Author Topic: Mexico-US matters  (Read 382548 times)



Crafty_Dog

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GPF: Mexico-China
« Reply #903 on: May 18, 2021, 12:14:38 PM »
May 18, 2021
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Brief: Why Mexico's President Is Apologizing to China
It has a lot to do with trade talks with the United States.
By: Geopolitical Futures

Background: When it comes to U.S.-Mexican relations, the U.S. has the advantage in almost every way that matters. Mexico City has few options but to try to leverage trade, its proximity to the U.S., the significant Mexican diaspora in the U.S. and its relationship with Canada. As U.S. anxieties about China grow, however, ties with the Chinese could become a bargaining chip for the Mexican government.

What Happened: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador apologized on Monday for the 1911 racially motivated killing of hundreds of Chinese people in Torreon, Coahuila. He hosted a ceremony alongside the Chinese ambassador to Mexico, and specifically thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese scientists, diplomats and companies for their assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lopez Obrador’s comments coincided with the start of a two-day meeting among the U.S., Mexico and Canada on the disputes related to their trilateral trade agreement.

Bottom Line: It’s no coincidence that Lopez Obrador’s apology – and especially his expression of gratitude toward Chinese businesses – occurred at the same time as trade talks with Mexico’s northern neighbors. For its part, China welcomes the opportunity to grow its presence in the Western Hemisphere. How far Mexico is willing to go remains to be seen, and there’s a fine line between creating leverage with the U.S. and provoking an American backlash.

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #906 on: June 07, 2021, 09:48:55 PM »
 

Topic # 2:  Roberto Sandoval, Former Governor of Nayarit is Arrested in Nuevo Leon

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/roberto-sandoval-former-governor-of.html

 



Photo # 1: Roberto Sandoval Castañeda's taste for Pura Raza Española (PURE) horses led him to ally himself with drug cartels

Photo # 2: Roberto Sandoval Castañeda was governor of Nayarit from 2011 to 2017

 

The Story:

 

This Sunday, in the midst of the largest elections in the history of Mexico, the arrest of the former governor of the state of Nayarit, Roberto Sandoval, was reported in Linares, Nuevo León, who is accused of operations with resources of illicit origin. Sandoval was arrested with his daughter, Lidy Alejandra, who was also charged with the same crime. The operation to arrest the former governor and his daughter was led by agents of the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), Secretariat of the Navy (Navy), National Guard (GN), and the National Center Intelligence (CNI). According to information from journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva, Sandoval and Lidy, his daughter, were arrested at 5 in the morning this Saturday. When issuing the arrest warrant against Roberto Sandoval and Lidy, a federal judge considered that there is evidence, both in the common and federal courts, of the alleged connection of the former governor with people who have been detained abroad for crimes related to organized crime. Sandoval and his children, as well as his wife, have several arrest warrants against them, the last complaint against the family was made by the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) last March, since it established through different federal agencies of that state and its relatives a network of diversion of public resources and money laundering, during the years of his government (2011-2017).

 

During his administration, violence and insecurity linked to organized crime escalated dramatically so that at the end of his term there was talk that he had ties to drug trafficking. He was wanted in 194 countries after Friday, November 13, a Nayarit control judge accused him of the crimes of illicit enrichment, embezzlement and improper exercise of functions. But it is not the first time that accusations have been made against the former governor. Since May 17, 2019, the United States accused him of ties to drug trafficking in Mexico, having received bribes from the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG), and froze accounts that the former state governor had in the US. That is why on February 28, the Secretary of State of the American Union, Mike Pompeo, reported that the Treasury Department included the former governor of Nayarit, in the list of people who committed acts of corruption, which in his case It was because of the links with criminal drug trafficking groups. In addition, he pointed out that neither Sandoval Castañeda nor his family can enter that country. Days later, Roberto Sandoval gave an interview to Radio Fórmula.

 

He said he was surprised by the determination of the neighboring country and clarified that for two years he has been in contact with the authorities of that country. In addition, he said that in 2016 he received a letter informing him about the suspension of his US visa until his situation was clarified, so he had already had time without visiting the neighboring country. He insisted that he was innocent of the accusations. In addition to diverting millions of pesos of public resources, the American Union pointed out that the former governor accepted bribes from the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, its financial arm "Los Cuinis" and the Los Beltrán Leyva Cartel. In the plot with drug trafficking and abuse of power, the Nayarit prosecutor, Édgar Veytia Cambero, alias “El Diablo” and personal friend of Sandoval Castañeda, was also involved. "El Diablo" was not only involved with organized crime, but also carried out land grabbing, threats, extortion, torture, femicide, kidnapping and forced disappearances in the state.

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Topic # 3:  “Tony Duarte” Lawyer Linked to Late Governor Aristoteles Sandoval & Defended Sinaloa Cartel Members Killed in Guadalajara

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/tony-duarte-lawyer-linked-to-late.html

 



José Luis Duarte Reyes, a lawyer and businessman linked to former governor Aristóteles Sandoval, was executed in a parking lot in Guadalajara, Jalisco

 

Synopsis:

 

José Luis Duarte Reyes, a lawyer and businessman linked to former governor Aristóteles Sandoval, was executed in a parking lot in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Although the state government assured that this election day has not had major incidents, Duarte Reyes was executed along with another man, while two more people were injured. resumably, the lawyer known as "Tony Duarte" was singled out for being a defender of members of the Sinaloa Cartel. According to the first reports, the businessman was attacked when he was in the vicinity of a parking lot of his property, located on Herrera and Cairo and Mayor streets of the Jalisco capital. Subjects aboard two vans fired up to 50 rounds around 9:30 am on June 5, according to police reports. The same state prosecutor, Gerardo Octavio Solís Gómez, went to the site. When Aristóteles Sandoval served as mayor of Guadalajara (2009-2012), Tony Duarte's daughter, Rocío del Carmen, worked as the Director of Parking. It should be noted that in September 2011, José Luis Duarte Contreras, Tony Duarte's son, was assassinated. The crime occurred in Puerto Vallarta. Other reports indicate that the lawyer had a criminal record for his probable responsibility in crimes of misrepresentation and fraud in the 1990s. The former Governor of Jalisco; Aristóteles Sandoval, close to Tony Duarte, was killed in a Puerto Vallarta bar in the early hours of December 18, 2020.

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Topic # 4:  Fresnillo, Zecatecas: Armed Confrontation Between Civilians and Police

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/fresnillo-zacatecas-armed-confrontation.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

This Friday afternoon elements of the Investigative Police clashed with armed civilians in the Buenavista community of Trujillo. In the confrontation two alleged criminals died and an officer was badly injured. According to the security authorities, there was also one civilian arrested and another managed to evade the officers. The events were recorded on the way to the Leobardo Reynoso community, where the agents of the state prosecutor's office were shot at by armed people. Elements of the National Guard (GN) State Preventive Police (PEP) and from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) arrived in support. While the shooting broke out, the inhabitants ran to their homes to get to safety. A helicopter from the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) also participated in the operation. Through breaches and dirt roads, an intense operation was deployed. Local residents reported that it is very recurrent in the area to see vehicles of armed civilians without any authority detaining them. In the end the forensics of the General Directorate of Expert Services took charge of what happened.

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Topic # 5:  Sanalona, Sinaloa: The Holy Death Highway for Fervent Worshipers

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/sanalona-sinaloa-holy-death-highway-for.html

 

 

 

The Story:

 

Every day it is populated with chapels and cenotaphs that are well visited. Tell me she doesn’t look tough as fuck...! boasts a young man dressed in black who sanctifies himself again and again before the Holy Death and offers her "I will idolize you all of my life by putting your image as many times as necessary for this place, because you have helped me and my friends." He assures that in addition to the six chapels that exist in less than 14 kilometers he will install more "every time my girl supports us, we reward her. We want people not to be ashamed and follow Holy Death, so we have to place her image everywhere." The street is gradually populated by chapels that together with the dozens of cenotaphs are part of the road landscape before the fervor that is increasing, by the road that leads to Tamazula, Durango and that is part of the Golden Triangle, the chapels are becoming an obligatory place to stop, some do it out of curiosity, others out of devotion. The cenotaphs and the Holy Death compete in the exaltations that are lived daily in those places, it’s a practice of challenge, there death is combined that is the physical representation of the transition that occurs when leaving life and the cenotaph where they are finally part of the world of the dead.

 

WITH STYLE

 

Chapels and cenotaphs compete in their structure, for example there is a cenotaph that emulates the Parthenon, an icon of ancient Greece. The replica of the crown jewel of Greek architecture is lost on the wild road, a few meters from the dam. Believers indicate that they have a perception of death as inevitable, so they do not consider it incorrect to establish conversations or practices in honor of the deity who is in charge of it. "I come to ask you to move away from all those negative vibrations that try to harm my destiny and my life ... just like that," details a fervent admirer of Holy Death. Police authorities and the Catholic Church itself assure that the followers of the Holy Death are people who live outside the law, but that to date in Sinaloa there are no statistics on how many criminals venerate the Holy Death. According to police authorities, they say that when they have searched the homes and vehicles of some criminals, statues, altars and other objects have been found that pay tribute to the Holy Death.

 

Holy Death is represented as a skeleton dressed in a dark robe that covers it from head to toe and that also has other elements. One of the chapels of the Holy Death that is at the road junction Sanalona-El Coyonqui, at that moment is being renovated, now, the seven different colors are being painted in reference to all kinds of requests. The painter says that he takes care of the place at the request of its owner "I come from a rehabilitation center, the boss supplies us with the paint and we are gladly painting, we do it little by little because there are many people who come." The colors are white to achieve peace, harmony and success. Red means love. Blue is to achieve success. Yellow means the solution to problems for all those who do not find the way out of what afflicts them. The golden color, allows economic tranquility. The "guardian" of Holy Death, at this moment, assures that lately the statues are being stolen. "People are stealing from the Niña, here they recently took the scythe of one of the images we have..." he details. He assures that lately people are going more to these places "we have to remove twice a day the candles, the flowers because the truth is they don’t fit, the truth is it’s unusual how men arrive, older males, everything, they come here."

 

HOMICIDE

 

In another of the chapels, precisely where about a month ago a man was murdered, the traces of the event are still present, blood sprinkled on the feet of the Holy Death, just like in the photograph of an individual who is on one side, give an account of what happened there. "We come to leave flowers in memory of the friend who killed him here, not even Holy Death saved him, the good thing is that it was at her feet," says an 18-year-old boy who has a huge tattoo on his left arm "The girl close to my heart." He points out that "Mahami N" was a friend of his brother and that obviously he knew him very well. While snooping inside the place, he takes out beer cans, even assures that they left a joint to the Holy Death. There are also bouquets of dried flowers, it seems that from that moment, this chapel is no longer as visited as the rest of them. "Since she doesn't smoke... I take the joint," she jokes. Another visitor says that he is Catholic, that he believes in the Virgin of Guadalupe and assures that she has done miracles for him, but that the Holy Death, fulfills another type of help. "I dare not ask the little Virgen of Guadalupe to help me in my "business", I always traverse in the jaws of danger ... afterwards I come to visit her, she’s fucking cool.

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Topic # 6: Gulf Cartel Boss Behind Mass Graves Sent to Prison in Mexico

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/06/06/gulf-cartel-boss-behind-mass-graves-sent-to-prison-in-mexico/

 

 

 

Synopsis:

 

A former top-ranking leader with the Gulf Cartel responsible for a series of mass murders, clandestine gravesites, incinerations sites, and other gory methods of disposing of humans has been sentenced to more than 11 years in a Mexican prison. The cartel boss spent time in a U.S. prison in his early years and is known for an incident where he began crying in front of a judge. Known in the criminal underworld as El Pelochas, or Metro 28, Luis Alberto Blanco Flores climbed the ranks of the Gulf Cartel while surviving and taking part in a series of shifting alliances and betrayals. Those actions eventually led to him becoming a top regional boss before his latest arrest. This week, a sentencing tribunal handed down a term of 11 years and six months in prison following his conviction for aggravated extortion and engaging in organized criminal activity, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office revealed. According to authorities the crimes that led to Pelochas’ sentence took place during the summer of 2017. Breitbart Texas reported extensively on the criminal career of El Pelochas who became one of the leading Gulf Cartel figures between 2016 and 2018. During that period, he made a push to take control of the Reynosa faction and clashed with another top commander.

 

Breitbart Texas kept a record of the murders directly attributed to that power struggle with more than 500 murders taking place during that time. The murders included executions, assassinations, kidnapping victims, and casualties of the large-scale shootouts. One gruesome trend that grew during that time was the use of clandestine crematoriums and mass graves where Gulf Cartel members worked to dispose of the bodies of their victims and rivals. During the start of his criminal career, El Pelochas spent time in a U.S. prison. In August 2010, federal agents arrested him in the border city of Brownsville, Texas, and only charged him with one count of illegal re-entry. At the time of his initial hearing, the fearsome cartel leader began to sob as he was escorted into the Brownsville federal court and he saw his mother in the audience. El Pelochas was one of three cartel commanders who fled to Brownsville to hide from rivals who had been hunting them.

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Topic # 7:  GRAPHIC: Gulf Cartel Dumps Ice Chests with Body Parts in Border City in Mexico

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/06/06/graphic-gulf-cartel-leaves-ice-chests-with-body-parts-in-mexican-border-city/

 

 



 

Synopsis:

 

A group of gunmen believed to be with one faction of the Gulf Cartel left at least two ice chests filled with dismembered human body parts in the Mexican border city of Reynosa. Authorities recovered one of the ice-chests, while unknown gunmen absconded with the other one. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon when residents spotted two ice chests along the Monterrey-Matamoros highway near the Jarachina Norte neighborhood. The ice chests had been tied closed with a piece of rope. However, by the time authorities responded to the scene, the ice chests were gone. Authorities believe that a group of gunmen picked up the two ice chests before they arrived. Soon after, authorities responded to another location also along the same highway about a body left next to an ice chest. Authorities arrived to find a dismembered torso next to one ice chest that looked similar to one of the two that had been reported earlier in the day. While the male victim has not been identified, the current theory points to one of two rival factions of the Gulf Cartel leaving the gory crime scene as a message to their rivals. As Breitbart Texas has reported, two factions of the Gulf Cartel have been actively fighting for years over control of lucrative border areas in and around Reynosa.

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Topic # 8: "FOR EACH ONE OF US WE WILL KILL 2" FOR THIS REASON THE CJNG DECIDED TO HUNT DOWN THE POLICE

Source:  https://elblogdelnarco.com/2021/06/06/por-cada-uno-de-nosotros-les-mataremos-a-2-por-esta-razon-el-cjng-decidio-cazar-a-policia/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

It's a type of direct attack on officers rarely seen outside of the most gang-ridden nations in Central America and it represents the most direct challenge yet to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's policy of avoiding violence and rejecting any war against the cartels. The drug trafficking group has declared war on the government with the aim of eradicating the Tactical Group, because according to the criminal group, it unfairly treats its members. “They want war, they are going to have war and we have already shown them that we already have them located. We're going for all of you, ”says a professionally printed banner signed by the Jalisco cartel that appeared hanging in a building in Guanajuato in May. "For each member of our company (CJNG) that you send, two of your tacticians will be killed, wherever you are, at home, on patrols or fixed services," says the banner, referring to the cartel by its initials. Officials in Guanajuato, Mexico's most violent state, where the CJNG fights local gangs backed by the Sinaloa cartel, declined to comment on how many members of the elite group have been killed so far.

 

In the most recent case, state police publicly acknowledged that an officer was abducted from his home Thursday, killed, and his body dumped on a highway. Security analyst David Saucedo says there have been many cases. “Many other (officers) decided to defect. They took their families, abandoned their homes and are in hiding and on the run." He added that the "CJNG is hunting down the elite policemen of Guanajuato." It's hard to find the number of victims, but Poplab, a news cooperative in Guanajuato, said at least seven police officers have been killed on their days off so far this year. In January, armed men went to the home of a policewoman, killed her husband, dragged her away, tortured her and dumped her bullet-riddled body. Guanajuato has had the highest number of murdered police officers of any Mexican state since at least 2018, according to Poplab. Between 2018 and May 12, a total of 262 police officers have been killed, about 75 officers each year, more than are killed by gunfire or other assaults on average each year across the United States. The problem in Guanajuato has gotten so bad that the state government published a special decree on May 17 to provide an unspecified amount of funding for protection mechanisms for police and prison officials. "This is an open war against the security forces of the state government," Saucedo said.

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Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #907 on: June 09, 2021, 11:48:16 AM »

 

Tamuin, SLP: Cartel Jalisco Threatens the GULF Cartel
Chihuahua: Javier Corral, The Father of All The Losers
Zacatecas, ZAC: National Guardsmen Seize Weapons and Ammunition
Tijuana: Human Heads Thrown into Voting Locations, Ballot Boxes Burned on Election Day
Homicides from May Highest in 9 Months; Violence Steadily Rising
EXCLUSIVE: Bloody Ice Chests Found at Mexican Border State Election Polling Places
NARCO SEEKS TO RENEW PACTS WITH GOVERNMENTS THROUGH 2021 ELECTIONS (Translated Spanish to English)
 

 

Topic # 1:  Tamuin, SLP: Cartel Jalisco Threatens the GULF Cartel

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/tamuin-slp-cartel-jalisco-threatens.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

This morning narco messages were left hanging in public: one at the entrance to the municipality. And another one in front of the municipal market. The CJNG takes responsibility for this act and launched a threat against the Gulf Cartel (CDG), a criminal group that controls this area.

 

Narco message reads as follows:

 

Attention to the entire town of Tamuín: Cartel Jalisco New Generation Operation Huasteca:

 

We want to inform you by these means that in the next few days we will be purging the town of all the thieves, extortionists, fee collectors, kidnappers, rapists, and everyone who is caught supporting the Gulf Cartel (CDG). Grupo Espartano we are coming after you. *Roberto Montoya aka “Tito” or “El Wauchito”, Alejandro Morales Morado aka “La Chona”, Carlos Antonio Alonso aka “El Gallero”, Alexis Díaz Montoya aka “La Niña”, and Isidro Gámez aka “El Lolo”. We’re giving you 24 hours to leave this town. Otherwise, you will all be killed off. We don’t want dirty fools here. And for all the authorities: This war isn’t against you. This town already has its owner. Furthermore. he who warns ahead of time isn’t a traitor.

 

Sincerely, CJNG Operation Huasteca

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Topic # 2:  Chihuahua: Javier Corral, The Father of All The Losers

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/chihuahua-javier-corral-father-of-all.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

He loses the elections by a landslide and exchanges his arrogant accusations against Maru with fearful comments of humility and modesty because he fears being imprisoned. Javier Corral left this Sunday, June 6 as a Traitor to Chihuahua and Father of All Losers. Not only did he lose the elections, but he leaves the State bankrupt. He must now submit to Maru Campos in the face of danger of being sent to jail for corruption. Corral lost the State by betraying the PAN political party and buying the Citizen Movement caucus to be a federal deputy in collusion with the Morena party. He lost everything, State Congress, deputies, municipalities and will face a corruption investigation by the new Governor Maru Campos, whom Corral tried to prevent her arrival in the state government by all means of the State. With his tail between his legs, Corral gave a press conference this Monday to align himself with Maru and announced with a fearful spirit that this same Tuesday he begins the process of transition of the government without any problem. Gone are his arrogant accusations against Maru. And a surge of honeyed comments of collaboration with the new government emerged. The defeat of Morena's candidate Juan Carlos Loera, with whom he made an alliance in open betrayal of the PAN political party, is attributed to his bad reputation.

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Topic # 3:  Zacatecas, ZAC: National Guardsmen Seize Weapons and Ammunition

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/zacatecas-zacatecas-national-guardsmen.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The operations have been carried out on roads in the state of Zacatecas. In two different actions in the municipalities of Tabasco and Fresnillo, elements of the National Guard seized 20 long weapons, three handguns, five magazines and 50 bullets. The first fact was recorded near kilometer 183 + 200 of the Guadalajara Zacatecas highway, municipality of Tabasco. Where federal troops had contact with a car that suddenly turned in the opposite direction when approaching the vehicle control point; they reached them a kilometer later, however the subjects got off the unit and abandoned it. When inspecting the vehicle, the national guardsmen located 13 long weapons and three handguns wrapped in clear plastic, they were secured and placed at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office (FGR) based in Zacatecas. The second action was recorded at kilometer 018+000 of the La Chicharrona Cuencamé highway, municipality of Fresnillo, where national guardsmen had contact with a vehicle driven by a woman, who was accompanied by a minor. When carrying out a preventive inspection, with the support of a K-9 unit, they located inside the vehicle, seven long weapons, five polymer magazines and 50 bullets, in addition to several pieces for the assembly of the firearms. Faced with the possible commission of a crime, the driver was read the Booklet of Rights Assisting Persons in Detention and the National Registry of Detentions was filled with her data and together with the unit and the secured weapons was made available to the FGR. Meanwhile, the minor was presented to the corresponding authority, which will protect him in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

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Topic # 4:  Tijuana: Human Heads Thrown into Voting Locations, Ballot Boxes Burned on Election Day

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/tijuana-human-heads-thrown-into-voting.html

 



Left: A Villa Fontana voting location burns. Right: Human remains are left at a Terrazas de Valle voting location

 

The Story:

 

June 6, 2021 was considered to be the largest midterm election in Mexico’s history. Such an unprecedented election brought out truly unprecedented acts of voter suppression. This came in the form of unapologetic displays of intimidation, destruction and gore by criminal elements at polling locations for the sole purpose of preventing citizens from voting. At least 88 politicians have been killed in Mexico since last September and dozens of hopeful candidates have been the victims of violence during this campaign season. And election day was not the end to the violence, as voters now became the victims of gruesome acts. In particular, the city of Tijuana, in Baja California was witness to some of the most horrific attacks on voting locations. What follows occurred entirely in  the city of Tijuana.

 



 

9:00 AM

 

Neighborhood: Terrazas de Valle. Street: Hacienda Las Palmeras, near Hacienda Santa Monica Street

 

A man entered the voting location and approached the table where the ballot boxes were sitting. The man was described as wearing a white and green plaid shirt. The man placed a white cardboard box with green and blue stripes on the table while saying “They send them to you,” to the polling officials nearby, then he quickly ran away from the location. The box he had left was originally for plastic syringes, although it seemed to have been repurpose for other means. When officials opened the box, they discovered that inside the box was a human head. Officials alerted law enforcement who cordoned off the area with crime scene tape. The voting at this location had to be immediately suspended.

 



 

9:40 AM

 

Neighborhood: Terrazas de Valle, Street: Paseo de Las Águilas Sur 25, near Hacienda Santa Monica Street

 

Two suspicious black garbage bags were discovered by neighbors who reported them to police. The municipal police officers arrived on scene and found that inside the bags were human remains. These remains were placed less than 100 meters away from the ballot boxes of voting location 1431. This voting location was right in front of a secondary school called the Misioneros de Baja California. Unlike at the previous voting location, the remains at 1431 were able to be cordoned off for the forensic team without requiring the voting to be suspended due to their distance from the ballot boxes.

 



 

10:00 AM

 

Neighborhood: Terrazas de Valle, Street: Paseo de la Lomas Ave, near Paseo de La Torres

 

Multiple subjects arrived at voting location 1432 in a white compact vehicle. One of the individuals entered the polling tent carrying a wooden box while shouting out threats. He then placed the box on the table right next to the gubernatorial ballot box. He rejoined the other subjects who all quickly re-entered their vehicle and drove away. Inside the wooden box was reportedly a human head, two hands and two feet. According to El Sol de Tijuana, when a poll worker first approached the box and peered inside they were so shocked by the contents that they fainted. The poll worker received medical attention from Red Cross paramedics and they are reported to be in stable condition. This polling location had to suspend all voting in order to let the forensic team collect and process evidence.

 



 

12:00 PM

 

Neighborhood: Mariano Matamoros, Street: Montealban Street, near Las Torres Ave A

 

Tijuana Municipal Police received a report that the body was found on the corner of Las Torres Avenue and Montealban Street in the Mariano Matamoros neighborhood of Tijuana. When they arrived at the location, which is behind a shopping center, they sighted a white foam cooler placed on the sidewalk near the busy street. A human head was found inside. Personnel from the State Attorney General's Office went to the scene to begin the investigation. There were no voting locations within the immediate area.

 



 

12:40 PM

 

Neighborhood: El Dorado Residencial, Street: Campeche Street, near Domingo Ariata street

 

Only fifteen meters away from the tent of voting location 1384, a suspicious black suitcase was discovered. Once police were alerted to the suitcase by an observant civilian, they opened it to discover another human head. It is not reported when or how the suitcase arrived in the polling area. No further details on this discovery.

