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PGR: has the elements needed to free Dr Mireles

May 15, 2015, 10:13 pm
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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Milenio article

[ Subject Matter: PGR, detention of Dr Mireles Valverde
Recommendation: Some prior knowledge of his arrest and detention would be useful]



Reporter: Ruben Mosso
The assistant Attorney General Gilberto Higuera announced that the have exposed to the State Prosecutor the elements that they have found, among them, violation of due process, said the State leader of the party.

The President of the Citizens Movement in Michoacan, Daniel Moncada, said that the Prosecutor General of the Republic has been informed of the judicial elements in order to proceed with the liberation of the founder of the Autodefensas of Tepalcatepec, Jose Manuel Mireles Valverde.

Moncado said that Higuera Bernal will wait until Monday to expose the judicial motions to the Prosecutor Arely Gomez, regarding what they have found to liberate Mireles, among them, violations of due process.





Interviewed at the end of the meeting that I had with the Assisstant Attorney General of regional control, about Prison procedures and amperes of the PGR, Gilberto Higuera Bernal, Moncado signalled that the Federal functionary promised to revise today the state of health of Dr Mireles, who has received no medical attention for 30 days in prison in Hermosillo, Sonora, where he is imprisoned.

The President of the Citizens Movement of Michoacan said, " I underline that despite the good news, they are not to be trusted, and that in the case he is not released, they will determine other measures.

For her part, Virginia Mireles, sister of the ex autodefensa and candidate for Federal Deputy. She said she felt a great relief at the words spoken by Higuera Bernal, who was identified as the functionary that has revised the records of her brother.

The resolution  of the PGR this Monday does not immediately implicate the liberation of Dr Mireles, but the beginning of the process to achieve his liberation, for the members of the Citizens Movement have now petitioned to have Dr Mireles moved to a lower security prison while his liberation process proceeds.

The health of Dr Mireles is in danger

Virginia Mireles assure that the health of her brother is still in danger and he cannot feel his extremities, because he has stopped receiving any medical attention in the Federal Prison in Sonora, where he has been imprisoned for the last 10 months.

During his call to the PGR, the candidate for deputy said that they will carry a case of International instances of maltreatment that her brother has suffered.

Virginia mentioned that she was informed by the Lawyer of Dr Mireles, that in the last 30 days he has lacked medical attention because the diabetes has complications, and that he has started to lose the use of one of his feet, and he has an ulcer. The last thing he received was water and soap.

For his part, Daniel Moncada, President of the Citizens Movement in Michoacan, said that they will petition the intervention of Amnesty International.

He said that they will start other courses of actions in case the PGR do not desist in the imprisonment of Dr Mireles, and that he has been treated like the worst of criminals, while the true criminals remain free in Michoacan.

At the meeting he could not be assisted by the leader and founder of the autodefensas in Michoacan, Hipplito Mora, because he was participating in the due diligence of the death of his son.

Original article in Spanish at Milenio
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Mexicos Cartels and the economics of Cocaine

May 16, 2015, 11:03 am
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Posted on Borderland Beat by Otis B Fly-Wheel reproduced from a Stratfor article

[ Subject Matter: Cocaine, Drug profit economics and Cartels
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required, this is an older article but contains a lot of information as to why the cartels move drugs, current profit margin on cocaine 3,200 %, current profit margin on legal exports 15%]

By Scott Steward



At Stratfor, we follow Mexico's criminal cartels closely. In fact, we are currently finishing our 2013 cartel forecast, which will be released later this month. As we analyze the Mexican cartels, we recognize that to understand their actions and the interactions between them, we need to acknowledge that at their core they are businesses and not politically motivated militant organizations. This means that although violence between and within the cartels grabs much of the spotlight, a careful analysis of the cartels must look beyond the violence to the business factors that drive their interests — and their bankrolls.

There are several distinct business factors that have a profound impact on cartel behavior. One example is the growing and harvesting cycle of marijuana in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Another is the industrialization of methamphetamine production in Mexico and the increasing profit pool it has provided to the Mexican cartels in recent years. But when we are examining the transnational behavior of the Mexican cartels, the most important factor influencing that behavior is without a doubt the economics of the cocaine trade.

The Cocaine Profit Chain

Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca plant, and three countries — Colombia, Peru and Bolivia — account for all the coca harvested in the world. Turning coca into cocaine hydrochloride is a relatively simple three-step process. Once the leaves of the coca plant are harvested, they are rendered into what is known as coca paste.



From there, the coca paste is processed into cocaine base, which eventually becomes cocaine hydrochloride. The process involves several precursor chemicals: kerosene, sulphuric acid, sodium carbonate, hydrochloric acid, potassium permanganate and acetone. Most of these chemicals are readily available and easily replaced or substituted, making them difficult for authorities to regulate.

According to figures from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, coca farmers in Colombia receive $1.30 for each kilogram of fresh coca leaf. In Peru and Bolivia, where the leaf is air-dried before being sold, farmers receive $3.00 per kilogram.

For the fresh leaf used in processing in Colombia, it takes somewhere between 450 and 600 kilograms of coca leaf to produce 1 kilogram of cocaine base, depending on the variety of coca plant used (some varieties have a higher cocaine alkaloid content). At $1.30 per kilogram, this means that it costs somewhere between $585 and $780 to purchase the coca leaf required to produce one kilogram of cocaine base. One kilogram of cocaine base can then be converted into roughly one kilogram of cocaine hydrochloride, which is commonly referred to as cocaine.



As cocaine progresses from the production site to the end users, it increases in value. According to figures provided by the Colombian National Police, a kilogram of cocaine can be purchased for $2,200 in the jungles in Colombia's interior and for between $5,500 and $7,000 at Colombian ports.

But the price increases considerably once it leaves the production areas and is transported closer to consumption markets. In Central America cocaine can be purchased for $10,000 per kilogram, and in southern Mexico that same kilogram sells for $12,000.

Once it passes through Mexico, a kilogram of cocaine is worth $16,000 in the border towns of northern Mexico, and it will fetch between $24,000 and $27,000 wholesale on the street in the United States depending on the location.

The prices are even higher in Europe, where they can run from $53,000 to $55,000 per kilogram, and prices exceed $200,000 in Australia. The retail prices per gram of cocaine are also relatively high, with a gram costing approximately $100-$150 in the United States, $130-$185 in Europe and $250-$500 in Australia.

Along the supply chain there is also quite a bit of "cutting," which is when substances are added to the cocaine to dilute its purity and stretch profit. According to the Colombian National Police, the purity of cocaine leaving the country is about 85 per-cent. By the time it reaches the United Kingdom, purity is 60 per-cent, and it drops further to about 30 per-cent at the retail level, according to the U.N. World Drug Report 2012.



Cartel Behavior

There has been a thriving two-way flow of contraband goods across the U.S.-Mexico border since its inception. Mexican organized crime groups have been involved in the smuggling of marijuana to the U.S. market since the U.S. government began to restrict marijuana in the early 1900s, and Mexican organized criminals profited handsomely during the Prohibition era in the United States.

As U.S. demand for illicit drugs increased in the second half of the 20th century, Mexican organizations branched out to become involved in smuggling other types of drugs, including pharmaceuticals and black tar heroin poppy cultivation was also introduced to Mexico in the 1930s

(Otis: a quite important point is missed out here on the timeline, during the second world war American demand for morphine for the injured outstripped its supply. Mexican cartels were legally supplying USA with black tar opium to be processed into morphine. This demand dried up after the end of WW2, and the export of the black tar opium across the border again became illegal.)

These Mexican organized crime syndicates, such as the Guadalajara cartel also began to traffic cocaine into the United States in the late 1970s, but for many years the Mexican organizations worked as junior partners for the powerful Colombian cartels in Medellin and Cali. Mexico was a secondary route for cocaine compared to the primary route through the Caribbean.

As a result, the Colombians pocketed the lion's share of the profit made on cocaine trafficked through Mexico and the Mexicans received a fee on each kilogram they transported. (However, they did not assume any of the risk of losing shipments between South America and Mexico.)

In the late 1970s and the 1980s — the early phase of Mexican involvement in the cocaine trade — Central American middlemen such as Juan Matta-Ballesteros were also heavily involved in the flow of cocaine through Mexico. They moved cocaine from South America to Mexico, becoming wealthy and powerful as a result of the profits they made.

Juan Matta-Ballesteros

As U.S. interdiction efforts, aided by improvements in aerial and maritime surveillance, curtailed much of the Caribbean cocaine flow in the 1980s and 1990s, and as the Colombian and U.S. governments dismantled the Colombian cartels, the land routes through Central America and Mexico became more important to the flow of cocaine. It is far more difficult to spot and seize contraband moving across the busy U.S.-Mexico border than it is to spot contraband flowing across the Caribbean.

This increase in the importance of Mexico allowed the Mexican cartels to gain leverage in negotiations with their Central American and Colombian partners and to secure a larger share of the profit. Indeed, by the mid-1990s the increasing importance of Mexican organizations to the flow of cocaine to the United States allowed the Mexican cartels to become the senior partners in the business relationship.

