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Cristian Was Kidnapped In Chilapa, Guerrero; He Was Found With a Bullet in the Head Next To another Minor

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Cuartoscuro Archive


Last Saturday, Cristian left his house after midday to do homework with some of his classmates.  He told his parents that from there, he would go to see his girlfriend and that he would be back late, but he didn’t return.  Cristian was kidnapped by armed men and someone told his parents that they saw him when they took him in a taxi with tinted windows, after that, they didn’t know about his whereabouts until the following Monday when he was found in the neighborhood Panorámica, located east of Chilpancingo.  Next to him was the body of Luis, a 16-year-old boy from Xocomulco, located in the municipality of Chilapa.  Luis also had a bullet to his head.

By: Zacarias Cervantes | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

March 11, 2017— During the funeral of Cristian Peralta Rendón, there wasn’t just crying, there was also anger, despair, rage and calls for justice to the government on the part of their relatives and friends.

They boy was 14 years old and was studying his second year of secondary school in Chilapa, where gunmen kidnapped him on Saturday, March 4 and on Monday, March 6, he was found seriously wounded in a neighborhood east of Chilpancingo next to the corpse of another boy.

Cristian only had on a pair of boxers and had a bullet in the head.  He was transferred alive to the hospital Raymundo Abarca Alarcón where he died Wednesday morning.

After midday on Thursday, Cristian’s body was transferred from his home on Calle 8 Sur de Chilapa to the cemetery where his relatives, friends, and neighbors buried him.

“What I can tell you about him is that he was a good boy, he went to school and was on his second year of secondary school, he was friendly with his friends, he lived a normal life, nothing is known that he had been involved in things or that he had been a problem child or a rebellious one.  No, none of that,” said Cristian’s uncle, José Díaz Navarro, who was also a teacher in elementary school and is president of the group Siempre Vivos de Chilapa.

Last Saturday, Cristian left his house after midday to do homework with some of his classmates.  He told his parents that from there, he would go to see his girlfriend and that he would be back late, but he didn’t return. 


Cristian was kidnapped by armed men and someone told his parents that they saw him when they took him in a taxi with tinted windows, after that, they didn’t know about his whereabouts until the following Monday when he was found in the neighborhood Panorámica, located east of Chilpancingo.  Next to him was the body of Luis, a 16-year-old boy from Xocomulco, located in the municipality of Chilapa.  Luis also had a bullet to his head.

Díaz Navarro said that during the funeral last Thursday, there was crying, anger, despair, and rage, but also calls for justice to the government from their relatives and friends.

Díaz Navarro said that because of the war between Los Rojos and Los Ardillos in the municipalities of Tixtla and Chilapa, Los Ardillos have established a new route to transfer their victims that they kidnap in Chilapa and that they kill them and dump them in Chilpancingo.
 
“Today, we know that the route that they take because of the strong dispute with Los Rojos is from Chilapa to Atzacoaloya, San Ángel and Xiloxuchican.  Then, they drive to Juxtlahuaca and Colotlipa, municipality of Quechultenango, they pass through the municipal capital and continue towards Mochitlán, to then arrive at Mochitlánque, which they have as a bastion, and from there, to Chilpancingo.”

Navarro says that all of this route is controlled by Los Ardillos, even though in some towns in the municipality of Chilapa, criminals appear as police officers or rural police in the case of Petaquillas, “but it is their rout that allows them to transfer their victims that they capture in Chilapa and they take them to Chilpancingo, that’s why they removed the (agents) from the Mixed Operations Bases in Petaquillas, because they obstructed them to transfer their drugs, their bodies, their weapons, that is why many bodies from people of Chilapa appear in Chilpancingo.”

The president of the group Siempre Vivos said that the activities of this criminal group are in collusion with the government, “because they allow them to do anything.”

Navarro did not rule out that this route was used to take his son after they had kidnapped him in Chilapa.

Source: Sin Embargo

Tijuana: Dead dog with message left in front of Zona Rio bar

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Dead dog left with message enfrente de Zona Rio bar

In the early morning hours, the dog's crumbled body lay in front of the door, a bow macabrely wrapped around his neck, a twisted, mocking message of disrespect, blood ran across the lifeless animal, dropped outside Caval Antro Y Bar on Paseo Independencia, in Zona Rio.  

Alongside the dog, lay a cardboard cut out with a message.  The exact message was not revealed by authorities responding to the scene, but the message was said to threaten bands scheduled to perform at the bar over the weekend.



"El Fantasma" and Los Populares de Illano, are set to tomorrow night, from the businesses facebook page.  This comes a few weeks after a banner signed by CTNG and CJNG, was placed at Las Pulgas, in anticipation of a performance by Los Nuevos Rebeldes, known for Culiacan, and Sinaloa corridos. 

The message left at Las Pulgas stated their would be consequences if the group performed, the performance was canceled.  Referencing an escalating blood feud between groups who performed for both Sinaloa backed Aquiles, and their rivals in Tijuana, the banner claimed they would kill those who sang for them, because their singers had also been killed.  Lenin Ramirez was mentioned by name, 'We are going to kill Lenin Ramirez". 

Animals, sometimes pigs, and dogs are often used to send a message to rival groups, slaughtered to send the ritualistic message of disrespect and disregard.  In Northwestern states, groups associated with Zetas and the CDG have left dead pigs at the scenes of body drops, or by themselves.  

In 2010, after a double murder in Tijuana, a CAF lieutenant, Jose Najera Gil, under what was once known as the Fernando Sanchez Organization, ordered a dead dog to be thrown at the headstones of the victims, in Chula Vista, San Diego.  The order was carried out, a dead dog was thrown against the headstones, with a message saying "The family is next". 

Sources: AFN Tijuna 

Five prisoners escape from Culiacan prison, including son of El Azul, Pancho Chimal and the leader of Los Antrax

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Riodoce article

Subject Matter: Juan Jose Esparragoza Monzon
Recommendation: No prios subject matter knowledge required


Reporter: Alejandro Monjardin
The Chief of Security from the prison of Culiacan, an Agent of State Preventative Police, Jose Mario Murillo Rodriguez has disappeared, after the escape of five prisoners yesterday, informed the Secretary of Public State Security. Genaro Robles Casilla.

He said yesterday they called him for the operation implemented after the escape yesterday, and today he had not been located and that he is being investigated along with some custodians. The Attorney Generals office has begun an inquiry to establish how the escape was made.

The Under-Secretary of Security, Cristobel Castaneda Camarillo, indicated that it has not been ruled out that they had been aided by prison guards, and may have escaped hidden in vehicles.




The escaped prisoners are, Juan Jose Esparragoza Monzon, El Negro, son of El Azul, financial operator of the Sinaloa cartel, Jesus Pena, El 20, Chief of Security for El Mayo Zambada, Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nunez, El Changuito, leader of Los Antrax, Francisco Javier Zazueta Rosales, Pancho Chimal, designated as responsible for the attack on the Military convoy to rescue El Kevin where five soldiers were killed, and Alfonso Limon, El Chuba or El Limon, collaborator of El Chapo Guzmans faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.



