Former lawyer of CJNG boss who was extradited from Uruguay survives assassination attempt

June 22, 2020, 6:30 am

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"MX" for Borderland Beat

Fabiana González Raggio

Lawyer Fabiana González Raggio, who defended Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, survived an assassination attempt earlier this month. The attack occurred in Montevideo, Uruguay, when two unidentified gunmen shot at Gonzalez Raggio, her mother-in-law and her nephew as they were walking through a neighborhood. Gonzalez Raggio's mother-in-law was shot twice on her head and back.

Witnesses claim to have seen the gunmen run from the scene and get into a getaway vehicle. Security cameras in the area were analyzed by the police to see if they could identify the attackers. Neighbors confirmed to the police that the two men were "circling the block" before carrying out the attack.

CJNG boss González Valencia was arrested in Uruguay in 2016 for running a multi-million dollar money laundering network. During his time in Uruguayan custody, officials worried he would escape and kept him under heavy security. Last month, after several years of fighting for his release and safe return to Mexico, González Valencia was extradited to the U.S. to face his outstanding drug charges.

González Raggio said in an interview that she did not believe she was targeted for any of her ongoing cases. However, she gave no mention to her former client Gonzalez Valencia. She provided him with legal assistance when the CJNG boss was first arrested in Uruguay in 2016.

The police said that would-be assassins were directly targeting González Raggio. "This was an attack directly to her, no doubt", a police source told reporters. However, some investigators said that it may have been a failed robbery attempt.

Background

Gerardo González Valencia is the brother of Mexican drug lord Abigael González Valencia ("El Cuini"), who headed the CJNG and its financial branch, Los Cuinis. This criminal group has presence in Mexico, the U.S., Europe and Asia. González Valencia coordinated international money laundering schemes by using shell companies to purchase assets in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

CJNG boss Gerardo González Valencia, who was arrested in Uruguay

His wife Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo was reportedly working with him on this large money laundering scheme when the couple moved from Mexico to Uruguay in 2011. He had millionaire properties and businesses in Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay.

The original documents of the investigation framing González Valencia were leaked in 2015 through the Panama Papers, where it detailed real estate transactions and industrial sector investments tied to him. After a multi-year investigation by Latin American officials and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, González Valencia was arrested in Montevideo in 21 April 2016, and imprisoned for money laundering charges.

Gonzalez Valencia's wife Amaral Arevalo was not in Uruguay when he was arrested. She had left to Guadalajara, Jalisco, in early 2016, but planned to return to Uruguay after two months. The reason for her return is still unclear, but some sources said that she had return to Mexico to take care of some legal issues.

Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, wife of the CJNG boss Gerardo González Valencia

Two days after Gonzalez Valencia's arrest, Amaral Arévalo was arrested by anti-narcotics agents at the Carrasco International Airport after returning from Mexico. She said she had returned to Uruguay to pick up her three children and take them to Guadalajara.

Lawyer González Raggio became her personal attorney. She was able to secure her release in July, and Amaral Arévalo was given a US$25,000 fine and a 6-month travel permit to come in and out of Uruguay. Her defense stated that Amaral Arévalo would not flee indefinitely because her children were in Mexico and her husband and father (Héctor Amaral Padilla) were imprisoned in Uruguay.

On May 2020, González Valencia was extradited to the U.S. to face his drug trafficking charges.

Sources: RadioMontecarlo; El Observador; El Pais; Subrayado; Union Jalisco

Note: This article includes excerpts from the Wikipedia page of Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, which was published by Borderland Beat reporter "MX" in March 2017. It includes over 95 sources.

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14 human remains covered in quicklime were discovered in Jalisco–Guanajuato border

June 22, 2020, 9:00 am

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"MX" for Borderland Beat; TY "Parro"

Some of the bodies were found in abandoned lots in a ranch

Fourteen bodies and over two dozen bags full of human remains were found in Lagos de Moreno, a town in Jalisco that is close to the border with Guanajuato, one of Mexico's most-violent states. This gruesome discovery was made over the course of ten days while authorities were conducting a search for missing persons. The search was finalized on June 17.

The first bodies were found in a ranch called El Puerto. Authorities found the bodies of three men and a woman who had with their hands and feet tied up. Their corpses were covered in quicklime. More bodies were found in a second ranch, San Cayetano, which is located in a mountainous area that is difficult to access. At the scene, authorities found ten more human remains covered in quicklime; one of them was a female and nine were male. Most of them were decapitated by their captors.

Investigators told reporters that the human remains had been there for nearly a month. They found 24 bullet shells at the crime scene, which suggests that the victims were killed and buried there. Drug cartels sometimes use quicklime to hide the scent of decomposing bodies and to accelerate their decay.

At least two of the victims were positively identified by their families. The first victim went missing in May and the second victim went missing in mid-June.

A few days later, authorities discovered an unspecified number of human remains in 75 plastic bags scattered throughout the municipalities of Tlaquepaque and Zapopan, Jalisco.

Background
Coincidentally, in November 2019, Borderland Beat reported the discovery of 14 bodies that were exhumed by authorities in Lagos de Moreno. This mass grave was also discovered after investigators were conducting a investigation for missing persons.

Lagos de Moreno is located in an area known as Altos de Jalisco. This region has been experiencing high levels of drug-related violence in recent weeks. Last Tuesday, gunmen tried to kill the Jalostotitlan Municipality police chief Faustino Herrera Baltazar. He had replaced Oswaldo Garcia Vallejo, who was murdered on his day off from work last month, as reported by Borderland Beat.

Location of Lagos de Moreno within Mexico

Authorities believe that the  Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) holds a stronghold this area. Last year, the police arrested CJNG regional leader Adrián Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias ("El 08"), who operated out of municipalities in Altos de Jalisco.

In 2020 alone, more than 115 bodies have been found in at least ten clandestine mass graves across Jalicso. Most of them have been close to Guadalajara, the state's capital. Lagos de Moreno, where these 14 human remains were found, is about a two hour drive from Guadalajara.

Over the past six years, Jalisco has experienced high levels of violence. According to government data, they reported 2,026 murders in 2019; 1,993 in 2018; 1,329 in 2017; 1,105 in 2016; 1,017 in 2015; and 904 in 2014. As of May 31, Jalisco already had 740 murders.

Sources: El Universal; Al Jazeera; La Jornada; Infobae

18 Month AMLO Admin: Murders include 5,800 women and 1,800 minors, breaking all homocide records, not even close

June 22, 2020, 10:18 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  La Silla Rota

AMLO's failed strategy of "Hugs not Bullets" has had a devastating effect throughout Mexico.  Violence, murder, mayhem has broken all records, and not in a good way.....In the first year and a half of his government, the homicide rate doubles that of Calderón and is 55% higher than with EPN. And there could be underreporting.

This month 4 young entrepreneurs gunned down at their custom car shop-Celaya

In the first 18 months of the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 53,628 people were murdered in Mexico, including more than 5,800 women and 1,800 children and adolescents. On average, almost 100 people are murdered every day in the current administration. It is the first year and a half of the most violent government so far this century.

The murder rate is double, for example, that registered in the same period of Felipe Calderón, and is 55% higher than with former President Enrique Peña Nieto.

But more recent comparisons also test the advance of violence in Mexico.

Homicides of men, women, and children are higher than in the year and a half prior to AMLO's arrival. And in this same administration, from 2019 to 2020, homicidal violence continues to rise even though it has been at record levels for a long time.

In which it was promised that it would be the period of "hugs not bullets"  where according to the president, "the war was over", 7 out of 10 murders have been committed with firearms. At least 60% of crimes are linked to organized crime activities and, above all, to their territorial disputes.

There are six states that concentrate half of the murders, but the epicenter of violence is Guanajuato, an entity where homicides have increased fivefold, and where police, students, pregnant women and children are also killed in attacks with weapons and even with grenades.

Neither the deployment of the National Guard, nor the legalization of the armed forces on the street and the new security strategy have prevented the violence from growing. This year alone, police, military, judges and also legislators have been assassinated.

The government has failed to capture criminal leaders and one, "El Chapo" Guzmán's son, was released by the president.

Messing with the stats

The violence could be worse than the official records indicate. Proof of this is the last update of the figures of intentional homicides carried out on June 20, where 172 homicides "appeared" in January 2020 that were not reported at the time, a modification that far exceeds the normal adjustments that month by month are made.

The victims include 5,811 women, representing an average of 11 women murdered per day (including homicide and femicide cases). There are also 1,807 children under 17 years of age among the victims, equivalent to three children or adolescents killed every 24 hours. Official records show 10,430 cases where the victim's age is not precisely known, and 1,308 where the sex of the victim is not clear (some cases correspond to remains in clandestine graves). 

Homicidal violence has increased. In the same period of a year and a half prior to that carried out by AMLO, that is, from December 2016 to May 2018, 45 thousand 581 murders were registered. It is about 8 thousand homicides below those that go in the 18 months of this sexennium (presidential terms in Mexico are 6 years). The murder rate between the two periods grew from 36.9 to 42.5 cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants.

