pedro Infante.

According to the report, the armed group opened fire on the police detail which then initiated a pursuit which then ended in an exchange of gunfire. El Cuervo was in charge of a criminal group in northern sectors of the city.

According to a Facebook posting by the Mexican security blogger Codigo Rojo Laguna, El Cuervo was a Los Zetas operative

Two other individuals were killed in separate incidents in Monterrey.

Two unidentified men were shot to death and a female was seriously wounded in a shooting in a bar in Guadalupe municipality Tuesday evening. According to a news account which appeared in Milenio, two marmed suspects entered the Texas bar near the intersection of Avenida Pablo Livas and Camino Real and opened fire on the victims, then fled the scene.
A 17 year old youth was shot to death in Guadalupe municipality Monday night. Luis Alberto Ortiz Mireles, 17, and another adult male, Jose Felipe Tello Lopez, 38, were shot by armed suspects who were traveling in a van in Las Sabinitas colony.
An unidentified man was shot and wounded Monday night at a bar in Monterrey. The victim was waiting to leave El Cielo bar by bus near the corner of calles Arteaga and Amado Nervo when he was shot three times.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

8 die in far southwestern Chiuhuahua

2013-05-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of eight unidentified individuals have been killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in far southern Chihuahua state, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to a news report posted on the website of Animal Politico, the victims were killed in four separate incidents Sunday and Monday in Guadalupe y Calvo and Baborigame municipalities.

According to a report submitted by Chihuahua Fiscalia General del Estado (FGE) three individuals were found shot to death along a road between the villages of Santa Tulita and Baborigame.

According to a separate account which appeared in the online edition of El Sol de Parral news daily, the three victims were identified as Andres Garcia Ayala, 64, Josefina Torres Carrillo, 34, and Miguel Loera Carrillo, 28.

The news account also said that a dispute between neighbors may be a factor in the shootings. One unidentified suspect has been detained in connection with the shooting.

The body of an unidentified 15 year old male was also found Sunday in the village of La Mesa in Baborigame municipality. He had been shot once in the face. The victim is said to be connected to the feud between two families.

In Guadalupe y Calvo municipality three more unidentified victims were found shot to death on a road between Guadalupe y Calvo and Parral city, near a location called Las Gallinas.

According to a separate account which appeared on the website of El Sol de Parral, the three victims were identified as Valentin Gonzalez Lopez, 61, Daniel Molina Vargas, 24m and Anastasio Gonzalez Ramos, 68. The body of Gonzalez Lopez,was found dismembered.

An eighth shooting victim was found in San Francisco del Oro municiplaity, which is also in far southern Chihuahua state Sunday.

The victim was identified as farmer Chalaca Salvador Dominguez, 40, of Valle de Rosario. He was found lying face down, his hands bound in an arroyo in ejido El Encinal. He had been shot once with a semiautomatic pistol.

Separately, the spokesman for the Chihuahua state FGE said a sawmill in the village of Ojo Frío had been set afire and destroyed.

The southern Chihuahua and western Chihuahua state encompasses en area known as the Sierra Tarahumara. It was announced last February by Chihuahua governor Cesar Duarte Jaquez that a new security operation would begun in the region this time including the first of the new federal Policia Gendarmaria (PG) security police. Part of that operation was to increase the use of checkpoints in the region.

The new operation has come met with some success. According to a news report which appeared in the online edition of El Heraldo de Chihuahua news daily, the bishop of the Sierra Tarahumara, Rafael Sandoval Sandoval lamented security could be improved but has also said, according to the news account, "progress" has been made by authorities.

Chihuahua state is one of 14 states in Mexico which are undergoing midterm elections for local deputies and municipality presidents. The elections in the Sierra Tarahumara is a factor given local authorities actions a year ago when it was leaked that aid sent to the region was withheld on promises of votes.

The new national government headed by Enriqiue Pena Nieto has been pushing its latest social initiative, La Cruzada Contra la Hambre or Crusade Against Hunger, a program which has already garnered severe criticism in entities which as Veracruz amid accusations it will be used for political purposes.

Many of the municipalities of the Sierra Tarahumara are likely recipients of Pena's latest initiative since they are amongst the poorest in Mexico.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

Armed group terrorizes Guerrero townships

2013-05-21T01:35:00.000-06:00

Proceso (May 20, 2013)

Ezequiel Flores Contreras

Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

CHILPANCINGO, Gro. (apro).--The mayors of Apaxtla de Castrejon and Teloloapan, Efrain Pena Damasio and Ignacio Valladares Salgado, respectively, ordered local government offices to close and the suspension of classes in both municipalities, due to an incursion of armed groups that "laid siege" to the area yesterday.

"We all locked ourselves in our homes and are still uncertain," said the PRD party member Pena Damasio, after a group of 80 armed men "took" the county seat and spread terror for more than three hours.

The mayors called on the state and federal governments to take care of the serious violence and insecurity situation that is exists in this northern area because local authorities cannot control criminal activities.

They explained that of the 100 officers that made up the police force in Teloloapan, currently 30 remain active because 25 "decided to resign as a group" last week and the rest have been murdered or have been injured in several ambushes.

In Apaxtla the situation is even more critical because there are only nine police officers.

In separate interviews, the mayors demanded that the situation be dealt with "urgently" in the area -- considered an important zone for production and transportation of drugs--, and they asked Governor Angel Aguirre Rivero, who is scheduled to visit Teloloapan on Wednesday, the 22nd, to make police and military patrols permanent.

Security, they add, should not be increased only when the governor comes to this convulsive area which has collapsed due to crime.

Pena Damasio lamented that he has asked several times for soldiers to be placed permanently in Apaxtla, but, he said, state and federal governments have shown themselves to be indifferent to the violence and insecurity.

This government indolence was evidenced yesterday when approximately 80 armed men virtually laid siege to the county seat beginning at 10:00 a.m. and for more than three hours drove around on the town's streets, where they murdered six young men and set fire to six pickups, according to the PRD mayor.

Initially, ministerial authorities who initiated criminal investigation file No. ALD/SC/03/0121/2013 reported five victims: Tomas Cervantes Gomez, 40 years old; Salvador Jaimes Avila and Raymundo Sanchez Espinoza, both 18; Luis Sanchez Espinoza, 20 years old , and one more who has not yet been identified.

However, Pena Damasio made it clear to Apro that there were six persons murdered yesterday. The sixth one, he added, was found this morning.

He also mentioned that Saturday, the 18th, there were reports of a confrontation in the vicinity of the town of Cacalotepec, which left an indeterminate number of dead.

"We don't know why no authority went to that place, but there's talk there were several men murdered," he said.

He pointed out that during yesterday's violent incidents, he decided "to lock myself inside my house", like the rest of the residents, while the group was breaking into homes and murdering people at will.

The mayor stated that the military got to Apaxtla around 2:00 p.m., when the group of gunmen had already left town, despite the fact that he reported the incident very early.

When asked what was the reason for the military authorities' delay, he answered: "I don't know what happened. There's a lot of uncertainty among the residents and very little attention by the authorities, that's why today we had to suspend work in government offices."

Nine People Murdered Over The Weekend In Morelos

2013-05-20T16:21:00.002-06:00

Despite surveillance operations and the state of Morelos operating under a Mando Único (Unified Police Command), this past weekend nine people were killed, among them a minor in various events in the municipalities of Cuernavaca, Jiutepec and Cuautla.

Couple Found Burned Inside a Trunk

Photo Courtesy of Vanguardia

The attorney general’s office of Morelos reported that the first incident occurred in the municipality of Jiutepec, where a couple was found executed, legs tied and burned inside the trunk of a Nissan Sentra with public service of Cuernavaca license plates “2868 LTG” that was allegedly used as a taxi. The car was abandoned on the street Delfinas of the colony Hacienda Las Flores early Saturday.

Student Gunned Down in Cuernavaca

Photo Courtesy of Provincia

Throughout the night a man was executed when he left his home in the colony Tulipan Hawaiano of the colony Tulipanes de Cuernavaca. The man was identified as Juan Carlos Vargas Pineda, 19. Relatives of Vargas Pineda say that he was in his home watching a soccer match when he received a call on his phone and minutes later he went outside. Then his mother heard gunshots and looked out to see his injured son aboard his Toyota RAV4, which stood near the side of a local business called “El Agasajo”. Vargs Pineda was found sitting in the driver’s seat with a gunshot to the left side of his chest. Paramedics were immediately requested; upon arriving they confirmed that the victim had no signs of life. Ten 9mm gunshots were found in the crime scene.

In The Center of Cuernavaca, “Mara” Stabs Pedestrian to Death

Photo Courtesy of Diario De Morelos

Later, prosecution experts rushed to the General Hospital of Cuernavaca, “José G. Parres”, for the removal of the body of Fernando Tavira Marquina, 40, who was a victim of an assault on the street Tepetates, located in the center part of Cuernavaca, who showed several signs of wounds from a sharp-edged weapon to the abdomen.

In the center part of Cuernavaca and among dozens of pedestrians, The Salvadorean, José Mauricio Bonilla Siciliano, 41, an alleged assassin for hire and member of the “Mara Salvatrucha” gang, fatally stabbed Fernando Tavira, who was walking with his family, in the neck and abdomen approximately 8 times.

Luckily, Cuernavaca municipal police managed to capture the ferocious murderer red handed while he was stabbing Fernando Tavira, before the fear and anger of dozens of witnesses, who later tried to lynch the ruthless guy. Police requested an ambulance who took the injured to the General Hospital, where the victim died hours later from the injuries.

The wife told police that she was unaware of the reason why the man attacked her husband. Moreover, it was learned that one of the two cell phones that the murderer was carrying received key messages which he received minutes before committing the crime, leading to the presumption that the murderer was an assassin.

José Mauricio claimed to be a native from Sonsonate, El Salvador, unemployed and lived in hotels located in the center of Cuernavaca. Among his belongings, besides the two phones, police found a yellow sideboard with the red words "Corrections Corporation of America" Agency #25818359 commissary #799092 issued to his name.

Minutes later in the same hospital César Soto Pérez, 20, died. He was a private security guard who on May 15 after an argument with two men who wanted to enter the compound where he worked at in the town of Ahuatepec, Cuernavaca, was shot twice.

Yesterday morning (Sunday), a man of about 45 years old was executed in a country home located in Jiutepec. His body was located in the apartment 402 of the building 7, where there were 13 9mm shell casings.

In the same municipality of Jiutepec, but this time in the colony Calera Chica, the body of Ángel David Salazar, 17, was found on the sidewalk with a wound to the left side of his chest. The victim was wearing a white shirt, blue denim Bermuda jeans, and white tennis shoes.