 



 

4:45 PM

 

Neighborhood: Urbi Villas del Prado, Street: Privada Roca Street, near Carita de Dios migrant shelter

 

According to witnesses who were present at voting location 1903, several men who were dressed in black, wearing hoods and armed with firearms arrived at the tent and burned the ballot boxes on the tables.

 



 

5:40 PM

 

Neighborhood: Mariano Matamoros, Street: Boulevard Manuel Jesús Clouthier, near Josefa Ortiz Street

 

Unknown persons arrived at the voting booth number 1154 and set fire to the location. Social media users who witnessed the event report that molotov cocktails were used by the aggressors in order to start the fire. A civilian bystander was injured by the flames and had to receive medical attention. No further details.

 



 

6:00 PM

 

Neighborhood: Villa Fontana, Street: Boulevard Cucapah, near Paseo Villa Fontana Street

 

A blue Ford Explorer SUV arrived near voting boxes number 1560 which was located in the parking lot of a Calimax, which is a local grocery store chain. Men dressed in black, wearing hoods piled out of the SUV and approached the tent, throwing incendiary bottles of gasoline. The people inside the polling tent ran in different directions, fleeing the area for safety's sake. At first, the men appeared to target the ballot boxes specifically. Once the boxes were burned, they indiscriminately threw the bottles at the tables and chairs under the tent. The whole voting setup went up in flames. The aggressors escaped the area afterwards however two suspects were later found in the Villa Fontana park and arrested in connection to this crime.

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Topic # 5:  Homicides from May Highest in 9 Months; Violence Steadily Rising

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/homicides-from-may-highest-in-9-months.html

 



 

The Story:

 

May was the worst month for homicides since August 2020, according to daily figures published by the federal government that also show that murders have increased every month so far this year. There were 2,462 victims of homicide and femicide last month for a daily average of 79.4 murders. The preliminary figures typically undercount murders by 15% to 20%, meaning that final data, to be published June 20, will likely show there were close to 3,000 homicides and femicides in May. The last time Mexico recorded a higher daily number of murders than in May was last August when the figure was 81.4. Last month was the most violent May since President López Obrador took office in late 2018. The preliminary total of murders was 1.6% higher than May 2020 and 3.3% higher than May 2019. The preliminary data also shows that average daily homicides and femicides have increased every month since December. There was an average of 70.8 murders per day last December, 76.7 in January, 78.7 in February, 78.8 in March, 79 in April and 79.4 in May. The average in May was 12.1% higher than the average in December. The month-over-month increase in murders coincided with both the loosening of coronavirus restrictions as the intensity of Mexico’s pandemic declined and with the campaign period leading up to municipal, state and federal elections this Sunday.

 

Scores of politicians and candidates are among the thousands of people who have been murdered in 2021. Thirty months after López Obrador was sworn in as president and set about implementing a “hugs, not bullets” security policy that favors addressing the root causes of violence with social programs rather than combating it with force, homicide numbers remain alarmingly high. The deployment of more than 100,000 troops of a new security force, the National Guard, and the ongoing use of the armed forces to carry out public security tasks have been unable to stem the bloodshed, with a new record for homicides set in 2019 before only a minimal reduction was achieved in 2020 even as authorities encouraged people to stay at home as much as possible to combat the spread of the coronavirus. In May, Guanajuato retained its unenviable title of Mexico’s most violent state with 271 murders, according to the preliminary data. México state ranked second with 226 homicides and femicides followed by Michoacán, Jalisco and Chihuahua, with 222, 206 and 156, respectively. Murders in those five states accounted for 44% of the total reported by the Public Security Ministry last month. Guanajuato, where numerous criminal groups including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel are fighting each other for control, has been Mexico’s most violent state since 2019.

 

Celaya, a midsized city about 100 kilometers southeast of the state capital, was the most violent city in the world in 2020, according to a study by a Mexican nongovernmental organization. Irapuato, a city known as Mexico’s strawberry capital, ranked as the fifth most violent. Authorities hoped that the arrest of Santa Rosa de Lima kingpin José Antonio “El Marro” Yépez Ortiz last August would help achieve a sustained reduction in violence in Guanajuato but after a brief decline in homicides rampant bloodshed returned. Another state of concern is Zacatecas, which ranked as the sixth most violent state last month in terms of sheer homicide numbers. The northern state, whose location between Pacific coast ports and Mexico’s northeastern border with the United States makes it a drug trafficking nexus, recorded 130 murders last month, seven more than Baja California and 25 more than Mexico City, both of which have much higher populations. A recent survey by Mexico’s statistics agency Inegi revealed that the crime-ridden city of Fresnillo, located 60 kilometers north of Zacatecas city, has the distinction of being the Mexican city where the highest percentage of residents say they feel unsafe. Among the almost 2,500 murders reported in May were several that made headlines.

 

Three siblings – two brothers and their sister – were kidnapped and killed in Jalisco early last month, a crime that triggered a large protest in Guadalajara against violence and insecurity. The assassination of Abel Murrieta, a former attorney general of Sonora who was running for mayor in Cajeme (Ciudad Obregón), on May 13 was another high-profile case as was the murder of Alma Barragán, a candidate for mayor in Moroleón, Guanajuato, who was shot dead on May 25. All told, 13 candidates and politicians were murdered in May, according to Etellekt, a risk analysis firm. As is the norm in Mexico, the majority of the perpetrators of the crimes were not taken into custody. One exception was a man identified only as Andrés N., a suspected serial killer of women who was arrested in México state on May 18 and admitted to killing and eating numerous women over a period of 20 years. But the 72-year-old would likely still be at large had his final victim not been the wife of a police commander, who took it upon himself to investigate the disappearance of his spouse.

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Topic # 6:  EXCLUSIVE: Bloody Ice Chests Found at Mexican Border State Election Polling Places

Source: https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/06/08/exclusive-bloody-ice-chests-found-at-mexican-border-state-election-polling-places/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

At two other locations, authorities found a severed pig head and other bloody pieces of meat inside a chest. Authorities in Nuevo Leon also confirmed to Breitbart Texas a report of six gunmen vandalizing a polling location in the Pedregal de La Silla neighborhood. The gunmen also threatened voters. It is unclear if they physically tampered with any ballot materials. Samuel Garcia, the candidate from Movimiento Ciudadano, claimed victory with unofficial results giving him a 10 percent advantage over other candidates. One of the surprises of the election was the poor performance of Clara Luz Flores, from the MORENA party, who was at one point expected to win but ended in fourth place. MORENA is the ruling party in Mexico founded by current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

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Topic # 7: NARCO SEEKS TO RENEW PACTS WITH GOVERNMENTS THROUGH 2021 ELECTIONS

Source:  https://elblogdelnarco.com/2021/06/07/el-narco-busca-renovar-pactos-con-gobiernos-a-traves-de-elecciones-2021/

 



 

The Story:

 

A report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) gives an account of narcopolitical operations in Mexico where criminal groups can bet on candidacies to be benefited, the elections of next June 6 can be seen as a "great democratic party" by the electoral authorities, but they also mean access to power for cartels that invested in a mayor's office, the weakest link in government orders and easily captured. “The Mexican elections are more than a competition between candidates for popular support. They are also a forum for criminal groups to obtain, prolong and consolidate their access to state power, ”says the ICG in its report on Latin America No. 89, published on June 2. Through the analysis of the Tierra Caliente region in Michoacán, this report describes how criminals, politicians and security forces operate during the electoral process. Although President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has reiterated that there are no pacts in his administration, the report states that these agreements continue, but entail degrees of complexity in areas such as Michoacán, where extended domains of a hegemonic association are not updated. "The criminal factions dispute fragments of the Mexican state, so those involved have been involved in a network of relationships in which violent ruptures are frequent," the report warns. And it is that in the Michoacan entity there are permanent conflicts, because local cells resist losing their power, which has taken root over the years due to the same complicities that they forged.

 

On the other hand, in this quest to lead rivals, they attack security forces that they identify with their enemies, since they consider that their rivals and the fraction of authority have agreements to affect them. "It's the same blowjob as before, but more stupid, more disorganized," an intermediary who reached agreements with the National Guard in favor of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel told the ICG. Supposedly, the theft of hydrocarbons negotiated in central and northern Mexico is protected by these agreements at the federal level. In addition, regional military leaders continue to operate with high levels of autonomy, hence their scope for establishing connections with criminals. The organization criticizes that the security policies of the López Obrador government are apparently passive, while there is a lack of interest in cutting ties between crime and officials. Regarding the understanding in Tierra Caliente, another operator of groups that dispute the territory indicated that he has a good relationship with the local commander of the National Guard, and despite receiving support, he added that his rivals had reached the same pact with senior agents and high-level officials in other regions. Having the backing of the government, indicates the ICG, gives a guideline to "grow", sabotage the agreements of their enemies and guarantees of impunity. As well as having police service, accessing intelligence information, or obtaining part of the budget in the form of salaries, but without working.

 

This is what can be negotiated at each stage of the elections. "Criminal groups in Tierra Caliente are so influential that candidates frequently approach them for support," reports the ICG. According to data cited by the organization, the authorized campaign spending cap is around 333 thousand pesos to run for a mayor's office in Michoacán. But those who want to buy votes or give food pantries invest between 10, 15 and even 20 million pesos. Hence, illicit financing is a window of opportunity. Furthermore, criminal groups can turn to their operators to channel a certain number of voters, sometimes at the cost of threats. In addition to this, applicants may have previous ties to criminal factions, which facilitates operations to continue dominance in a region. Either by direct or indirect ties, through those who make up your team. However, agreements with applicants are not always respected. A military source assured Crisis Group that there may be "paradise municipalities" where there is no violence because that has been agreed. But at the government level, they can sell territory to competing factions.

 

Although sometimes only half of what is promised is obtained, noted a criminal operator, it is better than making enemies of officials. But others can unleash waves of violence out of anger at not seeing their investments recovered, for example with police killings. Next Sunday the largest elections in the history of the country will be held in more than 162 thousand polling stations, which will be able to attend more than 90 million citizens. 20,417 positions will be elected throughout Mexico, including 15 governorships. The federal government ensures that there are conditions for voting in order and tranquility. Although there are red spots, generalized instability is ruled out. The National Guard will monitor the development of the elections.

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Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #908 on: June 23, 2021, 11:47:07 AM »
June 23, 2021
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US-Mexico Border Security: A Modern Version of an Old Problem
It’s a geopolitical problem that often gets painted in political colors.
By: Allison Fedirka

U.S.-Mexico defense and security cooperation is a geopolitical conundrum. Geography dictates that the two countries must work together to address security concerns across their extensive shared border, among other issues. However, a host of constraints – many of which are permanent or endemic – surround this relationship. Such constraints limit the space in which cooperation can take place and the possibility for mutually acceptable solutions.

The United States and Mexico share one of the longest continuous and dynamic land borders in the world. There are 50 official crossings along the 1,900 miles of border between them. Before the pandemic, approximately $1 billion worth of trade crossed the border every day, with advanced manufactured goods often crossing back and forth multiple times. This movement of goods is vital for both countries’ economies. Mexican exports to the U.S. represent approximately 31 percent of its gross domestic product, and the four U.S. states that border Mexico (and rely heavily on migrant labor) account for 25 percent of U.S. GDP.

Commerce at the border is possible so long as the border is secure and stable. But more than that, a tranquil border – something that has generally existed since the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 – was a geopolitical prerequisite for Washington to project power abroad. In other words, the absence of a major threat from the south freed up policymakers to allocate resources toward supporting and executing their foreign policy ambitions. (So important is border security that in World War I, Germany tried but failed to sow conflict between the U.S. and Mexico in hopes of bogging down the U.S. Army in North America.)

Rightly or wrongly, U.S.-Mexico border security tends to get lumped in with domestic politics – such that it obscures the real reasons border tensions are so difficult to resolve. The issue du jour, of course, is immigration, specifically Central American immigration via Mexico. (This issue predates the pandemic, but the associated economic and social deterioration of COVID-19 made it worse.) There is a consensus among the U.S., Mexico and Central American countries that the migration flows should be addressed, as should the underlying causes of migration. There is no consensus on how to do it. No country wants to assume the bulk of the responsibility for a solution where others have a say. The solution each country brings to the negotiating table often reflects the political necessities of the moment, painting a fundamentally geopolitical problem in political colors.

The underlying constraints that limit the intensity and the potential of U.S. and Mexican cooperation are a byproduct of a historical rivalry. The United States didn’t always dominate North America; it had to compete with Mexico for territory and foreign allies, especially in both of their early years.

They even fought a war with each other, after which Mexico lost large swaths of territory to the U.S. Equally scarring but often forgotten up north are the memories formed by a U.S. military invasion that ventured not only into the borderlands but into what is present-day Mexico City.

Subsequent U.S. interventions and invasions of Mexican territory reinforced Mexico’s sensitivity to and distrust of U.S. security forces. During the Mexican Revolution in 1910, Mexico was so unstable that the U.S., compelled as it was to stem any spillover into its territory, sought to block incoming weapons to Mexico that could add to the violence, including by occupying the port of Veracruz.

Then there was U.S. involvement in the Punitive Expedition of 1916-17. One of the leading figures vying for political power during the revolution was Pancho Villa, who actively tried to draw the U.S. into the conflict as a way to undermine Mexican state forces. After he attacked U.S. citizens and raided border towns, the U.S. Army sent as many as 12,000 soldiers into Mexico to search for Villa. And though the U.S. would withdraw them as WWI commanded more and more attention, the seeds of distrust in Mexico had been planted.

However unlikely an invasion from the north may be, the fear of subjugation is a defining feature of Mexico City’s border security strategy. Mexico is obviously not strong enough to unilaterally take on the U.S. alone, so its current strategy revolves around keeping U.S. security forces at as much distance as possible. But since security cooperation is in both of their interests, they have had to engage in a variety of ways to keep the border safe. Perhaps the most notable of which was the 2008 Merida Initiative, which established a cooperation framework between the U.S. and Mexico for combating transnational crime, drug trafficking and money laundering primarily through U.S. support to the judiciary. But even then, there are parameters in place to limit the physical presence of U.S. security officials in Mexico and to regulate how shared information is exercised and used. More recently, the Mexican government went further and passed legislation that restricts the operational tasks U.S. security and intelligence agents can engage in.

Geography also makes it difficult for Mexican security forces to cooperate with outside countries. Mountainous and desert terrain split Mexico into states that, during colonial times and early independence, were extremely isolated from the central government and needed to rely on their own resources and systems for governance and security. Over time, this contributed to power vacuums that have often been filled by criminal groups. Crises such as pandemics make it all the more difficult for the central government to reassert control.

The U.S. understands all these limitations, which is why the immigration issue remains so intractable. It’s also why the U.S. has begun to reengage with Central American countries more directly. Mexico will always be part of the equation, but there is only so much it can do given its financial constraints and its general (and understandable) aversion to U.S. security presence. It’s a contemporary version of a historical problem, one that calls into the question the very concept of national sovereignty.

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #909 on: June 23, 2021, 11:49:43 AM »
second


 

CU’s El Betin Gunned Down in Street by Sicarios in Morelia, Michoacan
Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas: Cartel del Golfo Burns Captured Combatants
Reynosa, Tamaulipas: The Hunting of Innocent Civilians
Knights Templar Cartel joins CJNG to Form Michoacan New Mob Cartel
La Costa, Michoacan: CJNG Leaves Decapitated Heads and Message for El Abuelo (Graphic image Attached)
Chihuahua: Business Robbery, Crime With the Most Increase in Corral Administration
EXCLUSIVE: Los Zetas Cartel Builds Big Data Surveillance System on Mexican Border City
Mexican president vows to investigate deadly border shootings of innocent bystanders
 

 

Topic # 1:   CU’s El Betin Gunned Down in Street by Sicarios in Morelia, Michoacan

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/cus-el-betin-gunned-down-in-street-by.html

 



 

The Story:

 

El Betín was gunned down inside his car in the middle of the street on Sunday. El Betín is the brother of a Carteles Unidos plaza boss named El Seco in Apatzingán. El Betín also allegedly had financial ties to powerful Carteles Unidos leader Alberto Espinoza Barrón, "La Fresa" an infamous, high ranking former leader of La Familia Michoacana.

 

The Shooting

 

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 20 2021, a man known by the alias “El Betín” or “El Cocón” was driving in his purple Chevrolet Camaro on Periférico Paseo de la República street, in an area south of the city of Morelia, Michoacán. When El Betín reached the section of the street near the subdivision “Morelia 450” unknown assailants opened fire on him. No details are given about the appearance of the attackers nor if they were inside a vehicle at the time of the shooting. The vehicle and El Betín himself were riddled with bullets in the attack. The assailants then fled in an unknown direction. El Betín received serious gunshot injuries from the shooting. Witnesses to the attack called the emergency services line to report the incident. Paramedics were dispatched to the scene. El Betín was given basic first aid on site and rushed in an ambulance to a hospital however Betín succumbed to his injuries and died while he was being treated by doctors at the hospital.



 

Who is El Betín? How does he relate to Carteles Unidos?

 

Contra Muro reports that El Betín is the brother of Juan Manuel Montero Nambo, alias “El Seco”, who is alleged to be the Carteles Unidos plaza boss in charge of the town of Santiago de Acahuato, in Apatzingán municipality. El Betín has also allegedly been financially linked to Alberto Espinoza Barrón, alias “La Fresa” or 'The Strawberry'. La Fresa is a former lieutenant of the La Familia Michoacana. He is currently believed to be a major leadership figure within Carteles Unidos. Back in the 2000s-2010s, La Fresa is believed to have taken over the Morelia plaza after the death of “El Güero”. La Fresa was believed to be a financial advisor and right arm of Dionisio Loya Plancarte, alias "El Tío" and Nazario Moreno González alias "El Chayo", the leaders of La Familia Michoacana at the time.



La Fresa was arrested in December 2008 and was believed to be succeeded by Rafael Cedeño Hernández alias “El Cede” after Fresa’s arrest. El Cede was later famously arrested in 2009 while attending a baptism party for a baby born to a cartel member. With La Fresa having all these historic ties to the criminal underworld of Michoacán, Fresa is a very interesting character for El Betín to allegedly have direct financial ties to.

 

Who is his brother, El Seco?

 

Juan Manuel Montero Nambo, alias “El Seco” a native of the town of Acahuato, municipality of Apatzingán, Michoacán. He first came to the attention of the public in 2014 when an avocado farmer from Tancítaro came forward to authorities and revealed that two years prior, in November 2012, El Seco had kidnapped him and held him for ransom. The avocado farmer was only released by El Seco and his men because the farmer had promised he would sell some property he owned in order to afford the large ransom they were demanding. After his captors released him, the farmer made good on his promise, sold the property and delivered the money to appease El Seco. The farmer did not report the incident to police at the time because he was afraid of reprisals against his family.   



Juan Manuel Montero Nambo, alias “El Seco”

 

The farmer had chosen to come forward in 2014 because El Seco was believed to have fled the state and believed to be in hiding so he was unable to hurt the farmer’s family in retribution. When the Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office received this report from the avocado farmer, they began investigating the current whereabouts of El Seco.  They were able to locate him in the town of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, in the state of Jalisco. According to Vallarta Uno,  El Seco had been hiding out in Jalisco for the last 8 months because “he was hiding from another subject with whom he had problems in his state [Michoacán]”. El Seco was arrested by authorities and presented before a judge on charges related to the homicide of six people and the kidnapping of seven others.  In addition to the November 2012 avocado farmer kidnapping, El Seco is believed to be involved in the kidnapping and ransom of two women in Tancítaro, also in November 2012. One of the kidnapped women was released, presumably after payment was received while the other woman was later found dead.



El Seco after being apprehended by the PGR in 2014

 

El Seco is believed to be involved in the August 2013 kidnapping and subsequent murder of five people in Tancítaro. Only 3 remains of the five kidnapped were ever recovered. Those three remains were located in September, a month after they were kidnapped, in the Tepalcatepec river. El Seco is also suspected in the November 2014 kidnapping of 4 farmers in the city of Apatzingán. Those four farmers are still missing to this day, their whereabouts unknown.



El Seco after being apprehended by the PGR in 2014

 

Who was behind the hit on El Betín?

 

The cartel affiliation of the assailants who killed El Betín is currently unknown. There are no confirmed reports on who was behind the attack. It should be noted that Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) has previously threatened El Betín’s brother El Seco on social media. The CJNG is widely considered to be Carteles Unidos’s primary rival in the state of Michoacán. According to Letra Roja, in May 2021 the CJNG publicly named and threatened members of the Michoacán Police who they allege are working for El Seco and fellow Carteles Unidos member, El Tukan.

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Topic # 2:  Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas: Cartel del Golfo Burns Captured Combatants

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/monte-escobedo-zacatecas-cartel-del.html

 



 

A new video from the Mexican underworld has just surfaced online. For this broadcast hitmen from the Gulf Cartel (CDG), in alliance with the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) are disposing of their adversaries with fire in an open field. An ominous message for the enemy is being spoken. While an enforcer is pouring a flammable liquid from a one gallon container onto a tight firewood stack. Beneath the mound of wood lies an injured Grupo Flechas combatant. Before their communique concludes the horrific screams of the immolated individual can be heard in the background.

 

Video translation is as follows:

 

Sicario #1: This will be the fate of everyone who wants to help out the Sinaloa enforcers. For those of you wanting to do a favor for the Sinaloa Cartel. As it is you owe us for that loss we took in Tepetongo. Little by little we are going to turn things around in our favor. I’m telling you this ahead of time so that you don’t find yourselves in disbelief afterwards. So you all know how Commander Fantasma takes care of things.

 

Sicario #2: Pay attention gentlemen. This is how the Sinaloa gunmen are being burned away. Because you guys are assholes and pieces of shit. You still owe us for that loss we had in Tepetongo. We are the absolute mob of Mr. Fantasma. This is an operation for Mr. Fantasma you fucks. The fucking towns of Monte Escobedo and Tepetongo belong to us.

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Topic # 3:  Reynosa, Tamaulipas: The Hunting of Innocent Civilians

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/reynosa-tamaulipas-hunting-of-innocent.html

 



 

The Story:

 

Last Saturday, the city of Reynosa was again a ghost town of desolate avenues and closed shops. Messages circulating on WhatsApp asking people not to leave their homes and alert their families that the nightmare had begun again. That day a caravan formed by trucks and sedan cars arrived in Reynosa from Río Bravo. Those who were part of the convoy toured four colonies in the east - Almaguer, Lampacitos, Unidad Obrera and Bienestar - shooting at the people they were encountering in their path. Construction workers, workers repairing the sewer, a young newly graduated nurse, an elderly person who walked under the burning sun (and who was shot in the throat), the owner of a grocery store and a customer who was shopping at the time he passed the hitmen's armed criminal cell. In total, 14 people whose lives were cut up on the chopping block at the whim of the murderers. The citizens of Reynosa have learned to live between shootings that are recorded almost every day, at any time. It is common for citizens to check their social networks before leaving home or work, in order to avoid war zones: roads in which persecutions are recorded, or vehicles are burned.

 

It’s not strange that civilians lose their lives by being caught in the crossfire of the groups that dispute control of that border city. But nothing like this had ever happened. The hunt for innocent people, without a criminal record or any relationship with organized crime. "Unpublished, unprecedented," said Attorney Irving Barrios. In April 2017, a former bodyguard who had become leader of the Gulf Cartel, Julián Manuel Loisa Salinas, El Comandante Toro, was killed by the Navy. Loisa was fleeing for the sixth time from an operation designed to stop him. On that occasion he couldn't escape. The truck in which he was fleeing crashed into a tree: he descended opening fire on the sailors. He was riddled on the spot. His death unleashed two days of chaos and extreme violence in Reynosa. His men burned shops, cars, buses, cargo trucks. There were 32 blockades in the city. The Gulf Cartel itself circulated audios ordering people not to leave their homes. There were versions that a group of Cyclones - one of the factions of the cartel - had been sent from Matamoros to take over the city, one of the main drug and migrant crossings: a kidnapping gold mine, "protection fee", hydrocarbon theft and extortion.

 

The command was assumed by Jesús García, El Güero Jessi. But other cartel leaders opposed: Alberto Salinas, El Betillo; Petronilo Flores, aka El Metro 100 or El Comandante Panilo; Lui Alberto Blanco, El Pelochas, as well as Juan Miguel Lizardi, nicknamed Miguelito 56. Between April and July of that year, 90 executions were recorded in Reynosa. There was talk of a hundred disappearances. Clashes between Los Metros (fraction of the CDG whose stronghold is Reynosa), Los Ciclones (armed wing created by Alfredo Cárdenas Martínez, El Contador) and Los Escorpiones (fraction created by Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén, aka Tony Tormenta, and composed of ex-police officers) intensified. The internal struggle ended in a bloodbath that plunged Reynosa into darkness. El Betillo and El Güero Jessi were killed. El Pelochas and El Metro 100, arrested. His successors continued to be engaged in a struggle that has made Reynosa one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico - and with the greatest perception of insecurity.