In a quest for an even larger portion of the cocaine profit chain, the Mexican cartels have increased their activities in Central and South America over the last two decades. The Mexicans have cut out many of the middlemen in Central America who used to transport cocaine from South America to Mexico and sell it to the Mexican cartels. Their efforts to consolidate their control over Central American smuggling routes continue today.

This move meant that the Mexican cartels assumed responsibility for the losses incurred by transporting cocaine from South America to Mexico, but it also permitted them to reap an increasing portion of the profit pool. Instead of making a set profit of perhaps $1,000 or $1,500 per kilogram of cocaine smuggled into the United States, the Mexican cartels can now buy a kilogram of cocaine for $2,200 or less in South America and sell it for $24,000 or more to their partners in the United States.

But the expansion of the Mexican cartels did not stop in Central America. According to South American authorities, the Mexican cartels are now becoming more involved in the processing of cocaine from coca leaf in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

There have also been reports of seizures of coca paste being smuggled to cocaine processing laboratories in Honduras and Guatemala. The use of these Central American processing laboratories, which are run by Mexican cartels, appears to be a reaction to the increased efforts of the Colombian National Police to crack down on cocaine laboratories and the availability of cocaine processing chemicals. (Otis: see link to Chivis article on coca being grown in Mexico).

U.S. counter-narcotics officials report that today the Mexican cartels are the largest players in the global cocaine trade and are steadily working to grab the portion of cocaine smuggling not yet under their control. But the efforts of the Mexican cartels to increase their share of the cocaine profit are not confined to the production side; they have also expanded their involvement in the smuggling of South American cocaine to Europe and Australia and have established a footprint in African, Asian and European countries.

Furthermore, they have stepped up their activities in places like the Dominican Republic and Haiti in an attempt to increase their share of the cocaine being smuggled through the Caribbean to the U.S. market. As seen by recent operations launched by U.S. law enforcement, such as Operation Xcellerator, (Otis: see link to Buggs article on this operation). Operation Chokehold and Operation Imperial Emperor, the Mexican cartels have also been increasing their presence at distribution points inside the United States, such as Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas, in an effort to increase their share of the cocaine profit chain inside the United States.

While marijuana sales have always been an important financial source for the Mexican cartels, the large profits from the cocaine trade are what have permitted the cartels to become as powerful as they are today. The billions of dollars of profit to be had from the cocaine trade have not only motivated much of the Mexican cartels' global expansion but have also financed it. Cocaine profits allow the Mexican cartels to buy boats and planes, hire smugglers and assassins ("sicarios") and bribe government officials.

Cocaine is a product that has a very limited and specific growing area. Consequently, that distinct coca growing area and the transportation corridors stretching between the growing area and the end markets are critically important. With a business model of selling cocaine at over 10 times the cost of acquisition — and even greater over the cost of production — it is not surprising that the competition among the various Mexican cartels for the smuggling corridors through Mexico to the United States has become quite aggressive.

Original article in English at Stratfor

Mexicos Cartels and the economics of Cocaine is republished with permission of Stratfor
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Julian Leyzaola: The hitman said the police chief sent him to kill me

May 16, 2015, 12:30 pm
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By Lucio R. Borderland Beat, written using material from Zeta Tijuana Magazine

Details of the attempted assassination as told by Leyzaola

From the Military Hospital in Mexico City, Juárez, Julian Leyzaola the former Secretary of Public Security, gave an interview to Zeta in Tijuana.  

In the interview the former secretary says that just before the attack, the gunman told Leyzaola that he had a message for him, he then told him that it (the hit) was from Juárez municipal police chief Jesús Antonio Reyes Ramírez (image below left).

Leyzaola also told Zeta Magazine, that he had no faith in justice being achieved in his case, that the police would not even take his statement.  He shares that his transfer to D.F. was because of security issues.

He says he is contemplating after his rehabilitation is complete, to move back to Baja California and live a “normal life, like normal people”.

A week following the attempt on his life, he clarifies what exactly happened on the day that left him with three bullets in his body, one hitting his spine, and also about the man who wished him dead.

Leyzaola chose a trusted journalist, Zeta Tijuana’s editor, Adela Navarro Bello, to share his story with via a telephone interview.

He explains that on the day of the shooting, he was with his wife and two year old son.  They had plans to cross the border into El Paso to shop.  They were on a busy highway and stopped to exchange currency at a “cambio” (money exchange house). 

His wife and son exited the vehicle, leaving him alone behind the wheel of his Jeep.  That is when the sicario approached the vehicle, gave the message and immediately fired into the car.


Leyzaola says he was unarmed because they were going to cross over into the U.S.

During his time as secretary, Leyzaola clashed with the administration of Chief Reyes Ramírez.  

Never a man that is shy about sharing what his conclusions are, he straight out said the Chief was working for “Los Aztecas”. He discovered the ties during his time as secretary.

He says he warned the state government about Reyes Ramírez, when the chief was applying for a position, saying, “he is a scoundrel with ties to organized crime”.

But in time, Leyzaola left his position, and despite his warnings Reyes Ramírez became chief.

About his injuries, he says he was hit by a total of three bullets.  One came in through the side, and is still in his body but poses no problem, another pierced his lung, and the surgery for that injury was successful, but it is the bullet that hit his spine that is the medical issue.  He says he is non-ambulatory, that the bullet “shattered my spine”, and it’s that injury, that is the cause of his need for rehabilitation. 


He did not share a long term prognosis, or if his inability to walk is permanent.  
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More executions and more banners in Tijuana.

May 16, 2015, 4:47 pm
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Borderland Beat


Violence keeps increasing in Tijuana. Heads, tortured bodies, daylight shootings and banners are returning to the streets of Tijuana in the middle of a war between criminal cells struggling to gain a little terrain against their competitors.

This war is being fueled by retail cells used by larger cells as cannon fodder and innocent victims are becoming common as drug addicts are being used as hitmen in exchange for some spare change and a dose or two of crystal meth.

Among those innocent victims was a 4 year old boy who died after a group of men shot towards his house and injured both his mom and him, his mom is currently in the hospital but the little kid died from a bullet which destroyed his intestine. 

The death of this child prompted Municipal Authorities to quickly try to show a response and briefly presented a man as related to this and being a member of CAF, they quickly changed that version and 3 men were arrested, Miguel Angel Rodriguez Bravo aka "El Popeye", Juan Omar (last name withheld by authorities because he is a minor) and Jesus Flores Flores aka "El Tribi", "El Popeye" was released by the Attorney General´s office under the assumption he was only a "witness" but was quickly executed a few hours later in the same area were the shooting took place.


A woman was executed early today in the same area and a banner was left mentioning the death of the little boy, she apparently had been tortured, having several teeth missing and her skull crushed by a 30 pound rock, she also received 2 shots. The message read:


"ASI LOS VOY A DEJAR COMO A POPEYE PUTA SAPA PONE NIÑOS PERROS MATA NIÑOS. ERES TU TRIBI Y TU GEFE VERSI, GENTE INOCENTE SE RESPETA PUTO CHOMPAS"

Roughly translated into:

"This is how I´ll leave you, just like Popeye, fucking snitch giving kids, fucking child killers. Its you Tribi and your boss Versi. Innocent people are respected fucking Chompas"

All this is part of the war being waged in the Sanchez Taboada district, but that´s not the only district being fought.

2 corpses belonging to two men were abandoned in the back of a pick-up truck outside a Mormon church temple located near the third stage of the Tijuana River Canal. The victims had their ankles, hands and face covered in gray masking tape. The bodies showed visible signs of torture. These men are believed to be part of the cell led by Marco Tulio Carrillo aka "El Marlon", one of the CDS cell leaders threatened in the banner previously left with 2 heads(Read about it HERE).


It was mentioned that another banner was left in a bridge located between Lazaro Cardenas and Federico Benitez blvd. It´s content wasn´t revealed but it was said it was similar to those previously left signed by CAF.

And just hours ago, at 9:00 AM, another man was executed in the Otay Universidad area when he was walking on the street, witness reports claim he was intercepted by several gunmen who shot him several times. According to reports, several "security houses" have been located in the area before.


In Zona Norte there was an execution too, a man was shot just moments ago in the Zona Norte flea market where he sole merchandise, preliminary reports claim there MIGHT be a suspect under custody, the victim who was shot twice was carrying a plastic bag filled with marijuana.

The highly lucrative Zona Norte is being fought by 3 main cells, those loyal to "El Chacal" and formerly under "El Mono" which are aligned with CAF and are the main force there, those under "El Alejo" which apparently work for Jose Soto aka "El Tigre" and his cell and a new group trying to gain control of Zona Norte under orders of "La Rana", brother of "El Akiles", believed to be responsible for the execution of "El Mono"


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There is hope for the future: Mexico's most valuable treasure; It's Children

May 16, 2015, 6:57 pm
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Posted by DD, republished from Mexico News Daily

The governor applauds Patricio García's criticism of governors. -

DD; "Out of the mouths of babes".  This young girl in secondary escuela, (which means she is probably between 12 and 14 y.o.) told politicians (including Gov. Duarte of Chihuahua) to  their face that they are corrupt and inept.  She did not hold any punches.  She has the makings of a honest leader in Mexico and someone who can make a difference..   A video of her 3 minute speech has gone viral on You Tube with nearly 300,000 views in 2 days.