An article by Riodoce today reports that 11 prison guards and Commanders have been dismissed from their posts at the prison following the escape on Thursday.

Original article in Spanish at Riodoce

Proceso are also carrying this Story but focus on El Negro, son of El Azul, who was in prison awaiting extradition to the United States on charges of narco trafficking and money laundering.


Brady’s Super bowl Jersey’s found in Mexico, at La Prensa Director's home

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video released of culprit posing as international press stealing the jersey...


Jersey's found in Ortega's home

The NFL issued the statement that confirms that in a joint operation the Brady Superbowl jersey was recovered and now in the hands of the NFL.

“"Through the cooperation of the NFL and New England Patriots’ security teams, the FBI and other law enforcement authorities, the Super Bowl LI jersey worn last month by MVP Tom Brady has been recovered," the NFL said in a statement released on Monday, March 20. "Also retrieved during the ongoing investigation was the jersey Brady wore in the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks in 2015.”

With the help of Mexico’s attorney general’s office PGR, and the federal police, Tom Brady’s stolen jersey's, was recovered in Mexico. This came after a request by the FBI for collaboration in the search, an informant came forward leading investigators to Mexico.

Federal Police and the PGR recovered the stolen jersey, at the home of Mauricio Ortega, a director of the newspaper La Prensa, federal sources confirmed.

The theft of the jersey valued at 500k USD, is a federal crime in both countries.

Video of theft: 




Ortega resigned from his position last week. (read letter from editor linking here-Spanish)  La Prensa statement in English:


  1. On March 14, 2017, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Mr. Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos arrived at the corporate offices to present his resignation as the Director of the Newspaper LA PRENSA, citing personal reasons.
  2. That resignation was accepted, since on multiple occasions, Mr. Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos expressed he was undergoing difficulties, related to the health of family members close to him.
  3. With complete surprise and disappointment, today we have received the news of the alleged behavior by Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos on February 5, 2017, inside NRG Stadium in Houston Texas, where Super Bowl LI took place.
  4. Editora La Prensa S.A. de C.V., if these allegations are true, strongly rejects the behavior of Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos, who took advantage of the position he held, used the newspaper La Prensa to obtain media credentials to access the field of play, press conferences and probably other areas of NRG Stadium.
  5. It is worth noting that none of the managers of Editora La Prensa, S.A. de C.V., nor of the Organizacion Editorial Mexicana, had any knowledge of the unfortunate and reproachable acts that Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos allegedly committed on February 5, 2017, since no local or federal authorities sought information from the legal department of this publishing house in relation to Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos, much less over his role during Super Bowl LI that took place in Houston; for that reason, this is why we became aware of the alleged actions by Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos at this moment.
  6. Editora La Prensa, S.A. de C.V. will seek information from the corresponding authorities in relation to the acts that were revealed today, so that if it is appropriate, we can initiate a legal response to help the authorities in the clarification of these regrettable actions that are being investigated, which will become public knowledge to the Mexican people, and in particular our readers.
  7. Regardless of the truth, these alleged acts committed personally by Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos could have happened while he still held the position of director of the newspaper La Prensa; Editora La Prensa, S.A. de C.V. offers a public apology to our readers and the Mexican people for these regrettable acts.

Veracruz: 47 more skulls unearthed in mass graves

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Chivis for Borderland Beat


The Sánchez Pérez family (above) disappeared in September 2016, while attending the Beer Festival, now six months later their remains were discovered  in one of the dozens of  clandestine graves, also known as "narco fosas" in Alvarado, Veracruz. Narcofosas are mass graves used by cartels to dispose of bodies.

On Sunday,  the Attorney General's Office confirmed that the Queretanos were found, buried in one of the graves in Arbolillo, Alvarado, along with at least 44 more bodies.  

As of now only 6 persons have been identified from the remains unearthed.

Veracruz is notorious for its narcofosas, with thousands of bodies being discovered in the past decade.  More than any other state in Mexico. Funding allocated by the federal government to Veracruz for DNA data cataloguing, was allegedly pilfered, during the corrupt administration of Javier Duarte.  There are only 276 DNA results, instead of the thousands that should be in the data bank.  

Chihuahua: 'La Línea' Leader El Cabo killed in shootout

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The State Attorney General's Office (FGE) confirmed the death of César Raúl Gamboa Sosa, alias 'El Cabo', leader of the 'La Línea' criminal group that maintains control in the Cuauhtémoc region.

"El Cabo" was shot and killed by police and soldiers at La Quemada ranch.

Sunday afternoon there was a confrontation in Rubio, in the region of Cuauhtémoc, where municipal
police officers arrived after a report was called in to the emergency line. On arrival they were confront by gunfire.  They called for  for support from state and military elements.  

Four policemen were injured (some reports say killed) and eight suspects were killed, including Gamboa Sosa. In addition, 17 armored vehicles were seized, the FGE reported.

The conflict has been continuing for weeks, between 'La Línea' from Namiquipa and 'La Línea' from Cuauhtémoc, leaders El Cabo vs El 80.  Yesterday a human head was discovered in a foam cooler near Colonia Álvaro Obregón, Cuauhtémoc.  

It was the head  belonging to a bodyguard of El 80s,  who was killed and decapitated on the order of El Cabo.  it is suspected the decapitation led to the shootout.

Tamaulipas:Female kidnapper pleads for her life before being shot 14 times

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Posted by senorjoe material from NuevoLaredoVivo

Female kidnapper/extortionist pleads for her life before being shot. She was accused of using the name of cartel when kidnapping/extorting.



BLO: Alfredo "Mochomo" Beltran Leyva to be sentenced on April 5th

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Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat-thank you Narcomics!

A week prior to the originally scheduled trial, Alfredo “Mochomo” Beltran Leyva informed his attorney, Eduardo Balarezo, of his desire to enter an “unconditional guilty plea”.  The plea is as bad as it sounds, he unlike any other narco who has litigated in the federal court of U.S. did not seek  a deal in exchange for a favorable sentence,     
From the point of the extradition filing and as the process continued, the case contained irregularities. If one retrieves the life of the case beginning at “Zero”, as Borderland Beat previously pointed out, only at the point that Beltran Leyva was nearing the end of his prison sentence in Mexico, did the United States have him in their crosshairs.  He was not mentioned in previous BLO Cartel indictments, nor named in previous witness testimony given by cooperatives, such as the Flores twins who named, and gave critical information against  scores of capo’s and cartel members they interacted with.  Yet one of the twins was slated to testify in behalf of the U.S. in any trial against Beltran Leyva. 

The rushed indictment was bare bones, boiler plate issue.  When he pleaded guilty,  he was pleading to one charge, taking place in Washington State in November, 2010, the bust occurred while Beltrán Leyva was incarcerated in Mexico.  It is the contention of the U.S.,  that the defendant was still continuing to give operational orders while behind bars.