 

In 2019, 140 inhabitants of Charco Escondido, just 20 kilometers from Reynosa, left their homes: the hitmen had entered the community to burn several homes: seven people from the same family were killed days later. In the middle of all that fire, the Northeast Cartel was also introduced into the area, commanded by a nephew of the bloodthirsty Z-40, former leader of the Zetas: Juan Gerardo Treviño, known as El Huevo. For years, the bodies of executed people have appeared on rural roads, as happened in May 2021 when six men in tactical vests were found with gunshots in the head, or as happened in August last year, when the heads of three "bodyguards" of Commander Maestrín (a lieutenant of Miguelito 56) appeared.

 

For years, blockades have been a daily thing, as happened last March, when Mayor Maki Ortiz could not reach the celebration for the 272 years of the foundation of the city because criminals had crossed vehicles and placed caltrops on various avenues. For years, in one of the main manufacturing and cross-border trade centers, classes have been suspended, shops close, people have equipped themselves in their homes: the streets become a cemetery. And yet, nothing similar to what happened this Saturday had never happened: hitmen hunting people in the streets: murderers who go through four colonies killing at random, without anything happening: without being persecuted, arrested, judged. The massacres are repeated. Violence in Mexico is out of control and the State is increasingly incapable of guaranteeing the security of citizens.

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Topic # 4: Knights Templar Cartel joins CJNG to Form Michoacan New Mob Cartel

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/knights-templar-cartel-joins-cjng-to.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The Knights Templar Cartel has separated from the United Cartels (CU) and joined forces with the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) and now call themselves the Cártel Gente Nueva de Michoacán (Michoacán New Mob Cartel). The possible rupture between the Knights Templar and United Cartels came after the murder of a well-known owner of a steakhouse in the town of Coalcoman, who had alleged links with the criminal organization. It is believed that the hitmen behind the attack were from Cárteles Unidos, who in addition to murdering the owner Margarito Gálvez, also set fire to the restaurant with the victim inside. A crime that caused indignation because residents claimed that the man was honest and had no criminal activity, a fact that contrasts with the version of the reason for the rupture between the Michoacán cartels. The owner of the restaurant gained notoriety in 2019, when Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) ate at the restaurant during a visit to the state of Michoacán along with two other members of his cabinet.

 

The Knights Templar Cartel

 

The Knights Templar Cartel emerged in the state of Michoacán as an ally of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS). And publicly announced its appearance in March 2011, originally it would replace the La Familia Michoacana (LFM) but over the years both groups followed each other in their own way. The original leaders of the Knights Templar were Enrique Plancarte aka El Kike Plancarte, Servando Gómez Martínez, aka La Tuta and José Antonio González aka El Pepe, who after the alleged death of the leader of the Michoacana Family, Nazario Moreno González aka El Chayo, the Madest Male and the Craziest One, in December 2010. Following after the break with Jesús Méndez Vargas, tried to take over the social base that The Michoacana Family captured in its beginnings. But most of its founders have been killed or arrested, which turned The Knights Templar into a very small cartel with a discreet presence which led it to be part of United Cartels to confront the CJNG. Unidos is an alliance of several small criminal groups such as Los Viagras and La Familia Michoacana, as well as some self-defense groups that have allegedly received support from the Sinaloa Cartel to combat the CJNG's attempts to take control of key coastal areas used to bring drugs to Mexico, as well as production territories in the mountains.

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Topic # 5:  La Costa, Michoacan: CJNG Leaves Decapitated Heads and Message for El Abuelo

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/la-costa-michoacan-cjng-leave.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The Cartel Jalisco New Generation released online a narco message directed at Juan Jose Farías Álvarez aka El Abuelo Farías. Their notice also included the heads of two decapitated males in a styrofoam cooler. The ascending CJNG is looking to assassinate him. El Abuelo is a controversial figure in Mexico. He’s been linked to the self-defense groups and the world of drug trafficking. In the city of Tepalcatepec he is received with praise and cheers by the townspeople. El Abuelo is a celebrity for some but for the Michoacán government El Abuelo is a criminal. Currently he’s the leader of the Tepalcatepec Cartel.

 

Narco message reads as follows:

 

This will be the fate of everyone who supports El Abuelo, El Torró, El Teto. Along with you Chopo Panzón, you’re next bitch. Jackass, jackass, jackass. Sincerely, CJNG

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Topic # 6:  Chihuahua: Business Robbery, Crime With the Most Increase in Corral Administration

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/chihuahua-business-robbery-crime-with.html

 

   

 

The Story:

 

According to data from the Trust for Competitiveness and Citizen Security (Ficosec), during the administration of Governor Javier Corral Jurado the crime that increased the most was that of robbery without violence, while in the rest of crimes the variation is not very significant. “The truth is that the statistical behavior comparing the last three state administrations is very similar; There is not much to analyze, because it varies in some crimes, well, there are some that have gone down in this administration, but there are others that have gone up ”, explained Arturo Luján Olivas, director of the Ficosec Foundation. Regarding the investigation folders for business robbery without violence, the director of the association points out that in the administration from 2010 to 2016, a total of 7,805 folders were found, while the current administration, which ends in September, has registered 9,046, which corresponds to an increase of 27.6%. This is by comparing the first 55 months of each administration, to make a fair comparison, since it should be remembered that this last period of government has been shorter than the previous ones.

 

Regarding intentional homicide, it only increased 1% compared to the previous administration, since from 8,894 folders during the period of César Duarte, the figure increased to 8,990 in the Corral government. “Those 100 folders are a very small variation; but in what corresponds to victims there is a significant decrease, since in the previous administration there were 11,291 victims, while this administration has registered 10,198 deaths ”. The highest peak in this crime was registered in August 2020, with 247 folders, which compared to the most complicated month of the previous administration, which was January 2011, with 311 folders, shows a decrease of 20.5%. "Yes there is an important change, but we must also take into account that the figures are sometimes highlighted in folders and sometimes the victims must be highlighted, as a folder can have more than one victim." However, historically the month of January 2011 is not the highest, since in the Reyes Baeza administration, which was from 2004 to 2010, August 2010 had a total of 406 research folders; 39.1% more than the most violent month of the last administration.

 

“The rest of the crimes that we monitor, which is the robbery of a house with and without violence; business robbery with violence, vehicle robbery in its two forms, kidnapping and extortion, the numbers decreased; that means we can talk about an improvement.” As for the crime that decreased the most in the last 55 weeks, it is theft of a vehicle with violence, it has a decrease, in the comparison of administrations, of more than 82% in the investigation folders, while theft without violence also decreased up to 60% statewide. “Of course the decline is a good thing, although we will never be satisfied with the numbers around public safety; it would be wrong for us to affirm satisfaction with the numbers, but we are able to recognize that in hard data there is improvement in some crimes ”. Therefore, the head of the Ficosec Foundation points out that the crime trend has been downward, despite the fact that there are erratic months in terms of crime, however crime levels are still above the national average.

 

“In the last 12 months, which correspond from June 2020 to May 2021, the mobile homicide rate is 6.6 victims per 100,000 inhabitants; while the municipalities of Chihuahua bring a rate of 44 victims and Ciudad Juárez of 102 per 100 thousand inhabitants ”. Likewise, he pointed out that 45 of the 67 municipalities in the state are above the national average in terms of homicides; taking into account that there are municipalities where the rate must be for every 10,000 inhabitants, because the population is smaller. "It is not the same to speak of 20 homicides in Ciudad Juárez, to speak of 20 homicides in Cuauhtémoc, in Uruachi or any of the towns that are located in the mountainous area, which do not even reach 100,000 inhabitants."

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Topic # 7:  EXCLUSIVE: Los Zetas Cartel Builds Big Data Surveillance System on Mexican Border City

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/06/22/exclusive-los-zetas-cartel-builds-big-data-surveillance-system-on-mexican-border-city/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

Los Zetas Cartel checkpoints in the border city of Nuevo Laredo are linked to more than 100 forced disappearances–including the recent kidnapping of three U.S. citizens. The checkpoints exist with complete impunity and are part of a complex strategy to give the criminal organization more control by harvesting the data of those stopped at the roadblocks. Breitbart Texas consulted with U.S. law enforcement agents in Mexico who are working the case of a missing Texas family from earlier this month as they were traveling from a town in Nuevo Leon to the border city of  Nuevo Laredo. 39-year-old Gladys Cristina Perez Sanchez traveled with her 16-year-old son, Juan Carlos Gonzales, and her 9-year-old daughter, Cristina Duran, when they went missing. The current theory is the family encountered a cartel checkpoint. In 2021, authorities have documented close to 100 similar cases in and around Nuevo Laredo–prime Los Zetas turf.

 

Authorities from both sides of the border shared with Breitbart Texas exclusive information about a complex intelligence apparatus used by the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas to exert complete control of their territories. The region is under the cartel command of Juan Gerardo “El Huevo” Trevino Chavez. The cartel operation uses lookouts and informants placed in strategic turf locations. Those individuals call in suspicious vehicles or persons who then intercepted. The gunmen interrogate the disappeared about their identities, where they are traveling, and why. The gunmen also order motorists to unlock their cell phones and check their social media. The cartel operators reportedly can quickly clone a phone they deem suspicious for deeper data mining. The information is relayed to a central network of radio, phone, and database operators, similar to a 911 call center. Authorities share grave concern about how CDN-Los Zetas has created a database which mimics government ones loaded with property records, license information, and other contents.

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Topic # 8:  Mexican president vows to investigate deadly border shootings of innocent bystanders

Source:  https://www.borderreport.com/regions/mexico/mexican-president-vows-to-investigate-deadly-border-shootings-of-innocent-bystanders/

 



 

The Story:

 

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 people dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed a rebound in killings nationwide. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said evidence indicated that 15 of the victims were innocent bystanders. The other four dead were suspected gunmen from a group that drove into the northern border city of Reynosa and opened fire indiscriminately. “Everything indicates that it was not a confrontation, but rather a commando that shot people who were not involved in any conflict,” López Obrador said. The government of Tamaulipas state, where Reynosa is located, said in a statement there was evidence the killings involved “organized crime,” which in Mexico is generally used to refer to drug cartels. Cartels in the Reynosa area have become increasingly involved in migrant trafficking or charging protection fees to migrant traffickers. Raymundo Ramos, who leads one of the state’s most active human rights groups, said he believed the killings were related to the June 6 elections that chose new mayors for Reynosa and most other Mexican cities and towns.

 

“This is clearly an act of post-electoral terror directed at the people of Reynosa, and probably a warning for the rest of the townships in Tamaulipas,” wrote Ramos. Drug gangs in Mexico rely heavily on intimidating or coopting local governments to extort money or gain protection from municipal police. Reynosa is located across the border from McAllen, Texas, and has been the scene of fighting between factions of the Gulf cartel. But those disputes usually target rival gunmen or security forces. The dead in the Saturday attack included taxi drivers, workers and a nursing student. On Monday, federal prosecutors said they were taking over the case, in which one suspect has been arrested. The Attorney General’s Office said the attack was “the result of territorial disputes between gangs from Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas and the cartels that operate in Reynosa.” Rio Bravo is located just to the east of Reynosa. Authorities are still investigating the motive, though in the past, drug cartels have sometimes used random killings of civilians to turn up the heat on rival gangs, or intimidate local authorities.

 

López Obrador pledged “a thorough investigation.” María Elena Morera, director of the civic anti-crime group Common Cause, said many people have become inured to such violence. “Mexicans have become accustomed to all these atrocities, without there being any real reaction,” Morera said. “In the face of so much violence, people prefer not to let the pain in, and turn away.” The killings Saturday in Reynosa, and the latest nationwide homicide figures, suggest that López Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” crime strategy is doing little to decrease killings. There were 2,963 homicides in May, the latest month for which figures are available, higher than May 2020 and well above the numbers that prevailed when López Obrador took office in December 2018. The government says homicides declined 2.9% in the first five months of 2021 compared to 2020, but that may be because January and February of this year were marked by Mexico’s worst coronavirus wave, when public activities were curtailed. “This is nothing,” Morera said of the drop. “It is as if you keep a patient in a coma and then say he’s doing very well.”

 

Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca called the Reynosa victims “innocent citizens,” and said “Criminal organizations must receive a clear, explicit and forceful signal from the Federal Government that there will be no room for impunity, nor tolerance for their reprehensible criminal behavior.” García Cabeza de Vaca belongs to the rival National Action Party and is himself being investigated by the federal prosecutor’s office for organized crime and money laundering – accusations he says are part of plan by López Obrador’s government to attack him for being an opponent. Local businessman Misael Chavarria Garza said many businesses closed early Saturday after the attacks and people were very scared as helicopters flew overhead. On Sunday, he said “the people were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people.” The attacks sparked a deployment of the military, National Guard and state police across the city.

 

The area’s criminal activity has long been dominated by the Gulf cartel and there have been fractures within that group. Experts say there has been an internal struggle within the group since 2017 to control key territories for drug and human trafficking. Apparently, one cell from a nearby town may have entered Reynosa to carry out the attacks. López Obrador has sought to avoid confrontations with drug cartels, at one point releasing a top trafficker to avoid bloodshed. He prefers to focus on addressing underlying social problems like youth unemployment. Earlier this month, López Obrador praised the drug cartels for not disrupting the June 6 mid-term voting, even though three dozen candidates were killed during the campaigns. “People who belong to organized crime behaved very well, in general, there were few acts of violence by these groups,” the president said. “I think the white-collar criminals acted worse.”

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Crafty_Dog

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G M

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Re: Mexican remittances
« Reply #911 on: July 01, 2021, 08:18:02 PM »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #912 on: July 02, 2021, 07:28:55 AM »
Mexico is our number one or two trading partner, yes?

G M

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #913 on: July 02, 2021, 10:10:23 AM »
Mexico is our number one or two trading partner, yes?

Does trade equal friendship?

How many Americans are murdered by illegals from Mexico every year?

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #914 on: July 02, 2021, 04:18:58 PM »
Non sequitur to the question presented concerning the economic effects of the remittances.  Other things being equal, and sometimes (China) they are not, trade is of mutual benefit.  They spend the money in part buying things from us.

G M

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #915 on: July 02, 2021, 05:13:45 PM »
Non sequitur to the question presented concerning the economic effects of the remittances.  Other things being equal, and sometimes (China) they are not, trade is of mutual benefit.  They spend the money in part buying things from us.

Americans buy lots of Superlab Meth and Fentanyl from our Mexican friends!

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #916 on: July 02, 2021, 06:14:00 PM »
And to what extent are we responsible for that?

 Anyway, that's not really the point.  The point is that a s a general rule trade is a good thing.

G M

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #917 on: July 02, 2021, 08:57:41 PM »
And to what extent are we responsible for that?

 Anyway, that's not really the point.  The point is that a s a general rule trade is a good thing.

In general, yes. When you have a country that dumps it's poverty problem on us and deliberately acts as a financial parasite, it's not.

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #918 on: July 03, 2021, 07:25:51 AM »
The remittances are the point in question here.



Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #921 on: July 03, 2021, 01:16:56 PM »
Yet another distinct point-- albeit a very interesting one.  OF COURSE we agree 100% on the cognitive dissonance of being able to find illegals to give them taxpayer money, but remittances are a separate issue.


G M

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #922 on: July 03, 2021, 02:10:05 PM »
Yet another distinct point-- albeit a very interesting one.  OF COURSE we agree 100% on the cognitive dissonance of being able to find illegals to give them taxpayer money, but remittances are a separate issue.

Don't you find the scamulus checks amount and the money sent to Mexico interesting?

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #923 on: July 03, 2021, 03:29:49 PM »
An obvious point , , , one that I confess eluded me until just now.  :oops: I was simply thinking of remittances as have been done for many years now out of the earnings of the illegals here, , ,
« Last Edit: July 03, 2021, 03:50:54 PM by Crafty_Dog »

G M

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #924 on: July 03, 2021, 03:47:51 PM »
An obvious point , , , one that I confess eluded me until just now.  :oops: I was simply think of remittances as have been done for many years now out of the earnings of the illegals here, , ,

And we subsidize it all. Because of the "off the grid" as far as reported income combined with no questions asked access to social programs, they have a high standard of living than many Americans.

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #925 on: July 06, 2021, 07:52:29 PM »
Contrast the headline and these two sets of facts from within the article:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/.../ice-appeals-to-public...

1) “In this area, just recently, we had a seizure of nine handguns, one hand gun barrel, 242 rounds of ammunition, 11 magazines, and almost $100,000,” he said. A U.S. citizen was arrested.
“We had a seizure of 31 firearms, 6,500 rounds of ammunition, and arrested a Mexican national who’s being prosecuted for smuggling.”

COMPARE WITH

2) Meanwhile, cartels are stocking up on firepower. Cartel purchases of military-grade weapons from Central and South American countries, especially Guatemala, are most concerning, Jones said.


Which one sounds more serious/dangerous to you?

Crafty_Dog

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Meanwhile on the other side of our open border
« Reply #926 on: July 31, 2021, 08:27:57 PM »

1. Ixmilauilpan, Hidalgo: Familia Michoacana Send Out Message For Local Criminal Cells

2. Guadalajara: Narcos Use Social Networks to Deceive and Recruit Hitmen

3. Sinaloa Cartel Mastermind Behind Murder of Politician Arrested in Quintana Roo

4. Zacatecas: 9 Males Killed, 3 are Crucified

5. Grupo Sombra Leaves Human Body in Chalma, Veracruz Along With Narcobanner (Graphic image Attached)

6. Tamaulipas: Alleged Enforcer For The Northeast Cartel Promotes His Enterprise

7. Rival Mexican Cartel Gunmen Freely Clash near Border Despite Army Post Two Miles Away





Topic # 1: Ixmilauilpan, Hidalgo: Familia Michoacana Send Out Message For Local Criminal Cells

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/ixmilauilpan-hidalgo-familia-michoacana.html






Synopsis:



A new video from the Mexican underworld has just surfaced online. For this broadcast La Familia Michoacána warns local fuel thieves about their illicit affairs. The communique just as well goes out to all the locals who deal in narcotics. Names of specific operatives in the area are mentioned. Their directive calls for a unity among their criminal counterparts. All who refuse are being warned of their inevitable demise.



Video translation is as follows:



Sicario #1: This video message goes out to the Los Ardilla gang. Especially for Jacinto, Chinto, Israel, and Hugo. As well as everyone else who is supporting the fuel thieves. Along with every shooter who belongs to the Los Charres gang. Including the crystal meth pushers. This here is an open invitation for everyone to align themselves with us. You’re being asked on good terms. We’re currently in Ixmilauilpan. Are you going to join our forces, yes or yes?

Sicario #2: We are the absolute Familia Michoacána you sons of bitches.

Sicarios scream: We are the absolute Familia Michoacána you sons of bitches.

Sicario #2: These faggots are nothing more than crystal meth addicts. There both going to fucking die. These sons of bitches are going to be killed for being nothing more than crystal meth addicts. Just as well we’re also coming after all the local fuel thieves in the area.

Sicario #1: We don’t want any fuel thieves within Ixmilauilpan. All of the fuel thieves here have to align themselves with us. All of the pushers of narcotics who are involved in organized crime, those who are involved in the so called game have to align themselves with us. It’s either yes or yes with us.

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Topic # 2: Guadalajara: Narcos Use Social Networks to Deceive and Recruit Hitmen

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/guadalajara-narcos-uses-social-networks.html







The Story:



Criminal groups such as the CJNG publish job or travel offers with which they deceive young people and take them under threat to be hitmen. Antonio, 17 years old, disappeared in Guadalajara on October 2, 2017, and a week later he was rescued from a farm in Puerto Vallarta, where he was held against his will along with five other people who were waiting to be transferred to a place "on the hill," where they would be trained to become hitmen of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). For years, the Jalisco prosecutor's office has detected that this cartel uses Facebook and Twitter to deceive young people through false job offers and then force them to join the criminal group; although the state agency warns about this type of announcement through posts on those social networks, there is no investigation folder open. In addition, the prosecutor's office only warns of advertisements that offer places such as security guards or escorts; however, it leaves aside those in which the supposed job offers are for assistants, loaders, waiters, drivers, day laborers, or even, just to go to have fun for a few days at some tourist destination. After Antonio's rescue, the prosecution arrested 19 subjects, of whom 14 were sentenced to four years in prison for disappearance committed by private individuals; the following account is reconstructed from the files of those sentences.



The case of Antonio



On the afternoon of September 29, 2017, Antonio (fake name for security reasons) found a job offer on Facebook, and although the phone number was from Veracruz, he called to see what it was; the man who answered asked him where he lived, and upon learning that he was in Guadalajara, he told him that the company had people in that city and someone would call him. Minutes later his phone rang, it was a Guadalajara number. The man who spoke asked him if he wanted to work; "yes," Antonio replied and his interlocutor told him that someone else would call to tell him what he had to do. The next call made him doubt and scared him: "What’s up, motherfucker, get your things ready I'm going coming through for you," said one guy; "wait, first tell me what the work is about and we'll see," Antonio replied; "I'm coming for you, you said you wanted the job," the man insisted and hung up. Three hours later they called him again: "I'm already outside your house, gather your belongings, we are in a Ford Figo car on the corner of your house, in front of the inn"; Antonio had not given them his address and although he was afraid he decided to go out to see if it was true: he put on some headphones and walked around the block to try to go unnoticed, he saw the car and two subjects inside, he wanted to pass by, but one of them shouted at him by name, he was paralyzed, the subject ordered him to approach, introduced himself and told him that the company was in Puerto Vallarta, they would take him there and pay him 4,000 pesos per week.



Antonio tried to buy time, he agreed to go, but argued that the weekend was his grandfather's birthday and he wanted to spend it with him, that they return on Monday, and the subjects agreed; although he was scared, he didn’t mention anything to his family and on October 2 came the call that ordered him to leave the house and get in the car. He sought to get done with the matter. He tried to get out: " Buddy, I'm already looking at a job that pays better, I’d rather leave you guys in peace," but the answer he received forced him to get in the car without saying anything to anyone: "Look, here bastard, we’re from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and we’re not fucking around , you’re going to a hitmen' school, so get on, if not, I'm going to go back and I'm going to take you by force and I'm going to kill your whole family." They took him along with another young man to the bus station, bought them tickets to Puerto Vallarta, told them they were being watched, were advised to announce once they arrived to tell them what to do next, and that’s exactly what happened. At night, in Puerto Vallarta, they were ordered to communicate with another number and the person who answered told them that he was already waiting for them, to go out into the street and get on the Jeep that was outside. They were transferred to a farm in the Lisbon neighborhood, where there are few houses around, there they were received by a man who took their phones and told them the rules: "Do not steal, do not fight, do not get high and do not enter the closed rooms, for their safety they could leave the house"; they gave them dinner and ordered them to sleep on the floor.



According to Antonio, the next day another 17 people arrived, including ex-policemen, addicts and thieves; that same day, in Guadalajara, his mother reported his disappearance. "As soon as they gathered 30 individuals together they were sent to the hills." Hugo, Hernán and Héctor are originally from Manzanillo, Colima, and on Facebook they saw an ad with an offer for loaders in Puerto Vallarta. They called and a man offered them 4,000 pesos a week, lodging and food included, they had to get to Puerto Vallarta on their own. They arrived in the early morning of October 7 and were taken to the estate of the Lisbon neighborhood. Hector asked the manager of the house about the work: "He told us that we were going to be there until 30 people were gathered to receive militarized training in self-defense and use of weapons to work as gunmen for a cartel, he told us not to ask questions ... that the only way out was with our feet upward, dead." He said that since then, the three spent hours thinking about how to escape.



The rescue



Before Antonio's disappearance, an informant from the Jalisco prosecutor's office had provided data on how the CJNG was recruiting people to train them and gave three possible locations in Puerto Vallarta; it had been just a few months since the operations with which the state prosecutor's office dismantled several training camps in the mountainous area of the municipality of Tala, where they also rescued people recruited by force. At 2:15 p.m. on October 10, agents from the prosecution’s office arrived at the estate of the Lisbon gated community. They knocked on the door and one of the housekeepers opened, asked for Antonio, said they had information that he could be there; one of the agents noticed that there were several men inside and asked what was happening and the subject at the door said that everyone had met on Facebook and had agreed to rent the house and spend a few days on the beach. When Hugo, Hernán and Héctor saw the police, they made the decision to escape, approached the door and ran out to ask for help; the officers intervened and arrested 19 people and released the three, Antonio and two other young men who said they were there by force. Of the 19 detainees, 14 were subjected to an abbreviated trial and were sentenced to four years in prison that will be served this coming October. There is no information regarding the rest of the victims.