The second part of this post is a story about a program being initiated in (ironically) Chihuahua by the Duarte administration to steer youth away from a life of crime and becoming involved in drug trafficking and cartels.  To me, it is really thinking out of the box.  Not the typical "social" program of putting new playground equipment in the parks.

News Daily;

 The governor of Chihuahua got an unexpected earful yesterday in a strongly-worded speech by a secondary school student who lashed out at government for corruption and ineptitude.
Advertise Here

Luz Elena Patricio García took the microphone at a talent and culture event in Ciudad Juárez and gave a spirited discourse on the state of the nation in terms of governance. She pulled no punches.



Flanked by Gov. César Duarte Jáquez and a member of his cabinet, Patricio García made a blanket accusation against state governors for robbery and failure to complete their obligations.

“These fourth-rate politicians misuse tax revenues, squander what belongs to us for their personal benefit instead of completing public works for the benefit of our communities.

“Our country is being left paraplegic . . . .”

The speaker delivered her dissertation with all the flair of an experienced politician and several times drew loud applause from her audience, in which Gov. Duarte enthusiastically joined.

Patricio García warned that when citizens lose their confidence in those who govern, governability is put at risk, creating the danger of an armed movement.

She pointed out that students are well aware of what is going on.

“You believe that because we are young people we have not become aware of this serious problem, but allow me to contradict you, because we are the ones most affected and of course we know and we understand every move you make. Not all of us youngsters are ignorant; we know that corruption continues growing.”

Patricio García finished her dissertation, which ran at least three minutes long, by observing that Mexico has many honest people who, unlike politicians, wish for its health, happiness and prosperity.

The governor congratulated Patricio García on her ability at public speaking and later published a photo of them together on his social media accounts.

DD.  

This story is also from Mexico News Daily.

DD.  The following story almost made me like Governor Duarte.  It seemed to be an example of "thinking out of the tox".  Maybe he has used that ability to steal millions from the treasury, but I thoughtmaybe in this case he was using that innovative thinking to help the people.

But  being somewhat of a skeptic, especially concerning anything that  the Duarte administration in Chihuahua is doing so I went to a good friend "jlopez", a long time contributor to BB, whose opinions I highly respect.  "jlopez"'s comments  remind me of a old TV commercial from the '80s and '90s, "When EF Hutton talks, people listen".  When readers see a post on BB by jlopez, they read it.

 He has had a lifelong passion for music.  I asked him if teaching a child how to play a musical instrument and develop in that child a love of music could actually do anything to help keep that child out of a life crime.  His response follows this story.

 Guitars, not guns, with Chihuahua’s Plan Villa  
'The child who plays an instrument never takes up arms or drugs'

Armed with their instruments
It’s guitars before guns for children in the state of Chihuahua, where Plan Villa aims to form 1,000 orchestras, along with the creation of 7,500 basketball teams, as diversions away from organized crime.

Named after the famed revolutionary general Pancho Villa and timed with the 100th anniversary of his tenure as governor of Chihuahua, the plan is designed to keep youth away from the influence of organized crime. Government officials say the objective is also to demonstrate to children that they have talent they can utilize.

Children will have access to 70,000 instruments, including violins, guitars, percussion instruments, clarinets, saxophones and others, and each orchestra will be accompanied by choirs of 30 youths.

“The child who plays an instrument never takes up arms or drugs; they are hard to transform into somebody who doesn’t understand the value of the human being that they are,” said Marcelo González Tachiquín, Secretary of Education, Culture, and Sports.

Members of Chihuahua’s current 50 youth orchestras have joined for various reasons. While some are bored at home, others were forced to by parents and several are following their idols.

Kenia Rubio, 10, began playing the clarinet after she saw the cartoon SpongeBob Squarepants, which has a clarinet-playing character named Squidward.

But Plan Villa is not just about music. It also plans to help youth recover their love for basketball. González Tachiquín said the focus is not on who wins because “we want to create a culture of competitiveness with a foundation of rules, something very urgent now for the times in which we live in Mexico.”

Youths like Daniel Salas and Isaac Ramírez, both 17 years old, admit that the sport has helped them stay away from drugs and alcohol. Now that their free time is spent playing sports, their friends have changed.

A fundamental part of the plan will be students’ emotional well-being. It will also seek to cultivate an appreciation for school. Students’ school sweaters, for example, will indicate the year in which they will finish university.

From April until next August, elementary school teachers and principals are going to be receiving training to be able to understand and apply the new model.

González Tachiquín pointed out that “Chihuahua is fortunate to have a seasoned faculty and a well-constructed alliance between the government, union bases and parents.”

DD;  Could teaching a child how to play the guitar or saxophones really keep him from pursuing a life of crime?.
 
-Here is part of "jlopez's"  response, reprinted here with his permission from an email he sent me.

"If a kid really has musical talent enough to take up music studies, he or she will have no time or room for anything else for a while. Then there are the related subjects that one has to learn along with the music, such as composition, history, names of composers and performers. Pretty soon, the kid begins to emulate or look up to an artist or a composer. It's almost inevitable. The main trick is to keep them from being perverted by popular music, which in rural areas means narco-related music, until the love of real music takes root. Once they begin to perform, they'll be hooked. So, short answer, done right, music training will keep them out of gangs and drugs.

But the greatest gift from music training is creating self confidence in the kids. They are doing something nobody else can do, they are creating beauty. Once that gets ingrained, preferably at an early age, they generally don't go wrong. This self confidence is especially valuable for kids in a place like Mexico.

I think teaching kids to play musical instruments in an orchestra is a good idea. No better way to spend taxpayer money, in my opinion.


Guitars, not guns, with Chihuahua’s Plan Villa
Guitars, not guns, with Chihuahua’s Plan Villa
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Edomex, after the events of Tamaulipas, Guerrero, and Michoacan.....

May 17, 2015, 1:41 pm
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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso special report

[ Subject Matter: Mexico State, Criminality
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required ]

Military in Naucalpan, Edomex

Reporter: Alejandro Melgoza Rocha and David Deolarte

Ecatepec, Edomex: With puffy eyes, a symptom of his night work, the Commander Alfredo said in a weary tone, dragging his words, " homicides, femicides, heads abandoned in the middle of the street with narco mantas signed by alleged cartels, recordings of kidnappings and sicarios entering bars to collect "derecho de piso" ( extortion payments ), he shows me hundreds of images from 2003 until 2014 and after, guards them jealously.

These images seem to illustrate the most troubled states such as Guerrero, Michoacán and Tamaulipas, but no.... they are from Mexico State. Alfredo is aware of the alert that on April 13th was activated by the State Department regarding the eight Municipalities that Americans should avoid due to the danger present.

In Edomex there are La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, and some independent groups, according to the file SJA/DGAJ/04417/2014 of the PGR obtained with transparency, in all the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), recognized in the file 00128/ssc/ip/2014 the presumed presence of Los Templarios, Los Zetas, Los Guerreros Unidos and La Familia Michoacana.



During the first trimester of this year, in Edomex they registered 52,476 crimes. They head the list at a national level with 498 homicides: in the case of kidnappings they appear in second position after Tamaulipas: in January to March there were 48 according to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).

The report "Municipalities of Mexico under the condition of a "failed state" published in 2013 by the City Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, points out that Neza, Los Reyes La Paz, Chalco, and Chalco Valley are in "a real and imminent danger of falling into the status of "failed state", because of "increasingly widespread extortion by criminal groups and the homicidal violence which rises".

Specialists consulted by telephone on the alert issued by the administration of Barack Obama agree it certainly is relevant, with the understanding that Eruviel Avila Villegas does not dare to acknowledge the crisis of insecurity in the state.

" The United States alert to its citizens of the grave situation, well after Tamaulipas, the State of Mexico has the highest rate of homicides, kidnappings and extortions... meanwhile the Governor of Edomex is crossing his arms like a crucifix to his governed", says Jose Antonio Ortega, Director of Citizens Council for Security and Justice.

Jose Luis Cisneros, criminologist of the National Institute of Penal Sciences, and a specialist in Public Security in Edomex explains that the alert is "very important because it shows a side that there is an exchange of information that is not being taken into account (by the local government), and on the  other hand, while it is true that the United States Government is cooperating with the PRI administration, continue to have mistrust of their work".



"Take precaution in Edomex"

A black van stops opposite the entrance to a bar located in the Central Avenue of Neza, in which are eight masked men with rifles whose uniforms are white and blue stripes. The bouncers spot them and alert the Manager. The subjects identify themselves as Federales who are there to conduct a review. It is the night of 23rd of March 2013 and the owner of the place knows that they are sicarios of La Familia who have come to collect their "piso" (extortion) payment.