Some of the neighbors reported that all this was the result of a fight between alleged thugs, among some of them who were also injured, but from these events nothing was reported by the municipal authorities.

Man Executed By Three Gunshots

Photo Courtesy of Diario De Morelos

In Cuernavaca in the colony Ejidos de Acapantzingo, on the street Hule, the body of a man in his 20’s was found lying on the pavement. The body presented several gunshot wounds. In the crime scene they found 3 7.62mm shell casings.

Experts removed the body of a man in a state of putrefaction in the avenue Naranjo. The body was dressed in blue jeans and white socks, his hands and feet were tied with a blue plastic cord, and was gagged with a flannel and a stick to the neck was used as a tourniquet.

In all cases the Attorney General’s Office of Morelos initiated investigations to find those responsible for the killings.

Sources:
El Sol De Cuernavaca
Diario De Morelos

Vanguardia
Provincia
El Sol De Cuernavaca Diario De Morelos

The Ethics of Corruption

2013-05-20T14:50:00.000-06:00

RioDoce (May 5, 2013)

Federico Campbell

Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

Translator's note: Mexico's narco problems are impossible to analyze without taking into consideration the roles that corruption and impunity play in its political, legal and law enforcement institutions. I realize this column is not directly related to the war against drugs, but I hope it gives Borderland Beat readers a glimpse into the context in which the war is being fought. -- un vato

Some years ago in Russia, in the former USSR, the Soviet State was very worried about growing alcoholism among it workers. Brezhnev and his government companion -- I don't remember his name, but they used to work as partners, like policemen-- held a meeting to deal with the problem and they decided -- on the advice of publicists and experts -- to place huge billboards at the factory gates. And a single phrase: DRINK BEER.

They asked workers to reduce the level of alcohol, to reduce their consumption of vodka and not drink it every night, to drink beer. This request was not lacking in cunning. The leaders knew their people. They knew the Russian soul.

Extrapolating from that scenario and that realistic example of governing, it might be reasonable for Mexico to do something like that with the deep-seated problem of corruption and its structural cause: impunity. Tone it down. Don't steal so much. Steal half as much.

For example, if the untouchable and fire proof Humberto Moreira defrauded the State of Coahuila (by falsifying records of state congressional proceedings to obtain authorization for several bank loans through Cordero's Revenue Department) of 32 billion pesos (about $256 million), well, man, he could have done this for only 16 billion pesos, part of which could have, in any case, been enough to fund Pena Nieto's campaign very well.

In Mexico, practically and tacitly, corruption is permitted. It is almost impossible for anybody to go to jail for unlawful appropriation of public resources. A governor from Sinaloa used to say that the least amount a governorship will leave, even if his state is very small and poor, such as Tlaxcala, is about $100 million dollars. Another former governor, from Morelos, used to say that it was impossible not to become corrupted when they would place a tray full of bills by your desk. That it is very easy in Mexico to use a government position to steal. Everything is designed for it to be that way. Neither the purchasing officers nor the administrative secretaries hesitate to inflate costs and negotiate with providers under the table. To this day there are no controls to tie their hands or dissuade them with the threat that they will end up in jail. At most, they scare them with the dead man's shroud of "disqualification" (from government employment) and they die laughing. Carlos Salinas stuck his hand as he pleased into the pockets of secret accounts. His brother and a so-called Fausto Ceja would take suitcases full of cash to deposit at CityBank. Well, they could have deposited only half and returned the rest.

The PRI's is a well-oiled system for looting. In fact, in the Chamber of Deputies they have to account for no more than 30% of the annual 800 million peso (about $65 million) expense budget, that the chimpanzees distribute as they please. It is not impossible that 40% of the annual federal budget is lost through embezzlement of public funds. Out of a billion pesos, some 400 million go into bank accounts, houses, ranches, buildings, political campaigns. Public officials have a weakness for land, condominiums, housing developments, in short, real estate. It's how they save money. So then, tone it down. Control yourselves. Don't be such sons of bitches. Drink beer, not whiskey.,

Rescued niece of "Nacho Coronel" from assassins in Nuevo Leon and Body of kidnapped son of Notiver Reporter Antonio Marin found in Ecatepec

2013-05-20T13:49:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

MEXICO CITY - Angel Humberto Marin Licona, 25, son of Antonio Marín, a reporter for the Veracruz newspaper, Notiver, was killed, a victim of kidnapping.

According to the newspaper, Angel Humberto traveled last May 1 for a long weekend to Ciudad de Mexico with the intention of checking into a job he had been offered and then going to Six Flags.

On May 2 the son phoned his father telling him he would like to stay another day in the city and then go to the amusement park the next day.

However on May 3, Antonio Marín received a phone call from his son in which, a stranger demanded a million dollars in exchange for the life of Angel Humberto.

Marin claimed they didn't have that amount and asked the person to give him time to put it together.

"Do it and get as much as possible and wait for my call," replied the kidnapper.

The wife of Antonio Marin insisted on gathering as many objects as possible to sell, that included their old car and also putting their house up for sale as well as the few jewels she had for which they got about 30 thousand pesos.

Furthermore, relatives, friends, journalists and reporters took up a collection and gathered another amount .

But the phone never rang again, and the family lived a nightmare day and night for 15 days.

This Saturday, a family member said that Marin went to view a body in the Ecatepec Forensic Medical Service that might be his son.

The reporter from Mexico City sadly confirmed that his son had been killed and that his body was with the Forensic Examiner.

According to Notimex , the Attorney General of the State of Mexico (PGJDF) said after identification they gave the father the body of his son.

Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa said the Veracruz government collaborates with the Office of the State of Mexico to help solve the crime of Humberto Angel Marin Licona, son of the journalist, Antonio Marín Cardin.

Gov. Javier Duarte went to pay his respects to the journalist Antonio Marin Cardin

The State Chief Executive said that from the first moment, when we learned of this situation, we got in touch with the State Attorney of the State of Mexico " he said.

Besides Duarte de Ocho, relatives, and politicians from all parties,attended the funeral to give their condolences to the Notiver media reporter,.including the former governor Fidel Herrera Beltran, former candidate for governor of Veracruz, Miguel Angel Yunes Linares and his son Miguel Angel Yunes Marquez PAN candidate for mayor of Boca del Rio. Also attending was the municipal president of Veracruz, Gudino Carolina Corro.

The Attorney reported that the body was found 10 days ago in the municipality of Ecatepec. Relatives of Humberto Angel reported him as kidnapped on May 2.

The State Attorney reported what follow is the investigation of crime of murder while the Attorney General's Office (PGR) investigates the crime of kidnapping.

Nuevo Leon. - The PGR took charge of the investigation of the kidnapping of a family in Apodaca, of which two men were executed in Cadereyta. Authorities rescued two children and two women, one of them identified as a niece of the deceased Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.

A source confirmed that two men, suspects arrested for these events are available to a federal prosecutor.

It isn't clear whether women rescued, one of them named Colonel, and niece of the late drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, was still being held by the PGR.

According to reports, federal authorities took over the investigation, when it was revealed the relationship of one of the women with "Nacho" Coronel, who was killed in a shootout on July 29, 2010, in Guadalajara, and who was one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa cartel along with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Unlike other similar cases of kidnapping, with rescues and arrests, this one immediately attracted the federal authorities to the investigation.

Two woman, along with one husband and two children, and another passenger, were kidnapped in Apodaca on Sunday near the International Airport of Monterrey.

Witnesses say their Cadillac Escalade was intercepted by armed criminals in a Suburban.

The women, with the two children, one of them an 11 month old and the other a boy of five years, were taken away in one of the vehicles, and the father of the children and the other man were taken in the other vehicle.

The kidnapping sparked a strong mobilization of the various police,sparking a confrontation with criminals who had kidnapped men, in the vicinity of Pueblo Nuevo, in Cadereyta, where the kidnappers fled.

The next day, at noon, the of the two hostages were found executed in the community of La Concepción.

The state police rescued the two women and two children in a cellar of a house on kilometer 9 of the road from Cadereyta-Allende, where kidnappers were killed and were captured.

informador, policiaca, ferriz proceso.com.mx, coatzadigital

Analysis: Chuy Quintanilla, US first Narco-Singer Murder

2013-05-19T10:39:00.002-06:00

Borderland Beat

John Sullivan and Dr. Robert Bunker Small Wars Journal

Jesus “Chuy” Quintanilla was discovered dead in Mission, Texas, across the border from Reynosa, Tamaulipas. He was a noted singer of narcocorridos.[1] Narcomusica (narco-music) plays a key role in shaping the social space of Mexico’s drug war. Narcocorridos are epic folk ballads that extol the merits of the narcos: capos and sicarios alike. Chuy Quintanilla was best known for his narcocorridos

…depicting the infamous characters and clashes of Mexico’s drug war, and with lyrics that could drop listeners into the thick of a gunbattle, it’d be easy to mistake the singer for a combatant himself. (The Monitor, 28 April 2013)

Situation

Norteño singer Jesus “Chuy” Quintanilla was discovered dead in a pool of his own blood on Thursday, 25 April 2013. Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene. According to Sheriff Lupe Treviño, Quintanilla had been shot at least twice in the head— the preliminary autopsy report released later stated one shot to the head and one to the neck.

While it is too early to determine the motive for the slaying, Quintanilla’s prominent role in narcomúsica and long history of singing narcocorridos make him a prominent figure in Mexico’s narcocultura that shapes the social contours of the drug war.

Jesus “Chuy” Quintanilla appeared to have been shot at least twice in the head and was found near his vehicle, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said. Irrigation workers found his body on a roadway north of Mission in an isolated area surrounded by citrus groves, Trevino said. (El Paso Times, 26 April 2013)

Quintanilla who recorded over 40 albums of corridos was known as La Mera Ley del Corrido — The True Law of the Corrido. His nickname is derived from his serving as a Mexican judicial police officer for 20 years prior to his music career.

Quintanilla’s songs covered topics ranging from horse races to cockfights, but the drug war was prominent on his play list. Further, the dress of this individual and his propensity to be posed in his album covers with assault weapons, expensive cars, and beautiful women added to his mystique as a narcocantante.

His repertoire included several songs about drug traffickers on the U.S. side of the border. These include corridos entitled “Tomy Gonzalez,” “El Chusquis” and “El Corrido de Marco,” that commented on alleged drugs dealers in Weslaco and Rio Grande City who coordinated drug trafficking organizations in Texas and the U.S.:

One of Chuy Quintanilla’s most famous songs involves the fierce battle through the streets of Reynosa as Mexican authorities hunted down the Gulf Cartel leader known as Jaime “El Hummer” Gonzalez Duran.