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Topic # 3: Sinaloa Cartel Mastermind Behind Murder of Politician Arrested in Quintana Roo

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/sinaloa-cartel-mastermind-behind-murder.html





Photo # 4: Cartel member Jairo, from El 18's group, who was about to receive leg surgery



Photo # 5: Photo of Óscar Melchor 'DC' alias “El 18” taken at some point after his arrest

Photo # 7: The detainee's car which was seized in the clinic's parking lot



Photo # 8: Ignacio Sánchez Cordero

Photo # 9 & 10: Left, crime scene of Nacho's assassination, right, attendees at Nacho's funeral

Photo # 11: Nominee Blanca Tziu Muñoz



Photo # 12: The abandoned vehicle and weapons found related to the attack on Blanca

Photo # 13: Photo of Karla Vivas Medina taken after her arrest

Photo # 14: Members of the Investigative Police near the house of candidate Blanca Tziu Muñoz following the attack


Photo # 15: Photo taken of Ignacio Sánchez Cordero and Blanca together in better times



The Story:



The leader of a Quintana Roo cell of the Sinaloa Cartel was arrested along with four other cartel members. El 18, the leader, is alleged by the Attorney General's Office to be the mastermind who planned out the assassination of a mayoral candidate in February 2021. Some allege that the sister of a rival mayoral candidate commissioned El 18 to carry out the killing on her behalf.



Arrest of Sinaloa Cartel's El 18



Five alleged members of a Sinaloa cartel cell were arrested on June 29 2021 in a suburb of Cancún, Quintana Roo. The five members were waiting inside the clinic "Unidad Medica Familiar" in the Bonfil area, as one of them required surgery on their leg due to a gunshot injury. Before the procedure began, agents of the Ministerial Police and Quintana Roo Police entered the hospital and proceeded to arrest them. The agencies had previously put the Sinaloa Cartel cell under surveillance and through intelligence work they were able to anticipate the group's arrival at the hospital. The four men and one woman were then arrested. The primary target of this police operation was presumably Óscar Melchor “DC” alias “El 18”, who is believed to be the leader of the Sinaloa group operating in Cancún, as the state had three arrest warrants against El 18 in particular.



The three arrest warrants were in relation to:



Homicide - February 24 2021 - Puerto Morelos: The murder of Ignacio Sánchez Cordero, the secretary of Social Development of Puerto Morelos and candidate for municipal president. Covered in detail in Background below.



Attempted Homicide - March 10 2021- Benito Juárez: The shooting of a woman and her son, who was under the age of five, who were in a car wash in Region 95 of Benito Juárez. Both survived the attack after being hospitalized and receiving medical treatment.



Homicide - April 20 2021 - Benito Juárez: The murder of an alleged Sinaloa Cartel financial operator in the Bonfil neighborhood of Benito Juárez, allegedly due to an internal dispute.



"The now detained is one of the leaders of a criminal organization that has operated for years in the State of Quintana Roo and that has been one of the main generators of violence due to the control of drug sales in the entity," said the ministerial police agency in a statement. Arrested alongside El 18 was Jairo ‘B’, Néstor ‘A’, Denis ‘B’ and Román ‘O’. All four are being investigated in relation to the murder of taxi drivers in the northern Quintana Roo area. One of the detainees named Jairo ‘B’ alias “El Tripa”, is alleged to be a sicario in charge of planning and carrying out the homicides of various taxi drivers in the area, related to an extortion racket. Meanwhile another of the detainees, Néstor ‘A’ is alleged to have been a sicario directly involved in the killing of candidate Ignacio Sánchez Cordero. Whereas the Quintana Roo Attorney General's Office said of El 18, Óscar Melchor that his role in the assassination of Ignacio was in more of a mastermind/planning role.



"The events for which this person is being investigated, in his capacity as intellectual and material author, took place on February 24 of this year, in the municipality of Puerto Morelos, in which the victim was a candidate for the candidacy for the municipal presidency of that town." In the parking lot of the clinic the car the detainees arrived in, a Ford Fusion, was seized by law enforcement and military authorities. All of the detainees were transferred to the Special Prosecutor's Office for Narcomenudeo, in Superblock 89. During their transfer to Superblock 89, El 89 tried to escape by jumping out from a moving police patrol car, but he was immediately recaptured by authorities. The area of the Superblock 89 was surrounded by more than 80 members of the police from three different agencies as they anticipated possible rescue attempts could be made by fellow Sinaloa Cartel members in order to free El 18.



Background



February 24 2021

CDS Assassination of Candidate Ignacio Sánchez Cordero



As previously covered on Borderland Beat, Ignacio Sánchez Cordero was the secretary of Social Development for the town of Puerto Morelos in Quintana Roo. Ignacio Sánchez Cordero, better known as “Nacho” had been selected as the mayoral nominee by a political coalition of the PVEM, Morena, and PT parties. On February 24, Nacho was in a café that he frequented in the Pescadores neighborhood, in the company of three other people, when a gunman entered and shot him six times in the back. The gunman then fled the scene. Nacho was taken to the hospital however he died of his injuries shortly after being admitted.



March 5 2021



Ignacio Sánchez Cordero’s widow Blanca Tziu Muñoz Nominated. Although Ignacio Sánchez Cordero’s wife Blanca Tziu Muñoz had never participated in politics before, she agreed to become the new nominee on behalf of the coalition that supported her husband and ran in his stead. Blanca had always preferred to stay on the sidelines and was busy raising their two daughters, however the murder of her husband spurred her take action and she campaigned in his honor, calling herself "Nacho's widow."



May 4 2021



Attack on Blanca Tziu Muñoz: Blanca’s security team was attacked by three armed hitmen when touring Puerto Morelos as part of a campaign event. After the attack, which was successfully repelled by a convoy of the Quintana Roo Police, the authorities chased after the gunmen but the aggressors managed to flee. The gunmen later abandoned a vehicle that they were driving along with the weapons they were carrying and fled towards the nearby mountains.



May 28 2021



Arrest of Karla and Second Attack on Blanca Tziu Muñoz: Police arrest Karla Odethe Vivas Medina, the sister of Yazmín Vivas, who was a rival candidate for the Puerto Morelos mayoral position. Karla was arrested on charges related to the possession of a firearm but the Attorney General stated she was being investigated for her connection to the attacks on Nacho and Blanca Muñoz. According to the Attorney General's Office, Karla wanted to eliminate the political opponents of her sister Yazmín Vivas. Yazmín Vivas had reportedly failed to obtain the nomination from the PVEM, PT and Morena coalition, so she ran for the Solidarity Encounter Party (PES). This alleged connection may allude to the commissioning of the aforementioned El 18 and the Sinaloa cartel sicarios who work under him. Reforma newspaper released audio clips in which a woman, allegedly Karla Vivas Medina, can be heard planning with someone else the murder of Blanca Tziu Muñoz with the intention of masking the attack to look like a suicide.



On the same night as Karla’s arrest, there was another attack on Blanca Tziu Muñoz, this time gunmen shot up her home. The candidate was inside her home at the time with her two daughters and other family members. Karla's security detail fired back at the gunmen and eventually forced the gunmen to retreat, however two members of her security detail were seriously injured. The two bodyguards – one a member of the National Guard, the other an agent of the Quintana Roo State Attorney General’s Office – were listed in grave condition at Cancun General Hospital. “My family and I are fine, upset by the situation, but unhurt and united. We all extend solidarity and unite in prayer for the two people who were wounded, who were just fulfilling the order to provide us with protection,” Tziu Muñoz said via social media.



June 6 2021



Blanca Tziu Muñoz wins the election: Blanca Tziu Muñoz had to stop hosting rallies and even had to leave the state temporarily due to safety concerns over the course of her campaign. And yet, after the June 6 2021 election, she won the mayoral seat and now leads the municipality of Puerto Morelos in Quintana Roo.

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Topic # 4: Zacatecas: 9 Males Killed, 3 are Crucified

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/zacatecas-zac-9-males-killed-3-are.html









Video translation is as follows:



Omar Hernandez: 9 people have been killed this Wednesday, confirmed the Secretary of Public Security of the State. The events were recorded at 3 different times and locations. The state capital is the scene with a greater number of victims. Rocío Aguilar Borjón: I can confirm that unfortunately today in various events that have already been confirmed by the Attorney General's Office of the State, the bodies of 9 people have been located. The report we have is that in the municipality of Zacatecas, in the state capital, the bodies of 4 people were found. In the municipality of Fresnillo, 2 more bodies were found. And later in the municipality of Morelos, 3 people were also found dead.



Omar Hermandez: In Morelos, authorities located the scene of the greatest violence. 2 men were crucified prior to their murder. Witness testimony of inhabitants near the area of execution pointed out that in this area at least 5 other people have been killed in similar circumstances. Rocío Aguilar Borjón: In this particular case the deceased were found in an estate. Wherein a small cement structure is located. That in turn supports a small cross where the bodies of 2 people were lying. For this case we have the confirmation of 3 males who as of yet have not been identified.



Omar Hernandez: The central area of the state is also experiencing a death struggle by at least 5 criminal groups. With a national presence, those who fight for control of the roads and sale of narcotics. I am Omar Hernandez for news channel B-15.

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Topic # 5: Grupo Sombra Leaves Human Body in Chalma, Veracruz Along With Narcobanner

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/grupo-sombra-leaves-human-body-parts-in.html





Chalma is a village in the northern part of the state of Veracruz. It is located in the state's Huasteca Alta region



Synopsis:



Almost at the end of the day on June 28, 2021, dismembered human remains were located in the municipality of Chalma, Veracruz. Along with the bodies was a narcobanner signed by the gang Grupo Sombra (Shadow Group). According to local media reports, the discovery occurred at around 11:00 p.m., when residents notified security forces that suspected cartel members had dumped human body parts in public. A leg and a feet were left in front of the Chalma municipal sign. In another location, the head and arm of an unidentified man were also scattered. Members of the Mexican Army, National Guard, and the Veracruz State Police arrived at the scene to investigate. No one has been arrested for this gruesome discovery thus far.



The banner left at the scene read:



"This is a statement for the entire population ... This town has an owner and it is Grupo Sombra. To those commanders who continue to extort and threatened our people, this is how they ended up. Villages of Chalma, Chiconamel and Platon have owners. ATTE: FEGS".



"FEGS" is short for Grupo Sombra Special Forces. Grupo Sombra's earliest mentions date back to 2017. Sources say that it started out as an armed of the Gulf Cartel in Veracruz, and later broke away into an independent group. The Ministry of Public Security of Veracruz confirmed that Grupo Sombra is responsible for cargo transport theft, kidnappings, extortions, racketeering, and homicides in northern Veracruz.

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Topic # 6: Tamaulipas: Alleged Enforcer For The Northeast Cartel Promotes His Enterprise

Source: http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/07/tamaulipas-alleged-enforcer-for.html







Synopsis:



A new video from the Mexican underworld has just surfaced online. For this broadcast an alleged hitman for the Northeast Cartel feeling brave enough has allowed himself to be recorded on film promoting his cartel. His message for the masses is one of defiance and rebellion in the face of law and order. Just as well he’s showing off to the world the trophy vehicle he moves around in.



Video translation is as follows:



Cameraman: Ok, go ahead I’m recording.



Sicario: Bitch take a look at this here. We are the absolute CDN (Cartel del Noreste). Look, look at this. This is what I’m riding around in. You all can go suck a dick somewhere. All the haters can suck my dick, all the haters can suck my dick.

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Topic # 7: Rival Mexican Cartel Gunmen Freely Clash near Border Despite Army Post Two Miles Away

Source: https://www.breitbart.com/border/20...near-border-despite-army-post-two-miles-away/







Synopsis:



Mexican authorities are bracing for more border violence in the coming days as rival cartels fight for lucrative smuggling routes. In recent weeks, cartel gunmen killed more than 15 innocent victims and a dozen rivals. The most violent shootout took place Tuesday morning when gunmen from the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas rolled into Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, and clashed with members of the Gulf Cartel. While the shootout took place under cover of darkness, by daylight residents reported the discovery of nine bodies strewn along a highway leading into the city. According to local residents, the shooting went on for more than an hour without any interference despite a Mexican Army building less than two miles away from the scene. The lack of military involvement comes as residents and state officials claim Mexican federal authorities are not clashing with gunmen. Miguel Aleman is controlled by the Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel. Their territories expand east to the border city of Reynosa. The Metros are currently fighting on two fronts with the CDN-Los Zetas pushing from the west, while another faction of the Gulf Cartel from Matamoros is encroaching from the east. On June 19, Gulf Cartel gunmen from the Matamoros faction rolled into Reynosa and killed 15 innocent victims. Military forces and federal authorities did not respond until after the shooting. State police officers to intervene with force.

Crafty_Dog

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Stratfor: Tracking Mexico'sCartels in 2021
« Reply #927 on: August 06, 2021, 05:14:05 AM »
SSESSMENTS
Tracking Mexico's Cartels in 2021
9 MIN READAug 6, 2021 | 09:00 GMT


https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/tracking-mexicos-cartels-2021?fbclid=IwAR3sX1LMZa7AXM1H0TPcDVOyDo61fcZ0IGfVRe-gOWhfeaM7X9qZ19C0Zgg


The scene of cartel killings on Jan. 11, 2019, in Bavispe, Sonora.
The scene of a cartel killing on Jan. 11, 2019, in Bavispe, Sonora.

(Luis Gutierrez/Getty Images)

Editor's Note: This security-focused assessment is one of many such analyses found at Stratfor Threat Lens, a unique protective intelligence product designed with corporate security leaders in mind. Threat Lens enables industry professionals and organizations to anticipate, identify, measure and mitigate emerging threats to people, assets, and intellectual property the world over. Threat Lens is the only unified solution that analyzes and forecasts security risk from a holistic perspective, bringing all the most relevant global insights into a single, interactive threat dashboard.

Since 2006, Stratfor has produced a cartel report that examines the forces driving the complicated cartel landscape in Mexico. Beginning with the fragmentation of powerful, time-tested cartels, this task has become increasingly intricate as the number of violent groups in the country continues to rise. The list of all drug trafficking organizations in Mexico is long, so we will highlight the most important groups and evaluate the ways in which they will impact Mexico over the next 18 months in our 2021 annual cartel report, which will be broken up into two parts this year; Threat Lens clients will have access to part two.

Largely Static Cartel Drivers, From 2020 to 2021 and Beyond

Despite pandemic-related changes in the last 18 months — which include U.S. border closures, travel restrictions, lockdowns and curfews — the strategic forces behind cartel violence in Mexico have changed very little since 2020: larger groups continued to fuel local conflicts by controlling trafficking routes and territory through cooperation with local gangs, and in many cases using COVID-19 lockdowns to assert territorial control. Important drivers of violence and insecurity in Mexico in the next 18 months will be cartel revenue streams, political relationships, the U.S.-Mexico security relationship, cartel technological and military capabilities, and cartel rivalries. Criminal groups also will continue to experience fragmentation and infighting that leads to sporadic upticks in violence, such as the events in Reynosa on June 19, when civilians were killed as a result of Gulf Cartel infighting. Other notable cartel-driven risks for the coming 18 months include:

Volatility along the U.S.-Mexico border — vital turf for cartel activities including drug- and migrant-smuggling — which could lead to sporadic shutdowns and delays at ports of entry and border crossings.

An increased threat of indiscriminate violence in important areas where cartels are vying for control, such as the states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Queretaro and Zacatecas.

Ongoing extortion and theft threat to businesses that focus on natural resource extraction — such as oil, mining and timber — given the lucrative nature of these businesses.

For all the pandemic-related restrictions on movement, cartel-related violence remained very high by historic measures, with the number of homicides declining only 0.4% from 2019's record high of 34,648 homicides.
Despite significant investments in various security measures, since 2018 Mexico's homicides effectively plateaued at their highest level, further underscoring the cartels' sustained influence nationwide. The two largest cartels remain Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel.

A Map Showing Cartels in Mexico

Confrontations between them — and between them and a variety of local militias, smaller cartels and Mexico's security forces — drive ongoing violence and broader insecurity. While the CJNG and Sinaloa attract the most attention, smaller groups play important roles in localized conflicts, such as how Sinaloa-aligned Carteles Unidos combats CJNG advances in the state of Michoacan. While smaller groups like Knights Templar, La Familia Michoacana, Los Viagras, Los Rojos and the Juarez Cartel do not have the kind of national presence of some of their rivals, they serve as important proxies for larger, national-level criminal organizations and perennial sources of local violence and insecurity in their areas of operation.

Demand for Drugs and Cartel Revenue Streams

As we have highlighted since the 2018 report, fentanyl continues to play a large role in drug trafficking, something evident in the 70% increase in border seizures of synthetic stimulants from October 2019 to September 2020. This is despite consumer lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic that saw a slight turn away from stimulants, and toward drugs like marijuana and fentanyl due to nightlife closures. It is expected that as restrictions on bars and clubs are lifted and inoculation rates go up, so will demand for stimulants like cocaine and meth. In 2020, drug overdose deaths in the United States hit a record high, up 29% from the previous year. Of these overdose deaths, 60% were due to synthetic opioids, specifically fentanyl, suggesting that cartels are continuing to expand their synthetic opioid lab operations in Mexico. The rise in fentanyl's popularity can be attributed to its potency for consumers and profitability for cartels. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, meaning that the user's high is much more intense. We estimate that cartels made approximately $14 billion on fentanyl sales in 2019. Based on profitability alone, the move toward fentanyl makes sense. Cartels find the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, easier compared to much bulkier, lower value cannabis.

While drug trafficking continues to be the main source of revenue for — and conflict among — Mexican cartels, other revenue streams also offer lucrative profits and can often lead to violent disputes. As illegal migration increases from Mexico and Central America to the United States, human smuggling, which depending on the country of origin can cost anywhere from $1,300 to $10,000 per person, has become an increasingly important cartel activity. Cartels have exploited this practice to supplement revenue from drug trafficking and assert dominance along the U.S.-Mexico border. Other criminal economies frequently exploited by Mexico's cartels include illegal mining — which is estimated to consume 10% of the country's total mining activities — and oil theft, which is estimated to have hit a total of $3 billion in losses for Petroleos Mexicanos, the state-owned petroleum company. While drug trafficking remains important in rural areas, these particular criminal activities often increase violence, especially in smaller towns where the local economy is limited to natural resource extraction. The central Guanajuato town of Celaya had the highest per capita homicide rate in the country in 2020: 109 per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to a national rate of 13 per 100,000) due to fighting between the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and the CJNG over fuel theft and the control of the sale of methamphetamines.

Politics

Cartels have long exploited the Mexican political system to gain access to protection from elected officials, increase their staying power and derive a host of other benefits that come from political connections and leverage. The Sinaloa Cartel, in particular, has historically proved adept at maintaining strategic relationships with government officials, allowing the cartel's members to avoid clashes with security forces and generally forestall serious government scrutiny. Reflecting the importance cartels attach to political influence and driven by legislative elections in June for the lower house of the Mexican Congress, cartel violence against political candidates in 2021 increased to its second-highest point since the 2000 elections. Given the importance of establishing subnational control of a given state — such as Guerrero, where political violence has especially spiked — cartels are likely to target traditionally less politically prominent municipalities where they can operate more freely without a significant state security presence. Increased violence targeting politicians in order to install cartel-backed candidates will improve criminal groups' abilities to operate behind the scenes and manipulate political forces to sustain their criminal activity. Following the recent electoral success of cartel-backed candidates in states such as Guerrero, it is likely that increased violence in and around elections will be regularized moving forward, particularly if it is shown to bring tangible benefits.

While cartels benefit from political relationships, they still face routine pressure from Mexican security forces at all levels of government. In the past, this pressure has been bolstered by a strong working relationship between Mexican security forces and U.S. authorities sharing intelligence useful for targeting cartels.
Following the U.S. arrest of two high-level Mexican officials in 2020 on allegations of assisting cartels, however, the relationship between Mexican security forces and U.S. counterparts has suffered. The decrease in bilateral engagement in the last year has created an intelligence gap within Mexico's security services that could usher in increased cartel activity throughout the country.

Technological and Military Capabilities
While cartel technology has not changed significantly in the last 18 months, the increasingly militaristic capabilities of Mexico's cartels are of particular importance in analyzing and helping to explain growing violence. Los Zetas was the first criminal group in Mexico to have direct links to past U.S. military training, as members of the group were former members of Mexico's security apparatus. Since then, this trend has continued to spread throughout Mexico's cartels and has helped to catalyze the paramilitary nature of groups like the CJNG. Aside from providing obvious boosts to cartels' violent capabilities, such militarism can provide propaganda to intimidate rivals, security forces and local citizens. For instance, in a propaganda video released by CJNG in July 2020, group members dressed in tactical uniforms with flak jackets labeled "CJNG," holding automatic rifles and driving armored trucks with mounted weapons that have come to be known as "monsters."

As they have expanded their paramilitary capabilities, cartels have continued to make advances in their use of weaponized drones to target enemies, as seen in an April 2021 incident in the Michoacan town of El Aguaje, where CJNG targeted state police with drone-dropped bombs. While such weapons have not yet shown themselves to be especially lethal, they add yet another threat vector for already out-gunned law enforcement officers when responding to cartel-related activity. Even if not tactical game-changers, cartels' further use of drones could be psychologically effective and deter future law enforcement responses in ways that amplify cartels' sense of impunity. As perceptions that being armed like rogue militaries brings comparative benefits, it is likely that a growing array of violent groups beyond the largest cartels will begin to mimic such trends, which will increase the likelihood and lethality of violence amid a potential arms race among violent groups.

« Last Edit: August 06, 2021, 11:31:09 AM by Crafty_Dog »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #928 on: August 06, 2021, 06:14:15 PM »

 

Topic # 1:  Elota, Sinaloa: Armed Civilians Shoot at Municipal Police Officers

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/elota-sinaloa-armed-civilians-shoot-at.html

 

 

 

Synopsis:

 

In the attack, one civilian was killed, one more was arrested and one more was injured; so far the three remain unidentifiedArmed civilians attacked a group of municipal agents from Elota last Monday at noon in the town of La Cruz. According to the report, the agents were able to repel the aggression and during the change of fire a civilian was killed by the uniformed men, while one more was injured and a third was arrested in the attack. Elements of the State Preventive Police and the armed forces were also transferred to the site to protect the area. The attack took place in front of a gas station. According to some witnesses, the suspects were traveling aboard a gray Volkswagen vehicle, which was left at the site. Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, head of the Ministry of Public Security, reported through his Twitter account about what happened. “In preliminary information, there is one detained person, one injured and one more who lost his life. A long weapon and a short weapon were secured at the site, ”the official reported. Some witnesses captured the moment of the attack on video, which began to circulate on social networks.

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Topic # 2:  Decapitated Head of Cartel Boss El 14 Round, Third Cartel Boss Killed in 1 Month in Quintana Roo

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/decapitated-head-of-cartel-boss-el-14.html

 



 

The Story:

 

On July 29, 2021, the decapitated head of cartel boss "El 14" was found inside the refrigerator of a house under construction in Alfredo V. Bonfil neighborhood of Cancun, Quintana Roo. El 14 is the third cartel boss killed in Quintana Roo in the month of July, as "Don King" was found executed July 7 and "El Chore" was found executed on July 22.

 

Execution of El 14

 

On July 28, 2021, it was reported to law enforcement authorities through a call to 911 that in front of the ejidal house (community house) there were human remains found inside black bags and at least one decapitated human head. They reported that alongside the remains a narcomanta (narco message sign) was placed as well. Police traveled to the reported location which was almost in the middle of the main square of the Alfredo V. Bonfil neighborhood. However upon their arrival, no human remains were located.



Allegedly the photo circulated on social media which showed the remains in the main square

 

This call however appears to have not been a false report as later online, as photos of the bodies and heads were shared on social media. This may imply that the bodies were removed and relocated after they were reported to police but before the police's arrival on scene. The motives behind the potential relocation of human remains is unclear. At around 4:15 p.m. on the following day, July 29, 2021, the emergency services number received a report that in a two-story house located at the end of Vicente Guerrero street, two human heads had been found.



Photo of unfinished home where remains were located

 

Police were dispatched to check on the reported location which was a house under construction in an unpopulated area of ​​the Alfredo V. Bonfil neighborhood of Cancun in Quintana Roo.  The Municipal Police officers searched the unfinished home and they located two heads inside a refrigerator on the first floor. The police cordoned off the area and requested the presence of experts from the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) of Quintana Roo. Later, one of the heads was identified as belonging to a cartel boss who went by the alias “El 14”.



El 14 is the third Quintana Roo cartel boss who has been assassinated during the month of July. The first boss was Don King, then later “El 12” was executed. The identities of all three have been unreleased by the State Attorney General's Office, which is currently led by Oscar Montes de Oca Rosales.