In the video that Commander Alfredo reproduces - with names changed to protect their identity - one can observe how they operate and leave aboard black van and tear off. After them pass two equal vehicles. All of this was captured by security cameras of businesses and there were no reports of the crime because the businessman had fear of reprisals, the reason for which he omits the exact location.

Neza already is famous for the commandos that burst into bars: the morning of Friday the 14th of February of 2014, and armed group arrived at the Bar "wine and beer", they shot and injured seven people, two days after, an armed group opened fire on the Bar Baby Coffe Karaoke, with a total of two dead and four injured: and again on the 28th of August of 2013 they riddled two people with bullets in the Bar Nice.

Because of this type of case, this past 14th of April the Government of the United States publicly declared on their embassy website: "Take precaution in the State of Mexico. Many areas of the State have seen high levels of criminality and insecurity, the organized criminal groups have amplified their activity to cut off the states of Guerrero and Michoacán". Among them Ecatepec, Neza, Coacalco, La Paz, Valle de Chalco, Chalco, Ixtapaluca and Tlatlaya.

In spite of a State where 92.6% of its inhabitants feel insecure, according to a survey of National Victimization and Perception about Public Security (ENVIPE) that was issued in 2014 by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography and informatics (INEGI), the Government of the State of Mexico went on the defensive:

"Its like we said that you are not to visit Baltimore, its a situation that is present in the moment, but its not a merely circumstantial situation, in this way I qualify it as transient", said the Commissioner of Public Safety, Damian Canales.

For the expert in national security, Javier Oliva Posadas, "evidently the comparison is absolutely ridiculous. You cannot compare them. There have been other cases such as the so-called gender based violence against women with high rates(...) However the speech of both local and Federal Authorities in the sense of lowering of crime rates, does not corroborate their claims.

"You cant have adequate programmes if parts are wrongly diagnosed, like the current situation. The State of Mexico is increasing in weakness, especially in terms of prevention", adds the Professor and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).


Mexican crime figures

Known as the birthplace of some thugs who operate in Ecatepec, the Colonia Jardines de Morelos is one of the most violent with a crime every ten hours, according to the Municipal system of information and statistics. Yolanda has lived there for over five years and has even been assaulted at the door of her house with a gun in hand.

Already nothing surprises her, not the criminals hiding in the bushes. However this is something that frightens her, and it is when night falls in the hills without public lighting. It is the "ideal" scenario, she explains to commit murder, kidnappings, assaults, rapes, and femicides. "The Government gives facility to organized crime".

Even though it takes  years with a group of colonists claiming to each administration, these improvements are not complete. Every few months there are large petitions in which people ask the Town Hall to install the lighting," since there are streets in entire darkness and that makes us easier prey for criminals".

But not only are there problems in Ecatepec, the most populated Municipality. In general, Edomex had the highest rate at the National level for each 100,000 inhabitants with 93,003 crimes in 2013, as against 56,752 in 2012, according to Inegi. Besides being the second highest after Guerrero in percentage of crimes not reported with 96%.

Although it is the most inhabited State with in excess of 15 million (2010 Census). It was only under influence during 2006 - 2014 by two criminal gangs; three groups of kidnappers, no extortionists, or white slave traders, or vehicle thieves, according to the PGR; while the SSC in 2008-2014 were 73 gangs, 25 groups of kidnappers, seven groups of extortionists, 38 groups committing robbery with violence, and three groups engaged in people trafficking.


A corridor of femicides and disappeared

Anahi Brito Sotelo was a woman of 24 years that took cocaine and rock in the streets. She paid for her addiction by prostituting herself at the Hotel Villas Roma, on the R-1 Avenue of Ecatepec. However in May of 2013 she never returned to the place where she was accustomed to be seen, until her corpse appeared without underwear, with a pink shirt with white stripes without logo.

She was strangled according to the Forensic results, her face being disfigured by rats in the subsequent days after her death close to the stone walls of the Church of La Via Morelos.

Anahi like many more was a victim of one of the most dangerous points for women, now with the alert it becomes relevant, since most of the sites targeted by the Department of State, have waterfalls of cases: Mirna Garica disappeared this year in Ixtapaluca. Syama Paz, 16 years of age disappeared in Ecatepec in 2014; the tortured bodies of two women of 20 and 25 years of age in the Valle de Chalco in 2013.

In the corridor of Tecamac, Ecatepec, Neza, Coacalco, Tultitlan, from 2010 until now there have been over 120 women disappeared, according to the Association of Solidarity for Families, who's President is David Mancera. For his part, the National Observatory of Femicides (OCNF) calculated that 50% of the femicides were concentrated in 10 towns ( the majority in conurbada zone), 1200 between 2005-2013.

For the Teacher and activist Manuel Amador Velasquez, these types of crimes of gender are due to a " vacuum of the state". The marginalization that there is situation that intersects the macho culture, informal trade and the irresponsibility of the Government", it points out. That irresponsibility remains clear for the people of Ecatepec, who remember that the other candidate for Mayor, Pablo Bedolla, said during a campaign, "I just spoke with the Doctor Eruviel and he sends a kiss to all the beautiful women".

Original article in Spanish at Proceso
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Shootout between Motorcycle Gangs leaves 9 dead and 18 wounded in Waco Texas

May 17, 2015, 11:45 pm
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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

[ Subject Matter: Motorcycle Gangs, Gun Battle, Texas
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required]

Carnage outside Twin Peak Restaurant, Waco, Texas

Proceso Redaction

No less than 9 people died and 18 were injured in a shootout between two rival motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas, inform the police.

The shootout occurred a little after midday in the Automobile park of the Twin Peaks restaurant and sports bar and grill in the commercial area of Central Texas market place, signalled the Waco Police Department on social media.

The motorcyclists confronted each other first with baseball bats and knives and later with firearms turning the place into a battlefield, explained Sergeant Patrick Swanson to KWTX, affiliate of CBS.

The Police officials that arrived at the crime scene, asked civilians to stay well clear and avoid the area.

Swanton confirmed the number of victims and said that the altercation started inside the establishment around 12:15 and extended to the automobile park that Twin Peaks shares with the Restaurant Don Carlos. He also added that "in 34 years of law enforcement, this is the worst crime scene - the most violent crime scene I have attended, there are dead people still here and blood everywhere, we expect to confiscate upwards of 100 weapons".

According to the authorities, the gangs started to fight with fists and feet, but that escalated quickly to chains, knives, bats and sticks and ultimately firearms.





One witness told the Waco Tribune-Herald that there were thirty people shooting at each other at one point.

Officials said the motive to open fire was to put an end to the confrontation, said Sergeant Swanton

Many innocent could have been hurt as a result of today. These gangs of criminal motorcyclists are very hostile and dangerous, said Swanton in justification of the actions of the Police. The bikers as well as shooting at each other, shot at the arriving Police who returned fire, but no officers were hurt.



Clients in the restaurants took cover behind freezers to protect themselves from the shots, said Canal Television.

According to Univision, the owners of Twin Peaks know the rival gangs, but still allow the access, said Swanton.

After the shootout, the two restaurants closed and Police took various people into custody, and took witness statements.

While Police issued no information on the names of the gangs involved, patches were seen representing, The Bandidos, Cossacks and Scimitars.


See video report from ABC in English

Original article in Spanish at Proceso
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Part 2: Mexican Cartel, Canadian Drug Pipeline

May 18, 2015, 8:09 am
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Lucio R Borderland Beat Thank you to  Canadiana, Republished from National Post
Reza Amin and his trainer Desiree Ellis

Part Two

Blackberry messages reveal how drugs easily pass through Vancouver’s port

It’s not that hard, according to encrypted messages intercepted by police that detailed an exchange between one Vancouver man and the Ontario-based leader of a major international drug ring three years ago.

Mohamed Reza Amin Torabi told gang boss Nick Nero he had a contact person within the port who could control the movement of containers full of South American cocaine.

All he needed was the name of the company shipping the container to Canada and the actual container number, Amin Torabi explained.

“Hi bro. I am with my buddy. He is ready any time. All the ship come from south come to port here. I need transporter name and container number when U ready,” Amin Torabi, nicknamed ‘Big Guy,’ said in a May 2012 BlackBerry message.

A Vancouver Sun investigation has found at least 27 Hells Angels, associates, criminals and other gangsters work on the Port Metro Vancouver docks. And The Sun has obtained government and police documents that show an un-addressed organized crime problem on the waterfront dating back more than 20 years.

Details of the encrypted communications between Amin Torabi, Nero and others in their criminal organization illustrate the key role of the ports in the movement of drugs. The Sun obtained the transcripts from court documents filed for kingpin Nero’s sentencing hearing in Toronto last fall. He was handed a 22-year prison term in October 2014.

Police estimated that Nero was smuggling 400 kilograms of cocaine a week into Canada, worth about $1.9 billion a year.

Amin Torabi, now 51, had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine and received a seven-year prison term.


The documents don’t say how the two criminal associates began working together.


But The Sun has learned both men were active in bodybuilding competitions across Canada.