During this period, the murders of men grew, but also those of women, which went from 5 thousand 17 to 5 thousand 811, and those of minors, which rose from 1 788 to 1 807. Compared to the start of the other three six-year terms, that of López Obrador is also the most violent.

Statistics show the following: in the first 18 months of this six-year term, 44,882 files have been initiated for intentional homicide, a rate of 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This is equivalent to an increase of 55% with respect to the rate of 22.4 cases registered in the first year and a half of the Peña Nieto government; a rise of 137.6% over the rate of 14.7 homicides with Felipe Calderón; and 72.5% on the rate of 20.3 homicides at the start of Vicente Fox.

The war zones

There are six states where practically half of the more than 53 thousand murders registered with López Obrador are concentrated. Guanajuato leads the list with 5 thousand 745 victims in the period. This means that in this entity alone, at least 1 in 10 of the murders reported throughout Mexico have occurred.

They are followed by the state of Mexico, which has 4,337 homicide victims; Baja California with 4,285; Jalisco with 3 thousand 998; Chihuahua with 3,856 intentional homicides; and Michoacán with 3 thousand 271.

Colima is an especially serious case since it registers 312 homicides in the first year and a half of this six-year term, below other states. However, as it is an entity with a small population, its intentional homicide rate shoots up to 144.5 cases in the period, the highest in the country.

At the regional and municipal level, the security cabinet has identified 20 points where the highest rates of violence are registered. That is where the deployments of the National Guard and other security forces have been focused.

However, despite this, violence does not subside. Of those 20 points, in 12 the murder rate has grown in 2020 compared to 2019. There are dramatic cases such as that of Celaya, Guanajuato, where the rate doubled from 15 to 35.4 homicides, or that ofZamora, Michoacán that shot up from 12.4 to 42.3, or that of Cajeme, Sonora, which grew from 18.9 to 34.3.

60 to 80 Percent are attributed to organized crime

The security cabinet estimates that 60% of homicides in Mexico are linked to organized crime, but in the most violent areas such as Guanajuato or Jalisco, the calculation is up to 80%. Territorial warfare between criminal groups is one of the main engines of this violence the government has implemented actions to try to capture leaders of these groups, but they have failed.

An example was the failed operation of October 17, 2019 in which Ovidio Guzmán, one of the sons of Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was detained for a few minutes. However, the forces of this criminal group outnumbered the officers and even took the military hostage. President López Obrador ended up ordering the release of the criminal and even so, 13 deaths were recorded.

Another example is the various unsuccessful attempts to arrest "El Marro", leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel in Guanajuato. Specialists indicate that this led to the strengthening of rival groups in the state such as the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación which has intensified fighting in the state.

Balances of Terror

In the year and a half that goes by the current government, there have been episodes of extreme violence, similar to those of past six-year periods. Multihomicides have been frequent.

These include, for example:

The murder of 29 people at the “Caballo Blanco” bar in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, who was attacked with bullets and then burned on August 28, 2019;

The massacre at a party in Minatitlán, Veracruz on April 13 of that year that left 13 dead, including a child

Or the recent murder of seven people at another party in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, on May 30, 2020.

In Guanajuato, homicides are counted by dozens almost every day. Just to cite the most recent cases: the shooting of eight youths in Apaseo el Alto on May 19; the crime of 4 students assaulted by bullets in a workshop in Celaya and the massacre of ten young people in a rehabilitation center in Irapuato, both on June 6; or the recent murder of 6 members of a family, including a girl and a pregnant young woman, also in Celaya, on June 18.

Guanajuato is the entity with the most police officers killed

The last case was the murder of three municipal police officers on June 11 in Silao. But there are also high-impact cases in other states, such as the recent murder of the Zamora Police Chief, Michoacán, and a police commander on June 17.

One of the worst crimes against the security forces was the ambush of a convoy of the Aguililla, Michoacán police on October 4, 2019. In the end, 13 policemen lost their lives.

The violence has also reached other authorities. Among the recent cases are the murder of a federal judge and his wife on June 16 in Manzanillo, Colima; or the femicide of a local deputy in that same state whose body was found in a grave in early June, weeks after being kidnapped.

The murders of women due to gender issues, that is, the femicides, have been numerous. Among them is that of Ingrid Escamilla, a young woman murdered on February 9 in Mexico City. The violence of her murder and the display of the images generated commotion and sparked several protests.

But violence against women has continued. In the middle of March 8, International Women's Day, the student of the Iberoamerican University Nadia Verónica was assassinated in Salamanca, Guanajuato.

“Official” under-registration?

In previous years, citizen organizations have questioned the accuracy of the official figures reported by the states to the SESNSP. Cases such as that of Veracruz were documented in the government of Javier Duarte, which reported no more than 200 homicides in a year, adding them to the registry in subsequent months.

The current SESNSP administration last year audited the records of various states and the way they report crimes. The results have not been made public, but authorities with knowledge of the process indicated to Animal Político that important anomalies have been found.

In each monthly update, revisions are made to the figures of previous periods and in the case of homicides, there are often adjustments that range from two or three homicides to 20 or 30 of them. However, in the last update published this Saturday, June 20, a significant modification can be seen.

According to this update, in January 2020, 2,999 victims of intentional homicide were registered. However, prior to this new publication, the figure for that month was 2,819 murders. That is, these are 172 new murders that had not been reported so far.

This change also reverses the alleged decrease in homicides originally reported by federal authorities at the start of the year.

On Going Saga of Covelo California: No Bodies - No Blood

June 22, 2020, 3:44 pm

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Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: MCSO

This is a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:

On 6-08-2020 between 6:29 and 6:31 PM the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Dispatch received 4 separate 911 calls coming from the Covelo area.  Callers reported what sounded like a “shootout” that was occurring near the intersection of Crawford Road and Biggar Lane.  Reports ranged from 40 to 200 shots being fired as callers described what sounded like semi-automatic and fully automatic rifle fire.

Members of the Round Valley Indian Reservation Tribal Police also responded to the scene, arriving first, around 6:41 PM.  When Tribal Police arrived they observed one male, with a rifle, fleeing the scene on foot in a southbound direction.  Tribal Police were eventually able to detain two individuals and located one rifle. Witnesses reported numerous armed Hispanic males fleeing the scene on foot as law enforcement responded.


Mendocino County Patrol Deputies arrived and contacted Tribal Police.  Members of the California Highway Patrol also responded to the scene to assist with the incident.  The scene was determined to be a very large marijuana growing operation at the south east corner of the intersection of Crawford Road and Biggar Lane.  

The property consisted of an approximately 10 acre parcel, held in trust by the Federal Government as part of the Reservation system.  The property had no real fixed dwellings but had 38 “hoop houses” which are green houses used to cultivate marijuana as well as several camp sites with recreational vehicles and or tents used by those cultivating marijuana. 

The responding Officers were able to initially detain 4 Hispanic males who indicated they were only working in the marijuana grow but denied knowledge of involvement in the shooting.  Deputies noted what appeared to be in excess of 10,000 marijuana plants as well as evidence confirming at least 50 or more rifle rounds having been discharged recently on the property.  They noted one green house had many rounds fired into it and one vehicle had numerous rounds fired into it.  There appeared to be evidence that rifles, handguns, and shotguns had possibly been discharged at the location.

Deputies then contacted the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Investigations Unit to request assistance.  The Mendocino County Marijuana Team, discovering the cultivation activity was not permitted, authored a search warrant for the location.  

This team was assisted by the Mendocino County Detective Unit and the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force in the service of the warrant.  Upon service of the search warrant, investigators located a total of 7 firearms; 3 rifles and 4 handguns, including 2 AR15 style assault rifles with high capacity magazines, one with a suppressor attached.

12,022 Marijuana plants, ranging from 6 inches to 6 feet in height, were located and eradicated. Two additional suspects were identified, Foley Azbill and Britton “JR” Azbill, both of Covelo were detained.

The investigation determined this garden might have been grown in a similar method of others recently found in the Covelo area; with Federal Trust Properties being leased by tribal members to non-tribal members for the sole purpose of conducting large marijuana growing operations.  

Most of the persons detained appeared less than cooperative and no one admitted direct knowledge as to whom had been responsible for the large discharge of firearms.  Investigators found no evidence or indication that any person had actually been shot.  However, this area is a residential neighborhood with neighbors being less than 200 yards away on all sides of the property as well as roads on two sides that have a high frequency of traffic this time of the day.  There is no safe way to discharge a firearm at this location.

Four men were arrested, booked, and then cited for cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale; Rosalio Pena (AKA Armas Severiano), Ruben Hernandez Najera, Osvaldo Garcia Campos, and Angel Maria Ramirez.