From filing:
“Mr. Beltrán Leyva’s understanding, as well as that of his Mexican attorneys, was that he being extradited to face charges related to the drug seizures in Washington State. 
However, after Mr. Beltrán Leyva’s extradition, the government disclosed that it intended to try Mr. Beltrán Leyva as being a member of a large-scale conspiracy involving the Mexican “Federation,” which is alleged to be composed of the “Sinaloa Cartel” and what the government terms the “Beltrán Leyva Organization.” 
The government further sought to try him as conspiring with Colombian traffickers to import cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. Finally, the government sought to associate Mr. Beltrán Leyva with multiple seizures of cocaine loads. It was understood from early on that the government’s evidence consisted principally of cooperator testimony. Based on the information available to him concerning the government’s evidence, Mr. Beltrán Leyva decided to exercise his constitutional right to trial.
During the pendency of this case, the government filed various motions where it claims it set forth other crimes evidence against Mr. Beltrán Leyva. The week before the scheduled start of trial, the government proffered to the Court the expected testimony of various witnesses, including cooperators.

The government now seeks to have the Court sentence Mr. Beltrán Leyva to life in prison based largely on the representations in its various motions and the “proffer” provided prior to the scheduled trial. The Court should reject that government’s request and sentence Mr. Beltrán Leyva to 25 years. In sum, the Court should not rely solely upon the government’s self-serving and non-objective recitation of the facts it believes it would have proven at trial.”

Extradition

Extraditions from Mexico to the U.S. is to include all charges intended to bring against the defendant at trial.  An exception is an agreement entered in to by the two nations, written and signed by Mexico prior to extradition.  In the case of Beltran Leyva, it lacked such an agreement, yet the U.S. added charges subsequent to his transfer to the Unites States. 

When the guilty plea was entered, defense and the U.S. presented its pre-sentencing filings including the ridiculous forfeiture of 10,000,000,000, TEN BILLION dollars. This figure was largely based on “information” set forth by narco’s, fulfilling a portion of their obligation after cutting sweet deals with the United States.  What is painful to see, it the list of scum, far greater a threat and past criminality than Alfredo Beltran Leyva.  While it is  while understandable the trade off in the deals made with the Flores Twins in exchange for valuable information, but the others…truly a mockery to justice. 

After the filings were received by the trial judge, and perhaps his sensing probable difficulties, regarding  the case on appeal. Such as the claims against the defendant were substantially based on the word of bad guys who cut deals.  And just maybe the explanation of how exactly the ten billion dollar forfeiture figure was derived, should be on record.  It was then the judge ordered the evidentiary hearing.

Motion to withdraw guilty

It was during this time, that Beltran Leyva filed a Motion to withdraw guilty plea.  It was denied, as was the motion to reconsider.

Motion to withdraw (the filings posted contain an abundance of cartel information)

Evidentiary Hearing

“Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Richard J. Leon: Evidentiary Hearing as to ALFREDO BELTRAN LEYVA resumed and held on 2/23/2017. Exhibits admitted into evidence. Evidentiary Hearing continued to 3/1/2017 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 18 before Judge Richard J. Leon.


Defendants filing: Aid of Sentencing 

Sentencing April 5 at 2:30PM

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Richard J. Leon: Status Conference/Forfeiture Hearing as to ALFREDO BELTRAN LEYVA held on 3/8/2017. The Court issues its findings on the Sentencing Enhancements. Sentencing is set for 4/5/2017 at 2:30 PM in Courtroom 18 before Judge Richard J. Leon. Supplemental Sentencing Memoranda from the parties are due by 3/24/2017.


U.S. Forfeiture filing

The document below are statements from the Flores twins, with interesting cartel operational information



Protected By Autodefensas, Students Return To School in San Miguel Totolapan

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Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

Guerrero— Protected by autodefensas, students from San Miguel Totolapan returned to school on Monday, March 20, after schools at different educational levels (preschool, primary, secondary, and upper secondary) closed for three months because of the presence of the criminal group “Los Tequileros”.

According to information from the newspaper El Sur, autodefensa members known as “Movimiento de La Paz” are responsible for protecting students.

Federal and state authorities have been ignorant of the problem of violence and insecurity experienced by the inhabitants of the municipality, so that neither members of the different state police units nor the Mexican Army have been present to provide protection in the area.

In the municipal seat, there are three kindergartens, three primary schools, two secondary and upper secondary schools, some of which have closed their doors since January for fear of Los Tequileros.

And this criminal group is the main perpetrator of the kidnappings, extortions, and homicides that have been registered during the last three years in the Tierra Caliente region in Guerrero.

Therefore, autodefensa members have been responsible for providing protection not only to the students, but also to the teachers and workers of these institutions.


El Sur reports that through three trucks, which are used as patrols, they travel the streets of San Miguel Totolapan and have procedures to pass constantly through the schools, in order to see if there is anything new.

Meanwhile, as other members stand guard outside of the campuses, there are others as well that care for the little ones to cross the roads, acting as crossing guards.

The Finances of Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article

Subject Matter: Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required


Reporter: Zeta Investigations
Papers confiscated from the criminal organization of the descendants of the extinct capo Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, can describe his finances. The current expenditure of the group, that nominally includes, payments to corrupt Police, gasoline, cellular telephone bills and rent for houses and furniture, is more than a million pesos monthly. As well as extraordinary expenditure for fire arms, ammunition, repayments, and fit out of vehicles modified to carry drugs, armaments and money.

Investigation carried out since 2013 by Federal Authorities in the Cartel de los Coroneles or "La Corona" that permitted the capture of Javier Carrasco Coronel "El 06", in November of 2016, in Sinaloa, contain part of the accountability that form rudimentary running of the criminal organization.




In notebooks, the cell of the Coronel family that operated for the Sinaloa Cartel, documented the identity of its members, their salaries, the kidnappings carried out, how much they received from the victims relatives, their outgoing and income, and all of their bills for the sale of drugs.

The criminal group, which suffered after the take down of its leader Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel Villareal, in July of 2010 at the hands of the Mexican Army in Guadalajara, Jalisco, was exiled during a time of the "Grand Leagues of Narco trafficking", and the rise of the CJNG and "La Resistancia".

The death of Mario Carrasco Coronel "El Gallo" hours after assuming command left by "Nacho", the detention of Martin Beltran Coronel "El Aguila" in May of 2011 and the capture of Jose Angel Carrasco Coronel "El Changel" in January of 2013, left the clan to dedicate itself to kidnapping to get funds and rethink its return to the Sinaloa Cartel.

The brothers of "El Changel", Ezequiel and Javier Carrasco Coronel "El 05" and "El 06", took charge of operating the organization with the support of "Taliban 24" from Zapopan, Jalisco, they moved for the last years to Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa, and restarted narco trafficking in Tapachula, Chiapas.