Amin Torabi, who was born in Tehran, was crowned Mr. Canada in 2000, as well as in the mid-‘90s. At the time, he boasted about having upper arms that were 22 inches in diameter and thighs that were 33 inches around. Nero placed seventh in the 2003 Canadian Bodybuilding Federation finals and once owned a gym in Niagara Falls.


Niagara Regional Police uncovered Nero’s massive drug smuggling ring, which led to arrests in three provinces in November 2012.

Staff Sgt. Shawn Clarkson said the smugglers established “various routes of transportation as well as smuggling into various ports of entry into Canada.”

“This criminal organization coordinated with a resourceful Mexican drug cartel to provide a high quality and constant supply of cocaine,” Clarkson told The Sun.

In the intercepted messages, Nero told another player in the drug ring that the cost to get the shipment through the Port of Vancouver was “25 per cent” of the value of the load.

“All we need is container #. Peru is direct to Vancouver,” Nero said in an email. “My ‘off’ says he will take it off no problem.” ‘Off’ is slang for a port connection who can off-load drugs.

Amin Torabi told Nero he didn’t want to say too much on the BlackBerry, but would fly to Toronto to meet him and make the arrangements. Police watched the two men as they met others in the criminal organization at a downtown Toronto steak house.

"All Good Amigo"


Nero later received a message from one of his Mexican cartel suppliers saying their “amigo” had a big machine that could be used to hide “50, 100 and 200 or more pieces” believed to be a reference to kilograms of cocaine that could then be shipped through the port.

“We can start next week,” Nero replied. “All good amigo.”

Nero was then told the cocaine could be shipped as liquid or in pieces inside the containers.

“I think pieces are better. Less work. We cash out faster. Also I don’t want issues with shares. Units are units. Every one gets what they pay for.”

Nero used several modes of transportation for the massive amounts of cocaine — including shipping containers to both the ports of Vancouver and Montreal.

He also had a private jet and flew cocaine into the U.S. and Canada. And much of the drug ring’s product was trucked across the border.

On May 10, 2012 Nero sent a message to Amin Torabi: “Hi bro. How are things with the port — are we ready?”

Amin Torabi responded: “Yes bro. We are ready. Please let me know where U sending from. Let me know. I am going see my guy today. It will be great work, bro.”

A week later, Nero contacted former Vancouver resident Robby Alkhalil, who also faces charges in connection with the Ontario drug ring.

Nero asked Alkhalil, whose nickname is TNT in the encrypted messages, if he wants in on a shipment from Argentina arriving at the port of Vancouver later in May.

Alkhalil replied “OK.”

Amin Torabi’s inside contact at the Port of Vancouver is not identified in the court documents obtained by The Sun.

Rabih Alkhalil
But in other conversations, Nero said that he works with both the “Patch and Irish” — references to the Hells Angels and the West End gang in Montreal, which has influence in that city’s port. Nero also had an earlier conviction in Ontario for selling cocaine to Hells Angels.

Nero messaged another associate on his encrypted BlackBerry, asking him to pass along to the suppliers that “my partners in Mtl are strong too. They have the ports.”

Both Nero and Alkhalil also face first-degree murder charges in the June 2012 execution of Johnnie Raposo in Toronto’s Little Italy.

And Alkhalil, who was extradited from Greece in February, is charged with murder in the targeted shooting of gangster Sandip Duhre in Vancouver’s Wall Centre in January 2012.

Another stop on Alkhalil’s Canadian courthouse tour is Montreal where he faces more drug importation and trafficking charges.

One of his co-accused in that case is full-patch Hells Angel Larry Amero, of Surrey’s West Point chapter. Despite being in jail since November 2012 awaiting trial, Amero has maintained his membership in Metro Vancouver-based Local 502 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.


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Search

The New Era of Cartels

May 18, 2015, 10:00 am
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The capture and abatement of drug cartel leaders has led to the fragmentation of groups and the emergence of criminal cells throughout the country.  U.S. authorities and the PGR identify the current leadership


By: Doris Gómora, Dennis A. García y Marcos Muédano | Translated by Valor for Borderlandbeat

With the capture and abatement of drug cartel leaders in recent years, the structures of the drug cartels in Mexico has fragmented, giving way to a new map of organized crime with the formation of criminal cells that operate in a territorial way; but with the influence that they had in the large organizations, new groups also rose up like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who managed to consolidate and expand their power to challenge the territories that are key to the business of the multinational drug trade.

This in-depth analysis of drug trafficking in the country is based on reports from the PGR, the United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Treasury, as well as interviews with experts.

With the arrests of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel; Servando Gómez “La Tuta”, leader of Los Caballeros Templarios; Vicente Carrillo Fuentes “El Viceroy”, leader of the Juárez Cartel; Miguel and Omar Treviño Morales, leaders of Los Zetas; and the abatement of Nazario Moreno “El Chayo”, who commanded La Familia Michoacana; as well as Ignacio Nacho Coronel and Arturo Beltrán Leyva “El Barbas”, a struggle for the territories worsened with the criminal cells who were operating as their armed wings.

The blows in recent years to drug cartels faded away the image of the great drug lords.  Around 15 leaders whose names dominated the scene in the last decade, including dynasties, are now a thing of the past.  New leaders emerged, though most only regional or underpowered, with fragmented crime cell organizations that defend a territory.  Of the nine cartels operating in the country today, only the Sinaloa, with their old bosses, and the CJNG, maintain hegemony.

The most recent report from the PGR indicates that there are nine cartels operating in Mexico: Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation, Los Zetas, Gulf, Tijuana, Beltrán Leyva, Juárez, Familia Michoacana and Los Caballeros Templarios.


The department found 45 criminal cells who besides working in drug trafficking, are also in the robbing of petroleum, kidnapping, extortion, and human trafficking.

The old rules imposed by the drug groups from the 1970’s have changed, to make way for the new generation of bosses who, unlike their predecessors, display their operating power even in social networks, where they also threaten their rivals and make their executions public as well as boasting about their luxuries life.

Their powers to corrupt, their ability to infiltrate police forces, their alliances with people in politics and business have not changed.  They are the lifeline of their safety net.  Their code, “plata o plomo” (silver or lead) also persists.

On the “atomization” of the big cartels,Gerardo Rodríguez, an expert on national security and terrorism, explains that when these criminal cells form, they have greater control over the territories since they know firsthand how the economic flow moves.  They can also display their criminal activity better and their local protection networks.

“In the case of Mexico, the Bacrim model (emerging criminal groups) of Colombia, where small groups evolved to other profitable illicit businesses such as extorting economic sectors, merchandise theft, human trafficking, and kidnappings,  is being copied,” detailed the member of the Collective of Security Analysis with Democracy (Casede).

The criminal cells, he adds, have territorial control, block by block, from the cities where they operate.

Rodríguez says that the government’s strategy in fighting organized crime is good, however, may fail if the criminal structures, which are structured in the form of a pyramid, are not completely destroyed.  “After capturing the big bosses, they have to do the same with other leaders and attack their financial assets.”

Javier Oliva, an expert on national security and an academic of UNAM, believes that “the fragmentation was very predictable; there was already experience in other cases where when they captured leaders of a criminal organization, it tended to divide, which has led to a dispute over turfs.  This atomizes the fight against organized crime when having less visible leaders and can result in an increased perception of criminalization”.

Source: El Universal
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The narco-terror in Mexico reactivates extraditions of the top capos

May 18, 2015, 11:04 pm
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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from an El Pais article

[ Subject Matter: Extradition, Mexican Cartel Capos
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required]


Reporter: Luis Pablo Beauregard

The narco trafficking violence in Jalisco has obliged the Government of Enrique Peno Nieto to re-think the extraditions of the Cartel's top Capos, after having diminished the number of  arrested sent to other countries to be judged.

Arely Gomez, the Attorney General has confirmed the intention to extradite to the United States Abigael Gonzalez, the leader of Los Cuinis, one of the cells of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion. This criminal group that challenged the State at the start of May when they brought down a helicopter occasioning the death of nine soldiers.

Gonzalez was captured on 28th of February in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, one of the bastions of the criminal group. The authorities believe that he is the principal financial operator for the Cartel in Guadalajara, the third most important city in Mexico.

"El Cuini", his nickname, is the brother in law of Nemesio Oseguera, the leader of the Nueva Generacion. In April, the Government of the United States added these criminals to the black list of the Department of Treasury. " They will send him to the United States because in Mexico he has not been accused of any crime", explained Javier Oliva, Professor at UNAM specializing in National Security. (Otis: see link to article on his extradition application).



He said that the Gomez broke one tendency of the PRI Government, that had diminished the extradition of Capos to the United States. In the first two years of the administration of Pena Nieto 133 people were extradited, according to documents from the Secretary of External Relations obtained with a transparency petition. Only 45 of those extradited North of the border were extradited for crimes against health (drug related crimes).

When Felipe Calderon commenced his war against narco trafficking he gave account of the fact that the Government needed an ally in Washington. In November of 2009 authorities of some countries celebrated a meeting to streamline the extraditions. The agreement gave results. For the end of his mandate he had extradited 498 people, duplicating the amount sent by his predecessor, Vincente Fox.