Another top hit, called “Estamos en Guerra,” talks about how the Zetas turned on the Gulf Cartel, which in turn would move to eradicate its former enforcers. (The Monitor, 28 April 2013)

Chuy Quintanilla Album Cover

Narcocorridos

As Sullivan noted in his SWJ–El Centro paper “Criminal Insurgency: Narcocultura, Social Banditry, and Information Operations,”

Music is a key element of transmitting alternative cultural values in the ‘narcoscape.’ Narcomúsica(narco-music) is an integral component of cartel influence operations (information operations) and is instrumental is defining (redefining) the persona of the outlaw. The tradition of narcocorridos builds from the rancheratradition of folk ballads (corridos) that extol heroic deeds.

The narcocorridovariant of traditional corridos has extended its reach from the narcosubculture to mainstream audiences throughout Mexico and the United States. Narcocorridosextol the virtues of the drug lord and describe, apotheosize, comment upon and lament the deeds of the narcos, projecting the image of ‘folk hero.’

According to University of Texas, Brownsville Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, narcocantantes are influential in transmitting narcocultura:

People who sing about these people, drug traffickers are making money from that because there is a captive market and the drug traffickers are going to promote this music,” Correa-Cabrera said. “It promotes, recruits young people presents a life that everyone would like to have and it really serves the purpose of drug trafficking organizations. (Source: Action 4 News, 25 April 2013)

While narcocorridos are popular and bring musical success, they can also bring violent reprisal when the lyrics cross certain gangsters. When the gangsters take exception to the story line, the singers can become targets.

For example, in January 2013, members of the band Kombo Kolombia were found in a mass grave (narcofosa) in Monterrey. Other narcocantantes killed in cartel-related violence include: Julio Cesar Leyva Beltran of Los Ciclones del Arroyo in Sinaloa (read more next page)

(April 2012); Sergio Vega (aka “El Shaka”) in Sinaloa (June 2010); and Valentin Elizalde in Reynosa (November 2006). The difference here is that Quintanilla was killed on the U.S. side of the border.

Analysis

If the investigation determines that Quintanilla was killed because of his narcocorridos it would be the first known assassination of a narcocantante (narco-singer) in the United States. This would be a significant shift in targeting and the U.S. would be firmly in the operational zone of targeted killings to shape the ‘narcosphere’ or ‘drug war zone.’

Quintanilla was identified with the CDG: Cartel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel) and had dedicated songs to Tony Tormenta (Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén) the CDG capo who died in a battle with Mexican Army in November 2010 which resulted in a turf battle with Los Zetas in the city of Mier.. One of his songs, “Estamos En Guerra (Los Zetas Vs. CDG),”chronicled the battles following the Gulf-Zeta split.

It is possible that Quintanilla became a target of one or both of those cartels as a result of his characterization of their activities in the current conflict in Tamaulipas. Certainly both cartels have a presence in Texas and could operate there as seen in recent reports of Blockades

It is also possible that he crossed other criminal enterprises (such as U.S. gangs) or was targeted for more mundane criminal reasons. Nevertheless, the modus operandi or tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) involved in his death are consistent with those of narco-assassinations.

Normally, a single murder (narcoor otherwise) would possibly at best warrant a tactical note. This killing, due to the prominence of the victim, his history of singing narcocorridos, and his alleged links with both the CDG and Los Zetas cartels make this an act of strategic significance. Even if the death is not a cartel-related hit, the information operations dynamics of his murder exude images of narcocultura.
Notes

1. "Asesinan en Texas al cantante de narcocorridos Chuy Quintanilla,” Emeequis, 25 April 2013.

2. Ildefonso Ortiz, “Slain singer Chuy Quintanilla gained fame for drug war ballads,” The Monitor, 26 April 2013

3. Christopher Sherman, “Singer found dead along road in rural South Texas,” El Paso Times, 26 April 2013

4. John P. Sullivan, “Criminal Insurgency: Narcocultura Social Banditry, and Information Operations,” Small Wars Journal, 3 December 2012 at

5.“Narco Corridos: The dark side of the Mexican music world,” Action 4 News, Harlington, TX, 25 April 2013

6. Chuy Quintanilla songs about Cárdenas Guillén include “El Corrido De Tony Tormenta,” see

7."Asesinan a Chuy Quintanilla “Asesinan a Chuy Quintanilla, cantante de narcocorridos,” Terra, 27 Apil 2013

8. For an analysis of the fissure between the CDG and Los Zetas see Samuel Logan and John P. Sullivan, “The Gulf-Zeta Split and the Praetorian Revolt,” ISN Security Watch, ETH Zurich, 7 April 2010 at.

9. To hear to hear Chuy Quintanilla, “Estamos En Guerra (Los Zetas Vs. Cartel Del Golfo).”

10. John P. Sullivan, “Spillover/Narcobloqueos in Texas,” Small Wars Journal SWJ Blog, 1 April 2013 at See also Texas Public Safety Threat Overview 2013, Austin: Texas Department of Public Safety, February 2013 p. 18

Additional Resources:

a. Video: “Narco singer ‘Chuy’ Quintanilla found shot dead in South Texas.” NewsFix, 26 April 2013

b. Video: Nadia Galindo, “Preliminary autopsy resultsreleased for slain singer Chuy Quintanilla.” Valley Central, 26 April 2013

c. FACEBOOK:Chuy Quintanilla (La Mera Ley Del Corrido)

d. “Narco Singer Chuy Quintanilla Found Slain North of Mission Texas.” Borderland Beat Thursday 25 April 2013

Target: Carrasco...he came out of it unharmed

2013-05-18T03:12:00.000-06:00

RioDoce (May 13, 2013)

Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

First, they accused him of controlling and exploiting the drug vendors in Ahome, then they threatened to kill him and, finally, they carried out the attack. But Commander Carrasco came out unharmed...

Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, Guasave.- This part of Northern Sinaloa that, according to the government, had already been taken from the control of the the Guasave Cartel -- a minor affiliate of the Beltran Leyva Brothers Cartel -- via sporadic mosquito type operations (sting and fly), lived through a new skirmish between them and a law enforcement agency, in which they tried to kill Ahome's interim Municipal Police chief, Jesus Carrasco Ruiz; but he survived, thanks to his pickup's armor protection.

Carrasco Ruiz already knew that the guys from Guasave would try to kill him, because he had been warned through the web page Mochomera Mochis, now disappeared, as well as in posters left behind at three mass murders, which all took place last April.

The threats were signed by someone who identified himself as El Dos Letras (Two letters), who called himself the new plaza boss for the group La Mochomera, which took credit for displacing Los Mazatlecos, the clan which had for 36 months controlled, with fire and blood, the sale of drugs and the illegal activities in the northern part of Sinaloa, from Choix to Guasave.

Carrasco Ruiz, said the messages, would be murdered by La Mochomera because they considered him the leader of a police gang that sold drugs, recruiting dealers with promises of impunity, getting protection money (cobro de piso) from independent pushers and the distribution of drugs by lower rank police commanders who were loyal to the interim police chief. All this, they said, with the approval of Governor Mario Lopez Valdez and inaction by the mayor, Zenen Aaron Xochihua Enciso.

When he was asked about the threats, the chief of police laughed and said that after 18 years of service, he was used to them.

Hours after Thursday's attack was over, the preliminary result of the battle was three alleged criminals dead, one police officer killed, another one wounded and a civilian woman--collateral damage-- hurt, although not seriously, and fear among the local residents and terror among the travelers.

Reporters witnessed the capture of three men during the pursuit of the attackers, but neither the Attorney General nor the State Ministerial Police presented them (to the media).

The battle lasted a few minutes and used military-grade weapons, such as fragmentation grenades and large caliber rifles, armored vehicles and even a "monster", which are trucks equipped with home-made armor. This one had Corona beer logos.

According to reports at the scene, the attack took place at about 7:30 a.m. on Thursday in front of the town of Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, located at kilometer 176 plus 700 meters (mile marker 106) on the Mexico-Nogales highway, Los Mochis-Guasave section.

At that location, the Ahome interim chief of police and the El Fuerte police chief, Daniel Castro, as well as a 20 man police escort, consisting of ministerial police disguised as municipal and preventive police, were traveling in a convoy made up of an unmarked, armored white Ram pickup, a Tiger tactical vehicle and two patrol cars. "I was going to those fucking security meetings that everybody knows about", explained the police chief, "but I did not get there."

As they were passing by Cero Street, they started firing at them from their flanks. The suspects, who according to Carrasco Ruiz numbered more than 100, were riding on a beer truck, cars and pickups. During the initial attack, they killed Officer Julian Soto Dimas and seriously wounded another police officer, leaving the tactical vehicle and both patrol cars trapped by gunfire.

The Police Chief's driver got out of the combat zone, but when he returned to the area using the north-bound lane to get back into the fight, the armored pickup exploded and started to burn. The Chief and his personal bodyguard leaped onto the highway and joined the gunfight, while their vehicle burned.

"I don't know what hit us, it was a grenade or a bazooka round, but we got out. They got fucked again those sons of bitches, they got screwed, they couldn't do it," he explained, very annoyed.

"We pursued them about three kilometers (about two miles), but, since we had no backup, we turned back. Fucking cowards, they didn't want to fight, even though they had more weapons and cars than we did. They had Barrets, cuernos (AK-47s), grenades and even bazookas, but even then, they couldn't do it."

Carrasco Ruiz called Guasave police "pussies", because, despite being in the combat zone, they did not intervene nor provide support.

"Fucking shits, sell outs. Look, they were with the sicarios. Right beside the gas station, we saw them, and they didn't do anything, fucking pussies, dirty, corrupt cops."

Their colonel "isn't worth a shit", he should know who they are, and he should take care of them, he asked.

Miguel Espana, the Chief of Police in Guasave, denied Carrasco Ruiz's accusations and claimed that they did provide support, so much so, that it was they who transported the wounded to the hospital.

He (Espana) said they intervened because somebody reported the shootout, but that nobody told them it was the Ahome and El Fuerte police chiefs who were being attacked. "We didn't know they were coming through here, had they communicated this to us, we would have given them the necessary backup."

After the shooting, pursuit of the fleeing gunmen went in different directions. Two helicopters and a small plane joined the search. This is how, in the fishing camp known as El Coloradito, some 20 km (12 miles) east of the attack location, and some three miles north of El Hitussi, the pursuers found a wine-color Jeep Liberty SUV with Mexico State license plates, whose armed passengers were trying to escape using fishing boats.

They were caught on the jetty and killed in the exchange of gunfire. The civilians were carrying two AK-47s and fragmentation grenades. Two of these grenades were found on the dry dock.

Due to the gunshots, students from the Juan Escutia Primary School were evacuated. The school is located on an open space less than 100 yards from where the gunfight took place.