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Topic # 3:  Irapuato, Guanajuato: Corpses From Inside Vehicle’s Trunk Believed to be From Neighboring Penjamo

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/irapuato-guanajuato-corpses-found.html

 



The FGE has not yet disclosed the identity of these people

 

Synopsis:

 

On Monday night on social networks in this town, there has been a strong rumor that the bodies of the two men are from Pénjamo. Although authorities of the Attorney General's Office have not yet confirmed it, 24 hours after the dead bodies of two men and a woman were found inside a trunk of an abandoned car in Irapuato, on Monday night on social networks in this town, there has been a strong rumor that at least the bodies of the two men are from Pénjamo. According to the report released to the FGE by the National Guard on Monday, who made the finding, was that in the release of federal data, approximately two kilometers from the community of San Cristóbal, in the direction of the Irapuato-Abasolo highway, in the trunk of a white Volkswagen Bora vehicle, in a deserted area, were the bodies of two men and a woman. At the time of the discovery, it was said that the dead bodies of the three people who are unidentified, showed signs of violence and injuries consistent with gunfire, and that in the vehicle small arms shells were found. Which suggests that they were killed inside the trunk of an abandoned car in the area where it was located. In the report, it was reported that the discovery of the dead bodies was recorded around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, as people circulating in the area, who gave notice to the authorities about the finding. It is expected that this Tuesday The authorities of the Attorney General's Office, who will make known the identity of at least the two men found dead. It’s been assured that these deceased individuals are natives of Pénjamo.

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Topic # 4:  La Bartolina Matamoros, Tamaulipas: Delia Quiroa Pleads with The Gulf Cartel

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/la-bartolina-matamoros-tamaulipas-delia.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The Collective Union of Mother’s Seeking Missing Loved Ones of Tamaulipas asked this Friday for "a truce of peace" from the leader of "Los Ciclones", one of the armed wings of the Gulf Cartel. Activist Delia Quiroa said that the letter, on behalf of the 200 families of disappeared citizens in the state, sent a letter to the leader of the Gulf Cartel due to the lack of results from the authorities who have not delivered the bodies of their relatives. The Collective Union of Mother’s Seeking Missing Loved Ones added that the objective of reaching a truce with "Los Ciclones" is so that they can access the La Bartolina property, located in Matamoros. The searchers, she added, want the authorities to exhume and identify thousands of human remains in that area in the hope that they will find their loved ones.

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Topic # 5:  Tamaulipas: “If You Don’t Send That Money Your Son Will Fucking Die!”

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/tamaulipas-if-you-dont-send-that-money.html



 

Synopsis:

 

A new video from the Mexican underworld has just surfaced online. For this broadcast an unknown crime mob has released a film of several young kidnapped migrants. Under physical assault they’re being used as pawns against their family members in the hopes of extorting them of money. Threats of their impending demise are being spoken should they fail to comply. The fate of these victims of extortion is currently unknown at this time.

 

Video translation is as follows:

 

Captive#1: Please help us because we’ve been kidnapped. Please, please help me.

Sicario: Here’s the the deal young woman. If you want to see your brother alive again…

Captive #1: Lily please help us.

Sicario: You have to pay the fee. I’m leaving that fee at $7000 for his release. Don’t be a dumb ass. With time you’ll recuperate your money. But dead family members won’t ever come back to you.

Captive #2: Mommy, I’ve been kidnapped. Please help me for my release. The money…please help me to get released…I’ve been kidnapped. They have us all kidnapped. Mommy, help me. Please send all the money that they’re asking for.

Sicario: You hear that you fucking dumb ass? If you don’t send that money your son will fucking die!

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Topic # 6:  Northern Mexican Drought Could Benefit Sinaloa Cartel’s Smuggling Operations into Arizona

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/02/northern-mexican-drought-could-benefit-sinaloa-cartels-smuggling-operations-into-arizona/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The drought in northern Mexico is killing off thousands of cattle from starvation and is forcing ranchers to sell herds early. If the trend continues, property owners could turn to the Sinaloa Cartel to augment their finances. In the border state of Sonora, two years of harsh drought have decreased cattle counts from 1.1 million to 635,000, a new report by the LA Times revealed. While the region received some rain in recent weeks, it is not enough to counter the lasting impacts to grazing areas. Local scientists predict that in the coming years, the drought in Sonora will worsen, placing the cattle industry at particular risk, the report claimed. Sonora, just south of Arizona, is one of the main drug trafficking areas used by the Sinaloa Cartel. Some of the ranches mentioned in the report are near the city of Cajeme, an area that has seen a spike in cartel violence in recent months. The drought struggles among ranchers can push more individuals to the Sinaloa Cartel as an economic alternative. In recent years, rival criminal organizations waged fierce turf wars in the region for routes into Arizona. According to information from Mexico’s federal government, Sonora has seen a 38 percent spike in murders this year, with the figure expected to climb further into 2021. According to El Sol de Hermosillo, one of the state’s main cities, Ciudad Obregon, is listed as one of the top 10 most dangerous in the world.

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Topic # 7:  REYNOSA RESCUED A BODY FROM THE ANZALDUAS CHANNEL

Source:  https://www.valorportamaulipas.info/2021/08/reynosa-rescataron-un-cuerpo-del-canal.html

 

 

 

Synopsis:

 

Reynosa, Tamps.- The body of a male was found floating in the Anzaldúas channel, by residents of the Las Nopaleras neighborhood, who alerted the authorities through the emergency numbers. The discovery was recorded at 12:30 pm yesterday on Emiliano Zapata street, about 300 meters from the Luis Donaldo Colosio bypass. At the scene, the body of a 30 to 35-year-old man with a thin complexion, light brown complexion, who wore khaki pants and a gray shirt was found. Up to the place, elements of the State Police, the National Guard and the Investigative Police, as well as agents of the Civil Protection and Firefighters corps to take knowledge and requested the intervention of experts from the Expert Services Unit of the General Prosecutor's Office Tamaulipas Justice (FGJT). The criminal experts examined the man's body superficially and transferred him to the morgue where they will continue with various forensic studies, including the legal autopsy. The ministerial authorities reported that they were going to examine the body of the victim in the amphitheater to determine the true cause of death and that he was with unidentified at that time. The General Investigations Unit in turn took cognizance of the case and integrated an investigation folder for the crime of homicide.

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Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #929 on: August 06, 2021, 06:25:49 PM »
second


Valparaiso, Zacatecas: Cartels Confront Each Other IN Armed Attacked
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua: Crazed Dementia Within The Municipal Police Department
Fresnillo, Zatatecas: “We’re Living in Hell”: Inside Mexico’s Most Terrified City
El Bandam, Guerreros Unidos Leader Linked to Missing 43 In Ayotzinaps Is Executed in Parking Lot
Mexican president to visit Chihuahua as National Guard expands presence on border
Mexico sues U.S. gun manufacturers over arms trafficking toll
 

 

Topic # 1:  Valparaiso, Zacatecas: Cartels Confront Each Other IN Armed Attacked

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/valparaiso-zacatecas-cartels-confront.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

On Monday afternoon there was a strong confrontation between antagonistic criminal groups between the communities of Lobatos and Boquilla de Abajo. This was announced by inhabitants of the Valley on social networks. However, it was until tonight that the Security Spokesperson confirmed this confrontation. In which no deceased or injured people were located. After reports to the 911 Emergency System, it was elements of SEDENA, National Guard and the State Police mobilized to the municipality where they located three vehicles, one of them burned, as well as secured firearms and shells.

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Topic # 2:  Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua: Crazed Dementia Within The Municipal Police Department

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/ciudad-juarez-chihuahua-dementia-within.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

Photos and details emerge about the disastrous tragedy of 2 jealous agents that adds the death of an innocent 11-year-old shot to death in a crazy marital fight. A deranged pandemic of madness permeates the ranks of Public Security, of which the always sordid Municipal Police of Ciudad Juarez is a part of. In recent weeks there are almost half a dozen cases in which uniformed personnel are involved in bloody fights, armed shooting attacks, suicides and beastly murders. The brutal work environment and the pressures to which they are subjected to between thugs and police chiefs, has them on the verge of bursting at any time. And they are supposed to be the most capable of defending citizens and ensuring the security of the city. The most frightening case is that of the two active agents that occurred this morning at the couple's house. More details and the names of the protagonists are now known. Nubia Perez, 27, killed her wife Juana Rivera, 27, and her innocent 11 year old son. Both were active officers and lived in a lesbian marriage with Juana's child. The deadly argument was generated by Nubia’s jealousy who decided to end the romance tragically. Without warning she took out her gun and unloaded it against her wife, who died riddled from gunfire at the scene. The distressed child tried to defend his mom but was also shot to death by Nubia's deadly bullets. The tragedy worsened this afternoon with the death of little Jesus in the hospital.

 

He had been shot with several high-caliber bullets. After the double homicide, Nubia wanted to die. She shot herself in the head. She is currently convalescing in critical health inside a sanatorium. Nubia was an intelligence agent of the police department. Her mission was to operate as a civilian and graphically document riots and street protests. Those who knew her say that she was beautiful and of spectacular physique. But now, doctors have diagnosed here life expectancy to be in grave danger because of the bullet lodged in her head. Concerning the case, the Municipal Police has denied information to the press. Initially they tried to make the case look like an ordinary execution of an internal nature, omitting that both were officers of the police department. With the evidence at hand, they had to acknowledge part of the story by partially accepting that only one of them was a policewoman. They deliberately omitted part of the story. Following the failed official secrecy, factual information jumped to alternative sources that knew in detail about the bowels of corruption. This is when illegitimate revelations can hit strategic heads. Something that no public official in his right state of mind wants to experience, a few days after the change of municipal administration.

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Topic # 3:  Fresnillo, Zatatecas: “We’re Living in Hell”: Inside Mexico’s Most Terrified City

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/fresnillo-zacatecas-were-living-in-hell.html

 

 

Photo # 1: In Fresnillo, 96 percent of residents say they feel unsafe — the highest percentage of any city in Mexico

Photo # 2: We’re losing the ability to be shocked,” said Javier Torres Rodríguez, whose brother was killed in 2018

 

The Story:

 

The violence was already terrifying, she said, when grenades exploded outside her church in broad daylight some five years ago. Then children in town were kidnapped, disappearing without a trace. Then the bodies of the executed were dumped in city streets. And then came the day last month when armed men burst into her home, dragged her 15-year-old son and two of his friends outside and shot them to death, leaving Guadalupe — who didn’t want her full name published out of fear of the men — too terrified to leave the house. “I do not want the night to come,” she said, through tears. “Living with fear is no life at all.” For most of the population of Fresnillo, a mining city in central Mexico, a fearful existence is the only one they know; 96 percent of residents say they feel unsafe, the highest percentage of any city in Mexico, according to a recent survey from Mexico’s national statistics agency. The economy can boom and bust, presidents and parties and their promises can come and go, but for the city’s 140,000 people, as for many in Mexico, there is a growing sense that no matter what changes, the violence endures. Ever since Mexico’s government began its war on the drug cartels nearly 15 years ago, murder statistics have climbed inexorably. In 2018, during his run for president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador offered a grand vision to remake Mexico — and a radically new way of tackling the violence.

 

He would break with the failed tactics of his predecessors, he said. Instead of arresting and killing traffickers as previous leaders had done, he would focus on the causes of violence: “hugs not bullets,” he called it. He was swept to victory. But three years after his landslide win, and with his Morena party in control of Congress, the drumbeat of death continues, suggesting that Mr. López Obrador’s approach has failed, fueling in many a paralyzing helplessness. “We’re living in hell,” said Victor Piña, who ran for mayor of Fresnillo in the June elections and watched an aide gunned down beside him during a pre-campaign event. Zacatecas, the state Fresnillo is in, has the country’s highest murder rate, with 122 deaths in June, according to the Mexican government. Lately, it has become a national horror show, with cadavers found dangling from bridges, stuffed into plastic bags or even tied to a cross. Across Mexico, murders have dropped less than 1 percent since Mr. López Obrador took office, according to the country’s statistics agency. That was enough for the president to claim, in a speech last month, that there had been an improvement on a problem his administration inherited. “There is peace and calm,” he said in June.

 

Many in Fresnillo disagree

 

“‘Hugs not bullets’ doesn’t work,” said Javier Torres Rodríguez, whose brother was shot and killed in 2018. “We’re losing the ability to be shocked.” Among other strategies, Mr. López Obrador has focused on tackling what he sees as the root causes of violence, funding social programs to improve education and employment for young people. His government has also gone after the financing behind organized crime. In October, the authorities said they had frozen 1,352 bank accounts linked to 14 criminal groups, including powerful drug cartels. But the collection of programs and law-enforcement actions never coalesced into a clear public policy, critics said. There is “an unstoppable situation of violence and a tragic deterioration of public security in Mexico,” said Angelica Duran-Martinez, an associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. “There’s not a clear security policy.” Mr. López Obrador has also doubled down on his support for the armed forces, embracing the militarization that also marked previous administrations. One central pillar of his approach to fighting crime has been the creation of the National Guard, a 100,000-strong federal security force deployed across some 180 regional barracks nationwide. Last week Mr. López Obrador announced that the guard would receive an additional $2.5 billion in funding.

 

A street mural shows a young man killed in the Olivares neighborhood of Fresnillo

 

But security experts say the guard, which the president plans to incorporate into the armed forces, has proved ineffective. Without a clear mandate, it has focused more on tackling low-level crime than cartel violence. And as a security force made up of members of the federal police, the military and other security professionals, it has not found cohesion. “It’s a force that comes out of trying to mix oil and water,” said Eduardo Guerrero, a Mexico City security analyst. “There are a lot of internal struggles, and that has detracted from the performance of the Guard.” In Fresnillo, the National Guard hasn’t done enough, according to the city’s mayor, Saúl Monreal, a member of the president’s Morena party.

 

“They’re here, they’re present, they do patrols, but what we really need right now is to be fighting organized crime,” Mr. Monreal said. Mr. Monreal was re-elected during national midterms in June. This was one of Mexico’s most violent elections on record, with at least 102 people killed during the campaign, yet another sign of the country’s unraveling security. His family is politically powerful. His brother, David, is governor-elect of Zacatecas. Another brother, Ricardo, leads the Morena party in the Senate and has said he intends to run for president in 2024. But not even the family’s political prominence has managed to rescue the city or the state. Fresnillo’s mayor, Saúl Monreal, said the National Guard hasn’t done enough.

 

Bordering eight other states, Zacatecas has long been central to the drug trade, a crossroads between the Pacific, where narcotics and drugmaking products are shipped in, and northern states along the United States border. Fresnillo, which sits in the center of important roads and highways, is strategically vital. But for much of its recent history, residents say they were largely left alone. That began changing around 2007 and 2008 as the government’s assault on the cartels led them to splinter, evolve and spread. In the last few years, the region has become embroiled in a battle between two of the country’s most powerful organized crime groups: the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Caught in the middle of the fighting are residents like Guadalupe. She can remember sitting on the stoop with neighbors until midnight as a young girl. Now, the city lies desolate after dark.

 

Guadalupe does not let her children play outside unsupervised, but even that couldn’t stop the violence from tearing her family apart. On the night her son was killed, in mid-July, four armed men stormed into her home, dragging out her son, Henry, and two friends who were sleeping over. There was a burst of gunfire, and then the assailants were gone. It was Guadalupe who found the teenagers’ bodies. Now she and her family live in terror. Too scared to stay in the same house, they moved in with Guadalupe’s parents in a different part of town. But the fear remained. Her 10-year-old daughter can barely sleep, she said, and Guadalupe keeps dreaming of her son’s killing. The motive, and the identity of the killers, remain unknown. Guadalupe has thought about leaving town or even taking her own life. But for now, she sits in her parents’ small, cinder-block house, the curtains drawn, the shadows broken by the candles of a little altar to Henry and his fallen friends. “There’s nothing here,” she said. “The fear has overwhelmed us.”

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Topic # 4: El Bandam, Guerreros Unidos Leader Linked to Missing 43 In Ayotzinaps Is Executed in Parking Lot

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/el-bandam-guerreros-unidos-leader.html

 



 

The Story:

 

Moisés Brito Bautista, alias “El Bandam”, a leadership figure in the cartel group Guerreros Unidos, who has personally been linked to the disappearance of the 43 normalista students from Ayotzinapa, was murdered on Monday night in Cuernavaca, Morelos.

 

The Shooting

 

On August 2 2021, according to witnesses, El Bandam and his significant other went to a parking lot of a convenience store in a black Mercedes Benz SUV. There they made contact with three unknown individuals. They were seen conversing with the three individuals, but only a few minutes into talking, “one of them took out a firearm that was then fired several times towards the victims,” said the Attorney General of Morelos, Uriel Carmona. The sound of the gunfire in the well-known and busy shopping plaza “generated a lot of panic in people who were close“, according to Carmona. The three attackers then fled the scene aboard a car. The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) stated that at approximately 10:00 PM, law enforcement received a report of gunshots having been fired and that two people were injured in the parking lot of a convenience store located on Diana Avenue in Cuernavaca.  Agents of the State Public Safety Commission (CES) were dispatched to the reported location where they  found the man’s lifeless body lying on the asphalt of the parking lot. They also found a woman who was still alive but suffering from multiple serious gunshot injuries. She was placed into an ambulance and was taken in critical condition to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.



At first, police only confirmed to the press that unknown assailants shot at a couple in the Delicias neighborhood and that in the attack the man died and the woman was wounded. Later that night State Attorney General Uriel Carmona arrived on scene to personally view the body of the man, and based on the facial similarities, Carmona preliminarily identified the deceased as El Bandam, although further testing will be used to verify this identification. Carmona detailed to the press that "Elements of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) and the Coordination of Forensic Services went to the place where they performed the legal removal of the dead body of the person identified as Moises ‘N’, 33 years old, from the state of Guerrero, and ballistic evidence of 9mm caliber was secured in the place." “The information we have so far, to corroborate legally, is that it was a direct attack with a 9 mm pistol. We do not know yet if it is an assault or an execution. This second hypothesis is the one we will follow and, well, the security video footage will help corroborate the facts," said Uriel Carmona.

 

Who was El Bandam?

 

Moisés Brito Bautista, alias “El Bandam”, was 33 years old at the time of his death. He began his career by joining the Army where he served in the 27th Infantry Battalion. In 2012, Bandam deserted his Army post in favor of a life of crime, joining a cartel group. In the state of Guerrero he had an arrest warrant in force for the crime of aggravated homicide.

 

According to the police files, at the time of his death Bandam was serving as a lieutenant of Juan Carlos Flores Ascencio, alias “La Beba”, leader of the Guerreros Unidos cartel until Beba died in January 2021. Guerrero authorities locate Brito Bautista as the head of Guerreros Unidos hitmen and also as the person responsible for organizing kidnappings. By the time of his death, Bandam was a regional leader of Guerreros Unidos. The region he controlled on their behalf was located in Guerrero. He owned and lived in a home in the city of Iguala, Guerrero. The Guerreros Unidos safehouses he was responsible for were also located in the city of Iguala. El Bandam, is one of the few active members who directly reported to Juan Carlos Flores Ascencio, alias "La Beba". La Beba is one of the only Guerreros Unidos leaders from around the time of the 43 student teachers Ayotzinapa case that authorities have not arrested.

 

Who is La Beba? Where is he now?

 

One of the key players in the case of the disappearance of the 43 normalistas from Ayotzinapa was Juan Carlos Flores Ascencio, “La Beba” , an alleged leader of Guerreros Unidos in the municipality of Teloloapan. In September 2020, tarps printed with text appeared in the municipalities of Chilpancingo, Zumpango and Cocula, in Guerrero state. They asked Governor Hector Astudillo Flores and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to arrest  "La Beba”, among other, for the 43 Ayotzinapa case. The tarps were signed by "Ayotzinapa Gro."

 

La Beba was thought to have maintained control of the Capela mine during the time of the case. Capela Mine is operated by the Peñoles group in the town of Tehuixtla. Río Doce newspaper reports that Capela mine has also been linked to mayors and politicians from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) ever since Ángel Aguirre Rivero’s term. La Beba was found executed on January 17, 2021 in the municipality of Teloloapan, in Guerrero state.  His remains were found wrapped in sheets, living inside a living room during a search by State Police. His body had multiple bullet wounds to the head. His brother was located on the property and arrested. Reports differ on whether the State Police killed La Beba during their search of the property where he was found and then his death was covered up. Other reports claim that the leaders of Guerreros Unidos (GU) had splintered in Teloloapan. One group stayed loyal to La Beba, while the armed wing that had previously served his GU cell called the “La Tecampanera Community Police” broke ties and waged war against Beba. La Tecampanera Community Police is believed to be led by Luis Alberto Ramos Pioquinto and Juan Carlos Ramos Pioquinto, who are brothers and they are supposedly the ones who organized the execution of Beba, with the State Police merely discovering the body after.

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Topic # 5: Mexican president to visit Chihuahua as National Guard expands presence on border

Source:  https://www.borderreport.com/regions/mexico/mexican-president-to-visit-chihuahua-as-national-guard-expands-presence-on-border/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The president of Mexico will be in Chihuahua on Saturday and Sunday to inaugurate two new National Guard buildings, Mexican media report. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador begins a three-day tour of northern states on Friday with a morning news conference in Cabo. News reports say he will outline progress on his social welfare programs in Baja California Sur. He is scheduled to do likewise in the state of Colima on Saturday morning, before traveling to Chihuahua in the afternoon. Lopez Obrador will visit the site of the new National Guard headquarters in Villa Ahumada, a farming community where drug activity has escalated in the past two decades. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. The president will be in Juarez on Sunday to tour the new National Guard building in the southern part of the city. That takes place at 10:30 a.m. Juarez is in the process of erecting three buildings to house Mexican National Guard troops, which the Lopez Obrador administration primarily has used for migrant and drug smuggling interdiction. An estimated 400 National Guard troops are already in Juarez, with more on the way.

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Topic # 6:  Mexico sues U.S. gun manufacturers over arms trafficking toll

Source:  https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/border-crime/mexico-sues-u-s-gun-manufacturers-over-arms-trafficking-toll/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The Mexican government sued United States gun manufacturers and distributors Wednesday in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico. The unusual lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Boston. Among those being sued are some of the biggest names in guns, including Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.; Barret Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.; Beretta U.S.A. Corp.; Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock Inc. Another defendant is Interstate Arms, a Boston-area wholesaler that sells guns from all but one of the named manufacturers to dealers around the U.S. The Mexican government argues that the companies know that their practices contribute to the trafficking of guns to Mexico and facilitate it. Mexico wants compensation for the havoc the guns have wrought in its country. The Mexican government “brings this action to put an end to the massive damage that the Defendants cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico,” the lawsuit said. It noted that the vast majority of guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico were trafficked from the U.S.

 

The sale of firearms is severely restricted in Mexico and controlled by the Defense Department. But thousands of guns are smuggled into Mexico by the country’s powerful drug cartels. In August 2019, a gunmen killed 23 people in a Walmart, including some Mexican citizens. At that time, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the government would explore its legal options. The government said Wednesday that recent rulings in U.S. courts contributed to its decision to file the lawsuit. It cited a decision in California allowing a lawsuit against Smith & Wesson to move forward, a lawsuit filed last week against Century Arms related to a 2019 shooting in Gilroy, California, and the $33 million settlement reached by Remington with some of the families whose children were killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, mass school shooting.

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #930 on: August 09, 2021, 03:58:11 PM »

Mexico City: Illegal Pot Increasingly Entering Mexico
Eight Found Dead in One House, All Shot in Head, Irapuato, Guanajuato
Irapuato, Guanajuato: We Will Find Those Responsible For The Massacre: Libya Denise (Connected to Topic # 2)

Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua: Dealers Bribe Police Commissioner And Record Negotiations By Phone
Tijuana, Baja California: Dismembered Male Found With Narco Message (Graphic image Attached)
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Unaccompanied Migrant Teen Claims Gang Violence Forced Him to U.S.
EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Politician Allegedly Behind Sinaloa Cartel’s Appearance in Border State Unmasked
183-Foot Drug Smuggling Tunnel Found Under California-Mexico Border
 

 

Topic # 1:  Mexico City: Illegal Pot Increasingly Entering Mexico

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/mexico-city-illegal-pot-increasingly.html

 



 

The Story:

 

Demand has grown with the legalization of marijuana in California, other states. The most sought-after marijuana being trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border is now the weed entering Mexico, not the weed leaving it. Cannabis sold legally in California is heading south illegally, dominating a booming boutique market across Mexico, where buying and selling the drug is still outlawed. Mexican dealers flaunt their U.S. products, noting them in bold lettering on menus sent to select clients: "IMPORTADO." Traffickers from California load their suitcases with U.S.-grown marijuana before hopping on planes to Mexico, or walking across the pedestrian border crossing into Tijuana. One car was recently stopped entering Tijuana with 5,600 jars of gummies infused with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. But relatively few of the southbound traffickers are caught -- even as their contraband doubles or triples in value as soon as it enters Mexico. "The demand here for American weed has exploded," said one dealer in Mexico City, who estimated that 60% of the marijuana he sells now comes from California. The dealer spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of arrest. "It's aspirational for many of my clients.