Before Javier Carrasco Coronel was caught, one of the 122 priority objectives of the current Federal Administration, authorities had already identified their alleged intellectual involvement in the kidnapping of several people, who were killed, despite collecting part of the money required for the ransom.

Narco accounts

The information that gave light to the Police and Federal Public Prosecutors Office was located during a series of searches practised in real estate in the State of Nayarit. The area of homicides and kidnapping of the Office of the Attorney General of that State, with residence in Tepic, secured four notebooks and several separate sheets containing the accounting of the narcos.


The documents were delivered to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO), of the Attorney Generals Office (PGR). There they established the data of 14 kidnappings and collection of at least 8 million pesos and 35 thousand dollars, money that the criminal organization used to buy war material, to make hidden compartments in vehicles that they used to transport narcotics, firearms and cash.

The information obtained also included rentals for "safe houses" that were called "ratoneras", for the purchase of gasoline for vehicles, mechanics charges to repair the vehicles, the acquisition of radio equipment, gifts and items for the bribing of Municipal and State authorities, and the buying of narcotics.

From information released from some of the notebooks, it is estimated that the criminal group had a monthly current expenditure of 1,086,000.00 pesos. They allocated 242,000.00 for the payment of 17 "workers", 40,000.00 for rental of real estate, 136,000.00 for gasoline, 68,000.00 for air time for mobile phones and 600,000.00 for bribing police officers.

The highest payments were for the purchase of firearms, repair of vehicles and the ostentatious parties of their leaders for Xmas, baptisms and other reasons for celebration in which they contracted various musical groups, especially those who sing corridos about the Cronnel family, such as "El Cachorro" delgado whom they claim to have paid 20,000.00 dollars for decembrina party.

In the case of police protection, note number 1 in sheet 7: "State expenditures and Zapopan", in an alleged collusion with State Police of Jalisco and Municipal Public Security of Zapopan. On page 8 of the same notebook, the following text stands out: 5 patrols of 20,000.00 per fortnight, apparently state police, 10 patrols of Zapopanos 20,000.00 fortnightly, 600,000.00 per month in money delivered to Zapopan patrol squadron 4705.

The conditioning of twelve vehicles to be used for the transportation of drugs, weapons and money, was allocated 46,000.00 dollars. The vehicles were fitted with special bodywork with hidden compartments. Coronels sicarios mainly travelled in Volkswagen Jetta and Bora, in addition to Jeep Cherokees.

The Kidnappings

Written in a simple but chilling manner on those sheets of paper. The victims were referred to as "spare parts, mascot, doll or customer", their final destiny was death. In several instances the death of the victim was referred to as "kissed, gave a tour, or gave a vacation", recording the name or nickname of the sicario who made sure the victim would " not complain again".

In the abductions committed in Jalisco and Nayarit, roles were defined. The sicario's, "El Cholo", "Pancheco", "El Canelo", "Rene", and "Lupilo". They also nicknamed the victims, "Lolita", "Aida", and Clarita Colonel". The same "Lupillo", "El Cobijas", "Cesar el Gordo", "Omar and "David" took care of the kidnapped victims, "El Cholo" and "El Canolo" charged the ransoms. "Lupillo, but especially Isaac gave the last kiss to the unfortunates".


The second booklet contained the list of people who are members of the criminal organization and their address or way of contacting them. Most of the offenders are from Tamazula, Durango, and the others from Culiacan, Sinaloa.

In addition to the apprehended Javier Carrasco Coronel and the still fugitive Ezequiel, of the same surnames, the most important sicario's of the group are identified as Guadalupe Quinones Recio "El Lupillo", who earned 15,000.00 dollars fortnightly; Rene Rivas Quinones, of equal salary, Jesus Quinones Recio, 5,000.00 pesos; Rosendo Alonso Quinones Beltran "El Canelo" and Joel Beltran Vizcarra "El Cobijas", both received 4,000.00 pesos fortnightly.

Clarita who is being investigated is the daughter of the extinct capo Ignacio Coronel Villareal, at least five other women are being mentioned, three have the surname Coronel: Daisy, Araceli and Aida, and two with the surname Riva, Nely or Mely and Olivia.

Also in the file are the identities of Job Emmanuel Beltran Vizcarra "El Jopi", Jesus Rivas Quinones, Josue Gerardo Dominguez Flores "El Cabezon", Jesus Alberto Perez Quinones "El Flaco", Isaac Ruiz Hernandez "Nono", Ismael Acosta Medina "El Pelon" or "Mavel"; Omar Quinones "El Guero", Israel Quinones, Luis Rivas "El Chingon", Jose de Jesus Corona, Luis Quinones and Fermin Adan Beltran Vizcarra. Names of the sought after are "Conmano", "El Jasiel" and "El Taliban 24", who even has two narco corridos about him that don't reveal his true name.

Narco business

On ten loose A3 size sheets, handwritten in blue ink, were highlighted activities and transactions of alleged drug trafficking, although the substance and product that is being marketed is not detailed. It describes purchases and sales of "tambos" in Tapachula, Chiapas, that shed significant amounts of money in American currency, in May 2012.

For example, one of the papers states that "Taliban 24" invested 144,915.00 dollars in the purchase of "15 tambos" with Claritas friend. Other members of "La Carona" organization aquired the "tambos", including women. Also key in the talks were about the negotiation of "cadres".

Ministerial authorities consider that with the data obtained from the documentary evidence and statements of some of the detained members of this grouip, the alleged responsibility of the persons mentioned in the previous investigations can be established. Intelligence reports say that the band "Los Coroneles" operates in the Mexican Republic from and indeterminate date, although it is noted apparently from the 1990's and early 2000's mainly in Jalisco.

Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana

29 prisoners escape from the Ciudad Victoria Prison and 10 have been recaptured say authorities

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Milenio article

Subject Matter: Prison break out in Ciudad Victoria
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required


The spokesman for security of Tamaulipas, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, informs that there were 29 prisoners escaped from the prison at Ciudad Victoria and that ten have been recaptured by Federal and State authorities, who launched an operation to find the other 19.







Since the early hours of this morning when the escape happened, Federal and State forces arrived, and applied control methods, both inside and outside the prison, said Samuel Cuervo in an interview with Milenio TV.

Last night and this morning, inmates of the Ciudad Victoria prison, escaped by a tunnel 5 metres deep by 40 metres in length. He said that the tunnel construction had started some months ago.



The State functionary detailed that visits to the prison today had been suspended for the security of the inmates and their families.

He confirmed that one person died, a passing car driver who the prisoners had fired at to steal his car for their escape.

He also detailed that investigations were being carried out by the Attorney of Tamaulipas and that at Midday he would offer a press conference to confer more details.

He explained that the prison in Ciudad Victoria was built in the 1940's and doesn't have the functionality that is presently required.

More details will be uploaded when available.

Original article in Spanish at Milenio


Los Cabos: 3 dismembered bodies discovered, as narco war continues in region

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Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat
Click on image to enlarge

On Sunday, "hieleras" (ice coolers) were discovered containing dismembered remains.  The grisly contents were discarded in the heart of the tourist section of the popular vacation destination of Cabo San Lucas (Baja California Sur). Marking the first such violence in the tourist area.