Fishermen who arrived with their daily catch were tortured by police agents wearing face masks to make them admit they were part of the gang of gunmen. When they were unable to force their confessions, because the fishermen had in-laws on the Guasave city council, the police torturers withdrew, but not before they warned them that they would return and take reprisals if (the fishermen) filed criminal complaints.

The jetty, where the shooting took place, was altered by the policemen wearing face masks. In addition, the director of the State Ministerial Police, Jesus Antonio Aguilar Iniguez (Chuytono), ordered his subordinates to alter the scene where the gunmen were killed and to take photographs so they could brag about them.

The masked policemen, mostly Ahome police officers, harassed the reporters. In addition, believing themselves superior to the Guasave police, who were on their home ground, they ordered them around. The Guasave residents just ignored them, to avoid a bigger altercation.

At the same time this was happening in El Coloradito, on the strip opposite the International Highway another group was attacking ranch houses and beating up the laborers. Reporters observed the arrest of at least one person in Campo Borquez, but no agency or public safety institution took credit for it.

The operations reached El Burrion, Tamazula, Batamonte and La Brecha, territory presumably under the control of Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, El Chapo Isidro, and the two brothers, Jesus and Ignacio Gonzalez.

During the search operation for the attackers of the police, a Ford F350 Super Duty pickup, with an AK-47 rifle, an AR-15 and a grenade in the back, was abandoned on Calle Cero and 100 Street. In addition, a Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup, and, later that afternoon in La Brecha, the armored truck and a white Toyota Tundra pickup were located.

The mayor of Ahome once again stated that public safety criteria need to be modified. He said that, for an attack to have been carried out against his Chief of Police, "there must have been internal leaks."

Until this edition went to press, the three individuals killed in the gunfight had not been identified. At the scene of the conflict, the Chief of the State Ministerial Police vowed that the persons who attacked the Police would be caught quickly.

"Give me a little time and I will show them to you."

An Italian in the war zone

Mauro Talini, a diabetic Italian bicyclist who has undertaken a pedaling crusade from Argentina to Alaska to increase awareness among the public and among governments of the risks of this disease, went through the war zone that this part of Sinaloa had become without noticing anything.

He was so focused on finishing the Los Mochis portion of the trip that he did not notice that he was pedaling on a highway that had recently been under fire.

He didn't notice the burned patrol vehicle, nor the dozen police officers who were armed to the teeth, nor the blood stains nor the collective hysteria among the residents.

He just kept pedaling, pedaling, to the rhythm of a motorcycle, to get out of Sinaloa as fast as possible. He didn't care about the violence, only about his crusade against diabetes, which he knows is "a very big problem" in Mexico. [Translator's note: A few days ago, news media in Mexico reported that Mauro Talini, the Italian cyclist mentioned here, was run over by a tractor trailer on the highway and killed.-- un vato]

Alleged Tijuana Cartel member arrested in Peru.

2013-05-15T23:58:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

Alleged Tijuana Cartel member Luis Miguel Gonzalez Mantari at the moment of his arrest.

Huamanga-Ayacucho, PERU.- An alleged member of the Tijuana Cartel was captured on May 9th by members of the Territorial Police Directorate of Ayacucho(Direccion Territorial Policial-Dirtepol).

The suspect identified as Luis Miguel Gonzales Mantari aka “Chanchamayo”,42, is a former Peruvian National Police third level non-commissioned officer, his records show an arrest warrant dating back to 2005 for his involvement with the Tijuana Cartel, among other drug related charges.

The arrest took place near the 28 de Julio and Carlos F. Vivanco streets. When the officers approached the suspect he locked himself inside his car along with his wife, the suspect demanded the agents to be shown the arrest warrant.

Gonzales Mantari also demanded the presence of his lawyer and that of the Attorney General in order to be detained; meanwhile he refused to step out of his vehicle. The officers ordered “Chanchamayo” to step out of the vehicle and show them some ID but he refused. This refusal prompted the presence of Hinostroza Barrionuevo, Sheriff of Huamanga and that of Jose Antonio Muñoz Rodriguez, Dirtepol director, who also tried to convince Gonzalez Mantari to step out of the vehicle to no avail.

The Attorney General arrived about an hour later, asking “Chanchamayo” to show his ID and vehicle documents but again, Gonzalez Mantari refused cursing at him and the officers. After this, the Attorney General ordered the officers to take Gonzalez Mantari out of the vehicle and arrest him.

The police officers broke the car´s door locks and opened the door, at that moment Gonzalez Mantari fired his car and tried to flee but was taken into custody by the officers.

The suspect was taken to the Judicial Police facilities where investigations will continue.

Dirtepol director Jose Antonio Muñoz Rodriguez mentioned that this capture was the result of more than one month of intelligence work by Dirtepol officers.

Gonzalez Mantari acussed one of the officers of asking money in exchange of setting him free, “Chanchamayo” claims he offered the officer 500 US Dollars but the officer refused the amount, he also claimed he had been intercepted before but was set free on several times in exchange of money.

Luis Miguel Gonzalez Mantari is accused of smuggling cocaine out of Peru into Central America for years, even when he was a police officer.

BACKGROUND INFO

Vladimiro Montesinos alongside former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

The Tijuana Cartel has been in Peru for some time now, according to the reports done by former DEA agent Elizabeth Viviana Rosales Linares, who was able to infiltrate the organization, the Tijuana Cartel was allied with Vladimiro Montesinos, right hand man of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori. In her statements, Rosales Linares claims the Tijuana Cartel once bought 19 tons from Montesinos, Those tons were then sold to an Egyptian identified only as “Duvall”, she also claimed the late drug lord Ramon Arellano Felix was at some time guarded by 3 Egyptians by the names of Abdel Baset, Jalifa Rima and Ali Almegrafi, all three of them lived in Tijuana.

Port of Paita in Peru.

Drug Lord Jose Maria Aguilar Ruiz aka “Shushupe” told Peruvian congressmen about an island located near Pisco, Peru in which the Tijuana Cartel had a cocaine lab.

In July 2006, Judge Hernan Saturno Vergara was killed in Lima, Peru, Peruvian authorities claim the Tijuana Cartel is responsible for his murder, a claim that is completely believable since at the time Saturno Vergara was in charge of the trial against 26 Tijuana Cartel members arrested in Peru.

Peruvian Police guarding a cocaine shipment from the Tijuana Cartel.

Fast forward to May 2012, the Peruvian authorities seized a drug shipment in the port of Paita. The shipment was disguised between organic bananas and had Belgium as destination. Authorities identified the Tijuana Cartel as the one responsible for this shipment. More than 3700 lbs of pure cocaine were seized that day. Authorities said that if that shipment had reached Belgium, the Tijuana Cartel would have made more than one hundred million dollars in profits.

In that operation three Peruvian business men were arrested, police identified them as Harri Luzardo Balcazar, Mauro Javier Arcela Perez, Hebber Max Becerra Zapata, Luis Angel Serra Sandoval and Guillermo Gamarra Rios.

Walter Sanchez Bermudez, Director of the Peruvian anti-narcotics agency (Direccion Antidrogas-Direndro) called them “one of the biggest and most important cocaine trafficking networks”.

Sources for this article:

http://www.inforegion.pe/narcotrafico/156686/capturan-a-integrante-del-cartel-de-tijuana-en-ayacucho/

http://www.afntijuana.info/seguridad/9697_cartel_de_tijuana_iba_a_sacar_1_686_kilos_de_droga_por_paita#.UZA7l6Iz2Sp

http://www.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/117135.html

ACUÑA: Alfredo Andrade Added to U.S. Kingpin List

2013-05-15T21:15:00.003-06:00

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

click image to enlarge

Action Targets Major Narcotics Trafficker Operating on U.S. Border
Andrade Was Arrested in April

Last month I wrote an article about the rumored capture of Alfredo Andrade, and the possible capture of Roberto Andrade in addition to other Andrade family members. There was a reported major operation in Acuña, Coahuila by the Mexican Navy that supposedly resulted in the capture of multiple persons. Much of the information was reported by people on the ground, while the government keeping in line with its lack of transparency, did not confirm the reports of the Andrade capture(s).

Yesterday the U.S. Treasury Department released information that Alfredo Andrade is tied to the Los Zetas cartel and is a major trafficker now placed on the Kingpin list, in the announcement it was confirmed that Alfredo was arrested in April, however still no confirmation about Roberto.

“Today’s action follows on the heels of the Mexican Government’s arrest of Andrade Parra in April and targets the drug trafficking and bulk cash smuggling activities of a significant associate of Los Zetas,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “OFAC will continue to work with our foreign counterparts to expose key drug traffickers and deprive them of access to the international financial system.”

The Department of Treasury press release:

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of Mexican national Alfredo Andrade Parra pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for his significant role in international narcotics trafficking and for his links to Los Zetas.

Andrade Parra is a major narcotics trafficker operating along the U.S.-Mexico border. He is responsible for smuggling multiple-tons of marijuana and cocaine, monthly, from Mexico to the U.S. for Los Zetas leaders Miguel Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales.

Andrade Parra’s ability to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the U.S. and receive bulk cash proceeds returned to Mexico make him a key component of the ruthless Los Zetas drug trafficking organization in the region near Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico.

Andrade Parra is wanted in the Western District of Texas for multiple counts of drug trafficking and money laundering relating to a March 5, 2008 indictment from the Del Rio Division and a May 22, 2003 indictment from the San Antonio Division. In April 2013, Mexican authorities arrested Andrade Parra.

Today’s action against Andrade Parra generally prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with him, and freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction. The President identified Los Zetas as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act in April 2009. On July 24, 2011, the President named Los Zetas as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization in the Annex to Executive Order 13581 (Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations). Additionally, OFAC designated Los Zetas leaders Miguel and Omar Trevino Morales on July 20, 2009 and March 24, 2010, respectively.

Today’s action is part of ongoing efforts to apply financial measures against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations worldwide. The Treasury Department has designated more than 1,200 individuals and entities pursuant to the Kingpin Act since June 2000. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties.

Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.

OFAC Press Release
Thank you Lacy for the heads up!

Mayhem in Monterrey: 4 die

2013-05-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Counternarcotics operations nets 700+ kilos of pot

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of four unidentified individuals have been killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence and and around Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to separate news accounts on online editions of El Diario de Coahuila and Milenio news dailies, an anti-kidnapping unit of the Nuevo Leon state Agencia Estatal de Investigaciones (AEI) had been conducting searches since Sunday of the Cadereyta-Jimenez area immediately east of Monterrey based on complaints of kidnappings taking place and reports of armed suspects in the area.