This follows another shooting incident on June 5 from: KRCR

Four men arrested in Covelo, California for gun, probation and warrant charges
Deputies with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) arrested six men in Covelo Tuesday on various charges for gun, probation and warrant violations.

Deputies with MCSO were called to the 76000 block of Highway 162 in Covelo Tuesday after several callers reported gunshots in the area.

Once on scene, deputies found five men outside and roughly 50 used shell casings littering the ground. Two were released from the scene. The other three were identified as follows:

Juan Montalvo-Lopez
Tadeo Munoz-Aparicio
Eduardo Gonzalez
Inside, deputies also found a man identified as Miguel Moreno, along with a .223 military-style pistol grip assault rifle and two handguns.

Munoz-Aparicio was found to be on active probation and arrested for possessing a firearm illegally.

Eduardo Gonzalez was found to have an active felony warrant out of Mendocino County and was arrested.

Miguel Moreno and Juan Montalvo-Lopez were both arrested for being in possession of an assault rifle. All four subjects were booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

MEDIA ADVISORY/NEWS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10th incident

DATE:  "June 10, 2020"   Incident Number: 2020-13833

Crime/Incident: 245(a)(2) PC [Assault with a deadly weapon-firearm]

246.3 PC [Negligent Discharge of a firearm]

182(a)(1) PC [Conspiracy]

11358 H&S [Cultivate Marijuana]

11359 H&S [Possess Marijuana for Sale]

Location: Crawford Road at Biggar Lane, Covelo CA 95482

Date of Incident: 06-08-2020     Time: 6:29 PM

Victim(s): People of the State

Assault Victims-Unknown at this time

Suspect(s): Rosalio Pena (AKA Armas Severiano), 50 years of age, Transient Covelo CA

Ruben Hernandez Najera, 22 years of age, Atascadero CA

Osvaldo Garcia Campos, 40 years of age, Transient Covelo CA

Angel Maria Ramirez, 48 years of age, Sacramento CA

Foley Azbill, 41 years of age, Covelo CA

Britton Leonard Azbill Jr., 38 years of age, Covelo CA

The case remains under investigation and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is requesting anyone with information on this case to please contact the Sheriff’s tip line at 707-234-2100 or the WE-TIP line at (800) 782-7463.

MEDIA ADVISORY/NEWS RELEASE DATE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                       :  Date: "June 8, 2020"  Incident Number: 2020-13462

Crime/Incident:
209(A) PC  (Kidnapping for Ransom or Extortion)

245(A)(2) PC (Assault with a Deadly Weapon Firearm)

236 PC  (False Imprisonment)

422PC  (Criminal Threats)

211 PC  (Robbery)

417(A)(2) PC  (Brandishing a Firearm)

Location:
79000 block of Zenia Road in Covelo, CA

Date of Incident: 06-03-2020  Time:11:33 PM

Victim(s):
Adult Male  (23 year-old from San Jose, CA)

Adult Male  (43 year-old from San Jose, CA)

Adult Male  (46 year-old from Santa Maria, CA)

Adult Male  (35 year-old from Santa Rosa, CA)

Suspect(s):
Emergene Phillips  (20 year-old male from Covelo, CA)

Leonard Dudley Whipple  (51 year-old male from Covelo, CA)
See Photos below

                             

Written By: Sergeant Joseph DeMarco

Synopsis:
On 06-03-2020 at about 11:33 PM, Mendocino County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to the Round Valley Tribal Police office to contact a person who reported he was kidnapped and robbed while in Covelo, California.

When Deputies arrived they contacted a 23 year-old male, and three other male subjects.

The 23 year-old male's brother-in-law translated for the male as he only spoke Spanish. Deputies learned the 23 year-old male and other listed victims (see above) all worked on a marijuana grow site in Covelo.


Deputies learned on 06-02-2020 at about 1:00 PM the owner of the property, identified as Emergene Phillips, arrived at the property in a Ford Edge.

Upon arrival, Phillips exited the vehicle and started yelling at the 23 year-old male and another of the listed victims.  The 23 year-old male did not understand what Phillips was saying so he contacted his brother-in-law to respond to the location and translate for them.

The brother-in-law was reportedly told by Phillips that the 23 year-old male and one of the other listed victims owed Phillips thirty thousand dollars and that Phillips wanted the money. Phillips at right, now in custody.

Phillips was told the payment would not be possible until after the marijuana was harvested and sold.

Phillips retrieved a black colored rifle from the rear of the Ford Edge and fired it three times into the air while demanding payment.

Phillips was told that they did not have any money to give him and Phillips then pointed the rifle at the pair (23 year-old male and one of the other listed victims) before leaving a short time later.

On 06-03-2020 at about 8:00 PM, Phillips returned to the marijuana grow site with another subject identified as Leonard Whipple (AKA Ed Davis).

Leonard Whipple aka Ed Davis, at right, is a local with a long rap sheet.

• A 23-year-old San Jose man working at one such site was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint last week and assaulted by the property owner, who claimed the victim owed him money. The alleged kidnapper was arrested and faces charges including kidnapping for ransom or extortion and assault with a deadly weapon.

The 23 year-old male attempted to run, but heard a gunshot and stopped.  He turned around and observed Phillips holding a silver color handgun. Phillips started yelling, approached the 23 year-old male and hit him in the upper back twice with the pistol prior to pushing him to his knees.

Phillips pointed the gun at the 23 year-old male and told him to call his brother-in-law.  During the call Phillips reportedly told the brother-in-law that he would shoot the 23 year-old male if Phillips did not receive the payment.

Phillips forced the 23 year-old male into the rear seat of the vehicle he and Whipple arrived in.

Phillips and Whipple drove around Covelo with the 23 year-old male while searching for the brother-in-law.  Phillips called the brother-in-law several times demanding money or that he would kill the 23 year-old male.

Phillips later released the 23 year-old male on Airport Road and drove away with Whipple.

Deputies observed marks and bruising on the 23 year-old male's back which were consistent with the reported pistol whipping.

The area where the incident originally took place was processed for evidence.  Deputies also checked the area for Phillips and Whipple but were unable to locate them.

Phillips was subsequently located in Covelo and arrested for the above listed charges.  Phillips was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $250,000.00 bail.

A report is being forwarded to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office for consideration of charging Whipple for his part in the incident.

Approved by:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten  #1184
Mendocino County Sheriff's Office
Matthew Kendall, Sheriff-Coroner
951 Low Gap Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482
(707) 463-4411, Sheriff@MendocinoSheriff.com

Further Back Remember the Case of missing Victor "Gallo" Medina from: SJ MercNews

Reward offered after San Jose man goes missing in Mendocino County:
He had reportedly been working at a marijuana greenhouse operation in Covelo, California

Police are publicizing a reward in the case of a San Jose man who went missing in April from a Mendocino County marijuana farm. He had reportedly been working at a large marijuana greenhouse complex.

Victor “Gallo” Medina, 39, had reportedly been working at marijuana greenhouses on the Round Valley Indian Reservation, in Covelo. His family reported him missing to San Jose police in mid-April. A search of the greenhouse property during a raid last month turned up no sign of Medina.

A large ransom was demanded for his safe return, his vehicle was found near Hollister a few days later; but no sign of Victor Medina dead or alive. His family is still praying for his safe return.

The notice from the San Jose Police Department does not specify a reward figure. Anyone with information is asked to call or text 408-878-8670 or email  sjpd0791@sanjoseca.gov.

See my original Post on "Gallo" Medina's kidnapping using the Search Engine.

The Order of War for Control of Caborca

June 22, 2020, 10:38 pm

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By Buggs for Borderland Beat

What happened in Caborca at the stroke of midnight was only evidence of a great war for control of the northern part of the state of Sonora. It has been known that the order was to remove the enemies of the sons of El Chapo Guzman, who currently maintain a war from the fracture with Mayo Zambada.

The people in charge of cleaning "La Perla del Desierto" are the Salazar family with its armed group of La Gente Nueva. One of the allies of the Salazar family is La Gente Nueva del Cazador, a group of Los Chapitos. The objective was to eliminate the group of the Paez family who are directly affiliated to the Caro Quintero group.

The Paez family maintains control in Caborca, the coast of Caborca and Pitiquito. The operation is meant to take control in the desert towns from Caborca to Saric, that would explain the incursion of a group of 50 trucks that focused their attack in Puerto Lobos and Puerto Libertad.

 In Puerto Libertad, they burned down a ranch owned by Rodrigo Paez, one of the leaders of the Caro Quintero clan. There were also attacks and convoys moving around the coastal area.

After the arrival of state and federal authorities on the coast of Caborca, the group of sicarios took advantage of the fact that most of the authorities were in the coastal zone. That was how the convoy managed to organize around 100 trucks and now focus its attack on the city of Caborca.

This convoy was seen traveling in the streets of the city with the trucks marked with the "X." The "X" mark has always been attributed as belonging to commandos of the Sinaloa cartel, used to identified them in the heat of battle. There were some small confrontations between groups, the attack hit a gas station located on 27th Street, was shot up and attacked with grenades, as well as the burning of some houses that supposedly belonged to Jesus Dario Murrieta Navarro "La Cara de Cochi," who is head of sicarios for the Caro Quintero group.