The remains of two male and one female have not been identified.

On March 3 and 4, six bodies were found in an area close to Cabo San Lucas.  An uptick in violence in the region has been noted in the last five months,  near the tourist areas, but the Sunday find, the first that hit the heart of the tourism area.

On Thursday March 3 and Friday March 4th

Thursday:

A female body found on a desolate area leading to the airport.
3 Bodies, all male, discovered shrouded in plastic and covered with a tarp found in San Jose del Cabo.  Bodies revealed signs of torture

Friday:

Two bodies, a male and a female, were found near airport.  Both bodies had bullet impacts

Although there is a notable increase in violence and homicides in the area, the crime rate in Cabo tourist areas remains extremely low, even by U.S.  standards.

The uptick began 2 ½ years ago, and is the result of conflict for plaza control between cartels. La Paz has carried the bulk of the violence. Read more on the conflict between the Cartels of Sinaloa, Beltran Leyva Organization in a de facto alliance with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Los Zetas, and the Arellano Felix Organization, fighting for La Paz, where the bulk of the violence is.  Link here to Otis’ post on the subject.

Cabo San Lucas has consistently been one of the safest travel destinations in Mexico, and is rated one of the top 10 places to visit in Mexico.  It is the number 1 on the west coast.

In 2016 there was a dramatic decrease in American homicides in Mexico.  There were a total of 75, with 28 occurring in Chihuahua. 

Homicides of Americans  in Los Cabos Region

According to the U.S. State Department, in 10 years, the years of 2006-2016, a total of 3 homicides against Americans in the Los Cabos region occurred (see highlighted area on map).   The homicides were 3 in total, with 1 in three separate years, 2014, 2015, and one in 2016. 

From Baja Insider:  “The first two months of 2017 saw Los Cabos (refer to map to see full cabos area) become the homicide capital of Baja California Sur. In one week more than 37 cartel executions took place in the state, but virtually transparent to visitors and residents, as they were discovered as body drops. The following week 200 Federal Police were brought into the state. One attack on a suspected cartel member's home involved the use of a 50mm grenade launcher.

March 12 saw the year's first open gun battle to be witnessed by travelers when a suspect was being apprehended in a major Los Cabos resort. Visitors scurried for cover as a chase by federal police resulted in gunfire in the lobby. The event made national and international news and will be a black eye for the Los Cabos tourist industry.”

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Mexico, issued April 15, 2016. Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations and has engaged in an extensive effort to counter criminal organizations that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico. There is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from patronizing casinos, sportsbooks, or other gambling establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit.   Kidnappings in Mexico take the following forms: Traditional: the victim is physically abducted and held captive until a ransom is paid for release.Express: the victim is abducted for a short time and commonly forced to withdraw money, usually from an ATM, then released.Virtual: an extortion-by-deception scheme where a victim is contacted by phone and coerced by threats of violence to provide phone numbers of family and friends, and then isolated until the ransom is paid. Recently, hotel guests have been targets of such "virtual" kidnapping schemes.U.S. citizens have been murdered in carjacking and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads. Carjackers use a variety of techniques, including roadblocks, bumping/moving vehicles to force them to stop, and running vehicles off the road at high speeds. There are indications that criminals target newer and larger vehicles, but drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States are also targeted. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from intercity travel after dark in many areas of Mexico. U.S. citizens should use toll roads (cuotas) whenever possible. In remote areas, cell phone coverage is limited or non-existent.The Mexican government has deployed federal police and military personnel throughout the country as part of its efforts to combat organized criminal groups. U.S. citizens traveling on Mexican roads and highways by car or bus may encounter government checkpoints, staffed by military or law enforcement personnel. In some places, criminal organizations have erected their own unauthorized checkpoints, at times wearing police and military uniforms, and have killed or abducted motorists who have failed to stop at them. You should cooperate at all checkpoints.
Personally I would still not hesitate to visit Cabo.  I would be much more hesitant in doing so with respect to Northern Baja, T.J, Playa del Rosarito etc.  However, security/insecurity is fluid in Mexico, with warring between cartels providing an ever changing landscape.  Be aware, “know before you go”, keep current with warnings, even reading regional news, contact your embassy for the up to date information.  Share your itinerary with the embassy, and a trusted person at home.   There are many tips available on line, including at www.state.travel.gov  and using this link.  https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html. 

Drugs, Alcohol, parties and prostitutes in the prison at Culiacan where 5 capos escaped

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article

Subject Matter: Culiacan Prison
Recommendation: See link to article on the escape by 5 prisoners


Reporter: Carlos Alvarez
Luxeries, excess and parties, is what its like to live inside the Culiacan prison, where this past Thursday Juan Jose Esparragoza Monzon "El Azulito", Alfonso Limon Sanchez "El Limon", Jesus Pena Gonzalez, "El 20", Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nunez "El Changuito Antrax and Javier Zazueta Rosales "El Pancho Chimal" escaped.

The daily newspapers in circulation El Universal and Reforma informed that the closed circuit tv cameras inside the Aguaruto prison, captured the prisoners with cellular telephones, consuming marijuana and cocaine, cells with flat screen TV's, prostitutes coming into the prison and a party a day before the escape of the five capos.

The festivities inside the prison were carried out with music, alcohol and drugs, according to Reforma a group of familiars of prisoners in modules 7 and 5 of the prison, where the capos were housed, were the governors of the prison for Jesus Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, sons of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, alias El Chapo, and also for Ismael Zambada Garcia "El Mayo".




Before the party, indicated a rotary, on Tuesday, they changed some of the prisoners inside the modules, because they were grouping together associates of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Already in the party, the prisoners were shouting threats to people inside and outside of the prison.

They were triggering a rally of violence, which was halted by the prison guards who were in charge, the newspaper said, and according to sources of public safety, among the inmates a rumour was circulating that was spread to create a confrontation, and that any situation that would put them in danger would be avoided.

The alleged offenders went out the front door, according to the Governor of Sinaloa, Quirino Ordaz Coppel, who also noticed that the capos operated and worked from inside the Culiacan prison.

Although the State agent accused authorities of complicity, so far no details have been given of what happened prior to the escape, on the grounds that it is reserved information in the ongoing investigation of the Attorney Generals Office (PGR).

According to Reforma, although they were highly dangerous, the five escaped prisoners enjoyed privileges, such as alcohol and drug use, open hours for visitors and could remain outside of their cells without limitation.



Prisoners rooms at Culiacan prison
For their part, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), in its general recommendation 18/2010 warned of the situation in the countries prisons, in particular this so called self governance.

This Culiacan jail has 2112 inmates of whom 500 are facing Federal Charges, so that the State Government has raised the urgency of transferring them to the CEFERESO centres to prevent escapes or contact with common prisoners.

