Thursday, February 26, 2015

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Capos Captured in 2014

Posted: 26 Feb 2015 04:46 AM PST

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

The detentions of El Chapo Guzman and Vincente Carrillo Fuentes were big hits against the Sinaloa and Juarez Cartels


City of Mexico:
The maximum security prisons of Altiplano in the state of Mexico, and Puente Grande in Jalisco had new organised crime tenants in 2014

Among the most important captures of the year are Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, El Chapo, leader of the Sinaloa cartel, and Vincente Carrillo Fuentes, El Viceroy, head of the Juarez cartel.

Other cartels also suffered big hits to their structures, Beltran Leyva, Arellano Felix, Knights Templars, Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Los Rojos, La Familia Michoacana, Los Zetas, CDG, and Guerreros Unidos.





The following are the most powerful bosses captured in 2014:

Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera
El Chapo
Leader of the Sinaloa Cartel
Detention: February 22nd in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, he was in a condominium with his wife and daughters.
Prison: Altiplano, State of Mexico
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization, crimes against health, violation of Federal Law on firearms and explosives, money laundering.

Vincente Carrillo Fuentes
El Viceroy
Leader of the Juarez Cartel
Detention: 9th of October in Torreon, Coahuila.
Prison: Puente Grande, Jalisco.
Charges: Ownership of arms for exclusive use of the armed forces, being a member of delinquent organization.

Hector Beltran Leyva
El H
Leader of the Beltran Leyva Cartel
Detention: October 1st, in San Miguel of Allende, Guanajuato. Eating with the businessman German Goyeneche Ortega in a seafood restaurant.
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico.
Charges: Ownership of arms for exclusive use of the armed forces and possession of ammunition, narco trafficking, there are 29 preliminary investigations against him, both common and Federal jurisdictions, in addition to three arrest warrants issued.

Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano
El Ingeniero, 41 years old
Leader of the Tijuana Cartel
Detention: June 23rd, in Tijuana, Baja California. Watching a Mexico vs Croatia Soccer game in Resturant.
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico.
Charges: Money laundering, narco trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and homicide.

Sidronio Casarrubias Salgado
Leader of Guerreros Unidos Cartel
Detention: October on the Mexico - Toluca highway.
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization, ownership of firearms for exclusive use of the armed forces, he was involved in the forced disappearance in Iguala of the 43 Normalistas of Ayotzinapa.

Dionisio Loya Plancarte
El Tio, 59 years of age.
Leader of the Knights Templar
Detention: January 27th, in Morelia, Michoacán. He was hiding in the closet of a house to evade capture.
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico
Charges: Ownership of firearms for exclusive use of the armed forces, being a member of a delinquent organization, crimes against health, named in 14 Ministerial records for probable participation in diverse criminal acts.

Ismael Zambada Imperial
El Mayito Gordo
Sinaloa Cartel
Detention: November 12th in Culiacan, Sinaloa.
Prison: Puente Grande, Jalisco
Charges: Crimes against health, ownership of firearms for exclusive use by the armed forces, owning ammunition for exclusive use by the armed forces.

Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nunez
El Changuito Antrax
Los Antrax, Sinaloa Cartel.
Detention: November 13th, in Culiacan, Sinaloa. He was captured on board a Nissan Sentra vehicle.
Prison: Aguaruto, Sinaloa
Charges: Crimes against health, violation of Federal Law of firearms and explosives.

Jose Maria Chavez Magana
El Pony
Leader of La Familia Michoacana in state of Mexico.
Detention: July 1st in Penjamo, Guanajuato.
Charges: Escape from Zitacuaro prison Michoacán in 2007 where he was imprisoned for crimes against health, and accused of kidnapping and extortion.

Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez
El Menchito or El Junior
Leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion
Detention: January 30th, in Zapopan, Jalisco
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico
Charges: Ownership of firearms and ammunition for exclusive use by armed forces, money laundering and crimes against health.

Leonor Nava Romero
El Tigre, 45 years of age.
Leader of Los Rojos Cartel
Detention: May, in Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, travelling in a car.
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico.
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization, crimes against health, use of false documents, violation of Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives.

Maria Nava Romero
La Dona
Leader of the Los Rojos Cartel
Detention: March 5th, in Santiago de Queretaro, Queretaro.
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization.