 After the advance of the sicarios, cars and a tractor trailer were set on fire as the sound of heavy caliber weapons were heard. One of the cars belonged to the public security commander Eduardo Leal Molina, who oversees protection of the Paez family group.

When looking at the aftermath of the attack, it is clear that this was a strategic attack with the pre-plan objective of eliminating anyone that was related to the Caro Quintero clan from the city.

On the Caborca Sonoyta highway, they found 10 bodies that had been executed and tortured. The dead had been found tied by their hands and feet. it is said they were abducted during the incursion of the group that attacked the city of Caborca.

 Hours later a refrigerated trailer was found with 16 frozen bodies. The trailer was found in front of an oxxo store and was being heavily guarded by the Mexican National Guard.

This confrontation is reminiscence of the violence lived in the beginning of 2019 and the middle of 2020. The Caro Quintero group is led by Rodrigo Paez, Oscar de la Rocha "Chapo de la Rocha," Dario Murrieta "Cara de Cochi" and a person nicknamed "El 22."

But the reach of the Salazars does not reach this point, it is said that the army of Los Chapito is concentrated in city of Benjamin Hill, where they are organizing the buildup of sicarios coming in from the south of the state and part of the regions of Agua Prieta and Cananea. They are preparing to attack and intend to eliminate the people of Mayo Zambada that has a presence in Cucurpe, Santa Ana, Magadalena, Imuris and Nogales.

The concentration of the large number of sicarios are equipped with heavy-caliber weapons and some armored vehicles, some with steel plated armor, are waiting to enter combat for control of the plazas in the northern of the state.

Previously, there was a confrontation in Magdalena which caught the attention of the national media due to the great reach and use of violence that took place for two consecutive days. On one side, Los Chapitos represented by La Gente Nueva del Cazador, boss of the plaza of Altar and on the other by Mayo Zambada, led by Felipe de Jesus Sosa Canizales "Gigio" or "El del Sombrero" supported by Leonardo López "El 20," both bosses in the city of Nogales.

 Apparently, there is a probable affiliation between El Mayo Zambada and the Caro Quintero group, who are planning against the sons of El Chapo Guzman. There has already been numerous confrontations between both factions.

Los Chapitos want to take full control of the Sonora border with the United States. This is the main purpose of the fight, to win the grand prize of such valuable strategic port of entry to the US. They want full control of the corridor from Agua Prieta to San Luis Rio Colorado.

It is just one more battle of this endless war, the state of Sonora re-lives another chapter of violence.

As it always happens with these types of events, innocent victims are killed through stray bullets and confusion. This is the biggest condemnation of the people that they have towards the authorities and the government, for their lack of response to the attacks. Given the lack of transparency from authorities and the orders given by drug traffickers fragmented in numerous cells, the exact number of confrontations are not very clear.

Operation Devil Horns: the takedown of MS-13 in San Francisco

June 23, 2020, 1:12 am

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Chivis Martinez  TY RB  From SWJ

Operation Devil Horns focuses on a four year long federal undercover operation against the 20th Street MS-13 clique situated in the Mission District of San Francisco spanning unspecified months from 2004 into 2008. Utilizing multiple confidential informants (CIs) from within the clique, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was able to be employed against more than forty-two of its members and associates essentially crippling it (p. 221). 

As mentioned in publisher advertising, the operation was “Set in a city with one of the strictest sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants in America…[and]…illustrates how politically correct ideology impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets.”[1] As the homicide rate spiked in San Francisco due to the clique’s violent activities and after the sensationalized June 2008 Bologna family killing by MS-13 members, however, took place city governmental cooperation via the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) with the federal undercover operation greatly increased (pp. 189-197).

The work is written by an unidentified HSI/ICE/DHS (Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Department of Homeland Security) special agent who spearheaded the operation, utilizing the pen name Michael Santini, in coordination with Ray Bolger, a journalist who has written for Forbes Magazine and a number of newspapers including The Baltimore Sun and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The book is divided into a “praise for” section, deceased HSI member dedication, acknowledgements, prelude, twenty-eight chapters divided into two parts of the work, epilogue, notes, index, and an about the authors sections. 

For accuracy, it was vetted by federal law enforcement and a reporter who closely followed the resulting federal RICO court case against the 20th Street clique gang members. The work has minimal references—about thirty taken primarily from newspaper articles—and about nineteen black and white images of 20th Street graffiti, clique members and their tattoos, and seized weapons sourced to the HSI operation.  

The twenty-eight chapters take the reader on a journey through a number of interlinked stories related to special agent Michael Santini, gang member ‘Little Loco’ (CI No. 1301) one of the main confidential informants used to undermine the clique, and many short vignettes related to an assortment of 20th Street personages and supporting characters. 

All of these back and forth interactions—sometimes out of sequence and at times shifting from San Francisco to other locales such as Santa Cruz, Richmond, Reno, Los Angeles, Honduras, and El Salvador—take place as the actual Devil Horns operation unfolds over the period of four years. One interesting component of the operation was the requirement to circumvent the local DOJ (Department of Justice) field office due to lack of support and to directly appeal to the heads of the DOJ in Washington, DC in order secure the needed funds and resources. 

Those resources, along with deployment of a seasoned MS-13 federal gang prosecutor (Laura Gwinn), were vital to the coordination of the later stages of the operation so that the RICO charges could be successfully brought against the 20th Street clique (as well as other MS-13 gang members in other cliques engaging in additional criminal activities such as illicit firearms sales). Other interesting elements of the Devil Horns operation were the constant political turf tensions that existed between HSI and the FBI related to investigating MS-13 as well as a stolen car sting set up by HSI in a fake warehouse in which undercover agents would purchase stolen cars from the clique members and their associates for later prosecution purposes.

To get a sense of the sheer complexity of transitioning from the undercover investigation to the subsequent federal prosecution, the following passage is illustrative of the operational requirements to engage in the near simultaneous arrest of dozens of 20th Street members and associates:

The nearby parking lot was jammed with dozens of large vehicles for transporting sixteen separate raid teams comprised of around twenty operators each. Their fleet included three MRAPs—huge armored trucks commonly used in combat environments. Inside the vans and trucks were a formidable arsenal of firearms, ammunition, flashbangs, radios, and protective body armor. While the MS-13 homies might possess a few powerful guns themselves, they were about to experience an overwhelming paramilitary force, which presumably enjoyed the element of surprise as well (p. 216).

One minor detriment to conveying the legitimacy of the work is the publisher’s use of a red cover to convey “the Beast” (i.e. Satanic or Demonic) component of MS-13. This is problematic because red is traditionally a Norteño gang (N-14) color and would not be utilized by MS-13 members anymore than the numbers ‘666’ which while the ‘Mark of the Beast’ cannot be utilized because it is part of 18th Street (Barrio 18) numerology along with 99 or 18 itself.[2] Another slight detriment is the ambiguous timelines provided concerning the multi-year operation. This makes it difficult to determine key events and periods in the investigation but was likely done so as to obscure operational specifics for officer and confidential informant (CI) safety purposes.

Overall, Operation Devil Horns is a first rate ‘true crime’ genre work that provides an insider’s view of an MS-13 clique by means of an undercover federal operation utilizing insider criminal informants. The work is a highly pleasurable read due to the professional writing skills of Ray Bolger and is targeted for professional and general rather than academic audiences. In online social media, it has enjoyed consistently favorable and well-deserved rankings and reviews.  As can be witnessed by the follow on sections to this review, numerous data points and insights into the 20th Street clique—as well as the larger transnational MS-13 criminal organization itself—can be extracted from this operationally focused work. Accordingly, this is where much of its true value for law enforcement professionals and gang researchers exists.

20^th Street Clique and Related MS-13 Gang Culture 

As a supplement to MARA SALVATRUCHA (MS-13): A Law Enforcement Primer, the work provides the following information on gang culture, symbolism, and imagery as it pertains to the 20^th Street clique situated in the Mission District of San Francisco as well as, to a lesser extent, other MS-13 components:[3]

• The clique uses a 20 second ‘jump in’ of new members which gives preference to its 20^th Street origins rather than a 13 second ‘jump in’ which is typical of MS-13 cliques (p. 84). The number 20 was also given preference over the number 13 by at least one clique member who wore a light-blue baseball cap with “20” emblazoned on it (p. 158).

•  The Leeward MS-13 clique in Los Angeles—an older and highly respected one—is rumored to require associates to kill three people before being ‘jumped in’ as new members (p. 158).

• After the Brenda Paz incident (where she turned CI against the gang and was brutally killed in July 2003 in Virginia), MS-13 in the US was said to have ruled out allowing females to join the gang, formerly done via a “group-sex ritual involving multiple homies” (i.e. getting gangbanged) (p. 169)

Hijos de la Guerra, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977654/.

