By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A man identified as the shooter of a high ranking police commander in Nuevo Leon state was shot to death by police agents in a Monterrey suburb Saturday, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news account posted on the website of Milenio news daily, Humberto Víctor Galindo AKA El Guacho and another unidentified man said to be an accomplice, were shot to death by Nuevo Leon state ministerial police agents at a farm in Santa Catarina municipality Saturday afternoon.
Nuevo Leon state commander of the Agencia Estatal de Investigaciones (AEI), Gustavo Gerardo Garza Saucedo AKA El Jerry, was shot to death, early on the morning of February 19th by a sniper using a .50 caliber Barrett brand rifle presumably a semi automatic rifle at a range of about 60 yards, a tiny fraction of the range of the weapon. The police commander was just arriving at his home in the Hacienda del Carmen colony of Apodaca, which is a suburb of Monterrey, the state capital of Nuevo Leon.
According to a separate press report posted on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily, Victor Galindo was a Mexican Army deserter from Veracruz state who left the army eight years ago, and was the Los Zetas turf commander for Santa Catarina municipality.
Santa Catarina is located due wast of Monterrey city.
The assassination took place after Victor Galindo and another accomplice, identified as Juan Jesús Silva Saenz, threatened security guards at the gated community where Garza Saucedo resided. News accounts say Silva Saenz allegedly acted as a lookout at a nearby convenience store while Victor Galindo shot his victim.
According to the news account, Silva Saenz allegedly arranged an armed robbery of the store as a diversion and then he watched at the location, then signalled the shooter.
Silva Saenz himself was detained aboard a Ford Aerostar van as he and two other individuals travelling March 14th at a security checkpoint on the Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo highway, where security elements found 34 rifles allegedly in his possession. Among the rifles seized were AR-15 and AK-47 rifles. According to another account which appeared on the Nota Roja Konecho blog, the stop led to a second vehicle with two more AK-47 rifles and 67 weapons magazines inside.
Nuevo Leon ministerial police agents began conducting a search of an area in Santa Catarina Saturday in the area where are five abandoned farms.
Victor Galindo and other accomplices were found at a farm called Eucalyptus, in the wooded area of Parque La Huasteca colony. According to the translation, Victor Galindo cycled his weapon's action to fire but was shot to death by police agents.
At the location police agents seized one AR-15 rifle and one AK-47 rifle. An unknown number of other suspects were also in the area with Victor Galindo, but had apparently escaped the police cordon.
According to the El Diario de Coahuila account, state police agents did not inform Santa Catarina police about the search operation until it was over.
Los Zetas, like their Sinaloa and Gulf cartel rivals like to maintain turf bosses in many municipalities in northern Mexico. Above the municipality level, Los Zetas maintain a regional boss as well.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
Rantburg.com
A man identified as the shooter of a high ranking police commander in Nuevo Leon state was shot to death by police agents in a Monterrey suburb Saturday, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news account posted on the website of Milenio news daily, Humberto Víctor Galindo AKA El Guacho and another unidentified man said to be an accomplice, were shot to death by Nuevo Leon state ministerial police agents at a farm in Santa Catarina municipality Saturday afternoon.
Nuevo Leon state commander of the Agencia Estatal de Investigaciones (AEI), Gustavo Gerardo Garza Saucedo AKA El Jerry, was shot to death, early on the morning of February 19th by a sniper using a .50 caliber Barrett brand rifle presumably a semi automatic rifle at a range of about 60 yards, a tiny fraction of the range of the weapon. The police commander was just arriving at his home in the Hacienda del Carmen colony of Apodaca, which is a suburb of Monterrey, the state capital of Nuevo Leon.
According to a separate press report posted on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily, Victor Galindo was a Mexican Army deserter from Veracruz state who left the army eight years ago, and was the Los Zetas turf commander for Santa Catarina municipality.
Santa Catarina is located due wast of Monterrey city.
The assassination took place after Victor Galindo and another accomplice, identified as Juan Jesús Silva Saenz, threatened security guards at the gated community where Garza Saucedo resided. News accounts say Silva Saenz allegedly acted as a lookout at a nearby convenience store while Victor Galindo shot his victim.
According to the news account, Silva Saenz allegedly arranged an armed robbery of the store as a diversion and then he watched at the location, then signalled the shooter.
Silva Saenz himself was detained aboard a Ford Aerostar van as he and two other individuals travelling March 14th at a security checkpoint on the Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo highway, where security elements found 34 rifles allegedly in his possession. Among the rifles seized were AR-15 and AK-47 rifles. According to another account which appeared on the Nota Roja Konecho blog, the stop led to a second vehicle with two more AK-47 rifles and 67 weapons magazines inside.
Nuevo Leon ministerial police agents began conducting a search of an area in Santa Catarina Saturday in the area where are five abandoned farms.
Victor Galindo and other accomplices were found at a farm called Eucalyptus, in the wooded area of Parque La Huasteca colony. According to the translation, Victor Galindo cycled his weapon's action to fire but was shot to death by police agents.
At the location police agents seized one AR-15 rifle and one AK-47 rifle. An unknown number of other suspects were also in the area with Victor Galindo, but had apparently escaped the police cordon.
According to the El Diario de Coahuila account, state police agents did not inform Santa Catarina police about the search operation until it was over.
Los Zetas, like their Sinaloa and Gulf cartel rivals like to maintain turf bosses in many municipalities in northern Mexico. Above the municipality level, Los Zetas maintain a regional boss as well.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com