 

They want to be seen smoking the best stuff, the stuff rappers brag about smoking." Over nearly a century, the U.S. spent billions of dollars combating drug trafficking from Mexico -- and for many years marijuana was at the center of that effort. The strains smoked by American actors and rock stars pointed to Mexico's geography: Acapulco Gold, Michoacan Cream, Jarilla Sinaloa. The weed in those days arrived on speedboats, through tunnels and even by slingshot. Sometimes the marijuana drug "mules" that crossed the Rio Grande were actually horses. But as some states, including California, legalized cannabis and professionalized its production, the world's most famous cannabis strains -- with a new string of American names like Girl Scout Cookies and Bubba Kush -- could suddenly be purchased just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, including at outlet malls walking distance from Mexican territory. At Urbn Leaf, a marijuana dispensary in San Ysidro, Calif., a few hundred yards from the border into Mexico at Tijuana, owner Josh Bubeck estimates that 55% of his customers are Mexican nationals. His employees warn them that bringing marijuana back to Mexico is a violation of Mexican law, but to work at Urbn Leaf is to understand the draw. "Nobody is going to grow cannabis better than California probably ever," Bubeck said.

 

Back in Mexico, he said, especially for younger smokers, the appeal is clear: "You're showing 'This is what I'm about. I'm a bad ass. I got this from America.'" For years, advocates of legalizing marijuana in Mexico have argued that the country could establish an enormously profitable industry, given its years of producing the drug illicitly. The Sinaloa Cartel has reportedly been looking into establishing its own legal cannabis subsidiary in Mexico. But legalization has moved much faster in parts of the U.S. than in Mexico, giving places like California a huge advantage. Some California weed farms have even hired Mexican migrant workers to tend their fields. The state's cannabis industry produced $4.4 billion in sales in 2020. This July, Mexico's supreme court struck down laws which criminalized the cultivation of cannabis for personal use. But lawmakers have not yet passed legislation that would allow for a commercial marijuana market. It is still technically illegal to buy or sell marijuana, and it is nearly impossible to regulate the quality of Mexican cannabis products available on the illegal market. "Mexicans want to try what they see in music video, in movies, in media, and that's usually American," said another dealer in Mexico City, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of arrest. "We still have this idea that the best products come from the U.S."

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Topic # 2:  Eight Found Dead in One House, All Shot in Head, Irapuato, Guanajuato

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/eight-found-dead-in-one-house-all-shot.html

 

   

The red truck allegedly used by the perpetrators and later found by police

 

The Story:

 

Seven men and one woman were executed by hitmen at a home on Saturday night in Irapuato, Guanajuato.

 

 

The Shooting

 

Witnesses reported that an unknown group of armed men arrived outside a home in the Santa Maria neighborhood of Irapuato. They describe the vehicle as a Nissan Estaquita  truck and it was carrying at least six armed men. A few minutes after 10:00 pm on the night of August 7, 2021, the emergency line received a report that several gunshots had been heard on Santa Carolina street in the aforementioned neighborhood. However the several shots did not stop and in fact continued for several minutes straight, concerning the neighbors even further. La Silla Rota reports the shots were so frequent that three different calls were received by the emergency line. Following the gunshots that came from killing the eight victims, Proceso reports that the gunmen stood outside the home for several minutes and fired several shots into the air. The armed men then appeared to leave the area however according to El Universal, even after leaving the property, the assailants continued firing shots into the air with assault rifles while being driven away.

 

Police arrived on scene and they found eight seemingly lifeless bodies, located in different areas, all within one house. This prompted the police to request the presence of paramedics to aid in checking all the vitals of the bodies. Proceso writes that the paramedics tried to get to the scene but because of unclarified risks in the area, possibly continued gunshots, the paramedics were sent away from the house for a few minutes for the sake of security. Revista Punto de Vista alleges the armed men drove by the house again in a vehicle and from the vehicle they shot at the people outside the house. The area of the house was then put under heavy guard and the paramedics were able to return to the house. The paramedics were able to verify, after a few minutes, none of the victims showed vital signs anymore. All the victims, seven men and one woman, were shot in the head. The house was reportedly still under construction and the bodies of the victims were found inside a garage between unpainted walls. It is unclear how many were found in that location, as reports differ.

 

The Aftermath

 

Dozens of neighbors came out of their houses after they heard about the massacre. Relatives of the victims in the house, who had previously arrived on the street, were outraged at the late appearance of the security forces at the crime scene. La Silla Rota describes that a mother whose son was just murdered inside the house could be heard screaming and sobbing, “Oh no please, my child!” while kneeling on the sidewalk. Other women then reached out to embrace and comfort her. Later, the Secretary of Public Security of Irapuato reported police had seized a red Nissan truck which the killers allegedly used to get to the house on Saturday night. The Secretary of Government of Guanajuato, Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo condemned the massacre of eight people in Irapuato and assured that will find those responsible. Muñoz Ledo said she had personally contacted the municipal president of Irapuato, Ricardo Ortiz Gutiérrez, to learn more about the situation and they continue coordinating with each other in order to  to find those responsible for this event. Two cartels known to have a presence in Irapuato, Guanajuato are the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation (CJNG). Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) safe houses were found in Irapuato a few months ago, as previously reported on Borderland Beat. The cartel responsible for this massacre is still unknown at this time.

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Topic # 3:  Irapuato, Guanajuato: We Will Find Those Responsible For The Massacre: Libya Dennise

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/irapuato-guanajuato-we-will-find-those.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

The Secretary of Government of Guanajuato, Libya Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, condemned the massacre of eight people that occurred in Irapuato and assured that a coordination will be established to find those responsible for this violent event that occurred in the Santa María neighborhood. Through her Twitter account, Libia Dennise García said that once the events occurred, she contacted the municipal president of Irapuato, Ricardo Ortiz Gutiérrez, to learn more about the situation and maintain coordination in which the Secretary of Public Security of the State and the Attorney General's Office will also participate, to be able to find those responsible for this event that claimed the lives of seven men and a woman who were gathered at a party in a home in the Santa María neighborhood, on Saturday night. "From Gobierno Guanajuato we condemn the unfortunate event that occurred tonight in the municipality of Irapuato, we have established communication with the Municipal President Ortiz_Irapuato and we work in coordination with @SeguridadGto and @FGEGUANAJUATO to find those responsible" (sic), the Secretary of Government wrote on her Twitter account.

 

The one in Irapuato was the second massacre that took place in Guanajuato on Saturday. The Santa María neighborhood is located in the north of the municipality. So far this year it has become the scene of 13 murders, all of them perpetrated with gunfire and where the main motive for the previous attacks was due to a situation related to the sale of drugs, although the motive that led to the commission of this multihomicide is being investigated from this recent case. There have been more than 60 massacres in Guanajuato. The one in Irapuato was the second massacre that took place in Guanajuato in less than 24 hours, because on Friday night there was an attack on a business selling alcoholic beverages in the municipality of Moroleón, where four men were killed, as well as three more injured; three women were also taken to a hospital, all of them had gunshot wounds.

 

However, according to the civil organization Causa en Común, in Guanajuato from January to June 48 massacres were perpetrated in the state, understood as the murder of three or more people in the same violent act. In addition, during July Organización Editorial Mexicana documented 11 more massacres, bringing the number of 60 to occur from January to August of this year. The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System announced that from January to July 2,106 people have been killed, against the 2,695 that existed in the same period, which according to the governor of Guanajuato, Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo, means that the coordination work between the three levels of government is yielding positive results. Although it recognized that they are still insufficient to achieve pacifying the state, one of the main tasks of the State Government.

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Topic # 4:  Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua: Dealers Bribe Police Commissioner And Record Negotiations By Phone

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/ciudad-juarez-chihuahua-dealers-bribe.html

 



 

Synopsis:

 

A video shows how the municipal police are easily bought by crime for the sale of drugs. According to a post that was deleted from Facebook, Commander Caballero who is in charge of units 106 and 138 of Distrito Centro agreed with dealers in the Centro Zone. The criminal who talks to Commander Caballero offers him 10,000 pesos to allow them to work. “Yes. You’ll get 10 thousand pesos a week. But you’ll allow me to work in my area of operations so that I can make my money. And be able to pay you your money as well. Because that’s quite a bit of money that has to be paid to you” is heard in the recording broadcast on Facebook.

 

Video translation is as follows:

 

Dealer: Go ahead and keep 17 thousand pesos, go ahead and keep 17 thousand pesos. And I’ll sort everything out with you week to week.

Commander Caballero: How much of it will be for me?

Dealer: You’ll get 10 thousand a week.

Commander Caballero: I’ll get 10 thouand a week?

Dealer: Yes. You’ll get 10 thousand pesos a week. But you’ll allow me to work in my area of operations so that I can make my money. And be able to pay you your money as well. Because that’s quite a bit of money that has to be paid to you.

Commander Caballero: Well, how many drug points do you have or what?

Dealer: That’s why I was telling you let me work and once you come through there I’ll ask that you give me a break.

Commander Caballero: Well…

Dealer: That’s why I was…well, 10 thousand pesos a week is quite a bit of money bro. This amount isn’t just anything. And I struggle…we struggle to sell everything off.

Commander Caballero: I’ll have to call you back.

Dealer: Ok then.

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Topic # 5:  Tijuana, Baja California: Dismembered Male Found With Narco Message

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/tijuana-baja-california-dismembered.html

 



 

The Story:

 

According to police reports, around 03:21 this Saturday, August 7, a double homicide was documented on Antonio López Santana and López Portillo Street in the Infonavit Presidentes neighborhood. The victims were semi-covered inside a black Nissan XTerra vehicle with Baja California license plates.

 

On the windshield of the unit, the alleged hitmen left a cardboard with a narco-message that read: “You were left without stores in your area of operations for being a cheap fuck. You were actually doing well. But you thought you were slick by killing off operatives from The Company. Juan Enrique Rochin Cervantes aka “El Peter Pan” you’re going to need more personnel to fuck over The Company. Sincerely, CDA

 

Also this morning in a gray Volkswagen Golf with Baja California license plates. A man was found dead. He had various bullet wounds to his body. The unit was impacted on a fence near Corsica and Andalusian streets in the Villa Fontana neighborhood. It should be noted that inside the unit ballistic evidence was found. Then around 7 in the morning, the emergency center was informed that on a wooden base the dismembered body of a man was hung accompanied by a narco-message. The macabre discovery was made in Pericué Street in the El Guaycura neighborhood, in the Jardines del Guaycura section, in front of the park on the main avenue. The events caused great concern among the residents. Information released indicates that the message was addressed to a subject nicknamed "Peter Pan," allegedly a member of the Sinaloa Cartel. This was the intel that the Territorial Coordination Table for the Construction of Peace and Security currently had. The Fact:

 

Ten people were killed, one of them dismembered, and three found with a narcomessage was the result of a violent day recorded during the last hours in Tijuana. With these facts, this adds up to 35 homicides in August and 1,247 so far in 2021. On this occasion, a creepy find was recorded around 6:40 a.m., on Pericue Avenue and Paseo del Guaycua, in the neighborhood of the same name. At this address on the public thoroughfare, next to the park, on a small bed, the dismembered body of a man whose feet, hands and head were tied with wire to this wooden base was located. The torso was on the asphalt, next to a blue canvas, accompanied by a message containing the following legend:

 

“This will continue to happen to those who carry on with that cheap fuck Juan "Enrique Rochin Cervantes" alias "Peter Pan". If before you didn’t have much, now you have nothing. You’re in deep shit you dumb ass. Sincerely, Cartel de Sinaloa

 

Residents of the area called the police to report on this finding. The Municipal Elements arrived and confirmed this fact, reporting to the Attorney General's Office as well as Expert Services to stay in charge of the corresponding Procedures. The deceased was wearing a blue shirt and black pants.

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Topic # 6:  EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Unaccompanied Migrant Teen Claims Gang Violence Forced Him to U.S.

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/09/exclusive-video-unaccompanied-migrant-teen-claims-gang-violence-forced-him-to-u-s/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

On Friday, hundreds of migrants surrendered to waiting Border Patrol agents in Roma, Texas. Within the groups were dozens of unaccompanied migrant children and most appeared to be teenagers. One young man says gangs in Guatemala are the reason he is coming to the United States. The two young men in the video seemed excited to be in the United States and spoke freely about where they were ultimately headed. The boys claimed they removed their bracelets provided to migrants by cartels in Mexico as proof of payment. Like most migrants, out of fear, they claimed to not have paid anything to the smugglers. Both will be processed by the Border Patrol and held in custody until they can be transferred over to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) emergency intake site. Once there, HHS volunteers will work to release them to sponsors. The flow of unaccompanied migrant children across the southwest border is at an all-time high in 2021. According to the HHS, there were more than 17,000 migrant children in federal custody as of Friday. These two minors were among 1,341 apprehended by Border Patrol on Thursday and Friday.

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Topic # 7:  EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Politician Allegedly Behind Sinaloa Cartel’s Appearance in Border State Unmasked

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/07/exclusive-mexican-politician-behind-appearance-of-sinaloa-cartel-in-border-state-unmasked/

 

 



Antonio Lucas Martínez and Luis Fernando “El Dragón” Garza Guerrero

 

The Story:

 

The mayor of a rural city in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon is the alleged key political figure behind the arrival of Sinaloa Cartel enforcers. The cartel members arrived in the region recently in an apparent attempt to take control of drug trafficking routes and regional distribution. In June, a cell of gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) surfaced in the rural city of Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon. Those gunmen clashed with authorities and strung banners announcing their arrival, Breitbart Texas reported exclusively. The rural city of Montemorelos is located just south of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. According to the cartel banner and to information shared with Breitbart Texas by U.S. law enforcement sources operating in Mexico, the CDS cell is led by an unidentified commander known by the nicknames El Gato or Felino. Authorities in Mexico also seized weapons and tactical gear with patches and hats with Sinaloa Cartel insignias and logos. The U.S. law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that Montemorelos police officers and politicians drew their attention in late February after state authorities arrested three local cops in connection with charges related to extortions, drug distribution, and assault — including the use of a paddle to torture their victims.

 

One of the victims who was tortured was a political rival of Mayor Luis Fernando “El Dragón” Garza Guerrero. Intelligence information shared with Breitbart Texas by the U.S. law enforcement sources revealed that the politician who is known as El Dragón is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a local drug trafficker known as The Stripper. The nickname is not tied to any criminal activity but it is a catchy slogan that the politician has used throughout his career.  The politician also had links with the late Dannes Elizondo, a convicted drug trafficker who lived in McAllen, Texas. Elizondo, a U.S. citizen, used to run large cocaine shipments from Nuevo Leon to Houston for various criminal organizations. He also reportedly had links with the Beltran Leyva Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel. A group of unknown gunmen killed Elizondo in 2018 in the ritzy suburb of San Pedro, Nuevo Leon.

 

The politician known as El Dragón hails from the MORENA Party and came into office in 2018. He quickly became the topic of much local controversy after being linked to numerous acts of local corruption and hiring organized crime figures into his inner circle. He is a known political ally of Mauricio Fernández Garza, the former mayor of San Pedro, who hails from the National Action Party (PAN) — the wealthiest suburb in the Monterrey metropolitan area. Even though they were from rival parties, the political allies exchanged political favors and support. One of those favors was the hiring of Antonio Lucas Martínez, as the public security secretary of Montemorelos. Lucas Martinez had the same position in San Pedro but had to resign after he was linked to organized crime, including the forced disappearance of a teenager by his then police officers. The forced disappearance and the alleged collection of bribes by Lucas Martinez have since been covered up by state authorities.

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Topic # 8: 183-Foot Drug Smuggling Tunnel Found Under California-Mexico Border

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/07/183-foot-drug-smuggling-tunnel-found-under-california-mexico-border/

 



 

Synopsis:

 

An international law enforcement effort led to the discovery and shutdown of a 183-foot tunnel being built to smuggle drugs, weapons, and people under the border into California. The sophisticated tunnel utilized electricity, a ventilation system, a rail system, and an electric hoist to move their illicit cargo from Mexico to the U.S. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations special agents teamed up with Mexican law enforcement officials in Mexicali, Baja California, to locate and seize a sophisticated smuggling tunnel on August 2, according to information obtained from ICE officials. The team discovered a tunnel inside a home in Mexicali located along the border with California, officials stated. The tunnel ran approximately 183 feet at about 22 feet below the surface to a location approximately three feet north of the border wall in Calexico, California, officials reported. While the tunnel did not yet have an exit in California, the entrance to the three-foot by four-foot tunnel measured approximately 12 feet by ten feet and utilized an electric hoist to lower the people or drugs underground. The drug traffickers installed an electrical system, ventilation, and a rail cart system to move their cargo through the tunnel. “These types of tunnels enable drug traffickers to conduct illicit activities virtually undetected across the U.S.–Mexico border,” Cardell T. Morant, special agent in charge of HSI San Diego said in a written statement. “Discovering and shutting down these tunnels deals a major blow to drug trafficking organizations because it denies them the ability to smuggle drugs, weapons, and people across the border.” “This is an ongoing HSI-led investigation with assistance from the El Centro Sector Border Patrol and the government of Mexico, HSI officials noted. “The HSI San Diego Tunnel Task Force thanks the government of Mexico for its cooperation in this investigation.”


Crafty_Dog

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Stratfor: AMLO's cartel strategy not working
« Reply #931 on: September 13, 2021, 05:39:10 AM »
ASSESSMENTS
Three Years in, Lopez Obrador's Cartel Strategy Has Not Succeeded in Mexico
7 MIN READSep 13, 2021 | 10:00 GMT





Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on July 1, 2021, at the National Palace in Mexico City during a commemoration of the third year of his victory in Mexico's 2018 presidential election.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on July 1, 2021, at the National Palace in Mexico City during a commemoration of the third year of his victory in Mexico's 2018 presidential election.

(Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Editor's Note: ­This security-focused assessment is one of many such analyses found at Stratfor Threat Lens, a unique protective intelligence product designed with corporate security leaders in mind. Threat Lens enables industry professionals and organizations to anticipate, identify, measure and mitigate emerging threats to people, assets and intellectual property the world over. Threat Lens is the only unified solution that analyzes and forecasts security risk from a holistic perspective, bringing all the most relevant global insights into a single, interactive threat dashboard.

After nearly three years in office, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's strategy for combatting violence has not succeeded and his unwillingness to adjust course will ensure that insecurity remains pervasive. This will keep physical security and business continuity risks high for organizations operating in Mexico and along the border, and contribute to further social unrest. Lopez Obrador said upon taking office that reducing violence stood among his top priorities, something he pledged to do through a strategy he called "hugs not bullets" that intended to fight cartels by addressing the underlying issues driving criminal groups, such as extreme poverty. This strategy also included initiatives like marijuana legalization and sentencing reform. In combination with more security-focused approaches, he hoped this would prove more successful than prior administrations' reliance on force alone to combat cartels. Even so, Lopez Obrador's strategy quickly morphed to include the militarized, take-out-the-kingpin strategies of his predecessors, and insecurity, poverty and corruption remain pervasive despite the combination of hard and soft power solutions in his initial plan.

Lopez Obrador established a National Guard in June 2019 intended as a short-term solution to violence while his long-term initiatives took hold, but has turned into a more permanent fixture of Mexico's security apparatus.

He also resumed the previously unsuccessful high-value targeting policy of his predecessors, which has contributed to the further fragmentation of Mexico's cartels and to additional violence as factions fight to replace leadership.

Despite the president's emphasis on addressing the socioeconomic issues that contribute to violence and crime, such as extreme poverty and unemployment, rates of both had marginally grown even before the onset of the pandemic in 2020, and has worsened since then.

According to Transparency International, since Lopez Obrador took office, Mexicans' perceptions of public corruption have grown, and the country's overall ranking on the group's corruption list has worsened.
Despite significant investments in various security measures, since 2018 Mexico's homicides effectively plateaued at their highest level. Even with pandemic-related restrictions on movement, Mexico still reported only a minuscule reduction in the number of homicides in 2020, underscoring the cartels' sustained influence nationwide.

In the three years since Lopez Obrador took office, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and other smaller groups have grown in prominence and cartels have advanced their technological and tactical capabilities, making it harder to combat violence. Cartels have become increasingly militaristic in nature with the use of drones and improvised armored fighting vehicles, contributing to the rising violence in Mexico.
These and other tactical advances, as well as the continued fragmentation of Mexico's cartels, have not only enabled existing cartels to flourish, but also helped new cartels form and rise to prominence.

Reflecting a tactic that appears set to grow, on April 20, 2021, the CJNG dropped a gunpowder bomb from a drone, wounding police in the Michoacan state town of El Aguaje. Aside from using drones to target their enemies, cartels have grown to use them for surveilling the border and trafficking small amounts of illicit drugs, such as fentanyl.

The rise of smaller groups such as Los Viagras, the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generacion, Los Rojos and La Linea has made the security environment more unstable, as new actors create more fluidity in traditional alliance and rivalry structures that leads to greater violence.

Although the president's efforts have largely failed to counter violence, it is unlikely that Lopez Obrador will reduce his reliance on the National Guard, which has become a crucial, increasingly politicized, part of his strategy. The president has a direct line of control over the group that he created, despite evidence that the militarized police force is undertrained and ineffective. Further entrenching its institutional position, he has expanded the role of the 100,000-person force to take charge of a number of security issues beyond responding to discrete episodes of violence, including civilian policing, seaport and customs inspections, and preventing the flow of migrants from the Mexico-Guatemala border. This widening remit has left the group stretched thin and in conflict with local communities.

In June 2021, Lopez Obrador announced he planned to propose a constitutional amendment to make the National Guard part of the defense department in order to ensure its budget would not be cut by subsequent administrations, but so far he lacks the votes to pass reforms absent support from other political parties.
Also in June 2021, the National Guard failed to certify more than 90% of its force as fit for duty, reflecting significant readiness challenges that undermine its ability meaningfully to combat the cartels.

Reflecting tensions between the National Guard and local communities, on March 29, 2021, angry villagers detained 15 soldiers after one opened fire on a car of migrants, killing a man. Many local communities, especially those bordering Central America, are skeptical of the central government, and so more likely to resist National Guard activities.

Despite his promises, Lopez Obrador's failure to significantly tackle cartel-driven violence will sustain risks to physical security and business continuity for organizations operating in the country, including locations popular with business travelers and tourists, and spur further social unrest. While cartels continue to operate in Mexico without serious repercussions, all industries — but particularly small and midsize businesses in the natural resource and agriculture sectors, which are easy targets given their lucrative nature, have fewer capabilities to resist and play an outsize role in the economy in which they account for nearly 50% of the workforce — are at risk of theft, blackmail, extortion and at times targeted violence. Persistent insecurity will also continue to undermine social cohesion and increase unrest. This is particularly true for Indigenous and feminist groups, which have suffered disproportionately from violence and hold frequent anti-government protests that have led to violent clashes with police.

The Tierra Caliente region of southern Mexico — where cartels fight for control over a variety of revenue streams ranging from synthetic drugs to avocados — and the northern border states of Tamaulipas and Baja California — where cartels fight for control of access to U.S. trafficking routes — are likely to remain particular hotspots for violence. Popular tourist destinations such as Los Cabos and Acapulco are also likely to remain areas with high levels of violence due to the value of the tourism industry in the area.

Cartels' increasing use of roadblocks to enforce territorial dominance can disrupt supply chains and lead to violence if disputes emerge during these encounters. Cartels can also use roadblocks to stop traffic in order to steal legitimate business vehicles that they then use to hide smuggling operations, posing growing risks to business continuity and safety.

Reflecting persistent insecurity and the fact that they are frequently targeted by cartels because of their second-class societal status, Indigenous self-defense groups have begun to form in the absence of state control. Similar armed civilian groups composed of non-Indigenous individuals are also on the rise.

ccp

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #932 on: September 13, 2021, 10:25:13 AM »
".Three Years in, Lopez Obrador's Cartel Strategy Has Not Succeeded in Mexico "

well does Stratford have a better idea

on how to combat narco terrorism

we can't even control the inflow of drugs here in the US
we are the dopes using and paying for the shit coming in .

I don't see our strategies of love and peace
and forgive and forget here is not working is it?

Crafty_Dog

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Mexico News Daily: Chiapas on verge of civil war
« Reply #933 on: September 22, 2021, 02:46:12 PM »
Zapatistas warn that Chiapas is on verge of civil war, accuse state of kidnapping
The Army of National Liberation claims state is responsible for a long list of abuses
Published on Tuesday, September 21, 2021

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) – an organization best known for staging an armed uprising in southern Mexico in January 1994 – has released a statement warning that Chiapas is on the verge of civil war.