According to the El Diario de Coahuila account, on Monday AEI agents encountered armed suspects travelling aboard a Cadillac Escalade SUV and a Chevrolet Suburban SUV in a break that leads to Los Herreras municipality, where gunfire was exchanged and two armed suspects were shot to death.

Three other armed suspects escaped that encounter with two more dying in a separate gunfight a few minutes later near a winery where four female kidnap victims were found and released.

Among the victims were two minors. AEI agents also seized an undisclosed number of weapons.

A separate counternarcotics operations took place along Mexico Federal Highway 40D in China municipality Monday where Policia Federal (PF) agents seized a quantity of marijuana, according to a news account on Milenio.

The PF unit had set up a checkpoint and stopped a Ford box van type truck. Police agents discovered a false bottom in the truck where 93 packages of marijuana were hidden. The total seizure was 735 kilograms.

The driver identified as David Aquino Rosas was detained at the scene. The truck was bound for Reynosa in Tamaulipas.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug war and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

CDG's 'El Yankee' Sentenced in D.C. to 35 Years

2013-05-14T00:42:00.001-06:00

Borderland Beat

Highest Ranking Gulf Cartel Member to Be Convicted by a U.S. Jury in the Past 15 Years

Aurelio Cano Flores, a Mexican national and high ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, was sentenced today to serve 35 years in prison for conspiring to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Cano Flores, 40, aka “Yankee” and “Yeyo,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein in the District of Columbia. In addition to his prison term, Cano Flores was ordered to forfeit $15 billion in drug proceeds as part of a money judgment.

At a post-trial hearing, the United States proved that from 2000 to 2010, the Gulf Cartel distributed in excess of 1.4 million kilograms of cocaine and 8,000 metric tons of marijuana. The money judgment represents the gross receipts of the Gulf Cartel’s drug sales into the United States from its principal distribution centers located along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“For over a decade, Aurelio Cano Flores worked with some of the most dangerous criminals in the world to import massive quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman.

“As a leader of the Gulf Cartel, one of the most notorious criminal enterprises in Mexico or the United States, he endangered the lives of innocent people on both sides of the border. As a result of today’s sentencing, he will spend 35 years in federal prison as punishment for his crimes.”

“DEA and its partners use every law enforcement tool possible to bring to justice drug cartel leaders and facilitators who inflict damage on both sides of the border,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart. “Aurelio Cano-Flores used his position as a Mexican police officer to help one of the most violent and brutal drug trafficking organizations in the world bring vast amounts of drugs into the United States.

Like many other cartel leaders, he posed a threat to the citizens of both the United States and Mexico. We are confident and pleased that justice was served today by the pronouncement of his lengthy U.S. prison sentence." continues on next page

Following a trial that lasted over two weeks, Cano Flores was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 26, 2013, of one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, knowing and intending the substances would be unlawfully imported into the United States.

Cano Flores was one of 19 defendants charged in a superseding indictment on Nov. 4, 2010, with drug trafficking offenses. He was extradited to the United States from Mexico in August 2011 and was ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.

Evidence presented at trial included dozens of lawfully intercepted telephone conversations between Cano Flores and other leaders of the Gulf Cartel, as well as testimony from previously convicted Cartel members.

According to the trial evidence, Cano Flores began working for the Gulf Cartel in approximately 2001, while he was serving as a police officer in Mexico. During his time as a police officer, Cano Flores recruited others into the Gulf Cartel, collected drug money and escorted large shipments of cartel drugs to the U.S. border.

Cano Flores ultimately rose through the ranks of the Gulf Cartel to become a major transporter of narcotics within Mexico to the U.S. border and became the Cartel’s top representative in the important border town of Los Guerra, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

As the “plaza boss” for Los Guerra, Cano Flores oversaw the mass distribution of cocaine and marijuana into the United States on a daily basis.

Testimony established that between 2000 and 2010, the Gulf Cartel grew from an organization of only 100 members controlling three border towns to an organization of 25,000 people controlling the drug trade over approximately half of Mexico.

As established during the trial, the means and methods of this conspiracy included corruption, murder, kidnapping and intimidation.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Darrin McCullough and Sean Torriente of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.

The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in the provisional arrest and extradition of Cano Flores, and the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section provided assistance at sentencing.

The investigation in this case was led by the DEA Houston Field Division’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force and the DEA Bilateral Investigation Unit. The case was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s Operation “Day of Reckoning.”

DEA-DOJ Press Release

7 die in gunfight with Mexican Marines

2013-05-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of 13 individuals were killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in Zacatecas state including seven armed suspects shot to death in an armed encounter with Mexican Naval Infantry, according to Mexican news accounts.

A news report which appeared in the online edition of El Sol de Zacatecas news daily said that the gunfight took place in Sain Alto municipality.

The report said that the Mexican Marine road patrol encountered armed suspects on a road which connects the village of El Cazadero at around 0600 hrs Saturday. Marines also seized a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the scene, which indicates that other vehicles may have been involved in the shootout, but which escaped.

Among the dead, all in their 20s, was reportedly a female.

Sain Alto sits astride Mexico Federal Highway 45 in western Zacatecas on one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Mexico. Highway 45 connects Fresnillo with Durango in Durango state.

One example is of one unidentified man found tortured to death in Trancoso municipality Sunday.

According to a separate report in El Sol de Zacatecas the victim was found on Highway 45 with two severed limbs. The report said the victim was mutilated with a saw while still alive .

A note was left at the scene signed by Cartel del Norte, which is reportedly affiliated with Los Zetas. The contents of the message was not disclosed in the news account,

In other news, four unidentified individuals were found murdered in Fresnillo municipality a week ago, according to Mexican news reports.

A news account which appeared on the website of El Sol de Zacatacas said that the four victims were found in a hidden grave in the mountain community of Purisima del Maguey in an area called San Bajio.

The victims were found in an advanced state of decomposition, but the report said that three of the victims were males and one was female. The victim had been killed at least three weeks before their discovery.

The report notes that the four were killed in a settling of accounts between armed criminal gangs, and that the area where the dead were found is known as a graveyard for such murders.

The report does not specify which group or cartel may have been involved. Los Zetas, the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels are known to operate in Zacatecas state, and several gunfights between local criminal gangs have been reported in Fresnillo in recent weeks.

Fresnillo has been the focus of security incidents in the last ten days.

In one example, an unidentified man in his 60s was shot to death May 8th in Guadalupe municipality which is directly adjacent to Fresnillo.

The victim was found shot to death on calle Sicomoro in Arboledas colony.

Also, a Mexican Army unit with the 97 Infantry Battalion took over the headquarters of the Fresnillo municipal police corporation Monday in a surprise weapons inspection.

The action began at around 0700 hrs and lasted until 1200 hrs when the military unit left. No one was reported detained nor were any weapons reported seized.

The Mexican Army is charged by law with the enforcement of the Mexican federal Firearms and Explosives Act, and has in the past disarmed whole police departments when irregularities were found.

The best example was late last winter when the traffic division of Gomez Palacio, Coahuila municipal police were disarmed, and then later detained.

As with every other state, Zacatecas is under pressure by the federal government to provide trained police officers which have passed confidence tests in anticipation of the creation of a new police agency dubbed Policia Gendarmaria. The head of the federal Secretaria de Gobierno (SEGOB) or interior ministry, Miguel Osorio Chong has decreed that every police agent, state and municipal must be certified by November 1st, 2013, or face losing their jobs.

Every municipal and state police agency in Mexico is heavily funded by the federal government, municipalities with passthrough funds. Municipal president are severely constrained by Mexican law as to how much money they can raise through taxes, fines and fees, and how much can be spent on security operations.

Mexican state governors are also expected now to take a greater hand in coordinating security operations between states. Reports can be found in Mexican press about security meetings being held amongst the governors of states in five separate regions. Those meeting often include representative from the Mexican Army, Mexican Navy and national police agencies within SEGOB.

Zacatecas state has been coordinating with other states in its region including Aguascalientes and Jalisco states.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

Hipolito Mora´s response to Knights Templar´s death match: "I find El Tio funny"

2013-05-13T20:07:00.001-06:00

Tijuano for Borderland Beat

Hipolito Mora (leader of La Ruana´s Communitarian Police) responded to the video released by alleged Knights Templar leader Dionisio Loya Plancarte. In an interview with journalist Luis Cardenas of MVS Radio, Hipolito Mora said, among other things, he finds Dionisio Loya funny.

The following is a transcription of the interview conducted today:

The situation in Michoacán is really dangerous, it´s a situation where violence is very real, it´s a situation where organized crime has arrived at different places in Michoacán and simply taken absolute control, they don´t allow the entrance to food trucks, they don´t allow social workers, they don´t allow the vaccination programs, they have isolated the population, they don´t let them in or out or do anything. Some days ago a video emerged in YouTube, in that video “El Tio” from the Knights Templars threatened Hipolito Mora, leader of the Communitarian Police in La Ruana, in the video “El Tio” tells Hipolito “We either have a dialogue or we have a death match”

I want to thank Hipolito Mora, leader of the self-defense group in La Ruana for answering this call.

LC: Mr. Hipolito, good evening, how are you?

HM: Fine Sir, how are you?

LC: Fine, tell us, have you seen the video? Have you heard what “El Tio” from Knights Templar told you?

HM: Yes I have

LC: What do you think about it?

HM: Well, I have no problems with him! Ha hasn´t offended me, he has not hurt me, I have no anger towards him. I think I don´t have to dialogue with him because I don´t know him and I have never done business with him. I don´t have to duel with him because I have no problems with him. If he´s got problems with me, well I don´t know.

LC: It appears El Tio has problems with you…

HM: Well, yes he does but I don´t. If he wants to have a shootout with me, then maybe he has his reasons, but I don´t, that´s why I announce publicly I´m not going to accept his invitation because I don´t have problems with him, I only set free my town and my people from them, they had them scared, they killed people when
ever they wanted, they arrived at midnight scaring people without caring for the wives and children suffering, they just took them and killed them and we never knew about them anymore.

LC: How was La Ruana before you arrived with the self-defense groups? What did the Knights Templar did to you?

HM: The charged taxes on everything, they forced people to close their businesses anytime they wanted because they were going to sell in the only garden we have, they came to sell beer, wine and everything. They had the lemon controlled, the owners of the packing factories had to pay them a tax as they call it, the owners of the packing factories could not choose who they hired or from who they bought lemon, they were the ones taking the decisions. The worst is they told them who to buy from, someone from them arrived with three thousand boxes and they bought it right away, some poor farmer arrived with twenty and they had to tell them they were full, they had no space for them but at the same moment they were buying two thousand boxes from them (Knights Templar) and they had us fucked.

