Tijuana: Portrait of an Encojibado

The floor is dirty and stained, cigarettes stubbed out into the cold hard concrete, smoked to the end by murderers and enforcers, inhaling and talking casually, dressed in jeans and sneakers, as the life was choked from 'El Sureno.  One of the men present texted his wife, 'I just want you to know that I love you guys, and I am only going to kill one more, I have never killed anyone who didn't deserve it, I'll see you later'.  Juan Castro-Navarro, the man mentioned above, had been under investigation by Homeland Security agents since early 2013, who were intercepting his communications.  In November, HSI agents received a title III wire intercept on Castro-Navarro's phone.  Within 30 days they had seized 30 pounds of meth, and 2 pounds of heroin, in Ontario, CA.

I wrote about the sentencing and backstory of Juan Castro Navarro last summer, Castro-Navarro, revealed at his sentencing texted gleefully and ironically, about a man at his feet, being strangled to death in a grimy Tijuana stash house.  He couldn't be tried for the murder that happened in Mexico, in early 2014, but the District judge used it to enhance his sentence, saying Castro-Navarro had become a monster.  A newspaper article and the intercepted text messages were shown at the sentencing.  The images have been released by Zeta, and is a grim portrait of the life, handcuffs and barren safe houses, stench of death and stale beer, in cigarette smoke and urine from the victim.

This case gives us a chance to examine more closely, the bodies we routinely read and see, tossed dismissively, bound, gagged, scarred with bullets, knifes, blunt objects, on the streets of Tijuana.  El Sureno, the subject of Castro-Navarro's text messages was a gang member in Tijuana, possibly deported from Los Angeles, and working amongst the cities trafficking groups.  Castro-Navarro was a methamphetamine and heroin trafficker, and broker, who linked runners to customers in California and abroad.  He organized dozens of loads, with dozens of pounds of both drugs.  

El Sureno was an affiliate of a gang member in LA, known as David.  David, linked with Oscar Ureta-Cervantes, a partner of Castro Navarro, through El Sureno.  David wanted to take multiple pounds of meth a week, and quantities of heroin. Middle men would receive a few hundred for every pound sold.  Another customer, another account for Castro-Navarro.  But, David broke rank, on his first run, pulling a pistol on the Cervantes, and taking all the product.  

Castro-Navarro, another individual named Marlon, and Cervantes ordered El Sureno picked up, and brought to a safe house for interrogation, which he texted updates to his wife about.   Suereno was tortured, given an opportunity to make a deal, and pay a ransom of 20 pounds of meth for his release. He was beaten with a bat, his backside showing extensive bruising, and finally strangled to death.  

Associate: Did you beat him or choke him?

In Tijuana, in the life, people are kidnapped, beaten til bloody, staining the floors and mattresses with blood, sweat, human waste, as victims lose control of their bodily functions....their torturers and murderers are not all sociopathic monsters, but men who drink at the bars, buy their kids Christmas presents, let their wife's know they will be running late at work...