Endorsed by Zapatistas’ leader Subcomandante Galeano, the communique denounced the abduction of two EZLN members by a paramilitary organization at the service of the Chiapas government led by Morena party Governor Rutilio Escandón.

“On September 11, 2021, in the early morning, while the Zapatista air delegation was in Mexico City, members of ORCAO [the Regional Organization of Ocosingo Coffee Growers] – a paramilitary organization serving the Chiapas state government – kidnapped the compañeros Sebastián Nuñez Pérez and José Antonio Sánchez Juárez … from the Good Government Council of Patria Nueva [New Homeland], Chiapas,” the statement said.


 
The Zapatistas, who control a significant amount of territory in the state, asserted that ORCAO is “a political-military organization with paramilitary characteristics: they have uniforms, equipment, weapons, and ammunition purchased with money they receive from [government-sponsored] ‘social programs.’”

“… They fire on the Zapatista community of Moisés y Gandhi every night with these weapons,” the communique said.


The kidnapping victims were released on Sunday eight days after they were abducted “thanks to the parish priests of San Cristóbal de las Casas and Oxchuc, of the San Cristóbal diocese,” the EZLN said after claiming that the Chiapas government had attempted to sabotage their rescue.

“The compañeros were robbed of a walkie-talkie and 6,000 pesos in cash belonging to the Good Government Council,” the statement said.

“… The only reason the conflict did not escalate into a tragedy was due to the intervention of the parishes mentioned above, human rights organizations, and the mobilizations and denunciations carried out in Mexico and, above all, Europe. The misgovernment of Rutilio Escandón is doing everything possible to destabilize … Chiapas.”


The EZLN accused the state of a laundry list of abuses, asserting that it violently represses student teachers, sabotages agreements between teachers and the federal government, protects drug gangs and finances paramilitary groups.

“Its vaccination campaign is purposefully slow and disorganized, creating unrest in rural communities that it will no doubt exploit. Meanwhile, the rising COVID deaths in these communities are ignored,” it added.

“Its officials are stealing everything they can from the state treasury, perhaps preparing for a federal government collapse or betting on a new party coming into power. And now they want to sabotage the departure of the Zapatista delegation participating in the European chapter of the Journey for Life,” the statement said, referring to a group of Zapatistas – the so-called “air delegation” that departed for Europe by plane on September 13.

“They ordered their ORCAO paramilitaries to kidnap our compañeros, leaving the crime unpunished, and trying to provoke a reaction from the EZLN, all in a state where governability hangs by a thread.”

The Zapatistas also claimed that the Ecological Green Party is really in power in Chiapas but currently “badly disguised” as Morena, the party founded by President López Obrador.

In addition to accusing Escandón of abuses, the EZLN took aim at state government secretary Victoria Cecilia Flores Pérez.


“If what they [Escandón and Flores] want is to topple the federal government, or to cause problems in retaliation for the current federal criminal investigations against them, or to support one of the factions competing for power in 2024, then they should use the available legal channels and stop playing with the life, liberty, and property of the people of Chiapas. They should call for a vote to revoke the presidential mandate and stop playing with fire because they’re going to get burned,” said the rambling and somewhat deranged communique entitled Chiapas on the Verge of Civil War.

The EZLN called for foreigners and Mexicans to protest on Friday in front of Mexican embassies and consulates and at the government offices of the state of Chiapas to demand “an end to their provocations and renunciation of their death cult.”

“Given the actions and omissions of the state and federal governments regarding these crimes and previous ones, we will take the necessary measures to bring justice to the criminals in the ORCAO and the government officials who sponsor them. That is all. Next time there won’t be a communique. That is, there won’t be words, only actions,” concluded the statement issued from the mountains of southeastern Mexico.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2021, 02:50:07 PM by Crafty_Dog »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #934 on: October 02, 2021, 08:42:41 PM »

Cuernavaca, Morelos: Journalist Manuel Gonzalez Reyes Executed: 47 Reporters Have Been Killed In AMLO’s Government
United Cartels Narco-Summit Held, Supposedly Under Protection of the National Guard
Sinaloa Cartel Gente Nueva del Tigre Second-in-Command Arrested in Chihuahua
GRAPHIC: Cartel Turf War Reignites in Central Part of Mexican Border State (Graphic image Attached)
Migrants returned to Mexico describe horror of kidnappings, torture, rape
BELONGINGS FOUND IN A #CDN CREMATORIUM IN #NVO LAREDO (Translated Spanish to English)
 

 

Topic # 1:   Cuernavaca, Morelos: Journalist Manuel Gonzalez Reyes Executed: 47 Reporters Have Been Killed In AMLO’s Government

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/09/cuernavaca-morelos-journalist-manuel.html

 



 

The Story:

 

Manuel González Reyes, owner and reporter of the PM Morelos news agency, was shot dead, around 4:37 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28, while he had finished eating at a post installed in front of a minibus terminal, in the Miraval neighborhood, next to the Pullman de Morelos bus line, in the municipality of Cuernavaca. Witnesses to the crime, quoted by local media, indicated that the reporter had just eaten when he got up from his seat to allegedly answer a phone call, and at that moment a motorcycle arrived at the scene with two subjects on board, dressed in black, who shot him in the face, with 9 mm caliber weapons. González Reyes, 55 years old, lay next to a Volkswagen car, black, on De la Estación street that connects Plan de Ayala Avenue, one of the busiest in the capital of Morelen, with Leandro Valle Street, in the Miraval neighborhood. Elements of the State Public Security Commission (CES) and the Red Cross attended the place, who confirmed that there was a lifeless subject. Meanwhile, elements of the Coordinated Command made tours of the area. At the scene, at least two nine-millimeter caliber shells were found, which were collected as evidence of the crime by experts from the Attorney General's Office (FGE), who took charge of the case. "He had injuries caused by a firearm near the cephalic limb.

 

At the moment there is no information that refers to the number of people involved in the aggression, and at least one person would have used a firearm at a short distance against him to immediately flee apparently to Colonia Patios de la Estación," the FGE detailed. The last broadcast that González Reyes made live was this same, prior to his murder, from the Vista Hermosa neighborhood of Jiutepec, to denounce the absence of authorities in support of the families that were affected by the tearing down of a hill. "The support of deputies, local, federal, senators and the Governor and other municipal presidents who also live on our taxes is nowhere to be seen here," González Reyes concluded his connection via Facebook Live, on the PM Noticias page. This agency was created by González Reyes in January 2017. Before that, the reporter covered press conferences, demonstrations and citizen protests independently. Also, during the last electoral process, he participated as a candidate of the recently created Citizen Welfare Party (BC), for the Municipal Presidency of Emiliano Zapata, where the journalist lived.

 

OTHER CRIMES OF JOURNALISTS IN MORELOS

 

In July 2019, the lifeless body of journalist Rogelio Barragán Pérez, director of the Guerrero “Al Instante” news portal, was located in the municipality of Zacatepec, with traces of handcuffed torture and gunshot wounds. The reporter's body was inside his Volkswagen Jetta, with Guerrero state license plates. Two years earlier, in April 2017, journalist Filiberto Álvarez Landeros was shot dead in the municipality of Tlaquiltenango, south of the same entity. Research indicated that the communicator was walking to his private home, after concluding his radio program, where he read poems. In May 2012, veteran journalist René Orta Salgado, a red note reporter in Sol de Cuernavaca, of the Mexican Editorial Organization (OEM), was found dead inside his vehicle. His relatives had reported him missing four days earlier, after holding a meeting with several men in a bar in the Morelos capital.

 

"NO JOURNALIST IS PERSECUTED OR CENSORED": AMLO ON SPOT FOR 3RD REPORT; 47 ARE KILLED IN HIS GOVERNMENT

 

On August 31, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a spot published on his Twitter account, that so far in his government no journalist has been persecuted or censored. However, so far in the Administration headed by the Tabasco politician, since December 2018 to date, a total of 46 communicators have been killed. The Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) released, on July 13, data from the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, which counted the homicides of 43 communicators. But to these are added four more after that date. Likewise, Article 19, a non-governmental organization that defends freedom of expression and the right to information, denounced that during the first half of this year, 362 attacks occurred against journalists and the media, with which 1,663 attacks have been registered so far in the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (609 in the first year and 692 in the second), which indicates that "violence against the press still shows no sign of reversing itself. According to the report 'First semester of 2021: violence against the press prevails, as does the inaction of the State', released on August 24, the NGO highlighted that "every 12 hours a person or a half is attacked in Mexico," and that the 362 attacks recorded reveal "a sustained growth in levels of violence." However, in a video released prior to his Third Government Report, the national president indicated that even now "the president is even insulted but there is no repression" against the press. "There are no more moches because now the budget is going to the people but there are freedoms. The right to disagree, deeds, not words is guaranteed," he said in the spot.

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Topic # 2:  United Cartels Narco-Summit Held, Supposedly Under Protection of the National Guard

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/09/united-cartels-narco-summit-held.html

 



At the meeting held last Sunday, September 12, it was concluded that the United Cartels already had all the necessary resources, both financial and human, to confront the organization of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho. To fund this, cooperation quota taxes were raised on local residents

 

The Story:

 

The leaders of some of the main organizations that make up the Cárteles Unidos council in Michoacán recently held a narco-summit to reconfigure the war strategy against the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). According to journalist Óscar Balderas, who reported on the meeting for the MVS Noticias program with Luis Cárdenas, the meeting held last Sunday, September 12, it was concluded that the United Cartels already had all the necessary resources, both financial and human, to face the organization of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho. The meeting, planned two months in advance, had mainly 4 guests: Juan José Álvarez Farías "El Abuelo", leader of the Tepalcatepec Cartel; Alejandro Sepúlveda Álvarez, alias El Jando or la Fresa , leader of the Trojan Whites/Blancos de Troya; César Sepúlveda Arellano, "El Boto" leader of Los Viagras; and one of the Sierra Santa Ana brothers. That day they got together for breakfast at 11:00 a.m. at a ranch located on Luis Orozco Street, 20 minutes from the Cenobio Moreno market, in Apatzingán, strategically located on a rural road to flee with a 10-minute advantage in case of emergency. The capos arrived unarmed, but with escorts.

 

The pact resulted in two main agreements: the first was that they were going to raise the cooperation quota for the people of the towns of Apatzingán, Tepalcatepec, and Buenavista so that they would finance the war against the Jalisco. Presumably, the people of Tierra Caliente began to be charged from that day up to 3,000 pesos per house a fortnight to finance the war. In case they are unable or unwilling to pay, the United Cartels would persecute them as if they were allies of the CJNG: they beat them, kidnapped them, tortured them, and disappeared them. The second agreement consisted of a kind of single formation to attack together, in a decisive manner, with common weapons and common human resources, the hosts of Oseguera Cervantes. This second agreement already had its first reaction as reported by Borderland Beat; from Tuesday to Thursday of last week, 48 hours of shootings were recorded. Sources consulted by the journalist warned that the CJNG responded to the summit of its enemies by getting into various communities on the border between Jalisco and Michoacán. Officially it was reported that there were five deaths, although unofficially there was talk of a higher number.

 

According to Balderas, a version confirmed that the National Guard (GN) had knowledge of this summit, which was not only held with their permission but also under their protection. Supposedly, there were even GN trucks that were parked on the roads near the Cenobio Moreno market to allow the four Michoacan capos to enter. The official version of the GN assured that they found out about the summit within 24 hours, mainly due to the complaints of the residents about the increase in rates. The Tepalcatepec Cartel, which is presented to the media as a group of self-defense groups, forms the council of the United Cartels together with Los Viagras, Trojan Whites, remnants of the Knights Templar, as well as other cells that operate in the so-called Tierra Caliente region of Michoacan. Those local factions have prevailed for decades in the state, migrating from one criminal group to another and fragmenting into regional associations as their leaders were captured or killed. Some groups, such as those led by Abuelo Farías, collaborated with the CJNG in the past, but breakdowns and alleged internal betrayals unleashed a wave of violence in municipalities such as Aguililla, Coalcomán, Buenavista, and the current siege in Tepalcatepec.

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Topic # 3: Sinaloa Cartel Gente Nueva del Tigre Second-in-Command Arrested in Chihuahua

Source:  http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/09/sinaloa-cartel-gente-nueva-del-tigre.html

 

 

   

 

 

The Story:

 

The second in command of the Sinaloa Cartel group known as Gente Nueva del Tigre, Jesús Omar Cortés Gutiérrez, alias "La Changa", was arrested after a violent shootout in Chihuahua with the State Investigations Agency (AEI) members, which left one of the AEI so badly injured that he was airlifted out for medical treatment. Now a judge has approved that La Changa will be held in jail until his trial, a positive step in the journey towards convicting and sending La Changa to prison. Back in May 14, 2021, the District Attorney for the Zona Occidente (western zone of the state) Jesús Manuel Carrasco Chacón named three key figures from the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup Gente Nueva del Tigre who they say were major priority criminal targets. The three named were Edgar Gamboa Sosa, alias “El 11”,  “El Tigre Blanco”, or “El Virolo”, who is the overall leader of the del Tigre group. They also listed two of El 11’s top lieutenants: Víctor Hugo Vázquez, alias “El Chilango”, and Jesús Omar Cortés Gutiérrez, alias “La Changa”. La Changa was described as the right hand man of El 11 and he is considered to be the second in command of the del Tigre group.

 

He sometimes goes by the aliases "El Comandante" and "El Z-84". He is reportedly 31 years old. Diario de Juárez reports that after the death of “El 100”, La Changa was given control of the plaza in Cuauhtémoc and has been in control of the city ever since, reporting as a direct subordinate to El 11. He has two warrants out for his arrest for the crimes of kidnapping and forced disappearance of individuals in events that occurred between 2019 and 2020. The Attorney General's Office reports that La Changa has multiple other open investigation files for various crimes, mainly homicides and robberies with violence committed in the city of Cuauhtémoc.  One of these open investigations relates to the September 7, 2021 massacre of 9 men who were in a house in the Periodista neighborhood of Cuauhtémoc. For more details on that event, please see this story.



 

Then, on August 27, 2021, an intense shooting took place in the municipality of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. Initial reports said that armed men from Gente Nueva del Tigre who were traveling in four or five vehicles attacked the District Attorney Jesús Manuel Carrasco Chacón, the same man who named the three leaders publicly as criminal targets. Chacón’s bodyguard reportedly repelled the attack of the cartel hitmen which occured on a stretch of the Gómez Morín freeway. Later, Attorney Carrasco Chacón stated that the shooting was not a direct attack against him, but rather as a response to an operation which almost captured a top Gente Nueva leader. He clarified that the shooting occured because he was personally leading the actions of an operation which sought to detain a criminal target in the Western zone. He stated that no officers were injured in the shootout with Gente Nueva, that the official government vehicles involved, including the armored car he was in, were damaged by the impacts, but no injuries were reported. The regional prosecutor stated that the operation he was personally overseeing at the time of the attack was a follow-up on a lead that developed from an investigation that had been going on for several days which aimed to locate and arrest specifically Jesús Omar Cortés Gutiérrez, alias “La Changa”. 

 

Carrasco said that the target was finally located inside a vehicle on Mangos street, in the Delicias neighborhood in the city of Cuauhtémoc. Officers of the State Investigation Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) began following La Changa’s vehicle from a distance in order to avoid detection and to avoid a confrontation breaking out in the urban area. Carrasco added it was especially important to law enforcement not to close in yet because there was a lot of traffic on the streets which could have led to civilian casualties. AEI officers continued to follow from a distance until La Changa’s vehicle reached the outskirts of the city with the target’s vehicle almost reaching the Manuel Gómez Morín highway. After seeing La Changa’s vehicle drive closer to the highway, which would enable his fast escape, the officers rapidly accelerated and closed in on his vehicle. They caught up with his vehicle a few minutes before 9:00 pm at night, at the height of the Ingenierías road. When the officers tried to stop La Changa’s vehicle, a major shootout took place, not only did the AEI call for reinforcements, reportedly the Gente Nueva hitmen also called for reinforcements. The confrontation was reportedly so long that both sides received support from new armed men arriving at the site. Carrasco said that around five vehicles with armed men were involved on behalf of Gente Nueva by the end of the battle.

 

At some point, the shootout evolved into a car chase which continued on the Manuel Gómez Morín highway up to the Juárez road. Vehicles from both sides were taking such heavy bullet damage that even the specially modified and armored white Ford Expedition SUV of the District Attorney general broke down and ceased to be able to drive due to the damage it received to one of its tires. The chase reportedly continued on despite the District Attorney’s vehicle breaking down near the Cuauhtémoc Olympic Stadium, as the support of elements of the State Security Commission arrived and Carrasco Chacón boarded their vehicle in order to continue the pursuit of La Changa’s vehicle as it drove into the municipality of Carichí, in the direction of Bacaburiachi. Eventually they lost sight of his vehicle and the chase ended, with La Changa getting away. Diario de Juarez writes that “the last five years have been a time of terror for the entire area from Cuauhtémoc to San Juanito, and from Guerrero to Madera. The entire Mennonite corridor, with tens of thousands of inhabitants, has been taken over” by Gente Nueva del Tigre. La Changa reportedly had so much influence over the police and military in the Cuauhtémoc area that according to Diario de Juárez, La Changa was able to return to the city of Cuauhtémoc following the huge shootout with the AEI.

 

He reportedly returned to a safe house in the middle of the city, without being disturbed by local authorities despite all the heat the car chase should have brought down on him. However the brand new State Attorney General Roberto Javier Fierro Duarte made it a priority to take down La Changa. (Not to be confused with another famous Duarte from Chihuahua, César Horacio Duarte Jáquez, the former governor turned fugitive.)  Arrest warrants were drawn up in relation to a suspected location where La Changa may have been staying. Diario de Juárez writes that corrupted state police officers and infiltrators into the planning from other law enforcement corporations almost jeopardized the outcome of the plan on multiple occasions, saying  “there was no lack of subtle protest even in the location of the safe house and the way to raid it,” adding “Prosecutor Fierro and his commanders should spend less time considering the criminals they were targeting, and more time considering which police officers they were involving.” On September 23, at approximately 3:00pm, members of the AEI approached a home that was believed to be used as a safehouse, located on a street between the Los Frailes and Campo Real subdivisions in the heart of Cuauhtémoc city. An entry team AEI agent was injured when he broke down a door and received gunshots in his shield that bounced off his shield, ricocheting into his shoulder.

 

But the AEI team kept pushing forward and a shootout began between the bodyguards of La Changa, covering La Changa exit, while he made his way to an armored Mercedes vehicle. However, La Changa eventually surrendered, likely due to his vehicle being blocked in or due to the volume of fire. The injured entry team member was transferred via the helicopter Halcón 1, which landed right in front of Alsuper de la Juárez and Pacheco streets, where he was rushed into the helicopter in order to be flown to the state capital for immediate medical attention. In addition to the arrest of La Changa,  the AEI successfully arrested three more people,  including a woman and the chief of hitmen from "La Changa", who will also be prosecuted for attempted homicide against police officers. Then on September 25, 2021, the three male detainees were presented before the Control Judge Eduardo Alexis Ornelas Pérez in the criminal chambers of Aquiles Serdán's prison #1 (CERESO). The judge approved the preventative detention of Jesús Omar Cortés Gutiérrez, alias “La Changa”, Francisco “UB” and Adolfo “CO”, for the crimes of homicide in degree in attempt and possession of firearms for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces.

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Topic # 4:  GRAPHIC: Cartel Turf War Reignites in Central Part of Mexican Border State

Source:  https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/09/29/graphic-cartel-turf-war-reignites-in-central-part-of-mexican-border-state/

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

 

Rival cartels reignited a bloody turf war for control of the central part of the border state of Tamaulipas. The fighting is manifesting itself through gruesome executions and targeted killings. One murder took place on earlier this week when gunmen suspected of being part of the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas left an ice chest containing a severed human head outside the Tamaulipas State Police headquarters in Ciudad Victoria. The victim, Jared Antonio Zamora Mireles, was a mid-level leader of the Gulf Cartel in Ciudad Mante. Breitbart Texas has since obtained exclusive information revealing that Tamaulipas state police arrested Zamora on September 24 with his girlfriend and three other men. Authorities released him soon after. As Zamora walked out of the detention center, gunmen kidnapped him. His whereabouts were unknown until Monday when his head and a narco-banner were displayed. One day before, gunmen dumped the bodies of two men and a woman in northern Ciudad Victoria. The victims were bound and shot several times. Hours before, another man was shot in the southeastern side of the city. Nearby cities such as Xicoténcatl, Jaumave, Ocampo and Ciudad Mante have also seen a spike in murders, car jackings, and shootouts as the Gulf Cartel and the CDN-Los Zetas fight for control of drug territories.

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Topic # 5:  Migrants returned to Mexico describe horror of kidnappings, torture, rape

Source:  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/migrants-returned-mexico-describe-horror-kidnappings-torture-rape-rcna2300

 



Photo # 1: Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of expelled migrants travel across the international bridge of Hidalgo, between Reynosa and McAllen every day

Photo # 2: Migrants stranded in Reynosa Plaza clean their clothes in a half-built building in front of the camp



Photo # 3: Hundreds of tents are concentrated in Reynosa Plaza near the border bridge

Photo # 4: Berta was the victim of a kidnapping after she was expelled from the U.S. at a border zone in Arizona



Photo # 5: The city of Reynosa, Mexico

Photo # 6:  Berta shows the bruises on her body

 

The Story:

 

REYNOSA, Mexico — After Gustavo and his family were sent back to Mexico after they crossed the U.S. border, his two sons said they were hungry. Gustavo, a Honduran man, sat them on the steps of the bridge and crossed the street to buy them something to eat. He remembers that a car approached him as he walked those steps. “They put me in the car. The children stayed there, waiting for me, but I didn’t come back.” He had been kidnapped. Days later, on the same bridge, Jorge Geovanni Díaz, also from Honduras, found himself holding hands with his son, who is 7, after the U.S. returned them to Mexico. Discouraged, he called their smuggler, or coyote. They were picked up in front of the international bridge and taken to a bodega, where almost 200 people were hoping to cross the river again. All of a sudden, armed men came in and violently took them all away. For this man and his child, 44 harsh days in captivity began. When migrants arrive in these Mexican cities near the border, they’re the targets of a vicious criminal business that kidnaps them and can torture them for weeks, extorting thousands of dollars of ransom from their relatives over the phone. Those who are kidnapped know that if they don’t pay, the outstanding balances can end in death. Kimberlin Figueroa, another Honduran migrant, was also returned to Mexico by U.S. authorities. “The cars would come up to me and say, ‘Get in here, get in here, get in the car with us.’ I was afraid and didn't get in the car.” She said she was terrified, because on the way to northern Mexico she had already been kidnapped and she needed thousands of dollars to get her freedom. Noticias Telemundo Investiga interviewed more than 30 migrants who were kidnapped from 2019 to 2021.

 

Some spoke on camera and gave their names because they are in safe places and believe they should publicly report the criminal practices. Others avoided giving their full names because they fear reprisals from organized crime. Some spoke on condition of anonymity. Several of them, including minors, have witnessed the murders of other migrants who tried to flee or whose families were not sending enough ransom. The criminals tortured some of the abducted migrants with blows all over their bodies to pressure the families who must pay the ransoms. Women were often repeatedly sexually abused by one or more kidnappers, said a woman who was raped, as well as several people who witnessed the crimes. The cartels and other Mexican criminal groups make $600 to $20,000 per capture, in addition to the thousands of dollars migrants have already paid for the trip north. U.S. telephone numbers are the data most sought. Families in America, desperate at the thought of losing their loved ones, are besieged by criminals. According to the pro-immigrant group Human Rights First, at least 6,356 migrants have been victims of kidnappings, abuses or attacks since January. For migrants, the map of Mexico, starting in the south, is like a checkerboard where they have to show they’ve paid to journey through — and they have to pay it to the correct group.

 

The dreaded password

 

There’s something migrants trying the dangerous border crossing need to know at all times: the password. On Mexican highways, buses sometimes stop suddenly. Armed men ask migrants to get off, and they’re asked for a password that shows that they have paid the smuggler networks as they travel to the U.S. border. “If you travel from Monterrey to cities on the border, you will see how, in a distance of two hours, at least three times, these people will get off the bus and they will have to give their password, and if they don’t have a password, they are going to have to pay a fee to be allowed to advance to the other point until they reach the border,” said Nilda García, who researches organized crime at Texas A&M International University in Laredo. The situation can be twisted even more. Kimberlin, 27, and her 12-year-old son traversed Mexico on their own, without hiring a coyote to reach the U.S. The bus stopped. “They asked us who we were coming with, if we had a password,” she recalled. “We said: ‘No, no, we came alone. We want to get to the border.’ Then again they asked us for the ‘happy’ password and who we came with.” She and her son were kidnapped and held captive for more than a week, and her U.S. relatives had to fork out $9,000 in ransom. In some cases, attackers tell migrants that their coyotes did not make the necessary payments to the criminal group in control of that particular area — or some groups simply steal the detained migrants from one another.