One has seen a pendular position, said Oliva. The panista Government attended very expeditiously, requests from various countries, but the return of the PRI changed the strategy. The first Attorney General of Pena Nieto, Jesus Murillo Karam, reduced the rate. In his two years he sent 128 accused to various countries, from 198 requests for extradition.

The majority of the subjects were sent to the United States, according to documents of the Attorney Generals office obtained by a petition for transparency. 44 of those were accused of crimes against health ( narco trafficking ) in United States Courts. Only one was considered a high level capo. On the 21st of November 2013 Ivan Valezquez Caballero, knows as "El Taliban" and one of the leaders of Los Zetas was handed over to the authorities in South Texas, who accused him of 47 different criminal charges. On the first day of the trial "not guilty" was declared.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is the most emblematic capture of the Government of Pena Nieto. Murillo Karam said on various occasions that Mexico prepared for his extradition, which led his defense to promote several amparo's to halt the process. However to date no extradition order has been received from the United States. His presence in the country is valuable.

"In this case its the information that the criminal has that keeps him here", affirmed Oliva, but he adds that not being sent now will not prevent his extradition at a later date. The expert in security, close to the PRI, believes that the porous prison system is also to blame. The orders of the top capos in prison, given through a vertical chain of commands and transmitted to Lawyers and family visits to the prison, continue to impact the criminal world outside.

"In the past six years then tendency to send them out of the country, accelerated internal power struggles within the groups. That is what happened with the Gulf Cartel when Osiel Cardenas was extradited". His physical presence in Mexico could have had some influence over internal divisions and fractures.

Servando Gomez, "La Tuta", media leader of the Knights Templar, was arrested in late February after living several years on the run. The United States Department of Justice regards the former school teacher in its territory as a strange honor. He is the first capo to be charged with narco terrorism. Configured in 2006 and used against the Taliban and the Guerillas of FARC.

"If a petition from the Court of New York is served it will be a milestone", says Oliva. "The criminal awaits a fork in the road. The Northern route would be historic. If he stays in Mexico it would mean for the Mexican Government, information on the State with grave problems of security like Michoacán". The Attorney General Arely Gomez will decide his fate.

Original article in Spanish at El Pais

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Six-year-old boy tortured and Killed. By other children.

May 18, 2015, 11:36 pm
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Borderland Beat posted  by Think Tank on the Forum.
The original source is The Daily Mail

Killed: Christopher Raymundo Marquez , six, was tied up, choked, stoned and stabbed in the back. Five children aged 12 to 15 years old have apparently admitted to his brutal murder in Chihuahua, Mexico

A six-year-old boy has been brutally murdered by five other children during a macabre 'game of kidnap', Mexican authorities have revealed. 

Christopher Raymundo Marquez was allegedly invited to play and collect firewood from a waste ground near his home in Chihuahua by the youngsters, aged 12 to 15.

But as they reached a stream, the children told him they were going to feign a kidnap. They tied Christopher's hands and feet together, before beating him with a thorn-covered stick, it is said.

They then reportedly stoned the youngster and suffocated him with the stick pressed against his neck, killing him. After he had died, one of the children even stabbed him in the back, it is alleged.

Christopher's body was found buried face-down in a shallow grave in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua early Saturday afternoon - two days after he went missing from his nearby home.
Police and forensics experts removed Christopher's body.
 The alleged killers, a boy aged 12, two girls aged 13 and two other boys aged 15, had covered the hand-dug hole he had been dumped in with weeds and a dead animal, authorities said.
Police detailed the horrific circumstances surrounding Christopher's killing on Saturday night as they revealed that three of the child suspects are too young to be charged and tried under local law.

State prosecutor Sergio Almaraz said the youngster had been killed during a 'game of kidnap'. He added that the minors had admitted Thursday's killing in a poor neighborhood of the state capital of Chihuahua.

The children, neighbors and friends of Christopher, had invited the boy to play and collect firewood - but had turned on him after telling him they were going to feign a kidnap beside the stream.

Mr Almaraz said: 'While they were playing, one of the 15-year-olds suggested to the others that they should kill Christopher. It wasn't planned. It was a condition of the game they played.'

Authorities discovered Christopher's body after the mother of one of the 15-year-old boys phoned police to tell them she had discovered her son had participated in the murder.

He and the other teenage boy face criminal charges but the three younger children, who are under the age of criminal responsibility in Mexico (which is set at 14), cannot be tried.

A spokesman for the local prosecution service said: 'Because they're minors and very young they have very specific rights which are stipulated by law.

'All five children will undergo psychological and sociological studies to determine their family environments.'

Christopher's mother, Tania, who reported him missing on Thursday night, said on Sunday her son's alleged killers had taken part in the search for him with their families before his body was found.

She said: 'What I want is justice. If justice isn't done, we'll make sure it's done with our own hands. I, as a mom, demand justice. How are they going to set these children free? 
Relatives of Christopher mourn at his funeral
'They haven't done these horrible things to a dog, they've done them to a child.'

Christopher's death 'at the hands of five other children' has stunned Mexico. Prosecutors have expressed concern over a killing that showed 'social decomposition' and an 'absence of values.' 

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Osiel Cardenas Jr. Sentenced to 10 months in Supermax

May 19, 2015, 9:44 am
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Lucio R. Borderland Beat- Republished from San Antonio Express

“Today is my father’s birthday,” Cardenas Jr. said in Spanish. “Instead of going to visit him like they do every year, (my family) is here to support me.”




Osiel Cardenas Jr., 23, the son of one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, was sentenced Monday to 10 months in federal prison for attempting to smuggle military-grade ammunition into Mexico on New Year’s Eve.

Cardenas Jr. is the son of Osiel Cardenas, 48, who was the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and is now incarcerated in the reputed Supermax prison in Colorado for his role in orchestrating drug cartel activities along the Texas-Mexico border.

Cardenas Jr., a U.S. citizen born in Texas but raised in Mexico, had faced a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He was also fined $10,000 and will serve three years of supervised release.

Still, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen cautioned Cardenas Jr. against visiting Matamoros, Mexico, in the future.

“You’re at a crossroads … you need to decide which way you’re going to go,” Hanen told Cardenas Jr., also known as “Mini Osiel.” “If you follow down the same pathway as your father, you’re going to end up in the same place.”

Cardenas Jr. pleadedguilty in February to trying to sneak hundreds of rounds of bullets past U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Brownsville en route to Matamoros on Dec. 31, including 290 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 161 rounds of .223mm ammunition.


Authorities also found in his black 2015 Cadillac Escalade 29 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and a pair of .233mm rifle magazines, which are designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List. Cardenas Jr. admitted to having more than 14 grams of marijuana concealed in his underwear.

His mother, Celia Cardenas, penned a handwritten letter in Spanish to the court, apologizing for the conduct of her son, whom she called inexperienced and immature.

Hanen appeared to sympathize with Cardenas Jr., describing him as smart, yet burdened with the legacy of his infamous father, the cartel capo and mastermind behind the ultraviolent Los Zetas, which later split from the Gulf Cartel and became its own criminal organization.

In a heartfelt plea for leniency, Cardenas Jr., who has spent the past several months in solitary confinement for his safety, asked that Hanen allow him to spend the day with his family, who was in the courtroom.


“Today is my father’s birthday,” Cardenas Jr. said in Spanish. “Instead of going to visit him like they do every year, (my family) is here to support me.”
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Talía Vazquez: Doctor Mireles will remain in prison, because of elections

May 19, 2015, 6:19 pm
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Lucio R. Borderland Beat

To anyone following the imprisonment of autodefensa leader Dr. Manuel Mireles, it is a no brainer, that because there is an election on June 7th, it means the Michoacán autodefensa spokesman will remain in prison until the elections are over.

The government has been meticulous in shutting down the “genuine” autodefensas movement in the coastal region of Michoacán.  Popular and respected leaders have been imprisoned, or have been killed.  As it stands there are about 500 autodefensas imprisoned.

Some autodefensas have taken to political tactics to create change, running for various offices. 

Dr. Mireles good friend, Enrique Hernández Salcedo, former autodefensas leader of Yurécaro, was running for the municipal’s mayor, when he was assassinated last week.  Like Dr Mireles, Hernández was outspoken about political corruption and narco crime.  And like Dr Mireles, he was imprisoned on murder charges with absolutely no basis that he committed the crime, and the case was thrown out due to lack of evidence.

Hernández spoke of his time in prison, saying he was isolated and tortured.  At the time of his murder he had a whopping 90% support of voters. 
Thousands attended the funeral of Enrique Hernández
Thousands turned out for Hernández’ funeral, the mass was officiated by two priests including Padre Goyo of Apatzingán. Hernández’ widow spoke of  of the torture he received in prison.  His daughter spoke of his determination. 

His eldest daughter Guadalupe spoke at his funeral, saying her father knew what the danger was when he decided his course.  The entire family knew and supported him.