LC: How much did they tax those who could even pay?

HM: About 1.5 pesos for kilo to all those who could even deliver lemon, besides that every truck had to pay 500 pesos to them; it was a lot of things they did to us. That´s the problem “El Tio” has with me.

LC: What did they do to you? At which moment did you say that´s enough?

HM: I used to sell 20-30 boxes of lemon and they told me they were full so I became fed up and said to myself “I got to do something, I got to do something for my people, the poor people” because, honestly, those involved in these movement are mostly poor, there are no rich people here, only poor people, those who suffered the most.

LC: What did you do? How did you convince them to fight the Knights Templar? How did you take them out?

HM: It was very hard for me, I talked with many people, I invited them to do something but they all said no, they were afraid, then I found 3 or 4 as crazy as I am and I told them “Hey, do we do this?” and they said “yes”, so I told them “we have to invite the townspeople to the garden, and when they are there we step up and ask them to fight for their rights”, they said “ok, let´s do it”. When we had to step up, most of them cowered and I had to step up with what little I had, they were scared. One boy who used to work with me, and a construction man, and one other man stepped up with me, they stepped up with me.

LC: So the townspeople didn´t back you up?

HM: If nobody backed me up back then, I´ll already be death, luckily the town was tired. I stepped in front of them, I was masked, the only time I used one, and asked for those who wanted to fight for their rights, and their response amazed me.

LC: You are armed right?

HM: Yes, an old shotgun, by the way it was stolen from me, I had about 30 years with it.

LC: So you have no weapons now?

HM: We do, we have lots of them, but I started with that old shotgun and I lost it here in the movement.

LC: And how do you get those weapons?

HM: With the help of people who is tired of these, they cooperate buying them for us, some other we took from the Knights Templar, when they left town after the protest march we got into their homes and took them. That´s how we have acquired them, the citizens help us with that.

LC: Dionisio Loya Plancarte claims you are part of Cartel Jalisco New Generation, is that true?

HM: Nobody believes him, nobody believes him. Society knows they have to use everything at their disposal to discredit us. They want to make us look bad in front of the Government, society and the media, but people know who they are, the people can´t be misled, the people is old, even kids know that.

LC: Do food or help trucks arrive at La Ruana?

HM: No, we have no gas, we have no fuel, we have no food, and every day becomes is harder on us

LC: Not even the doctors who vaccinate the kids are allowed there, right?

HM: No, Oportunidades(Federal Government Social Assistance Program) won´t come here, they want us to go to Apatzingan, but they don´t let us inside Apatzingan, they(Knights Templar) have checkpoints in Apatzingan and nobody tells them anything, they take people´s IDs and if they are from Carrillo Puerto they take them away and we never know from them again. So, how do we go to Apatzingan?

LC: So you are besieged? Nobody can get in or out of there?

HM: Exactly, we can´t get out of here, if we get sick we have to help ourselves, we can´t go nowhere.

LC: Have any authorities tried to see what is going on? How they can help? Have you spoke with any of them?

HM: Not from the State or Municipal authorities. The ones patrolling the roads, the streets and alleys is the Mexican Army and the Federal Police, and I thank them for that. The Federal Police has lots of honest agents who really care for society, I´m really thankful to the Federal Government for at least watching over us.

LC: But they have you besiege, they watch over you but nothing gets to you.

HM: No, nothing, that´s all. They only patrol here, watching we don´t commit crimes, and we are here, but that´s all.

LC: Are you Afraid?

HM: I´m not afraid

LC: You are not afraid of “El Tio”?

HM: No. I´m not afraid of “El Tio”, or anyone else. I find “El Tio” funny

LC: You find “El Tio” funny?

HM: Yes. With the thing he said, I´m laughing, his friends make me laugh, and they´ll laugh when they see me laughing. I even think this thing he is doing is a game.

LC: But the Knights Templar have a lot of weapons, don´t they?

HM: It´s not a game, it looks like one to me, I´m not afraid of him or anyone. I wake up calm, I live calm

LC: And if someday the Knights Templar arrive in La Ruana, what´s going to happen?

HM: They did, we fought them.

LC: Will you fight them again?

HM: We already did, there were lots of deaths, but they don´t tell the public.

LC: How was that shootout?

HM: From what I saw, in the shootout we had 4 casualties and about 7 on their side.

LC: 7 deaths and 4 from you, 11..

HM: There were more, they took them in their SUV´s. The Knights Templar took a lot of corpses on their SUV´s

LC: Are you afraid they may go there and, maybe not to you, but, they may hurt the townspeople, the people in La Ruana?

HM: Of that I´m afraid, what they can do to my people, not what they can do to me, I´m not afraid of that.

LC: What does the Mayor of La Ruana tell you? What is he doing?

HM: Nothing, he´s the brother of one of the main drug dealers in the region

LC: Does he live there?

HM: No, he got out of here

LC: He used to live there?

HM: Yes, he lived here but he already left. Last week his brother was killed, he was the biggest drug dealer in the region.

LC: What is the name of the Mayor of La Ruana?

HM: Luis Torres Chavez

LC: And what is the name of the drug dealer he is associated with?

HM: It not his partner, it´s his brother, at least I don´t got proof of it.

LC: What was his brother´s name?

HM: Jesus Torres Chavez

LC: And nothing is known about Luis Torres Chavez?

HM: He´s working in Knights Templar´s areas, inside the municipality, there are some towns still under the Knights Templar control and he is working there

LC: Well, Mr. Hipolito Mora, you left me amazed with some of the statements you made here..

HM: Like what?

LC: For example, that you are not afraid of El Tio, the fact that they don’t let anybody in or out, the fact there´s no food, no gas, how do you live?

HM: We got gas, because some people go to towns from Jalisco and bring it here

LC: But the gas station is dry?

HM: Yes, yes, they bring their gas and sell it here and 12, 13 pesos, one fucker was selling it at 20 pesos but we told him “hey, lower it pal, we are almost broke and you want to kill us”

LC: What is going to happen with the lemon? Will you be able to harvest it again?

HM: Yes…

LC: The problem is getting it out, right?

HM: That´s the problem and I hope Mr. Peña Nieto does something about it, I hope he helps us, he comes here, and besides, that he releases my 40-something Communitarian Police arrested about 2 months ago, they are innocent young man, there were 51 but some of them have been released. I would like the President to notice they are poor people, many of the women here don´t have money for diapers, for milk, they are young women; some of them are their mothers. However we handed over to them 21 criminals captured by us the Communitarian Police, between Knights Templar and Hawks, we handed them to the government and the next day they were on the streets.

LC: You do know you can´t take justice on your hands, right? But you got tired of awaiting the authorities…

HM: I´ll ask you, what would you do if someone assaults your family and nobody helps them?

LC: Tough question…It´s complicated, of course.

LC: How much time were you under the Knights Templar yoke?

HM: Between the Knights Templar and La Familia Michoacana, about 8 to 9 years…

LC: 8 to 9 years?

HM: Yes

LC: And you got fed up?

HM: We were tired, right now we are more fucked than before but at least we are calm.

LC: Mr. Hipolito Mora, I want to thank you for taking this call and I hope we this isn´t the last time we do it.

HM: Anytime you want Sir, and please help us.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AUDIO

The following are some pictures published on the Facebook page VOZ CIUDADANA DE MICHOACAN, that page claims the Communitarian Police is nothing more than criminals backed up by CJNG.

Weapons confiscated by the Mexican Army to the Communitarian Police.

The page claims this corpse belongs to an innocent citizen. He was killed in the fight against the Knigts Templar,

Videos: Logos, Weapons and Music of Zetas, CDG, CDS, CJNG and Knights Templar

2013-05-13T09:39:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

The following five videos depict the logos, music, and property confiscated by the government including, weapons, vehicles, and items with the cartel insignia. The videos feature individual cartels; Los Zetas, Golfo, Knights Templar, Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation.

39 out of every 100 kidnap victims are murdered

2013-05-12T15:40:00.000-06:00

El Diario/Milenio (5-12-2013)

Translated for Borderland Beat by un vato

Distrito Federal (Milenio).- In the last five months, the number of kidnappings carried out for the sole purpose of murdering the victim increased 17.1% compared with the average in the preceding six-year period.

According to the Multisystems Industrial Security Group, 39 out of every 100 kidnappings that were committed between December 2012 and April of the current year ended with the murder of the kidnapped victim, while during the period between 2007 and 2012, there were only 22 deaths (per 100).

This modality has gotten stronger in the past few years, because (in the period) between 2000 and 2006, only 7.3% of kidnappings were carried out for the purpose of taking the victim's life.

According to statistics from the business group, 41.9% of the kidnappings committed from December 2012 to date were done in a conventional manner (the criminals ask for payment to release the person), while 19.3% of the remainder had the characteristics of an "express-style" kidnapping.

Official figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Publica) indicate that during the period from December, 2012, to March, 2013, organized crime deprived 480 civilians of their freedom, which represents an increase with respect to the 415 kidnappings reported during the same period a year before, when Felipe Calderon was President of Mexico.

From the start of his administration, Enrique Pena Nieto tagged as a priority the "gradual" reduction of crimes with a major social impact, such as intentional homicides, kidnappings and extortion.

Before the communications media, he asked for a year's period before the results of his administration's public safety measures are evaluated.

Modus operandi

According to Alejandro Desfassiaux, president of Multisystems Industrial Security Group, eight out of ten kidnappers know their victims directly or indirectly, which is why he recommended certifying personnel you work with, maintaining a low profile, changing routines constantly and not accepting unknown persons on social networks.

On this last point, the businessman explained that Facebook and Twitter "have become a profitable tool for kidnappers", because they use them to choose and track their victims.

The way to operate through a social network is by seducing and creating a direct contact with the victim to meet them somewhere and kidnap them fist chance (they get).

In addition, he explained that 70% of kidnappings take place on the street and that four out of ten kidnap victims are female minors.

Desfassiaux explained that this kind of crime has been on the rise, "because, every day, criminals are becoming specialized in surveillance techniques". Plus, "they no longer carry out long lasting kidnappings; they prefer shorter periods that pay off immediately or promptly."

He concluded by saying that in some cases freedom "is no longer negotiated, because there is also the type of criminals who kidnap a person for revenge, whether it is for personal reasons, feelings of rejection or betrayal, or because they were fired in a bad way."

Where the crime is located

-- Last January, the global security consultant Control Risk placed Mexico in second place with respect to the number of kidnappings worldwide, surpassed only by Nigeria.

-- It explained that the fight against drugs promoted by the government of Felipe Calderon affected cartel operations, which is why these organizations went into businesses connected with high impact crimes, such as extortion and kidnapping.