Today, Jose Mario Rodriguez Murillo, Chief of Custodians of Culiacan prison, has been missing since the escape of El Azul's son, who is presumed to be complicit. The prison at Culiacan dates from 1969, and its cells have paraded old figures linked to drug trafficking, such as those of Manuel Salcido Uzeta, "El Cochiloco", Miguel Angel Lugo Beltran, "El Ceja Guera" among others, who became legends for the spectacular evasion of this prison said the newspaper.

Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana



Ten Cartels are fighting for control of Guerrero with more brutality and violence

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Sinembargo article

Subject Matter: Organized crime in Guerrero
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Guerrero occupies the third place in terms of most poverty at 62% of the population and first place for homicides at 2884 in 2016 at the national level. It is the state most disputed among organized crime groups. There is a presence of 10 cartels, five of them top level. Its central zone has converted into a battlefield between two organizations Los Rojos and Los Ardillos and possibly others that authorities have not completely identified yet. The presence of 500 military and state police has not contained the disappearances and executions and the criminals come back each time more brutal.



In the last decade, Guerrero has converted in the land of cartels and death; the dispute between the Sinaloa cartel, CJNG, the Beltran Leyva Organization, the Knights Templar, La Familia Michoacana and no less than five local organizations have converted the state into the most violent with 18,000 executions since 2006, when the call to war against the narco was initiated.

In Guerrero, 12 of the 81 towns are considered neutral zones. The geographic location of Chilapa has converted it into a demarcation most fought over since 2012 by Los Ardillos and Los Rojos, and not only because it is an essential corridor for the transit of drugs, also its land is utilized for the growing of poppys, "that has just finished its first harvest of the year", according to the Guerrero Coordination Group.




What has happened this year, in Chilapa, there have been 48 executions related to the war between Los Rojos and Los Ardillos, Rojos and a third group of civil organizations known as "Los Jefes" or "Gente Nueva", different to the Gente Nueva of the Sinaloa cartel, only have a presence int he communities,  and with a population of 129,867 only has 500 soldiers and 100 Municipals to police it.

This last weekend was a violent one in the State with no less that 23 deaths, 10 of them in Chilapa, two women and three men were killed by gunfire in different events and five bodies were incinerated in the interior of a taxi.

At the Start of the month, on Tuesday the 7th, 6 dismembered bodies in a state of decomposition appeared inside 13 plastic bags. On Thursday the 9th, they found another five bodies charred inside a vehicle. The brutality with which they perpetrate the executions in the indigenous town, "is very strong" assured the Governor Hector Astudillo Flores.

The growing wave of violence in the town led to the implementation of Operation Chilapa, in January of 2016. One year after the security strategy was put in place, the Mayor Jesus Parra Garcia blamed social networks and media for "inventing facts that affect the image of the town". With recent executions of PRI members he had to admit that the violence was aggravated during his administration.

These are times of crisis, of adversity, and are very complex. I have had to govern in the most difficult times for Chilapa, he told reporters.

Who are Los Rojos and Los Ardillos

In the period of 2012 - 2015, when the municipality was governed by PRI Francisco Javier Garcia Gonzalez, Los Rojos settled in Chilapa under the command of Zenen Nava Sanchez "El Chaparro", alleged family of Jesus Nava Romero " El Rojo".

He was a Lieutenant of Arturo Beltran Leyva and who was slaughtered in June of 2013 in Puebla. During this administration, the population lived through the first mass kidnappings, huge extortion of transport and businesses and brutal executions.

Jesus Nava Romero dead in the street (Borderland Beat archive)


Los Ardillos, a gang that comes from the Quechultenango region, whose leaders Celso and Antonio Hernandez Ortega are brothers of ex PRD deputy Bernardo Ortega Jiminez, have extended into the regions of Chilapa, Zitlala, Tixtla, Totoloapan and Acapulco in only one year, 2014, during the transition of the governorships of Angel Aguirre Rivero and Rogelio Ortega Martinez bot of the PRD.

The battle for the central zone of Guerreo tainted at this moment Aguirre Rivero as well as Garcia Gonzalez and also the ex PRI Mario Moreno Arcos of Chilpancingo, and Ignacio Bacilio and Eduardo Nero all accused publicly of ties to Los Rojos.

In 2015, with the change of State Government and municipal, things had begun to escalate. The President of the organization Siempre Vivos, Jose Diaz Navarro, assured that a reduction in the violence would be felt because Zenen Nava, who in January of 2016 escaped after a two hour confrontation with the armed forces, had returned. According to the PGR, El Chaparro in one of the 13 priority objectives of Guerrero and Morelos.

In the last three years, Los Ardillos and Los Rojos, in their dispute for territory, have committed executions of extreme cruelty, torturing, decapitating, and incinerating corpses that were left in public places.

They have also been responsible for the disappearance of 130 persons, according to the Centre for Human Rights. The mass kidnappings in the towns of Zitlata and Chilapa, where the criminal groups kidnap the inhabitants, all in the presence of Military and State Police, denounce the ONG.

The confrontations between various cartels, as well as the kidnappings and executions against the inhabitants, have caused fear in Chilapa. Families prefer not to leave their houses aftern 7 at night , the schools are secured with padlocks and checkpoints that are reinforced.

Nevertheless, the organization Siempre Vivos considers that part of the violence that affects the towns of Tixtla and Zitlala, is a strategy of terror of the State and Federal Governments so that the population calls for the law of Homeland Security, that is pending for discussion at the Congress of the Union.

Totoloapan and the Tequileros

Located in the region of the Tierra Caliente, Totoloapan is, along with Ajuchitlan, Arcelio and Coyuca, the Municipality most threatened by Los Tequileros, a group that separated from La Famila Michoacana and since 2013 have occasioned the displacement of families from no less than 16 communities.

According to reports of the newspaper El Sur, Raibel Jacobo de Almonte, El Tequilero, was a plaza jefe for La Familia Michoacana. Once he had formed his own organization, he began controlling the San Miguel Totolapan and some rural populations in the border area of Rio Balsas. In 2016 his epower extended to populations of the municipalities of Ajuchitlan, Tlapehuala and Arcelia.

In the Tierra Caliente, six out of every ten homicides are attributed to Los Tequileros, who are also linked to a politician, PRI deputy Saul Beltran Orozco. Before the omission, complicity and participation of the local authorities, the local population had chosen to arm itself to the face this criminal organization.

The violence in Guerrero is generalized by the number of cartels that are disputing the third poorest State of the country, but also by the failed security strategy implemented by the Federal and State Governments, that while advising of "big changes" and advances in security the State remains the number one in the list for malicious homicides.

Original article in Spanish at Sinembargo


Third Mexican Journalist assassinated in March; this time in Chihuahua capital

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Posted by DD republished from Mexico News Daily

 



A well known Chihuahua journalist was killed Thursday morning in the state capital, the third to be assassinated in Mexico this month.