• New and prospective 20^th Street members were indoctrinated into the origins and history of MS-13 (as well as the Salvadoran people’s plight) by having them watch the 2007 film Hijos de la Guerra (“Children of War”) at a clique member’s house (p. 153).

• In Honduras, MS-13 clique members functioning as sicarios (assassins) dressed up as local police while engaging on a hit against a member who had been ‘green lighted’ to be killed (p. 36).

• 20^th Street clique members strictly avoided entering predominately gay neighborhoods in San Francisco (p 84). To do so was thought to have questioned their Latin machismo as MS-13 does not tolerate homosexuality.[4]

• Satanic symbols were common in 20^th Street clique members rooms along with baseball bats with MS-13 mottos and “photos of fellow gang members flashing devil-horns (la gara) salutes” (pp. 13, 143). In the case of 20^th Street, the satanic influences appear to have been more ideological rather than dark spiritual, with none of the homicides appearing to have had a ritual component. Rather, they were a mix of mostly opportunistic alongside some premeditated hits. One clique member with the moniker ‘Peloncito,’ a skilled sicario (assassin), however, claimed to be “a devoted devil worshipper” (p. 70) and took real pleasure in his killings.

• One of the MS-13 mottos highlighted was Vivo por mi madre, muero por mi barrio! (I live for my mother, I die for my barrio!) (p. 37).

20^th Street Clique C², Inter-Clique Links, and Strategic Planning

As an addendum to “Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) Command and Control (C²),” the work provides the following operational and strategic information (See Figures. 1-3) for the Mission District of San Francisco, surrounding Northern California regions the 20^th Street clique directly influenced, and their out-of-the area MS-13 linkages.[5]  

The information visualized in Figure 1, drawn from the work, provides an internal view of 20^th Street C² structure and operations. The clique, as it later evolved, followed a traditional MS-13 structure in that it has a primary leader (Primera Palabra; First Word) and secondary leader (Segunda Palabra; Second Word) supported by a board of veteran members (Consejeria) that provided counsel to the leadership and assisted the clique by engaging in administrative tasks (p. 58). The clique’s income streams were two-fold and both licitly and illicitly derived. Many if not most of the older members (especially those with a family to support) had some sort of day jobs, typically in construction or another semi-skilled labor based industry. The other income stream—considered clique specific and characterized as doing ‘work’ for MS-13 was based on street taxation of fake ID seller’s (known as Miceros; Mice) in the gang’s turf, drug sales, along with opportunistic pickpocketing of tourists, home invasion robberies, and auto theft. The rank and file clique members were eventually organized into three main groups: the New Booties (new members and associates), engaging in turf control for the gang; the Gatilleros (Gunslingers) who are the gang’s enforcers, ensuring street taxation compliance, non-competing drug sales, and other Sureños gang/MS-13 clique tribute (which appeared to be a minor income stream and more symbolic in nature), as well as attacking rival gangs (mainly Norteños; N-14 gang members); and, finally, the Party Group which sold cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs on the street and in bars (p. 101).  

The 20^th Street clique—given both its size of about 130 members at its height (p. 98) and its longevity having been established in the mid-1990s—existed at an important intersection between the 13 Ranfleros (Big Bosses) in El Salvador and some of the lower tier Sureños (Sur 13) and MS-13 cliques in Northern California (See Figure 2). The activities of 20^th Street were monitored by the Ranfleros in a haphazard manner, with different Big Homies and 20^thStreet members competing for influence in ongoing rounds of reciprocal politicking and intrigue. Such monitoring included the Ranfleros utilizing a trusted female gang member named La Negra acting as an inspector general (or more appropriately a grand inquisitor) to spy on various MS-13 cliques (p. 113) as well as sending the Pasadena Locos Sureños (PLS) up to Richmond (in coordination with Los Angeles based Big Homies from the more powerful cliques) to also keep an eye on 20^th Street while the clique was deemed dysfunctional. 

At the other extreme of these power relationships, lower tier cliques, such as 19^th and 11^th Street, paid tribute via a nominal gang tax to the 20^th Street clique, and some as in the case of the new Beach Flats Locotes Salvatruchos clique in Santa Cruz, were established with the permission of the 20^th Street clique in consultation with the Ranfleros. With C²extending downward from the Ranfleros to the 20^th Street clique to its client gang cliques, a cut of the street profits in tribute (money and commodities) was expected to flow directly back up—either directly or indirectly—to the Big Homies in their prisons in El Salvador (p. 154). Further of note was 20^th Street’s interaction with the Reno Locotes Sureños with whom they purchased various types of firearms and ammunition (pp. 111-114, 123-125).

Important omissions in these influence and C² relationships between higher prison criminal authorities and the 20^thStreet clique, however, exist in the work. 20^th Street, as a MS-13 clique, is subordinated to La Eme (Mexican Mafia; M; 13), a powerful Southern California prison gang from which the 13 in MS-13 is derived. As a MS-13 clique, it is in constant war with Norteños street gang cliques in San Francisco and yet the powerful Nuestra Familia (Our Family; N; Norteños; 14) that these cliques are vassals of is more dominant in the Northern California prisons. Once MS-13 members are sent to jail and prison in Northern California, the power dynamics change with the both the influence of the Ranfleros and La Eme diminished. Nowhere in Operation Devil Horns was Mexican Mafia influence/C² capacity over MS-13 and other Sureños gang cliques ever mentioned. Whether this was simple omission or if the Ranfleros had somehow been able to co-opt such influence, even over non-MS-13 Sureños (Sur 13) cliques, which from the outside looking in would appear to be a major affront to La Eme is thus unknown.  

One important piece of OSINT provided in Operation Devil Horns concerns a regional MS-13 summit that took place in approximately late December 2007 or early January 2008 in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles (Refer to Figure 3). The meeting was composed primarily of the representative(s) of the 13 Ranfleros (Big Bosses) of MS-13 (Mara 13) in the El Salvadoran prisons (the Salvadoran program) and the leadership of Los Angeles based MS-13 cliques (the Los Angeles Program), specifically from Leeward, Hollywood, Wilshire, Coronado, and other Western cliques. At this summit, three members of the 20^th Street clique from San Francisco were also in attendance. Partially this may have been to threaten them with a future ‘green light’ if the clique did not pay its tribute to the Ranfleros, with its three members each getting a pistol pointed at their foreheads and a subsequent beat down as a warning of that this threat should be taken seriously. 

The intent of the MS-13 summit itself, however, was to coordinate inter-clique cooperation, determine statewide objectives, and discuss strategic goals nationwide (pp. 157-159).  Of note in the OSINT is that no mention of La Eme (Mexican Mafia) is provided concerning the MS-13 MacArthur Park summit. This is the second time such an omission was made in the work. MS-13 in the Los Angeles region (in fact in all of Southern California) exists within the direct sphere of influence/C² of the Mexican Mafia, which as a prison gang, controls MS-13’s street activities. That such a summit should take place without La Eme participation means either (a) this was an oversight not mentioned in the book, (b) the 20^th Street clique members attending the meeting were politically naïve about the Mexican Mafia’s control (which seems highly unlikely), or (c) the Ranfleros out of El Salvador were attempting to bypass La Eme’s authority, especially as it pertained to MS-13 activities in the United States outside of its Southern California stronghold.         

Notes

[1] “Operation Devil Horns: The Takedown of MS-13 in San Francisco.” Marketing Page. Rowman & Littlefield. Nd, https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538139349/Operation-Devil-Horns-The-Takedown-of-MS-13-in-San-Francisco.

[2] Robert J. Bunker and Angelo Thomas, “Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 25: 18th Street (Barrio 18) Demonic & Santa Muerte Affinity Linkages.” Small Wars Journal. 23 May 2020, https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/third-generation-gangs-strategic-note-no-25-18th-street-barrio-18-demonic-santa-muerte.

[3] Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, MARA SALVATRUCHA (MS-13): A Law Enforcement Primer. FBI National Academy Associates Magazine. March-April 2018, https://www.fbinaa.org/FBINAA/Associate/MARAPR2018_Feature_1.aspx.

[4] The pattern of Sureños gang and Mexican cartel members similarly staying away from social networking sites with strong gay components has also been noted. See Sarah Womer and Robert J. Bunker, “Sureños Gangs and Mexican Cartel Use of Social Networking Sites.” Small Wars & Insurgencies. Vol. 1, No. 21, 2010: 81-94.

[5] Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, “Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 13: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) Command and Control (C²).” Small Wars Journal. 29 January 2019, https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/third-generation-gangs-strategic-note-no-13-mara-salvatrucha-ms-13-command-and-control-c2.

SLP: A Decapitated Body discovered… with A CDG message, as the war for plaza control continues

June 23, 2020, 8:27 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Agenicia de Noticias

San Luis Potosí, SLP.- The body of a decapitated man was found and with a cartulina message signed by CDG.