“I hold not hate for the perpetrators, and vengeance is not in my heart.  That is left to a higher power. 
“My father was a man of values, he was an honest man, living outside corruption, he would never take the temptation of receiving something for nothing.”


“There is something that each of us can do.  If we begin with ourselves, living free of any corruption, temptation and with honesty, from there begins something completely different for us”.

She continued by saying that she and the family will continue to support the cause.  Her mother is named as a possible replacement on the ballot.

Dr. Mireles may not even know his friend was killed.  This week, in a rare letter,  Mireles sent to Jorge Vazquez, he noted how difficult communication is for him.  In the letter he speaks of the death of Hipolito Mora’s son, Manuel.  And that was five months ago.
Cilck on  to enlarge image
Mireles’ sister Vicky Mireles, had hoped that since the PGR was now able to release her brother due to his favorable court rulings, saying all that is needed is PGR to file to vacate the case.  That was to be done on yesterday.  She expressed concerns for his health, saying that his diabetes is not controlled and he is in jeopardy of losing his limbs.

However, Talia VazquezAlatorre, the former defense attorney of Dr. Mireles gave an interview today saying the hope that Dr. Mireles’ sister has of his release, is a false hope.  She attributes his non-release to the election, and not so much because of the legal process. 

"I am the first to want him out of jail, since the first day, but that will not be possible in time campaigns "she said.

She said the main reason ha little to do with acts of justice but by the fear of Mireles'  impact  on the electoral process,


"I do not think any party wants to see Mireles in the street two weeks before the elections, because he is a very loved and respected person, nationally. Many authorities govern one’s life and justice based on an electoral calendar, "she charged.

Ms Vazquez contends she remains a great advocate for Dr. Mireles, even though she resigned as his defense attorney, after a dispute with Padre Goyo’s apparent attempt at negotiating a deal for Dr. Mireles’ release.  A deal was never reached, and most people conclude there must be a whole lot more to that story. 
Enrique Hernández and Dr. Mireles
As it is now, many of the close women in his life are fighting each other, each saying they have the best interest of Dr. Mireles at heart.  Pricila Abud of Grillonautas turned on Dr Mireles over the proposed deal, calling it “shameful”.  His former wife Ana, referred to Dr Mireles as a devil, who had "nothing", his daughter also conducted an interview saying as far as she was concerned her father was dead.

Yet, now when the man cannot speak and be heard, all these parties claim to be his advocate.  His former wife, his daughter, his son, Pricila, Talia all are now waving the banner and claim to be speaking for him. 


What is absolutely true is his closeness to his sister Vicky.  As for relationships with the others, those who turned their back to him, I guess we have to wait for the conclusion of that story.

Enrique Hernández was a true Mireles advocate.  Just days before his death he announced he was working with Morena political party attorneys in hopes of assisting in the release of Dr. Mireles.
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Sinaloa Cartel: largest heroin seizure in New York history

May 19, 2015, 6:20 pm
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Lucio R. Borderland Beat republished from NY Post


Narcotics cops in the Bronx confiscated more than 70 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $50 million in a record-breaking bust that netted $2 million in cash and a firearm.

“To put it in perspective, this load was so large it carried the potential of supplying a dose of heroin to every man, woman and child in New York City,” said Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan.

Authorities said the mammoth stash, tucked away in the bowels of a large SUV, was just one in a series of shipments slated for delivery throughout the five boroughs, as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

This particularly shipment — a massive load of narcotics and cash — was recovered from a vehicle and an apartment in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, not far from Horace Mann School, where children sit in class every day, and adjacent to Van Cortlandt Park, where families are just beginning to enjoy the warm weather.

Arrested were Jose Mercedes, aka “Hippie,” who was described as the head of the multi-million organization. Also arrested was Yenci Cruz Francisco. They are charged with operating as a major trafficker and first-degree criminal Possession of a controlled substance.


They were both arrested Sunday, and arraigned Monday night in Manhattan Criminal Court, and held without bail. Two additional defendants were arrested in November.

“The $50 million street value of the heroin in this case is a conservative estimate,” said Brennan of the record-breaking seizure. “While this important seizure stopped a huge amount of heroin from flooding our city, it also highlights the critical need to intercept heroin before it ever reaches our region.”

“New York City is the bull’s eye for drug traffickers and heroin is their weapon,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge James Hunt

Investigators used wiretaps to learn that a local drug trafficking crew was receiving sizable shipments of heroin at least once a month from suppliers in Culican, Mexico, an area controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel.

 Last week, cops intercepted phone conversations about a large load of heroin that was expected to be delivered over the weekend.

Agents set up surveillance outside 210 West 251st St. in Fieldston, where the organization was suspected of maintaining a stash location in Apt. 5E.

A day before the arrests, agents tracked a Chevrolet Suburban and a Honda Accord driven by Mercedes, Cruz Francisco and a third crew member from the Bronx site to a parking lot in Montville, NJ, where tractor-trailers were parked.

More than an hour later, the vehicles headed back to the Bronx. The next morning, cops stopped Mercedes as he tried to pull away in the SUV, and searched the vehicle.

A hidden compartment under the floor of the vehicle contained 70 rectangular-shaped kilogram packages of heroin labeled with the identifying name of “Rolex.” Also inside the vehicle was $24,000 cash.

Agents conducted a series of court authorized searches at apartments associated with the group. Inside the West 251st Street apartment, agents recovered $2 million from underneath the floorboards.

A search at a Magenta Street apartment in the Bronx yielded a .380 caliber firearm.
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Capture ‘El Señor’ leader of ‘Los Memos’, main collaborator of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán

May 20, 2015, 8:33 am
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Lucio R. Borderland Beat from SIEDO

In Culiacan, federal police captured Adelmo Niebla González or Guillermo Nieblas Nava, aka “El Señor”.

He is identified as one of the main operators of Joaquin" El Chapo "Guzman Loera, leader of the Cartel of the Pacific.

The federal SSP said captured with Niebla Gonzalez, were Javier Alonso Fuentes Tostado and Jose Ramon Ojeda Ruiz.  

Seized were  two vehicles, three rifles AR-15, 490 grams of cocaine, communications equipment and various documents.

The Public Security Secretariat (SSP) reported that federal detainee was responsible for the transfer of marijuana, methamphetamines and heroin in the municipalities of Puerto Peñasco, General Plutarco Elías Calles,  San Luis Río Colorado Maricopa and  Casa Grande, in Phoenix, Arizona.

In a statement, the agency said that according to investigations,  Niebla Gonzalez, a native of Tamazula, Durango, was also responsible for smuggling weapons into Mexico.

His  area of operation also included the cities of Mexicali and Tijuana, Baja California, besides having presence in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and in Tamazula, Durango.

For over 20 years he was established in Sonoyta, Sonora, where he began his criminal career by illegally crossing migrants into the United States; acts for which he was repeatedly arrested,  and deported to Mexico.

In 2002 he was detained in the Social Rehabilitation Center in Nogales, Sonora, for drug crimes and organized crime; in 2006 he met Mario Aguirre Avilés, “El 9-9, one of the main operators of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and worked under him to traffic  drugs into the United States.

Niebla Gonzalez formed its own criminal group called "Los Memos" and he settled in Sonoyta, from where he trafficked drugs, becoming one of the main operators and people most trusted by “El Chapo".

In 2008 he was consigned to the State Center for Social Rehabilitation of the state of Durango on charges of possession of a firearm, however, skipped while on bail and continued the business of trafficking. 

The criminal group "Los Memos" maintains strong presence in Sonora; territory shared with organizations allied with the Cartel of the Pacific, includingPuerto Peñasco, where he maintains a close relationship with the criminal group of Gonzalo Inzunza, "El Macho Prieto." 
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La Vibora is arrested, author of decapitations and hangings in Atizapan

May 20, 2015, 12:32 pm
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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

[ Subject Matter: La Vibora, Cartel de Centro
Recommendation: see link to Buggs article on arrest of this Cartels Jefe]

Francisco Javier Resillas Rios, "La Vibora"
After being a fugitive since this past April, during an operation carried out in Tlalnepantla, authorities detained in Acapulco, Guerrero, one Francisco Javier Resillas Rios, "La Vibora", alleged ex member of the Cartel de Centro and operator of "El Chapo" in the Valle de Mexico, and for information leading to his capture, Mexican authorities offered half a million pesos.

"La Vibora" is linked to twelve tiers of investigation, already to him authorities are attributing executions, four decapitated bodies were found on 13th of January 2013 in Atizapan de Zaragoza, the location of narco mantas and the assassination of two people that were hung from a bridge in the town of Atizapan on 30th of March of the same year. (Otis: see link to Itzlis article on the four decapitations, and see link to an article on the hangings by BB reporter Havana Pura).



In the Gustavo A Madero delegation of Federal District, he is linked to three homicides of alleged drug dealers, which occurred last year on the outskirts of Tlalnepantla.