Fernando Martinez Magana
El Z16
Los Zetas Cartel, head of plaza for Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Detention: May 14th, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
Prison: Puente Grande, Jalisco.
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization, crimes against health, ownership of firearms and ammunition for exclusive use by the armed forces.


Juan Manuel Rodriquez Garcia
Juan Perros
Leader of the Cartel del Golfo
Detention: May 25th, in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Prison: Altiplano, state of Mexico
Charges: Being a member of a delinquent organization, crimes against health, ownership of firearms and ammunition for exclusive use by the armed forces.


Juan Fernando Alvarez
El Ferrari
Regional boss of Los Zetas, in the central zone of Tamaulipas.
Detention: May 17th, in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, he was getting on a bus.
Prison: Cefereso no 11 in Hermosillo, Sonora.
Charges: Crimes against health, ownership of firearms for exclusive use by the armed forces.


Juan Manuel Rodriguez Rodriguez
Head of Los Zetas
Detention: June 17th in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
Charges: Homicide, kidnapping, extortion, transit of drugs, and violation of the Federal Law of firearms.



Ricardo Ivan Santillan Trejo
Boss of Los Zetas in the Municipality of Mante and Hidalgo.
Detention: June 15th, in Mante, Tamaulipas.
Charges: Homicide, kidnapping, extortion, transit of drugs, and violation of the Federal Law of firearms.


Luis Jimenez Tovar
Cabeza de Marrano
Boss of Los Zetas in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas
Detention: July 3rd in Leon, Guanajuato.
Charges: Kidnapping and Homicide.


Eleno Salazar Flores
Pantera 6
Operator from Cartel del Golfo.
Detention: July 24th in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
Charges: Human trafficking, drug trafficking, arms trafficking.


List of those killed:

Nazario Moreno Gonzalez
El Chayo or El Mas Loco, 44 years of age.
Founder of La Familia Michoacana and leader of Knights Templar
Death: March 9th in Tumbiscatio, Michoacan. Special Forces of Marina and Sedena located Nazario. When ordered to surrender, he opened fire on the authorities, and was killed in the confrontation.


Enrique Plancarte Solis
Kike, 44 years of age.
Leader of Knights Templar.
Death: March 31st in Colon, Queretaro. He was walking down a street when he noticed the presence of Federal Forces, he tried to hide, when the forces tried to arrest him he opened fire on them. The authorities repelled the aggression and Solis was hit by gunfire. He died in the ambulance while being transferred to Hospital.

Benjamin Mondragon Pereda
El Benjamon
Leader of Guerreros Unidos Cartel.
Death: October 14th, in Jiutepec, Morelos. He committed suicide after a gun battle with Federal Forces, the shooting stopped while the criminal tried to negotiate with the forces, to let his fiancee leave the house. When she walked out he shot himself.

Galdino Mellado Cruz
El Z-9, 41 years of age.
Second in charge and a founder of Los Zetas
Death: May 9th in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Federal Forces located the delinquent hiding. From the inside of the building he was hiding in, came fire from grenade launchers and heavy calibre firearms. Subjects arrived in various vehicles, and attacked the Federal Forces. After the confrontation, the authorities went inside the structure and found the body of Cruz.

Original article in Spanish at Milenio

Singer Ariel Camacho killed with two others, another in ciritcal condition

Posted: 26 Feb 2015 12:07 AM PST

Lucio for Borderland Beat
Ariel Camacho, leader of La Banda de los Plebes del Rancho was killed in an automobile accident around 3AM this morning.Reports indicate the driver was speeding and lost control of his vehicle while attempting to command a curve on the road.The vehicle ran off an embankment into a canal in Los Ranchitos, Sinaloa.



Authorities have not reported who was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. In August 2014, the young singer was in another serious accident, in that accident he was driving at a high speed.
Melina Durán,  22 was another of the fatalities. She was a student at the University of Durango in Culiacán, Sinaloa, and a mother of a one year old son.


Julio Valverde, 24, was attended by physicians but succumbed from internal injuries and multiple fractures.  Valverde was one of the closest friends of Camacho, and was studying for a law degree.