 

‘They were connected to the taxi driver’

 

That is what happened to Jorge Geovanni Díaz and his son hours after they were expelled from the U.S. to Tamaulipas — one of the Mexican states where Noticias Telemundo Investiga has discovered more victims. First, an armed group entered a warehouse where the coyotes kept them. “They attacked 182 people, they took us to the mountains, and there we were kidnapped for a month and 14 days,” Díaz said. Once his family spent $6,000 and Díaz managed to get out, he fell into the hands of the taxi driver who had to return him to the Reynosa bus station. “They were connected to the taxi driver. They traded me to another cartel in Matamoros,” he said. He suffered a double kidnapping and had to pay $6,000 more.

 

‘All the people are watching you’

 

It’s not easy for migrant families to blend in when they're in Mexico. At bus stations, with their backpacks and their small children crying, they can be seen trying to find their way around and buying tickets to border cities. At inland airports, they show their Central American passports at immigration checks. At convenience stores, like Oxxo or 7-Eleven, they withdraw money that their families send them to survive. At the border bridges on the Mexico side, the missing laces from their shoes, removed by U.S. border authorities when they’re detained, attract attention. Many migrants hold their possessions in plastic bags with the U.S. government logo. It’s as if they carry bright labels, making them targets for organized crime, whose tentacles in the border cities seem infinite. “I arrived at the Nuevo Laredo bus station, a station where all the people are watching you, the most dangerous I have ever visited,” said Yorje Pérez, 23, who migrated from Venezuela. “They are waiting for you to speak, to hear your accent, know where you came from.” Pérez said his taxi driver heard him, figured out he was Venezuelan and told him he knew he would be seeking asylum in the U.S. He told Pérez he was going to notify the cartel in the area so it would kidnap him, and he held him in the taxi for hours until Pérez paid him $600. The hotel where the taxi driver dropped Pérez off triggered his fear even more. “I heard people arrive. They forced a door. ... I heard people yelling. I did not sleep. That was the worst night that I could have spent,” he said two months after the incident. He was eventually able to find lodging at a shelter in Mexico and later was able to cross into the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

 

‘The cartels have gotten into the shelters’

 

For Pastor Lorenzo Ortiz, who has been helping migrant families in Nuevo Laredo for years, there is no safe place for them in border cities — not even in shelters like his. “The cartels always pass by the shelter, take photos, see who’s there. They have abducted people very close to the shelter, one block away,” Ortiz said. “And we’ve had cases where the cartels have gotten into shelters to see what’s going on inside.” In his offices, Ortiz avoids leaving any sensitive material about migrants in writing, including information like their full names, nationalities or telephone numbers in the U.S. Other border activists who are not being identified by name have also felt that they have been stalked over the information in their computers. Describing the fear generated by the organized crime threats around the Reynosa migrant camp, Pastor Mari Luz Madrigal said, “We used to have a lot of people coming to help us, but they stopped coming.”

 

As she speaks, she hands out food and inflatable mattresses to a long line of migrant families. Madrigal crosses several days a week from Mission, Texas, to one of the largest migrant camps on the entire border. During the day, migrants notify one another when they have to go on errands at a nearby store in Reynosa, sometimes in groups. At night, they organize rounds of men and women who stay up until dawn controlling the entrances to the camp. Any unusual movement, any suspicious truck, is reported in a community chat. Berta, one of the volunteers, said that’s the only option to stay safe. Months ago, during a sudden downpour, a Honduran man and his son disappeared. “A man said that when he came out of the bathroom, he saw a truck stop, a man get out, pull them in and take them away,” she said as a couple of tears formed in her eyes.

 

The kidnapping and the cellphone info

 

Berta herself was kidnapped after she was expelled from the U.S. at a border zone in Arizona. She was put in a truck and told to lower her head and hand over her cellphone. All of the kidnapping survivors who spoke to Noticias Telemundo Investiga described the criminals’ obsession with mobile devices. “Leave your cellphones and your money,” the kidnappers told several of the victims. Some have their phones seized and unlocked, and all calls and messages are checked for communication with family members to extort money from them. Others are asked for their passwords so they can be written down in notebooks, or they permanently remove their PINs from their phones. Some interviewees even remembered a threat: that the kidnappers were going to cut off fingers to unlock the phones whenever they wanted. The abductors either call the relatives or have the kidnapped migrants talk on speaker mode.

 

Some migrants tensed up remembering what it was like to talk to relatives while the criminals listened in. To the recurring question from relatives on the other end of the phone — “But are you OK?” — they could answer only “All good.” Except it wasn’t. Survivors agreed that the kidnappings are strategically thought out. Abductors take photos and videos several times a day to make sure no one escapes. In other places, they take pictures of migrants and edit them on WhatsApp with their names, nationalities and dates of birth. Some witnesses saw how one of the cartels wrote every migrant’s name in three notebooks. Most of the phone numbers begin with the U.S. country code, +1.

 

U.S. relatives equal money to abductors

 

Berta was immediately asked whether she had a phone when she was abducted and thrown inside the truck. “I said yes. It was a simple cellphone, just calls and messages, and they took it from me. They checked it. ‘Let’s see who you talk to,’ and the only messages they found were from my mom and my brother who lives with my mom,” she said. They were U.S. numbers, she said, so they saw dollar signs. Migrants like her know little about where they are held. Moreover, sharing the location of an abduction site is one of the actions that can most anger the captors. Those who were kidnapped describe the places as warehouses or abandoned homes, often apartments, with a few mattresses on the floor and windows lined with aluminum foil so one cannot see the outside. “We were very controlled. We had no notion of time there. We didn’t know what day it was. We did not know the time, if it was day, it was night,” said José Antonio, a Nicaraguan migrant kidnapped in the Reynosa area. He and 16 others were held for 11 days. The kidnappers identified themselves as members of the Gulf Cartel, one of the most powerful and deadly groups in Mexico. The group heard that a fellow Honduran had fled. According to José Antonio’s account, the armed guards called someone they said was a local police officer, who found the fugitive in about 20 minutes. When he was returned, “they beat him, they cut off his ear and told him: ‘If you speak, if you scream, something is going to happen to you.’” The man was writhing in pain and said it hurt. At that point, one of the guards “shoots him in the head, in the forehead,” José Antonio said. They killed the Honduran migrant right there.

 

‘They abused the women’

 

Terror and silence marked the long hours in captivity, José Antonio said. The silence is broken only by the victims’ continual prayers. They’re seated apart from one another, without being able to speak, console one another or vent about the situation. At most, they knew their neighbor’s nationality and face. Most were women; there were also four minors. They were not given chances to bathe or change or really sleep, and they had to ask permission to go to the bathroom. The kidnappers distributed two bottles of water to the whole group and gave them food once a day: tortillas with beans or beans with spaghetti or tortillas with spaghetti. Two guards, always armed and with a ready insult, watched them 24 hours a day. They took drugs and drank alcohol and prayed to Santa Muerte, whose image was tattooed on their bodies and who was venerated in altars decorated with candles, grapes, bananas, apples and cigar boxes. José Antonio was beaten shortly after he was kidnapped and told his captors he had no money. “There were four blows to my leg, hip and spine,” he said. He was fleeing political repression in his country, which included threats, an arrest and a beating. He found it difficult to talk about his experiences in Nicaragua, but what was even harder was remembering the scenes he saw repeated too many times — what they did to the women.

 

“They abused women. They beat them,” he said. “They were put in a room. Four of them entered and raped them. When they took them out, they said: ‘Shut up. If you keep talking, yelling, you’re going to get another beating,’” José Antonio said. A victim corroborated a similar experience. A Honduran woman, identified as Sofia, and her two daughters were kidnapped in Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León. The criminals, who did not identify themselves as part of any organized group, put them in a house but realized that Sofia had no money or direct family to extort. “They left my daughters in a room and then took me,” Sofia said. She was told that if she didn’t go along, they would take her girls, instead. Sofia found herself in a room where she was locked up from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m and sexually abused. “Almost all night, one after another. I mean, they were sick. I think I fell asleep. I couldn’t take it anymore. Later, when I found out, I was already in the car again,” she said.

 

Forcing migrants to cross the border again

 

Most of those interviewed by Noticias Telemundo Investiga whose families paid ransoms for their freedom were not actually freed. Instead, they were taken to safe houses so criminals could take them to cross the U.S. border — even if the migrants didn’t want to cross. They sometimes would be asked for more ransom. “We were like 40 kidnapped people. All those who paid ransom were sent to the United States,” a survivor of a kidnapping, Excelso Espinosa of Honduras, testified in a criminal court in McAllen, Texas, after he was accused of illegal re-entry into the U.S. “I already wanted to return to Honduras,” Espinosa said. “They were the ones who, when my family paid the ransom, sent me here. ... They did not let us stay in Mexico nor leave for our country, either. They do business like that. It’s their business.”

 

A lucrative business in the shadow of the U.S.

 

The migrant’s testimony shows that the lucrative business of human trafficking continues even after kidnapped migrants are released. The income of human smugglers continues to grow with more crossings, more U.S. expulsions and more migrants stranded in Mexico. Customs and Border Protection returns to Mexico are approaching 900,000 this fiscal year, which has fueled the kidnapping business, according to several pro-immigrant groups. “By returning to one of the most dangerous areas of the country, such as this border, it exposes them and returns them to imminent danger,” said Ana Ortega, a researcher for Human Rights First. The returns sometimes take place in Mexican cities hundreds of miles from where migrants entered the U.S., in areas operated by rival criminal groups. The passwords migrants got from their coyotes are no longer useful. “The same cartels let them know, ‘Well, the password that you brought was so that you could pass that cartel’s territory, but now that you’re in our territory, now you have to pay, too," Pastor Lorenzo Ortiz said. More migrants have been returned to Mexico under the Trump administration's Title 42, which allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants to prevent the spread of Covid and which has continued during the Biden administration except for unaccompanied minors.

 

‘We have been very afraid’

 

Berta Hernández got a severe beating from the kidnappers when her mother was not able to send the ransom money, but she managed to leave the city where it happened. Still bruised on her back, arms and legs, she now lives with other migrants while waiting for humanitarian permission to enter the U.S. Kimberlin Figueroa was able to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds; she and her son are recovering from the kidnapping while living with their relatives. “We have been very scared. My son, if there is a knock on the door, his heart will race a lot. He thinks that they are coming to take us out and that it will happen to us again,” she said, her voice trembling. Jorge Geovanni Díaz’s son has never been the same. Díaz believes he became ill from seeing torture and murder when he was only 7 years old. After the kidnapping, the boy cried for days, and his nose bled for more. “He told me that he wanted to leave Mexico because they were going to kidnap us again,” Díaz said. Gustavo, who left his children on the steps of the international bridge to look for food, has not seen them again. The minors, helped financially by their family, crossed the border into the U.S. Gustavo still finds himself in danger, in a city where it’s hard to hide the fact he’s a migrant at the border.

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Topic # 6:  BELONGINGS FOUND IN A #CDN CREMATORIUM IN #NVO LAREDO

Source:  https://www.valorportamaulipas.info/2021/09/encuentran-pertenencias-en-un.html

 

     

 

Synopsis:

 

Nuevo Laredo, Tamps.- The Tamaulipas Search Commission found a new death center for people, now in Nuevo Laredo. The discovery came after a series of operations that had an advance on a strip of abandoned ranches and houses near kilometers 26 of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway. Search elements detected constructions with indications of illegal crematoria of bodies, shovels, axes and other objects that will be reviewed to try to determine what was happening in that area. The searches are related to the disappearance of at least a hundred women and men on the border with Nuevo León. The first discovery in that territory occurred at the end of June, when Tamaulipas authorities found reader credentials, cell phones, complete garments, metal tape, among other objects. The operations to enter said area are heavily guarded by elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Guard and the Tamaulipas police. In addition, they have the collaboration of the Nuevo León security forces. Personnel from the Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office (FGJ), the National Search Commission (CNB) and the Attorney General's Office also participate in searches related to the disappearances reported in that federal channel. Yesterday morning, the head of the National Search Commission, Karla Quintana, confirmed "we have found an extermination zone," adding that they are trying to establish whether it is an active zone or with very recent use.

 

Extermination sites

 

This is the first extermination site found in Nuevo Laredo, which is added to the 57 places found and documented by groups of relatives of disappeared persons in Tamaulipas. These sites are distinguished by the criminal groups murdering people, cremating their bodies, destroying and hiding the bone fragments. In addition to that they dug clandestine graves to bury the corpses. In the southwest of Tamaulipas, the groups have identified 53 sites in the municipalities of Mante, Xicoténcatl, Llera de Canales, Gómez Farías and Ocampo; in the center of the state, one large in the town of Abasolo and two in Victoria, and on the border with the United States, one in Matamoros. Federal and state authorities have partially intervened with searches or removal of remains in 56 of those places. Findings of clandestine graves have not been common in Nuevo Laredo either.

 

According to the citizen graves platform, in that town the Tamaulipas Prosecutor's Office found 22 graves with 11 bodies and the FGR exhumed 14 bodies from 4 places. The northeast of Mexico has been the region of the country with the most extermination sites for people, said Karla Quintana Osuna. The federal official mentioned that the Commission has a registry in El Mante, Tamaulipas; Moctezuma, San Luis Potosí; Sponsorship, Coahuila; Claudio Station, in the Lagunera Region; and La Mano y Las Abejas, in Nuevo León. In a statement released on Monday, July 26, members of the United Forces for Our Disappeared in Nuevo León assured that 5 extermination sites have been identified in the entity: "Grutas de García", "Las Abejas", "Carboneras", "Los Arcos ”,“ Vallecillo ”and“ La Mano ”. In addition, they asked the National Search Commission and the State Attorney General's Office to define a detailed intervention plan for these places.

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ccp

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border terrorism
« Reply #935 on: October 03, 2021, 03:37:24 PM »

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #936 on: October 03, 2021, 04:02:25 PM »
I've crossed at Nuevo Laredo many, many times.


ccp

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #938 on: October 04, 2021, 05:00:12 PM »
I really do feel so sorry for the poor Mexicans who are the victims
of the cartels

and in the  S and C Americas too

The American Blacks here think they have it so rough.............



Crafty_Dog

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MY
« Reply #940 on: November 03, 2021, 10:56:11 AM »


Crafty_Dog

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$800k for "Plata o plomo"
« Reply #942 on: December 14, 2021, 06:31:41 PM »
Plata o plomo (Silver or lead) rejected , , , this time.

Wife of Mexican Cartel Boss Busted with $800K Cash in Texas Home (breitbart.com)

but not this time:


Eagle Pass police detective arrested in human smuggling investigation (expressnews.com)


The FBI on Tuesday arrested a longtime Eagle Pass police detective on charges that she helped harbor undocumented immigrants.

Detective Hazel Eileen Diaz became the target of a public corruption probe earlier this summer, as FBI...

A federal grand jury indicted Diaz on Dec. 8, along with Tomas Alejandro Mendez, 26; and Paola Nikole Cazares, 20, also of Eagle Pass.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office released little information on the case, and the indictment had not been made available to the public as of late Tuesday.

In August, the FBI raided four of Cazares’ properties in Eagle Pass that she rented. She was questioned but not arrested at the time.

The city suspended her with pay, but her status was unclear Tuesday. Diaz has been with the city for more than 30 years and was named employee of the year in 2015.

Aside from the public corruption case, Mendez and Cazares were arrested in December 2020 after a traffic stop by Maverick County deputies. A deputy who approached the 2007 Audi they were in smelled marijuana in the vehicle and questioned the pair, a report in the Del Rio and Eagle Pass News Leader said. The deputy saw Cazares put something in her mouth to hide it, and it turned out to be several small envelopes containing cocaine, the newspaper reported. Cazares was charged with possession of a controlled substance, while the driver of the vehicle, Méndez, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the report said.

guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland

The lawlessness is on our side of our non-border, with frightening levels of firepower.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2021, 07:05:56 PM by Crafty_Dog »



DougMacG

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Re: Made in China, entering from Mexico
« Reply #945 on: December 20, 2021, 09:29:51 AM »
second post

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/fentanyl-overdoses-become-leading-cause-of-death-in-18-to-45-year-olds_4166280.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-12-20&mktids=aa38ff747fe6edf95b416cc78465295a&est=WRtqAWhott5PW08uDte3XrjomSNZEc8Y8LLh9e27gOfshozJutN2MDzHqN4r8MduTyAA

[Epoch times articles don't come up for non-subscribers.]

It kills more people in their prime than Covid but the Left cannot make the connection between open border and Fentanyl deaths in their community, and human trafficking, and empowering drug lords and war lords and gangs. 

What does it take to offend these people?

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/border-patrol-apprehends-sex-offenders-criminals-gang-members-smugglers-along

Crafty_Dog

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Re: Mexico-US matters
« Reply #946 on: December 20, 2021, 02:22:42 PM »
Here is the ET article-- I would add that it is very reasonably priced and that I am very happy with my subscription.  Would love to see people here sign up as well:
===========================================

Fentanyl Overdoses Become Leading Cause of Death in 18- to 45-Year-Olds
BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON December 19, 2021 Updated: December 20, 2021 biggersmaller Print
Fentanyl-related drug overdoses in 2020 became the top killer in adults aged 18 to 45—overtaking suicide, vehicle accidents, and gun violence, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by nonprofit group Families Against Fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, highly addictive, and deadly. Buyers may be unaware that the drugs they buy contain illicit fentanyl, a 2 milligram dose of which can be fatal.

The substance is most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied from China and trafficked across the southern border by Mexican drug cartels. Fentanyl is mixed with other narcotics to increase potency as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills that are made to look like blue Oxycodone prescription pills and are commonly known as “Mexican oxys.”

Families Against Fentanyl is advocating for the U.S. government to designate fentanyl and its analogs as a weapon of mass destruction under federal statute.

The statute defines “weapon of mass destruction,” in part, as “any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxin or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors.”

More than 100,000 Americans, a record amount, died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in April, according to CDC data. Fentanyl was involved in almost two-thirds of those deaths.

During 2020, as lockdowns became prolonged and widespread as a response to the pandemic, overdose fatalities accelerated.

“This represents a worsening of the drug overdose epidemic in the United States,” the CDC stated in an emergency health advisory issued more than a year ago, on Dec. 17, 2020.

An analysis by the Well Being Trust in May 2020 estimated a possible 75,000 additional “deaths of despair,” including suicide as well as drug and alcohol abuse over the ensuing several years, due to the shutdown measures.

Epoch Times Photo
Areas of influence of major Mexican cartels within the United States. (DEA report 2021)
Record Volume
This year, as the southern border became more porous, record amounts of drugs have been seized by authorities.

During fiscal year 2021, which ended in September, Customs and Border Protection confiscated 11,200 pounds of fentanyl, up from 2,150 pounds the year prior.

In addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized a record-breaking more than 20 million counterfeit pills containing fentanyl this year, according to Cheri Oz, DEA special agent in charge of the Phoenix field division.

Almost half of those were seized in Arizona, she said.

“The Sinaloa Cartel primarily uses the trafficking routes that run through Arizona,” Oz said during a Dec. 16 press conference. “Phoenix is historically known as a repackaging and distribution area.”

At the press conference, Oz announced the results of a two-month joint DEA and local Scottsdale, Arizona, drug trafficking operation run by the Sinaloa Cartel.

“In total during the two-month surge, we seized 3 million pills, 45 kilos of fentanyl powder, over 35 firearms, and arrested over 40 drug traffickers,” she said.

Epoch Times Photo
Illicit fentanyl-laced pills and other narcotics are displayed by law enforcement during a press conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Dec. 16, 2021. (Scottsdale PD)
Oz said drug traffickers are using social media platforms, posting emojis, and coded language that has specific meanings related to selling drugs more efficiently.

“Traffickers are using technology to get into your homes and sell pills to your children and loved ones,” Oz said. “Watch their social media and educate yourselves on the dangers and lingo of the online emojis being used.”

At least 76 recent cases involved drug traffickers using social media applications, including Snapchat, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, according to the DEA. The agency provides emoji decoding information on its website.

Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther said, “It’s not just a drug,” it’s an “intended destabilizing influence in our country” wrought by the cartels and their partners.

“And if those across the border can continue to push this destabilizing influence in our country, we’re going to continue to see … these record numbers of seizures, because this is just flowing like a river into Arizona and then it has tendrils that go around the country,” Walther said during the press conference.

Congress has failed to pass legislation that would designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Crafty_Dog

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The Sierra Cartel solidifies its hold in Guerrero
« Reply #947 on: January 03, 2022, 05:08:52 PM »


News
The Sierra Cartel published a video in October The Sierra Cartel published a video in October threatening the mayor of Iguala.
Unimpeded by authorities, Sierra Cartel solidifies and expands its hold in Guerrero
It continues to control dozens of communities, operating with impunity
Published on Monday, January 3, 2022

Facing little resistance from authorities, the Sierra Cartel consolidated and expanded its sphere of influence in Guerrero in 2021.

Based in Tlacotepec, the municipal seat of Heliodoro Castillo, the cartel forcibly took control of dozens of communities in Guerrero’s Sierra region in 2018, displacing thousands of people who are still too afraid to return home.

Since then, the Sierra Cartel – involved in the drug trade and a range of other illicit activities – has operated with impunity in the region, the newspaper El Universal reported, noting that authorities have not attempted to wrest back control of the communities they seized.


 
Last year, the crime group waged a war against rivals in Iguala, Guerrero’s third largest city, and moved into Huitzuico, a municipality in the state’s northern region that borders both Morelos and Puebla.

In Iguala, where there were 176 homicides in the first 11 months of last year, the Sierra Cartel’s main rival is a criminal organization called La Bandera (The Flag), according to the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office. That group is an offshoot of the Guerreros Unidos, a gang implicated in the disappearance and presumed murder of 43 students who were abducted in Iguala in 2014.


A Sierra Cartel poster blames the Familia Michoacana for crime in Iguala and declares its members are narcos, not terrorists.
While other criminal groups operate in Iguala, the Sierra Cartel is now the dominant one. Its sway is such that it controls tortilla, meat and soft drink prices in the city, El Universal said. The cartel has also attacked newspaper offices in Iguala and threatened local journalists, forcing at least nine to flee.

The group has boasted of its increased influence in the city known as the birthplace of the Mexican flag, and recently issued a threat to new Mayor David Gama Pérez, warning him there would be consequences if he didn’t collaborate with its members.

Although the Sierra Cartel is considered the principal instigator of violence in Iguala, “almost nothing has been done to stop it,” El Universal said.


In late 2021, the cartel also made its presence felt in Huitzuico. El Universal reported that the group moved into that city in October and imposed their rule with murders and abductions. In November, the cartel established a 6:00 p.m. curfew and warned that anyone who failed to abide by it would be killed.

The organization kept its word: the day after the curfew took effect three men were shot and killed as they looked for somewhere to buy dinner at 9:00 p.m. Huitzuico residents subsequently complied with the curfew to the letter, going home before sundown and staying there until morning. All businesses closed by 6:00 p.m. and public transit services ended at the same time, El Universal said.

The newspaper reported that the Sierra Cartel also controls the prices of tortillas, meat, beer and soft drinks in Huitzuico, a city of approximately 20,000 people. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado, who took office last October, visited the municipality late last year to announce a joint police/military operation against crime, but residents’ fear of the cartel remains and most continue to abide by the curfew.


Tlacotepec
The Sierra Cartel is also considering moving into Juan R. Escudero, a municipality about 60 kilometers inland from Acapulco.

After the recent murder of the founder of a self defense umbrella group called the United Front for the Security and Development of Guerrero, the cartel said it could dispatch 1,000 of its men to “pacify” the municipality. The cartel’s presence in that municipality could facilitate its movement of drugs between Guerrero’s Sierra region and the state’s Pacific coast.

The Sierra Cartel’s successes in 2021 appears to have emboldened it. On December 22, about 100 of its members confronted state police on the Chichihualco-Chilpancingo highway and forced them to release two Sierra Cartel gangsters they had arrested. The state government has “remained silent” on the incident, El Universal said.


The Sierra Cartel is one of numerous criminal groups that operate in Guerrero. Among the others are Los Rojos and Los Ardillos, which have been engaged in a turf war for years.

The former group and the Guerreros Unidos were designated by the United States Department of the Treasury last month under an executive order – Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade – issued by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Criminal groups are largely responsible for the high levels of violence in Guerrero, where there were 1,130 homicides in the first 11 months of last year. That made the state Mexico’s ninth most violent after Guanajuato, Baja California, Michoacán, México state, Jalisco, Chihuahua, Sonora and Zacatecas.

With reports from El Universal