Miroslava Breach Velducea, 54, was killed by four gunshots fired at close range while in a vehicle in the Infonavit Nacional neighborhood at 7:00am, said state police in a statement.

She was outside her home when the attack took place, and was about to drive her son to school.

The victim was a correspondent for La Jornada and El Norte de Juárez and had recently launched a news agency.

Journalists converged this afternoon on the state Congress where one, in a move described as unprecedented, was given the microphone to address legislators. César Ibarra condemned the crime and called on lawmakers to consult with journalists in the formulation of new laws for their protection.

Congress has been criticized for considering legislation without input from the profession.

Attorney General César Agosto Peniche Espejel said the chief line of investigation in the case centers around Breach Velducea’s profession. But she had neither sought protection nor made complaints of threats against her, he said.

One newspaper reported a message was left at the scene but authorities have offered no details about it.


The journalist’s death was lamented in the Senate Thursday after the news was announced by a visibly distraught Senator from Chihuahua.

“We are concerned, troubled, outraged and hurt by what happened today: an insidious assassination for which there is no justification, that cannot have any explanation and must have an immediate response from the state of Chihuahua so that those who committed this crime are truly punished,” said Graciela Ortiz.

She hailed the victim as a critical woman who was consistent and honest in her work.

Senators paid tribute with a minute of silence.

United States Ambassador Roberta Jacobson expressed her condolences on Twitter, adding that “this and other crimes against journalists should not go unpunished to the detriment of freedom of the press.”

Chihuahua has seen a surge in violence in recent months. Last weekend alone there were at least 14 murders reported.

Mexico was denounced last month as the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists. Reporters Without Borders said 99 were assassinated between 2000 and 2016.

Breach Velducea was the third victim this month. Veracruz journalist Ricardo Monlui Cabrera was gunned down last Sunday, and earlier in the month Cecilio Pineda was shot and killed in Guerrero.

El Z-40 transferred to Ciudad Juarez Prison

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Milenio article

Subject Matter: Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, El Z-40
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

The Commission for National Security has informed that the ex leader of Los Zetas, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, was transferred from the maximum security prison of Altiplano, to the Cefereso at Ciudad Juarez.


Reporter: Milenio Digital
The leader of Los Zetas, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, El Z 40, was transferred from Altiplano to the Cefereso at Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, informs the Commission for National Security.

"It is a precautionary rotation, that is carried out as a matter of course with the authorization of Judiciary", indicated sources of the Commission.

El Z-40 was detained by elements of the Marina during a surprise operation in Anahuac, Nuevo Leon, in July of 2013. ( Otis: See Linkto article by Chivis on his capture).




United States petitioned for the extradition of Z-40 for drug trafficking and homicides occurring between September of 2004 and July of 2013.

Trevino was converted to leader of Los Zetas, after the death of Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, "El Lazca" or "the executioner", on 7th of October of 2012.

He also worked for the narco trafficker Osiel Cardenas Guillen as part of the armed wing of the Cartel del Golfo. Later he left this criminal group, and made a pact with the Beltran-Leyva brothers.

The leader of Los Zetas is linked to diverse escapes of prisoners and is also alleged to have ordered the death of Jose Eduardo, son of the ex Governor of Coahuila, Humberto Moreira, which occured on the Santa Eulalia road, located between Acuna and Jimenez, on the 3rd of October last year.

According to data of the Secretary of National Defence, the assassination of the son of the ex Governor was instructed by Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, as a reprisal for the death of his nephew Alejandro Trevino Chavez.

The crimes attributed to Z-40 are being an organized crime member, carrying of firearms for exclusive use by the army, Navy and Air Force.

Original article in Spanish at Milenio

Los Chapitos confuse Al Jazeera Journalist for Los Damaso , kidnap and assault them

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Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

Subject Matter: Journalists, Los Chapitos, Villa Juarez
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

An armed group of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, son of El Chapo Guzman, detained and assaulted Al Jazeera journalists when confusing them with another delinquent group linked to Damaso Lopez "El Licenciado", in Villa Juarez, Navolato.


The group of journalists were held for 45 minutes and were later released after the armed group realized their mistake. However the journalists were stripped of their vehicles, work tools and cell phones, and then set free in a field a kilometer from the Villamoros community.

The victims had arrived in Sinaloa to work on a report on agricultural workers and violence, but in the course of carrying out their work were intercepted by the armed group.




According to Noroeste, the journalists contacted the agency in Washington, where they requested assistance from the Federal Police, who contacted the Army to transfer them to Culiacan, where they are filing a complaint with Public Prosecutors Office.

Hours later, the Attorney Generals Office reported that the State Preventative Police located their vehicle in an area near the Costa Rican union, in which the video recording equipment of the journalists was found.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso

Another Veracruz Journalist Shot as Attacks Against Journalist Soar

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Posted by DD partially Republished from Toronto Metro, by: Lev Garcia The Associated Press, and some material translated from Regeneracion.Mx and TeleSur


VERACRUZ, Mexico — A reporter in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Veracruz was reported in
Armando Arrieta Granados
serious condition after being shot outside his home early Wednesday in a region plagued by drug cartel violence. It adds to a string of attacks on reporters in a country considered one of the most dangerous places to practice journalism

Regeneration Mx. reported that although it has not been an official part by the statement by authorities of the Public Security Secretariat of the State of Veracruz or the State Government, the first versions indicate that Armando Arrieta received at least four 9 mm caliber bullet hits, He was rushed to a clinic, where his condition is reported as severe.

The president of the state commission for the protection of journalists, Ana Laura Perez, said a bullet punctured the lung of Armando Arrieta Granados, who worked as the news editor for the newspaper La Opinion de Poza Rica.

 Armando Arrieta holds a Masters Degree in Higher Education from the Universidad Veracruzana and since 2005 was a harsh critic of the authorities, and has demanded the clarification of the murder of his leader and owner of the same newspaper, Raul Gibb Guerrero, in April of that year. year.

It was the second shooting attack on a journalist in two days in Mexico. A bodyguard protecting a threatened journalist was shot to death on Tuesday in the Baja California resort of San Jose del Cabo.Journalist Julio Omar Gomez was not wounded in that attack at his home. But his bodyguard was reportedly shot when he tried to repel the attack.

Gomez previously ran an internet news site, and currently works for the city press department. He had been the apparent target of two previous attacks on his home, and the government had supplied bodyguards to protect him.

Wednesday's shooting also was the fifth attack on journalists this month; the previous three were fatal.




A man holds up a photo of Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach, gunned down in the northern state of Chihuahua on March 23, 2017, during a march in Mexico City, March 25, 2017. Breach was the third journalist to be killed this month in Mexico.
La Jornada newspaper reporter Miroslava Breach was shot to death on March 23 outside her home in the northern city of Chihuahua.  (DD; Borderland Beat story here)

Newspaper columnist Ricardo Monlui was killed on March 19 in another part of Veracruz. On March 2, Cecilio Pineda Birto, a freelancer, was slain in southern Guerrero state.