A male was beheaded in the Julián Carrillo colony in the capital city as part of the disputes over the control of the plaza. A cartulina with a threatening message was found at the scene.

The grisly event was recorded in López y República street, where the body of a male is said to have been found, tied up with his hands and his head decapitated and placed between his legs.

Warning graphic images below

The violence has been unabated by any plan or measures implemented by authorities.

7.5 Earthquake registered in Oaxaca and Mexico City, video

June 23, 2020, 10:10 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

A 7.5 earthquake hit southern and central Mexico, causing buildings in Mexico City to sway and thousands to run into the streets.  A tsunami warning is in effect.

It hit around 10:30am

It was stronger than a 2017 quake that killed over 360 people, but there are no immediate reports of casualties.  Epicenter southeast of Crucecita, Oaxaca. (Oaxaca image below)

Video below

Imágenes del #Sismo que sacudió varios estados, así se vivió el temblor en la #CDMXpic.twitter.com/LLBVsZZyuM

— Jalisco Rojo (@Jalisco_Rojo) June 23, 2020

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Caborca Sonora: Refrigerated Truck with dead narcos from Friday's clash, left by narcos at Funeral Home?

June 23, 2020, 12:20 pm

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   TY Followers  Sonora Attorney General El Sol Hermosillo

The reports were flooding social media yesterday, and BB itself received emails and comments throughout the day about a refrigerated truck being left in Caborca containing “16 bodies”.  The bodies were said to be those from Caborca’s Friday deadly clash.  There were 10 to 12 bodies were dumped on a highway, but these were supposedly in addition to those bodies.

On Friday, from around 7pm the first detonations were reported heard.  Countless emergency calls for help were registered.  Fires, detonations, kidnappings, killings for 3 hours, and help never arrived from any police or emergency agency. Read my earlier report here.

The story about the refrigerated trailer seemed questionable and unsensible.     I could not locate anything published about the story in mainstream media, just small publications I had never heard of and social media. I was able to locate a story yesterday evening, and it reported the truck contained the bodies dumped on the highway.

The National Guard is guarding the truck, which is parked on the side of a funeral parlor.  Not an OXXO as social media reported.  There is an OXXO in the same strip mall, which may have led to the confusion.  The Carrillo funeral parlor, parking areas and an OXXO are close together on the street.

Today through a text, the attorney general stated that the truck contains 10 bodies that were discovered on the Caborca Highway, that they were bullet-ridden and had signs of torture.  The National Guard is guarding the truck until forensics and identification can be completed.  The funeral parlor is at its capacity.

"The refrigerated trailer at a local funeral parlor, (is there) in order to provide services in optimal refrigeration conditions, a container trailer was set up next to the establishment. The National Guard provides security conditions, based on the fact that these bodies correspond to legal cases of the investigation by the Prosecutors' offices,” the statement reads.

Last Saturday, June 20, the State Prosecutor's Office confirmed the finding of 10 bodies tied with hands and with firearm injuries, at kilometer 115 of the Caborca-Sonoyta highway.

The media and authorities also report that Caborca area funeral parlors, and Semefo facilities are at or near capacity because of the uptick in violence and Covid-19.  Using refrigeration trucks is a common practice seen throughout Mexico at times and in areas hit by violence, natural disaster or other emergencies.

There have been events where refrigeration trucks are unavailable to authorities and bodies at times are left outside overcrowded facilities on concrete patio structures as happened in Guerrero and other states with great violence.

Realizing that historically the government is an entity that uses or ignores actual fact for convenience, it still remains that cartels are not groups that would care about refrigeration to dump bodies.  Therefore the facts allow the conclusion that in this occurrence the government is most likely being truthful with respect to the bodies in the refrigerated truck at Carrillo Funeral home. 

Three years ago this truck contained bodies because of overcrowding in Guerrero, citizens reported seeing blood coming from inside the trailer and out the doors.  It was not refrigerated.

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June 23, 2020, 4:12 pm

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CPB Seize 155 Pounds of Liquid Meth at Pharr Int'l Bridge US POE

June 23, 2020, 4:59 pm

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Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: DCUGM / CBP.gov

      CBP Field Operations Seizes $3.1 Million in Methamphetamine at Pharr International Bridge

Release Date: June 22, 2020

Pharr, Texas: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted alleged liquid methamphetamine worth $3,108,000 concealed within a commercial truck arriving from Mexico with merchandise.

“This was an outstanding interception of hard narcotics that our officers accomplished utilizing all available tools and resources,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Port Director, Hidalgo/ Pharr/Anzalduas. “Our officers’ resourcefulness and thoroughness in conducting their enforcement examinations counter schemes utilized by drug-smuggling organizations.”

Buckets containing 155 pounds of liquid methamphetamine seized by CBP officers at Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.

CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility on June 19, 2020 referred a truck with a commercial shipment of automotive parts arriving from Mexico for further inspection. Officers conducting the secondary inspection conducted a thorough examination which ultimately resulted in the discovery of 155.5 pounds (70.5 kgs) of alleged liquid methamphetamine concealed within the truck’s fuel tanks.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics along with the shipment and subsequently the case was turned over to agents with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who continue with the investigation.

If you are really bored this the Pharr Int'l Bridge Cargo Facility Webcam:
              

Narco-Taxis: The Way to Go for Mediterranean Tourists

June 23, 2020, 6:05 pm

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Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Unilad / GDIMPS /EuroNews

                  Spanish Cops Find 145 Kilos Of Cocaine Floating Off Coast of Ibiza, Spain

Spanish police officers have uncovered 145 kilograms (320lbs) of cocaine floating in the sea off the coast of Ibiza. According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the cocaine was found wrapped in water-proof packages in the waters between the Spanish Balearic islands of Ibiza and eastern Spain’s Formentera.

Pictures and footage taken at the scene reveal how the packages had been tied to at least four plastic jerry cans using ropes, allowing them stay afloat.

Pictures and footage taken at the scene reveal how the packages had been tied to at least four plastic jerry cans using ropes, allowing them stay afloat.

Check out the haul of cocaine here:

The cargo had reportedly been recovered by divers from the Special Group of Underwater Activities of the Spanish Civil Guard of Ibiza (GEAS). At the time of writing, it remains unclear who exactly sent the drugs or why they ended up floating in the sea.

The investigative police of the Spanish Civil Guard are now conducting an investigation into the matter. Officers are hoping to figure out where the cargo originated from, and are working to locate the individuals it was intended for.

Local authorities have stated that, as of yet, no arrests have been made. However, the investigation may well lead to developments in the case in the days ahead.

Officers are now trying to determine the origin and the destination of the cocaine; however, it could be reasoned that this shipment was on its way to the party island of Ibiza where the drug is very commonly found. However, there is no trace of which criminal group was involved in this shipment yet.

Earlier this month, an investigation conducted by the Spanish Civil Guard led to the arrests of 19 people found to be smuggling 5.1 tonnes of hashish into Europe. These people had attempted to smuggle the drugs in via the Mediterranean sea, with the use of a sailing boat.  SEE BELOW !

As reported by El Espanol in 2018, the famous party destination has seen the rise of ‘narco-taxis’ in recent times.

Narco-taxis are illegal taxi services booked by tourists before they even arrive on the island, arranged via huge WhatsApp groups. Once they touch down at the airport, drivers will be waiting for them with drugs already stashed in their glove compartment.

A tourist from Bristol known only as Irving G told El Espanol:

They offer you cocaine, glass, MDMA, marijuana, and even ketamine. […] This year it has been very easy to buy drugs. I was in England and some acquaintances added me to a WhatsApp group. There we could hire a taxi and drugs.

We had not yet arrived[in Ibiza and we already knew how much the pills were going to cost us. [In those groups] they offer us drugs. They put what they have and what it costs. Sometimes they put the photos of the drug.

Officers are now trying to determine the origin and the destination of the cocaine; however, it could be reasoned that this shipment was on its way to the party island of Ibiza where the drug is very commonly found. However, there is no trace of which criminal group was involved in this shipment yet.

Findings in the scientific journal European Psychiatry, revealed 58 drug-related fatalities were registered in Ibiza from January 2010 to September 2016.

Out of these figures, 87.9% were male and 12.1% were female, with a mean age 33.16. The majority of the deceased were British (36.2%), with 22.4% being Spanish.

The results of this study show that stimulants, mainly MDMA and cocaine, are the substances most commonly involved in the majority of drug-caused fatalities, with the number of fatalities each year showing a steady increase during this time period.

19 people Arrested and 5.1 Tons os of Hashish Going No Farther:

By:  23rd June 2020  Tony Kingham cocaine, dea, drug smuggling, drugs, Spanish National Police

A successful conclusion to a joint operation between the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard, in collaboration with the DEA and HSI agencies of the United States 

3,800 kilograms of cocaine seized in the port of Valencia in a month during the state of alarm for 

Covid 19 / Six containers.