-- According to the consultant, the kidnapping situation in Mexico is more serious than in countries like Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iraq, Lebanon, Colombia, Kenya or Syria.

-- The National Public Security System reported at the time that the states most affected by kidnappers were Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico and Morelos.

Knights Templar: La Tuta's Video Translated-El Tío Back From The Dead?

2013-05-12T13:14:00.000-06:00

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Can't we all just get along? [Zetas and New Generation need not respond]

La Tuta co-founder of Knights Templar (Caballeros Templarios) released yet another of his video messages. His theme in this video is; acknowledgement that he is a criminal and yes his organization is a criminal organization, but when it is necessary to arrest Knights Templar, the military should conduct themselves with honor and not become police, judge and jury.

He speaks of community police, stressing that those guards are not of the region and brought in while posing as locals attempting to secure municipalities. He also speaks of his enemies Mencho and Zetas.

El Chayo- Nazario Moreno González

Tuta, whose name is Servando Gómez Martínez is known by both La Tuta and El Profe. His monikers translate to teacher or professor, a tribute to his profession prior to his drug trafficking career.

His criminal career has netted him a United States indictment, derived from his stint as a leader for La Familia Michoacán cartel (LFM). LFM leader Nazario Moreno González, was killed in December 2010, in a violent two day clash in the Michoacán mountains, which caused a division within the group leading to a split and the formation of a new cartel, The Knights Templar.

La Tuta and Dionicio Loya Plancarte, aka “el Tio” co-founded the Knights Templar. Tío was reported killed in March of this year in Michoacán. Dionicio is the uncle of Enrique Plancarte, aka La Chiva, another high level leader of Knights Templar.

On Friday of this week a video appeared featuring an elderly man presenting himself as “El Tío” .

Chiva

In the video the man challenges Hipolito Mora to meet for a dialogue, “face to face”, to resolve the problems they have over La Ruana, Buena Vista and Tepalcatepec, he also said if nothing is resolved, then they should fight to the death. Although the man has facial similarities to El Tío, there is enough difference to call the claim into question, perhaps the man is in reality a relative of Tío and not the man himself. For that determination, you be the judge.

La Tuta is also wanted in México with a 2.5 million USD bounty on his head, Which is ironic because the government was sending him teacher recompense until 2 years ago, although he had not been in a classroom for a decade.

The following is the translated contents of the La Tuta video:

Good evening to the general public, our state, our lovely Michoacán, our municipalities, cities and all those who receive this message that we are putting on air with the best intention of being able to help and contribute to the solution of many problems.

We want to emphasize to the media and all the people that are listening to us and watching this video that we are not responsible of the marches that have occurred on Friday 19th of the present year in all state of Michoacán, in Apatzingán, Morelia, Pátzcuaro, Uruapan, Cuatro Caminos; wherever the marches occurred. We are not responsible in any way for that situation.

If the town is protesting is because they are tired of corruption and I don’t think it is against us because the little that I know and we have seen is against the state government and federal government.

Maybe the federal government has not fulfilled its obligations, we have said it and we have express it on banners, on videos, where we have said that if the federal government and the state government accept their responsibilities of good guardians to put public order on the entities, we put our weapons aside, we will not turned them in but we will put them aside because we don’t want that because of what is happening in Buenavista, Tomatlán, La Ruana, in Tepeque where community guardians are forming, which behind them are the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.

That guy, Mr. Mencho, my enemy, so to speak, because we are of different organizations, he has his organization and I respectfully represent the organization of the Knight Templar. Our intention is to make this work. We want our town to be ok and our people would be able to hang out and walk freely in Michoacán.

We know that we affect third parties interest, of course we do, all those that are with the Jalisco Cartel and with the Zetas. All the people form Michoacán are welcome and I give my word of Knight Templar that there is nothing against any person unless it is proven that they have relationship with those groups.

Returning to the topic of the community guardians, these people that are in Tepeque and La Ruana, you can see on the videos when a woman says: First, we are being trained, we are given weapons and now we are being arrested; referring to the Mexican Army elements. Which ones? We don’t know.

Something is going on there. The government is confronting town versus town. Please gentlemen of the federal government, resume things, that is not the way to conduct ourselves, we are willing to dialogue and see what we should do to make this work.

There was another case in La Ruana where a hooded person stops a taxi cab and asks the driver: Who are you, where are you from? And the driver shows him an identification and tells him I am from here, La Ruana of such and such colony. It is documented in Milenio. They were showing it on Milenio network.

The guy doing the interview (the hooded man) didn’t even know where that colony was and takes the driver’s phone away and asks him of some character, if I recall correctly it was La Goya and the driver tells the hooded man: “La Goya is a well-known woman from La Ruana”.

The hooded man, tall and robust, did not even know who that person was. Most of us know who la Goya is but he didn’t know who she was, by that time a woman from behind approaches him (the hooded man) and tells him: “Let him go, the driver is from here, he is my nephew.

What is that telling us? That that person that is as community guardian is not from Michoacán because he didn’t know the young men, he didn’t even know the colony that the driver was telling him and was proving with his ID.

Gentlemen, don’t forget when the first 27 community guardians appeared, 7 of them were from Sinaloa and Guadalajara, Jalisco, with arrest warrants, some of them even for homicide.

Then, who is behind all this? Please, gentlemen of the federal and state government fulfill your obligations.

The government says all the time that they are after the Knight Templar because we are criminals and we are armed. Now I tell the government, possibly the only person that has been seen on media armed is me. I do it because it is my responsibility to watch over the interests of my enterprise and of all the people that are with us in Michoacán.

You say that we are armed. You are correct, we are armed, we do have weapons to defend our state from the Zetas and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, but now I am going to tell you something, on television appear a lot of armed people and not only armed but hooded, working for the PFP and militaries and there is no problem.

There is where the armed people are and there is where the people of Jalisco (cartel) come from under the orders of Mencho Seguera. There is where the government should put order.

People protested on April 19th here in Michoacán against all those guardians, if not everybody would have form guardians. We know they had the right to protest and they should have their reason. We know that they said that they were protesting because they didn’t want the people (guardians) of Tepeque, La Ruana and Buenavista travel through Michoacán land because events have occurred where there are shootings and many deaths. Probably the fear of the people that are protesting is that one day their relatives would be passing by and a stray bullet hits them......continued on next page....

Gentlemen, we tell you if the community guardians of Tepeque, Buenavista and La Ruana keep going forward and maintain their purpose throughout the PFP, because this situation was orchestrated by the government of Calderon with several generals and coronels here in Michoacán, which it is them who are making the town against town act. We are part of the town gentlemen and we have said it, we respect the federal government, specially the military.

We have said the reason of why we respect them. It is not fear gentlemen; we are men just like they are. We are also willing to give our lives to defend our town. But it is fair and necessary that order is establish. We know that you have to be after us.

Be after us if we are criminals and also the people that are with us that make mistakes, the federal government should settle accounts with them. If my enterprise notices that some one of the organization did things that they are not supposed to, that are against our rules, we will put order, gentlemen. We know it is your duty, but with respect gentlemen, do your duty with respect.

We have expressed; we have many friends here in Michoacán. We have entrepreneurs, farmers, cattle breeders and of all kinds. If we are doing something that affect directly the people, do not hesitate to tell us and we will put a solution.

We all have seen how Genaro Garcia Luna orchestrated his scenes to come out on television and ennoble himself. How many innocent people are in prison? The general that just was released from prison, I don’t remember his name but he has said it himself.

Those protected witnesses, those innocent people, it is not fair gentlemen, a 70 or 80% of the people that are in prison are innocent. Yes, there are people that are guilty, like us, and we have said it, we are guilty, we should be prosecuted because of what we have done.

Military, PFP and Marines are organizations of the federal government to only apprehend criminals. Not to be a judge, that’s why there are many problems because you try to kill us and we are going to fight back.

Arrest us and turn us in to the corresponding authorities. Let a judge give us a trial but how it should be. You (military) should not take part, should not take money, nor support the actions of the CJNG nevertheless, of Zetas because we are not going to leave the weapons and we will have to fight back.

I repeat, it is not a threat for you gentlemen of the federal government. Please reconsider and don’t take anybody’s side. Let’s find a way to fix things; we are willing to dialogue with you whatever is necessary. Please whoever was elected interim governor in Michoacán, reconsider and be aware of all the events that have been happening.

Listen to the teachers, students, investors, civil organizations and if it’s possible listen to us. It is not well seen because of the difficulty that we are criminals but we are willing to seek measures and the proper path to get to a discussion with you and to set order not only in Michoacán but where we can contribute.

This is a message for the government of the Mexican Republic. If we can contribute in anything and you invite us to dialogue about what is happening in Michoacán and parts of Mexico, we are willing to go.

We want peace gentlemen. We also have family, we also have someone to look after and that is why we are watching over the interests of Michoacán. Unfortunately, we sometimes have to go to other places and attack because they are trying to enter our state. Let’s set some order gentlemen, I don’t know how to let you know but we are willing to dialogue.

Please all the people of PFP and militaries that were under the service of the Calderon government resume your situation and don’t let yourselves be bossed around… Genaro Garcia Luna is no longer there, which was who despicably humiliated you, you all know, it came out on all magazines how he treated you, but he is no longer in office. Supposedly there is a new government, new system; we have to trust the new government.

This is an invitation, especially to all police forces of any kind to do their job; stop all these situations with the community guardians and we repeat it once again, we are not responsible of what is happening with the marches. If anybody says that it is induced by the Knights Templar it is false.

A congressman of Michoacán expressed in the media that it was induced, he didn’t say the name but he is referring to us, the Knights Templar. Of course he doesn’t have anybody else to blame because allegedly we are the only ones that are in Michoacán but it is not true.

Gentlemen, assume your role, leave out the radical postures and do it for the good of our town and our state.

It is an invitation to all, we say it again, investigate who Hipolito Mora is, 3 arrest warrants in the U.S. wanted by DEA and he appears beside the commanders of the PFP and military commanders.

So that means that someday, I will be beside a military or PFP commander and come out on television. I know it is not correct because I know what I am and what I represent, however it is not our intention at all to affect regular people, just to watch over the interests of our town and our state of Michoacán.

Gentlemen, you say that we are criminals because we, the Knights Templar, are asking for fees and doing this and that, but what are Hipolito and El Abuelo doing? El Abuelo is a processed criminal, he was released, investigate him.

Who is El Abuelo Farias, the man that is in Tepeque? Investigate him and you will realize many situations. It is not well seen that I talk bad about them but you people, all those that are listening: reporters, journalists, PFP, marines, civil society, go in the internet and see who they are, however they are the leaders of many hooded people.