Sara Irene Herrerias, Mexico's assistant attorney general for human rights, said federal authorities "are very upset about what is going on."

TeleSur reported that "If You Want to Murder a Journalist in Mexico, Chances Are You'll Get Away with It.  It said that Article 19 will reveal in a report to be released next week hat  points out that 2016 was "the most violent year for the press in Mexico" with a record of 426 attacks and 11 journalists murdered, the largest number in the last 10 years.

The Office of the Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression created eight years ago opened 800 investigations related to attacks on journalists. Of these, only three ended in a sentence for perpetrators, representing the staggering 99.7 percent of impunity, according to the document.

The report also claims that half of the attacks last year were perpetrated physically or intellectually by a public official, in different levels of government, including two extrajudicial executions. There were also 72 attacks against journalists on the internet, including a case of digital espionage.

Speaking on Tuesday after the attack on Gomez, but before Arrieta Granados was shot, Herrerias said "the degree of violence is something that concerns us and I know that the biggest thing is to have some kind of response, so that impunity doesn't prevail."

"The message is clear, without truth or justice, the press is an easy target of its aggressors," says the Article 19 report.

So far, there is no evidence that the various attacks are directly connected.

___

AP writer Maria Versa contributed to this report.

Official Start of Campaigns Still Days Away, Moreira and Calderon Already Throwing Mud

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Posted by DD Republished from MexicoNewsDaily

 

Days before the official start of the election campaign in the state of Coahuila, two prominent ex-politicians have taken over the limelight, one of them a former president.

Humberto Moreira Valdés, a former state governor and former national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has been widely condemned for embezzling billions of pesos, but never charged.

 

When it was made public late last year that he was pursuing a Deputy’s seat in the state Congress, politicians and other public figures expressed disbelief and outrage, with some remarking on the accusations of ties to the Zetas cartel.

It was also asserted at the time that behind Moreira’s revived political aspirations lay the pursuit of a fuero, a constitutional privilege that grants immunity against prosecution to government officials.

Earlier this week, Moreira — considered one of the 10 most corrupt Mexicans by Forbes magazine in 2013 — confirmed his intention to obtain a candidacy from the local Young Party, or Partido Joven.

He stated it was not a whim, having attempted on four occasions to run for different offices after his term as governor ended in 2011. But the PRI denied all of them, even when he was “ahead in the polls.”

In this context, ex-president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa accused Moreira of not only being close to Los Zetas, but of allowing the criminal gang to live “comfortably in the state” during his stint as governor.


“I’m certain because I know that maybe the most dangerous and cruel gang to ravage Coahuila and Mexico is Los Zetas, and when Humberto Moreira was governor . . . its leadership lived there in comfort,” said Calderón.

“When I sent in the Navy to defend the families of Coahuila, to protect them from insecurity, kidnappings, extortion and abuse . . . governor Humberto Moreira called me, incensed, asking me to withdraw [the armed forces] from Coahuila, as they had nothing to do there because there was nothing wrong with Coahuila,” said the former president.

Calderón also rejected the notion that his administration had exonerated Moreira for the debt he incurred in during his six-year term.

“Of course not, I wish that debt was personal, but you and your children and grandchildren will have to pay it,” Calderón told a reporter, adding that “Coahuila doesn’t deserve that . . . a debt acquired by the governor of Coahuila, with great responsibility on his part, I reckon.”

The state had a debt of about 200 million pesos when Moreira took office. By the time he left it had soared to nearly 35 billion.

In response, Moreira accused Calderón of being a usurper and stealing the presidency in 2006 from Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

“If he dared to steal the presidency . . . he can dare to any atrocity,” the said.

As to the accusations that he rejected the presence of the Navy, Moreira said that perhaps Calderón’s “vice” had made him forget what really happened.

“That’s what happens when you drink, you forget what happened . . . he forgets that we offered the Amistad Reservoir [Presa de la Amistad, in Spanish] to the Navy . . . Is he well? Has his vice damaged him so? What can you believe from this man?” he asked reporters.

Moreira abstained from addressing the accusations of his ties to Los Zetas.

El Chapo complains to court of "draconian prison conditions" and "hearing voices"

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Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

Different prison, different country….same old song incarcerated Sinaloa capo, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, is singing while in his Manhattan prison cell.

Not many that are long time followers of the Mexican narco war, will forget that Chapo has escaped from two high security prisons, one supposedly via a laundry cart, and more recently, when he became the first inmate to escape Mexico’s highest security prison, Altiplano No.1.  From No.1 he fled through one of his famous tunnels, constructed from a farm near the prison.  He descended through a hole created through the concrete shower floor. 

While Chapo was in No.1 he filed several complaints about his conditions.  He was transferred to No. 9 in Juarez.  He began immediately filing about the conditions at the Juarez prison.  It was cold, it was loud, he was awaken every hour causing high blood pressure and other ailments.  He actually won a transfer back to No. 1 but was given a different transfer instead…to New York City.  When he was awaken for the extradition he asked if he was being taken to No.1, he was told no, “the United States”. 

As soon as he landed in the U.S. the complaints began.  And make no mistake; they are taking precautions as seldom seen before.  It is not solely an escape that concerns authorities; it is for the safety of those working towards a long incarceration.  It has been alleged that Chapo has ordered killings in the past, even to transpire in foreign countries, so authorities are taking no chances. 

He is in a private cell, windowless, visits from his attorneys twice a day, and no outside time.   He is not allowed visits from his wife, Emma Coronel.  Coronel provided a marriage certificate to the court.  However if the court checked with Mexican prison authorities they would see that Chapo is still legally married to his first wife, who he never divorced, and who he listed as his wife on prison records.

Nevertheless, the court was not going to allow the visits. 


The Special Administrative Measures aka as SAMS, include:

“Government seeking  to keep in place draconian conditions of confinement imposed on Mr. Guzman by the Department of Justice through so-called Special Administrative Measures (“SAMs”).

The Government posits that the oppressive nature of Mr. Guzman’s solitary confinement, as well as complete isolation from his family, are necessary to address “a substantial risk that the defendant’s communications or contacts with persons associated with the Cartel and certain other third parties could result in death or serious bodily injury to persons, including potential witnesses in this case.” (Govt. Memo. 2). Furthermore, the Government contends that this Court has no jurisdiction to consider Mr. Guzman’s objections to the SAMs.

Furthermore, the nature of Mr. Guzman’s confinement under the SAMS violates his Sixth Amendment rights to have effective assistance of counsel, develop a defense, conduct a meaningful investigation, and his right to a fair and impartial jury; his Fifth Amendment right to due process; and his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion."

He contends he is being denied meeting with a Spanish speaking priest. 

His defense team called on Amnesty International to investigate.

Worried about what the contention made by the defense team, they have asked to have access to Chapo and the conditions to investigate.  Especially the possibility that Chapo’s mental health is being compromised.  He has complained of hearing voices. 

He has asked for a transfer.

Below is the complete filing

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