Six containers have been intervened in which the narcotic substance was hidden by means of different concealment methods such as foil packages, sugar sacks, pineapple pulp and even between the frame of an gyroplane.

The exponential increase in maritime container traffic and the extraordinary situation of Covid19 has made Valencia port one of the most sensitive to drug trafficking in our country.

On June 19, agents of the National Police and Civil Guard completed the CRANKBROOK MARCHICA operation with the intervention of 3,800 kilograms of cocaine from South America, as well as the disarticulation of a transnational criminal organisation dedicated to the extraction of large quantities of narcotic drugs from the port of Valencia.

The operation has resulted in the arrest of 11 people, all of them of Spanish nationality, except for 2 Dutch and 1 subject from the Ivory Coast, as well as with the intervention of 5 vehicles, 1 trailer truck, several high-end watches and various equipment, such as frequency inhibitors or encrypted telephone terminals.

The first investigations began during the month of April, when different information was received through various channels of international police cooperation, as well as from the American agencies DEA and HSI, all pointing to a possible increase in the arrival of containers capable of containing some type of narcotic to the port of Valencia, taking advantage of the great boom in maritime traffic of the aforementioned port station.

In this way, a joint work team was created between the two police forces and their most specialized units in the fight against drug trafficking, in order to analyze all the information received and dismantle the criminal fabric that may be behind it.

COVID-19 and Alarm Status

This analysis process shows how several international criminal organizations have taken advantage of the prevailing situation in Spain due to the health alert produced by COVID-19, as well as the subsequent implementation of the state of alarm, to try to introduce large consignments of cocaine from of South America in our country, for storage and subsequent distribution throughout Europe, all in the face of the assumption of criminal organizations that controls and investigative activity would be less on the part of the Spanish authorities.

This joint working team quickly obtained its first results and in just over a month they have seized 3,800 kilograms of cocaine in 6 containers from different South American countries, hiding different amounts of narcotic drug inside, either through the known “blind hooks” , or hidden in the goods themselves, as is the case with shipments of folio packages, inside sugar sacks, in drums of pineapple pulp, California nuts, and even between the frame of an autogyro.

The operation has also focused on analyzing possible criminal structures in the interior of the port, and it can be corroborated that various personnel with access to different port facilities used this privileged situation or provided it to third parties to access and “rescue or recover” different items. of drug.

Regarding the intervened containers, one of them came from the United States with legal cargo, specifically with California walnuts, being “contaminated” at some point of transit in Panama or Colombia, introducing backpacks with more than half a ton of cocaine inside with the well-known “blind hook” method.

More of them arrived at the port of Valencia at the beginning of June, using a more sophisticated method of introduction than the previous one, the police known as “company to company”, where a merchandise is chartered between which the drug hides, pretending to be a legal import between two companies in the same sector. In this case, these were foil packages from a cellulose in Brazil. This method stands out for the difficulty that its detection entails for the investigating units, since the chosen companies are companies with a high legal maritime commercial movement and a commercial history that is in principle beyond suspicion. Two arrests occurred.

One of the strongest blows to this organization was in the third and fourth of the intervened containers, from which they planned to extract the drug the same day, both located in the port’s transit terminal. For this, members of the same, acceded in a trailer truck to the terminal with the intention of violating the seals of the containers and extracting the drug. 

On this occasion, it was possible to arrest 9 people directly involved in the investigated events, while 5 vehicles, a trailer truck and various encrypted telecommunications equipment and frequency inhibitors were intervened, all to circumvent possible police investigations.

Just a few days ago, the last container, from Costa Rica, was managed to intervene, transporting 1,862 kilograms of cocaine inside, hidden in backpacks prepared for extraction in a shipment of pineapple pulp. It is not usual to introduce such a large batch of cocaine without hiding the drug between the cargo inside the container.

Thus, it is an operation carried out during the COVID-19 phase following the guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior to activate and influence investigative actions in those areas that are sensitive to being used or exploited by criminal organizations during the state of alarm.

This operation has been coordinated by the Special Delegate Prosecutor for Drugs of Valencia and carried out jointly by investigators from the National Police and the Civil Guard, with the collaboration of the Tax Agency port inside the port.

Indentification of the man executed and left with the flag of Russia

June 24, 2020, 7:01 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Thank You Gus  Source

Another subject who was killed in the Sinaloa Piggyback, the public works department south of the state capital, was also identified by his relatives.

Culiacán, Sin.- The two men who were found shot and tortured in the northern and southern sectors of the city hours apart were identified during the course of yesterday night by their relatives.

The authorities reported that one of the deceased was named Jorge Inés, approximately 34 years old, with a known address in Pueblo Nuevo, and had allegedly been abducted by an armed group.

The body of this person was found around 8 in the morning, next to the perimeter fence of a block of trailer yards that are located in the Piggyback sector.

Graphic image below

The corpse was face down, with the head covered with an orange rag, which was tied with gray tape that covered his face.

He had at least two bullet wounds to the skull and two gun casings were located next to the corpse.

The body is wearing only a white-to-black bermuda shorts has traces of torture, at least four shots from a small-arms bullet, and had a Russian flag held to the chest with a knife.

DEA Identifies the four top CJNG bosses

June 24, 2020, 11:59 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Mexican mainstream media is reporting that the DEA agency of the U.S. has released names that they consider being premier bosses of CJNG under the supreme leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka “El Mencho”.

Alfredo Galindo Salazar

Identified as “El Toucan”, age is unknown. Suspected location; he is hiding in Mexico or Peru, but he is considered one of the “main associates and advisers” of Mencho, according to the DEA. Regarding his ties to the CJNG, it is pointed out that his "actions were key to the logistics and capacity of the CJNG to move massive amounts of cocaine from places like Peru, Bolivia and Colombia to the United States and Europe for distribution."


Juan Manuel Abouzaid

Alias “El Escorpión, el Árabe, el Hermano y Nene”, 47, has been linked to transactions and shipments of large shipments of drugs to the United States. In 2016, federal prosecutors filed charges against him for smuggling cocaine. and methamphetamine. According to the DEA between 2013 and 2017, he was responsible for having some of the top CJNG lieutenants reporting directly to him.

Ulises Yovany Mora

Known as "Yiyo, YY, and MacWire," he is a 35-year-old US citizen, believed to have been involved in drug trafficking since 2010, but it was in 2016 that he was indicted for distributing and importing cocaine.DEA says, "he is considered the secretary of the leader of Los Cuinis, Abigael González Valencia, a key financer for shipments of cocaine from South America and imported into Mexico for distribution in the United States and Europe."

Érick Valencia Salazar

He is known as "the 85, Matazeta, Mono and Commander", the DEA identifies him as "the main associate and advisor" of Mencho; He is 43 years old and US authorities believe that he is hiding in Mexico and that he frequents both Guadalajara and Mexico City. There is a $ 5 million reward for anyone who offers information leading to their arrest; It is estimated that since 2003 he has been engaged in drug trafficking, but in 2018 he received an indictment from a federal court for conspiring to distribute more than five kilos of cocaine to the United States. 

On 3 March 2012, the Mexican Army arrested El 85 in Zapopan, Jalisco.On 27 December 2017, El 85 was released from prison after a judge concluded there were human rights violations in his due process.

There were rumors at the time he was released that he felt betrayed by El Mencho and was no longer working with the leader.  However, DEA has concluded he definitely is.

Recently, Mencho has suffered some big hit.  The cartel lost three key members of its leadership: two are his children and one is his brothers-in-law, who directed their financial operations from South America.

All three are already in United States prisons facing long sentences.

Gerardo Gonzales

It is Rubén Oseguera González, alias 'El Menchito' and who was considered the second in command of the CJNG; his sister Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, accused of money laundering through five companies; and the uncle of both Gerardo González Valencia, one of the leaders of the Los Cuinis criminal group.

Gerardo González Valencia was extradited to the U.S. from Uruguay last month, May 15^th.

El Puma arrested, a founder of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel

June 24, 2020, 4:03 pm

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Reforma

Noé Israel Lara Belman, alias "El Puma", at one time considered José Antonio Yépez Ortiz's right-hand man, "El Marro", he was detained in San Luis Potosí.

Noé Israel Lara Belman , alias "El Puma", a founder of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) and who was considered José Antonio Yépez Ortiz's  aka El Marro, right-hand man was arrested yesterday in San Luis Potosí.

Federal forces, including elements of the Army participated in the capture, security authorities confirmed.

"He had an arrest warrant in force for the crimes of organized crime and theft of hydrocarbons; he is also considered one of the main generators of violence in the State of Guanajuato," the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.

"El Puma" was the last of the three Lara Belman brothers to be captured, after the arrest of Fabián Lara Belman, alias "La Vieja".

The Lara Belman brothers were considered close to "El Marro" in the criminal operation in Guanajuato, however "El Puma" fell from the grace of Yépez Ortiz at the end of last year.