The federal government that Felipe Calderon Hinojosa lead, shook, batted and grind off, as if in a mortar, the state of Michoacán to remove weapons, We, the Knights Templar, were left with many weapons because we withstand 6 years escaping in the mountains with them (weapons).

However, now between Buenavista, Tepeque and La Ruana thousands of people are armed. Where did all the weapons come from? Reconsider, federal government, there are several coronels. 1 coronel in Tacambaro, 1 in Pátzcuaro, 1 in Uruapan and 2 in Apatzingán that were under the orders of one general.

You know who it was and they were the ones making it a war town, If it continues this way we are not going to leave the weapons aside, we are going to confront the aggressions. It is not only me that is a criminal, there are other criminals. Not only my organization is criminal, there is Hipolito Mora and El Abuelo Farias, they are big criminals.

Probably not of my level, at least not Hipolito, because I always had the bad habit of paying for everything I did and Hipolito never paid. El Abuelo did pay and there are his criminal records because he had been judged.

This is a call for all the corporations, government, and president of the republic, assume your responsibility and also for the government of the state, assume your responsibility

Thank you

Another foto purportedly of El Chayo in death-take your pick

The video below is footage of the clash in which El Chayo (Nazario) was killed along with 40 others:

Knight Templar´s Dionisio Loya challenges Communitarian Police leader to a death match

2013-05-11T14:50:00.001-06:00

Tijuano for Borderland Beat.

Dionisio Loya Plancarte aka "El Tio", alleged Knights Templar leader.

A new video appeared yesterday on YouTube in which a man claiming to be Dionisio Loya Plancarte aka "El Tio"(Leader of the Knights Templar Cartel) challenges Hipolito Mora (leader of La Ruana´s communitarian Police) to a death match.

Dionisio Loya Plancarte was reported killed last march, the date in which this video was recorded and it´s veracity is still unknown.

The following is a transcript of the message given by "El Tio":

“To all the Michoacan people:

This is Dionisio Loya Plancarte speaking, Knights Templar representative, better known as “El Tio” (The Uncle).

The reason I´m speaking to all of you, specially to the people of Buenavista, La Ruana, Tepalcatepec is the following: The last events which took place in the towns I just mentioned force me to tell you the citizens, that we the Knights Templar may be responsible but not guilty.

I speak particularly to Hipolito Mora, to make a pact of peace and civility and in doing so avoid the killing of innocent people that only create mourning homes and resentment, just like you, the supposed Communitarian Police have been doing sponsored by the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).

If after this dialogue we don´t reach an agreement which benefits society, I challenge you to a Death match and with this end the sterile conflict that has been going on.

I´m awaiting your answer with the place and time that you see fit to either dialogue or fight each other.

Always at your service.”

The second half of the video shows an old audio recording of a phone call between Servando Gomez aka “La Tuta” and Loya Plancarte, this call took place in 2010 and is shown to compare the voice of Loya with the new video. In that recording they speak about the then governor of Michoacan Leonel Godoy attending an annual reunion with Federal Government officials.

The following is a transcript of said audio:

El Tio: is Godoy also going to be there?

La Tuta: well yeah, he says he´s already there…

El Tio: what´s with that dude then? What is he doing?

La Tuta: Tio, Tio, it´s not his thing, it´s the military and since he´s the governor of the state, he has to be there. They also sent the guy from PFP(Federal Preventive Police) in Morelia, the one from the Navy in Lazaro, all the division Generals, there in the annual reunion..Today and tomorrow, it´s not up to him, Tio. I mean, he as state governor has to be close, it´s not like he shouldn´t, he is supposed to be the state´s authority...

El Tio: Mmmm...

La Tuta: No, no, Tio, this son of a bitch has to be close to them, but they noticed us early...

El Tio: Ok, call him, call my compadre and let´s see how he can help us with this.

La Tuta: Ok, for now I have 150 thousand on hand, so you can add it there and I wanted to be lent a car so I can take it to him...

El Tio: We don´t have with crosses? Almost none…we´ll see, we´ll see, talk to my compadre..And whatever he tells you, that´s what it is. Hey, because maybe he has papers with him...

La Tuta: OK then, OK Tio.

El Tio: OK.

Chapo's Plaza Bosses

2013-05-11T11:59:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

click on image to enlarge

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced today that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reported the designation of eight Mexican nationals as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNT) pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act).

The eight individuals, Cenobio Flores Pacheco (a.k.a. Luis Fernando Castro Villa), Jesus Alfredo Salazar Ramirez, Guillermo Nieblas Nava (a.k.a. Adelmo Niebla Gonzalez), Ramon Ignacio Paez Soto, Felipe De Jesus Sosa Canisales, Armando Lopez Aispuro, Jose Javier Rascon Ramirez, and Raul Sabori Cisneros, all operate as plaza bosses for the Sinaloa Cartel.

“In order to put organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel out of business, we must continue to utilize every tool available to ensure that these criminal groups and their associates cannot exploit the U.S. financial system,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman. “Today’s actions severely curtail the Sinaloa Cartel’s ability to use legitimate commerce to mask their illicit money laundering activities and reflect DEA’s global efforts to weaken its leadership and bring it to justice.”

Each of the eight plaza bosses operates as a Sinaloa Cartel leader within their specific area of operation along the Sonora-Arizona corridor of the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary, which extends for nearly 375 miles.

The Sinaloa Cartel depends on the plaza bosses, leaders of a particular geographic area, along the corridor to coordinate, direct, and support the smuggling of illegal drugs from Mexico into the U.S. and the smuggling of illicit contraband from the U.S. into Mexico.

Plaza bosses rely on violence to maintain their positions, using sicarios (hitmen) to control a specific geographic area. Since Arizona is contiguous with the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary, the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas are major trans-shipment and distribution points for contraband smuggling out of and into Sonora, Mexico.

“Today’s designation marks another step in OFAC’s efforts to specifically target the narcotics traffickers responsible for the horrific acts of violence committed along the Arizona border with Mexico,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “We will continue to work alongside our partners in Federal law enforcement as well as the Mexican government to financially cripple and dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel.”

The eight individuals designated today work on behalf of Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera, Ismael “Mayo” Zambada Garcia, the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Gonzalo Inzunza Inzunza “Macho Prieto”, a top lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexican authorities have previously arrested Jesus Alfredo Salazar Ramirez, Ramon Ignacio Paez Soto, and Raul Sabori Cisneros.

Today’s action generally prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these designees, and also freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

Today's action would not have been possible without the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Joint Field Command-Arizona, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Mexican authorities also provided essential support to OFAC.

“CBP’s Arizona Joint Field Command Targeting Enforcement Unit played a major role in dealing the Sinaloa-based drug cartel a financial blow that will undoubtedly affect their ability to operate as a criminal enterprise.

The Arizona Joint Field Command’s Targeting Enforcement Unit has been and will continue to be a committed partner in the collective effort of denying, degrading and disrupting operations of criminal organizations,” said Jeff Self, Commander, CBP, Joint Field Command-Arizona.

Since June 2000 the President has identified 97 drug kingpins and OFAC has designated more than 1,200 businesses and individuals. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties.

Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines for criminal violation of the Kingpin Act pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code.

DEA-DOJ Press Release

SEMAR raids building in Zapopan: "El Azul" killed? CJNG leader "Mencho" arrested?

2013-05-11T06:23:00.000-06:00

Borderland Beat

NOTE: Nothing has been confirmed yet, there are different rumors on social media regarding the death of Juan Jose Esparragoza, others claim the capture of CJNG leader "El Mencho". What appears to be confirmed is the death of a suspect in the shootout, no name has been given.

Members of the Mexican Navy during the operation in Zapopan.

An operation by the Mexican Navy Ministry (Secretariade Marina-SEMAR) was conducted on Friday afternoon inside an apartment building complex located in Zapopan, Jalisco.

The operation took place yesterday at about 10:30 PM when several SUV´s belonging to the Mexican Army and Mexican Navy arrived at the Amber Tower located in the exclusive Puerta de Hierro neighborhood.

Jose Juan Esparragoza Morena aka "El Azul"

Unofficial sources claim the arrest and/or death of Jose Juan Esparragoza Moreno aka “El Azul”(number 3 in the CDS) or Nemesio Oceguera Cervantes aka “El Mencho”, leader of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). Because of the Government secrecy in this operation, none of these versions has been confirmed.

Military personnel kept the area secured awaiting the arrival of specialized vehicles to transport the alleged drug lord. It is unknown if the criminal was alone at the moment of the operation.

The Navy personnel took the area by surprise when they surrounded the parking lot connected to the apartment building; there they arrived at an apartment located in the 14^th floor.

After their arrival several shots were heard, but in a matter of minutes the situation was under the Navy´s control that blocked the parking lot´s exit leading to Puerta de Hierro Boulevard number 5225 and Patria Avenue.

Ambar Tower in Zapopan where the operation took place.

The main access to the complex was guarded by several SEMAR SUV´s where heavily armed Navy personnel dressed with gray uniforms inspected every vehicle that tried to leave the building.

Moments after the operation began, several vehicles belonging to the Mexican National Defese Ministry (Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional-SEDENA) arrived to bolster the security in the area. Experts from the Jalisco Forensic Sciences Institute also arrived at the scene but where not allowed to access the building.

There is a version of at least one casualty and one wounded in the operation inside the building but no official information has been given.

Several units left the apartment complex towards Patria Avenue, but no information has been given, even to local authorities since the operation arrived directly from Mexico City.

Members of the State Police and the State Attorney General arrived at the scene but information was denied to them.

As of this writing the area was still under surveillance of the Armed Forces awaiting the arrival of the Federal Public Ministry agent.

An announcement by SEMAR or SEDENA regarding this operation is expected to be done later in the day.

This post will be updated as more information arises.

UPDATE 11:00 AM

As of 11:00 AM no official information has been given, however, according to newspaper El Universal, Mexican Navy commanders admitted there was an operation and shootout in the 14th floor of the apartment building, as a result apparently one suspect died.

At 3:00 AM State and Federal Authorities left the scene without giving more information.

UPDATE 12/05/2013

As of right now no information has been given, according to Informador.com.mx, the Navy hasn´t given official reports but officials confirmed one suspect is dead. The news site is ruling out the possibility of Azul being death, the corpse belongs to a young man according to sources in the Forensic Institute, however and mysteriously neither the Forensic Institute nor the State Attorney General Office show records of what happened.

Some sources have claimed that indeed a major level drug lord was in the building but was able to flee with help from his security team.

http://www.notisistema.com/noticias/?p=591982

http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/armada-y-ejercito-realizan-un-intenso-operativo-en-zapopan/

http://jalisco.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/3d76467a4ce83991382453d88b18e868