Resillas Rios is originally from State of Mexico, and after his apprehension turned out to be Plaza boss of an criminal organization in Valle de Mexico, and had links to organized criminals in the Towns of Ecatepec, Tlalnepantla, Atizapan, Cuautitlan Izcalli and Zumpango, among others from the North, Northeast and East of the State.

The detention was carried out when elements of the Marina of Mexico were patrolling along the Boulevard Costero Miguel Aleman when they heard firearm detonations nearby.

At this moment, three individuals ran towards the beach, and noticing the presence of the Marina and opened fire, injuring a civilian who was sheltering behind a concrete bench.

After a few minutes, Javier Resillas Rios was injured as a consequence of a confrontation with another group.

Naval personnel attended the injured, also identified as Bruno Torres Mejia, 24 years of age, and requested medical assistance for their support, as a result of bullet impacts, he was operated on surgically in Acapulco Hospital, where he is reported as stable.

The Attorney General of State of Mexico requested that their counterparts from different States to support the detention of Resillas Rios, who has three arrest warrants for crimes of homicide, apart from what is considered to be the objective of greater importance, of him being in the top 16 most sought after criminals in the State of Mexico.

Also confiscated were a pick up, a motorcycle, a 9mm pistol of exclusive use by armed forces, a magazine with three rounds in it, and 6 other cartridges of the same calibre.

The detained were put at the disposition of the Agent of the Federal Public Prosecutors Office, of the third investigative agency of the State of Guerrero.

"La Vibora" had already been located three weeks earlier this past 29th of March, when in the Mariano Escobedo Colonia, Town of Tultitlan, four of his closest collaborators were detained. Luz Veronica Postigo Ramirez and her son Martin Olvera Postigo, alleged financial operators of this cell, like Gloria Ameyali Medina and Michael Gabriel Lozada Alvarez.

Veronica Postigo Ramirez was also found to be related to the crimes of maltreatment of people, prostitution and crimes against health; her son Martin is alleged as responsible for homicide, vehicle theft, and crimes against health.

The detained gave dates about the activities and possible location of "La Vibora", the following day units mounted an operation in the Viveros del Rio Colonia, in Tlalnepantla.

Between 10:30 and 11:00, on the crossroads of Mario Colin and Gustavo Baz, the police encountered Resillas Rios, he was driving a black Honda CVR, with plates 847WPH.

"La Vibora" ran over one of the agents, got out of the vehicle, threatened a driver of Ford Ranger with his gun, then stole his vehicle registration LUE1538 and escaped in it.

To recognize him, the authorities relied on a recent photograph allegedly taken at the horse fair, in the Municipality of Texcoco, which shows him sitting with a woman, in front of a table where there is a bottle of whiskey.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso

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'Chino Antrax' pleads guilty in San Diego

May 20, 2015, 2:27 pm
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'Chino Antrax' pleads guilty

After 17 months in custody, Jose Archeiga Gamboa, 'El Chino Antrax', immortalized by his Instagram account, pled guilty in San Diego's federal courthouse.  In front of Judge Dana Sabraw, who has handled all of the 'Operation Narco Polo' defendants, including Serafin Zambada Ortiz, he softly answered 'Si Senor', when answering questions.  

Gamboa pled guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, admitting to coordinating the shipment of ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.  He also admitted to overseeing many cartel responsibilities since at least 2005.  He admitted to both directly and indirectly participating in acts of violence to further the organization, and promote their business.  

It is unknown whether he has entered into a cooperation agreement with the prosecutors and US Attorneys office, he agreed to forfeit 1 million in drug profits, and is set to be sentenced in October. Serafin Zambada Ortiz was set to be sentenced Friday, but is scheduled for August 2015.  A review of Serafin Zambada's docket on Pacer reveals numerous sealed motions, before his eventual plea.  


It remains to be seen whether he will be sentenced at 10 years, the minimum, or closer to 15-20.  He was designated a kingpin by the OFAC in January 2014, shortly after his arrest in the Netherlands, after debarking a plane from Mexico City, into Amsterdam, shortly after Christmas.  His kingpin status hinged on being a leader of Los Antrax.  Last year a women whom he had a child with, Yuriana Torres was kidnapped from a gym in Culiacan, leaving only a single gym shoe behind.  She was found strangled, shot, and tortured a day later, on the street.  

The articles have little to no new information on the case, other then prosecutors linked Chino Antrax to over 50 drug seizures internationally, and have thousands of pages of documents, witness statements, wiretap evidence, linking him to his crimes.  They will not have to reveal much of this information, due to the guilty plea.  He is represented by Michael Mcdonell, a La Habra, Orange County based attorney.  Mcdonnell also represented James Lawerence Snowden, part of the original 'Narco Polo' investigation, centering on a 5 kilo cocaine, and 40 pound marijuana shipment seized in North Carolina, in October 2011.  The drugs were later linked to a San Diego distribution network, and it's leader, and further down the line it went.  Snowden received 188 months. 

'Operaration Narco Polo' was a sprawling indictment against Sinaloa, eventually resulting in the arrests of Chapo Guzman, Serafin Zambada Ortiz, Ismael Zambada
Imperial, 'Mayito Gordo', 'Changuito Antrax', and dozens more of Antrax members and associates.  'Aquiles' and 'La Rana' are indicted, and considered fugitives from justice, as are Mayito Flaco, and Ivan Archivaldo.

When Fernando Sanchez Arellano, El Inge, was arrested last summer, he admitted to investigators that he believed El Chino Antrax was responsible for ordering the killing of his uncle, Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, gunned down in front of his children in Los Cabos, October 2013.  Chino Antrax instagram had photos of him on a yacht in Cabo, and later photos surfaced with the two posing together amid Tecate models, hours before his death.





Chino Antrax is said to be in solitary confinement for safety at the San Diego MCC. His trips around the world are displayed in sleek, foreboding photos from his Instagram account, Louboutin shoes and Yves St Laurent t shirts, with an ominous skull ring on his hand.  His picture represent a narco fantasy, whether a three story yacht in the South of France, or a single, striking pose in front of iconic locales in Dubai, the pyramids of Egypt, or the glittering lights casino lights of Vegas.  The pictures are filled with 'too good to last' shots of parties in Culiacan, many of those posing, or softly bearing the peace sign are in custody, dead, or on the run. 

Sources: UT San Diego  
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10 dead 20 injured in Tlacotepec Guerrero shootout

May 20, 2015, 6:24 pm
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Lucio R Borderland Beat- material used from aristegui and excelsior

In the early hours of Wednesday a clash occurred in Tlacotepec in the municipality of General Heliodoro Castillo, located in the mountainous area of Guerrero, leaving a toll of 10-12  dead and 20 wounded.

The confrontation between two armed groups,  likely the Los Rojos and Los Ardillos,  occurred during the late hours of Tuesday into the early hours of Wednesday.

Tlacotepec communities and other municipalities in the mountainous area of ​​Guerrero are the areas of poppy crops, so  the dispute is between organized crime groups is ongoing for control of the region.

In a special report on security in Guerrero, the CNDH reported that as of August 2013, the number of people displaced by violence in Tlacotepec,  was between 700 and 900, in a town with a population of only 6000.


The violence occurs days after residents of the community of Chilapa reported at least 15 people were kidnapped by an armed group.

community guards at the entrance of city

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Tijuana Cop executed and 2 more banners left.

May 20, 2015, 6:55 pm
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Borderland Beat


A Tijuana Municipal police agent was executed this morning while he was exiting his home on his way to work. The agent was identified as Juan Jauregui Ruvalcaba, He was currently commissioned at the Los Pinos district.


At the same time of his execution, two narco-banners where hung, one in the "Puente America" bridge and another one near the crime scene, both read:


"Esto le pasa a la gente de La Rana"


Translated:

"This is what happens to La Rana´s people"


Meanwhile, Tijuana´s Public Safety Director, Alejandro Lares Valladares, mentioned they already "have a clue" they will follow, he also mentioned the "fallen officer" will be honored by the corporation.


An early version claims the agent was just getting out of his home when he was attacked from behind, it looks like the Tijuana police already has a suspect under custody who, apparently, fills in with the description of the attacker.

The attack, according to witness reports, took place at around 5 AM in presence of his family outside his house in the Mariano Matamoros neighborhood. It appears the officer was quickly taken to IMSS Hospital #1 but he was declared dead.

Jauregui Ruvalcaba had close to 8 years in service.

Tijuana´s Public Safety Office confirmed the agents death by a shot to the back of his head, Alejandro Lares assured the officer died for doing his duty and mentioned proper honours would be held.

SOURCE: AFN Tijuana
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Two more decapitated heads discovered in TJ

May 21, 2015, 12:46 pm
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Lucio R Borderland Beat republished from AFN


Two more human heads were discovered  this morning at the entrance to the Playas de Tijuana subdivision, and they have not been identified.

According to the preliminary data, municipal police received a report around 7AM this Thursday, which said there were two "suspicious" plastic bags lying in the street in colonia Loa Laureles.

 Municipal police when to the area, where they found the two bags, one black and one white, which each contained a  human head.

This is the third discovery of mutilated persons being  dumped in the public streets of this city in less than one month.


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