"La Vieja" was captured in March in Baja California, while "El Tortugo" fell in February, in Celaya, when he had breakfast with 3 elements of the Navy and other people.

In March 2019, a phone call was leaked between Noé Israel Lara Belman, alias "El Puma", and Hugo Estefanía, former Mayor of Cortázar, who was executed by an armed command last November.

Reports indicate that as a result of that call, mistrust was generated between "El Marro" and "El Puma", which caused the latter to flee Guanajuato.

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Sinaloa: At least seven killed during confrontation in La Mojonera, Tepuche

June 24, 2020, 8:14 pm

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat from extroficial.mx

A confrontation between elements of the Mixed Urban Operations Base (BOMU) and armed criminals leave at least seven dead, in the community of La Mojonera in the Tepuche syndicate.

Authorities received the report at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, indicating that during the confrontation, unofficially at least seven alleged criminals had been killed.

This is breaking news details to come….

Massacre between people from Mayo Zambada and Los Chapitos leaves 10 dead

June 25, 2020, 7:28 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   La Opinion and TH3PR3D4TH0R Mxx

At least 10 people were killed after a confrontation between hitmen from the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) who serve drug trafficker Ismael "el Mayo" Zambada known as ‘Los Mayos” and the “Chapitos” faction, serving sons of Joaquín " el Chapo "Guzmán", this in the limits of Bagresito and El Guayabito mountain communities, both belonging to the Tepuche syndicate, in the municipality of Culiacán in the state of Sinaloa in Mexico.

Images of the dead circulated on social networks although it was not detailed which side they belonged to. The victims carried heavy caliber weapons as well as bulletproof vests.

Despite the heavy presence in the Tepuche area by federal and state agencies, the ongoing conflict has gone unabated.  Most events have agencies coming in after the fact.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW NO FURTHER TEXT

Sinaloa: 8 campesinos assassinated in Tepuche reportedly by "Los Chapitos"

June 25, 2020, 7:57 am

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Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat some material from  Línea Directa porta

At least 8 peasants were assassinated by way of execution in at least three communities, heading to the highlands of the Tepuche syndicate, in the framework of the war between two organized crime cells. Allegedly gunned down by “Los Chapitos”

In the afternoon of this Wednesday the residents began to make calls to the police corporations of the presence of an armed group that entered the towns of La Vainilla, Bagrecitos and La Mojonera, of this union.

The authorities have not addressed this the latest killings.  It is said that there are several missing persons, it is unknown if they were abducted or fled the area.

Failed attempt to attack Salamanca, Guanajuato refinery, with a vehicle that had 12 explosives

June 25, 2020, 9:48 am

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Chivis Martine Borderland Beat  ZetaTijuanaMag

Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, head of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), reported that yesterday, Wednesday, June 25, that an attempted attack occurred at the Ing. Antonio M. Amor Refinery, located in Salamanca, Guanajuato.

During the morning press conference on Thursday, June 26, held in Texcoco, State of Mexico, the military command reported that they secured a vehicle loaded with 12 explosives, which was abandoned in the vicinity of said refinery.

“Last night, there was an attempted assault where a vehicle was secured with 12 explosive devices that were inside a vehicle that was abandoned by the criminals who attacked the security forces […]There have been  measures to guarantee the security of the state's strategic facilities” said Sandoval González.

"About the Salamanca the refinery, the approach was to reinforce the strategic facilities that we have there and the refinery is one of them, it was given specific security to prevent the criminal group from having any action against it," said the general.

According to the Spanish agency EFE, two days ago, elements of the Mexican Army together with state security forces, deployed an operation in the said refinery, after receiving an alleged threat from the Cártel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL)dedicated to the theft of fuel or "huachicol".

According to official sources of the state government, quoted by the agency, said the deployment was due to an alleged call made by a member of the criminal group, who threatened to carry out damage to the infrastructure of Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).

Last weekend, federal and state forces carried out an operation in the municipality of Celaya, located 46 kilometers from Salamanca, in which 26 alleged members of the said criminal group were arrested.

The arrest generated a violent reaction from CSRL, which blocked, with burning cars, roads that connect 14 municipalities of the entity and even burned at least seven businesses in Celaya.

The authorities indicated that among the detainees are three cartel financial operators, among them the mother, sister and cousin of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro”, leader of the criminal organization that is dedicated to theft of fuel.

Hours after the operation, Yépez Ortiz, through a video, warned the authorities and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG), a group with which the state of Guanajuato disputes, which will maintain the battle, will not hide and even suggested the possibility that he may be willing to be absorbed by the Sinaloa Cartel in order to stop Jalisco.

In this regard, the head of SEDENA said that the detainees in Celaya who were released were a group of people who dedicated themselves to obstructing communication channels to prevent the arrival of federal forces. He attributed this to the fact that the state authorities did not substantiate the arrests, while the others continue their process.

For his part, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador assured that a special security plan is being worked on in Guanajuato, due to the increase in violence in the state. Likewise, he pointed out that the presence of the so-called Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is due to the fact that it was allowed and was addressed or not attended to.

"For four months, a special plan was agreed in the security cabinet, especially due to the level of the severity of the homicides that are committed in Guanajuato, we are talking, in general terms, of 15 to 18 percent of the country's homicides" detailed the national president.

"We are not only seeing what is happening, but we are acting because the situation in Guanajuato became very serious, more than any other state [...] [The CSRL] has a presence because it allowed itself to grow, it was not attended to in time, even by that has a social base ”, indicated the head of the Federal Executive Power.

"Now that the arrests occurred, many are linked because they were paid, there were payrolls, so to create such an organization, where there is payroll, where they have bases in each municipality, as it is a matter that comes from a long time ago and was not addressed "Accused the Tabasco politician.

Gulf Cartel regional boss 'Chuy Lavadas' is arrested; he faked his death in 2019

June 25, 2020, 9:51 am

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"MX" for Borderland Beat; TY "Itzli" and "leChef"

Jesus Adalberto Gonzalez Avitia ("Chuy Lavadas"), a high-ranking Gulf Cartel member in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, was arrested by state policemen yesterday. He had only lasted about a month as the "self-declared" plaza boss of Rio Bravo. Authorities arrested him along with Hector ("El Orion"); they were in possession of several firearms, bags filled with narcotics and two bullet-proof vests.

In August 2019, media outlets reported that Chuy Lavadas was killed near the Reynosa and San Fernando municipalities. He was identified as a high-ranking member of Los Metros, a Gulf Cartel faction based in Reynosa. Pictures of what investigators thought was his corpse circulated on social media. However, Chuy Lavadas faked his death to confuse authorities and rival gangsters.

In May 2020, citizen journalists in Tamaulipas reported that Chuy Lavadas was alive and had declared himself the regional boss of Rio Bravo. They said that he was planning to create his own cartel faction.

Criminal career

Chuy Lavadas's criminal career was marred by alliances and betrayals. He reportedly started his criminal career as a sicario (hitman) under Gulf Cartel regional boss Samuel "Omega 2". After his boss's death, he worked out of the Rio Bravo plaza and help oust Rafael Cardenas Vela ("El 900"), who then fled to the U.S. in 2011 and was arrested.

He then worked under Reynosa-based kingpin Mario Armando Ramirez Trevino ("X-20") as a member of Los Panteras. This faction, mostly based in Reynosa, was at war with Los Ciclones, another Gulf Cartel faction in Matamoros.

Chuy Lavadas faked his death in 2019; pictures of this corpse wrongly identified as his circulated online

In May 2014, Chuy Lavadas's colleague Juan José Rodríguez García ("Pantera 11" AKA "Juan Perros, Jr.") was arrested. Chuy Lavadas then joined Los Metros faction under Juan Francisco Carrizales Lara ("El 98"), Luis Alberto Blanco Flores ("M-28" AKA "El Pelochas") and possibly Armando León García ("Choco" AKA "M-90").

After the first two were arrested in 2016 and 2019, respectively, Chuy Lavadas had a short stint with Los Ciclones before turning against them in an attempt to control the Rio Bravo plaza.

Background and recent events

Rio Bravo Municipality shares the U.S.-Mexico border with Donna, Texas, and part of its urban area with Reynosa, the most populated city in Tamaulipas. It is a lucrative drug corridor for organized crime groups and has been under dispute for several years.

Chuy Lavadas holding a firearm inside a pick-up truck; this picture was leaked on social media in 2019

In April, Borderland Beat reported the mass murder of 7 warehouse employees in Reynosa. Rumors stated that the attackers were likely part of the faction headed by Comandante Maistrin, who heads the Rio Bravo plaza.

Chuy Lavadas is not the first Gulf Cartel boss to fake his own death. Also in April of this year, Borderland Beat reported that kingpin Filiberto Caudillo Salinas ("El Fili") was killed in a clash with rival gangsters. He had faked his death in 2017.

Sources: El Manana; Valor Tamaulipeco; La Prensa; Borderland Beat forum