Surviving the crash is Shirley Tavizón, 24 of Guamúchil, Sinaloa, and in critical condition is María Guadalupe Félix who is in a coma and sustained fractures including both legs.

The group had attended the last day of la fiesta del Carnaval Mocorito, where Camacho performed his last performance. 

Photo below was take at today's funeral.


Iguala mayor finally charged in the disappearance of normalistas; if justice was served in another case the students would be alive

Posted: 25 Feb 2015 06:41 PM PST

By Lucio for Borderland Beat

Mayor Abarca is charged in the murder of activist Arturo Hernández -witnesses testify Abarca shot and killed  Hernández, and now is charged  in the disappearance of 43 normalistas

                        Protests against the mayor in the Hernandez case took form in defacing municipal buildings

Infamous former Iguala mayor, José Luis Abarca, has finally been indicted for crimes connected to the case of the missing normalistas.
BB reporter Chivis has long contended that the case of the normalistas against the former Iguala mayor and his wife was worrisome, lacking strong evidence.  She hoped that the case of Mayor Abarca killing a social activist,  Arturo Hernández Cardona, in front of witnesses, would go forth, as it was the easier of the two cases to successfully prosecute.

And that perhaps the winning of a conviction in the Hernández case would lend credence to the normalistas case, and fearful witnesses would then come forward. Here is the back story from Chivis' earlier post:
-The PRD national council unanimously approved the immediate expulsion of José Luis Abarca, Mayor of Iguala, Guerrero. Also impeachment proceedings have been initiated.

Because the mayor was wanted for murder.  

But not in the case of the 43 missing students (normalistas) or the others killed by municipal police on the night of September 26, 2014, it was for the murder of Hernández.

On May 30th 2013 hundreds of striking miners, farmers and activists belonging to Unión Popular Emiliano Zapata (UPEZ), were conducting a protest in Iguala, Guerrero.

The grievances had lasted over seven years and nothing had transpired to addresses the issues of  exploitation and extreme occupational hazards that faced Taxco miners on strike against Grupo Mexico, the Larrea family, and the complicity, abuses, and impunity of local rulers.  Other issues were the exploitation of farmers.

In the case of Iguala, the local ruler is mayor, José Luis Abarca.  Iguala residents have long complained of the criminality of Abarca and his wife, and their alleged ties to Guerrero Unidos cartel.  
                            "You're dead!" shouts Mayor's wife Maria at Hernandez who is holding
                              the mic.  She had to be restrained from physically attacking him.  He was killed the next day.
On May 29, 2013 Abarca ordered the social activist group in an open forum to;

"Stop fucking around with me, I have people that work for me, that can take care of this". 


Arturo Hernandez Cordona, scientist, agricultural consultant, and founder of the local PRD as part of the National Democratic Leftist group (IDN) asked Abarca
  "What do you mean, take care of this?  That sounds like a threat to me"
Abarca's wife, Maria did not stand by quietly. She rose from her seat screaming at Hernández, making threats and jumped to physically attack the activist, but was restrained. (see photos above) she too threatened his life, "you're dead!"


Death threats become a reality 

The next day  Hernández and 7 others were kidnapped; a survivor of the group says this in his sworn testimony:

"On May 30th we were intercepted by two trucks, one gray Cherokee and a red Explorer; the Cherokee six people exited armed with guns, and in the Explorer were two men and a woman, but they just stayed inside the vehicle." 
Hernandez was shot in the leg at the scene of abduction. Then they were blindfolded, and transferred to a field where their blindfolds were removed and the beatings began.   

He continues the testimony:
"Late at night  three people arrived, of whom I knew the identities of two; the mayor Jose Luis Abarca and Velázquez, the Secretary of Public Security, and the third person I was not familiar with. 

They all were drinking beers which they carried to where we were being held. The survivor stated that there was a woman in the vehicle who never exited the car, and he could not see her clearly enough to identify.
"The mayor ordered further torture, and at the end of our torture, mayor Jose Luis Abarca  approached engineer Arturo Hernández Cardona,  saying how much Hernandez fucked with him, so he will take pleasure in killing him.  He then raised his weapon, and  shot and killed Hernández."
Not only had the mayor, ordered the torture of Hernández, then personally killed him but witnesses survived to tell the tale.  Two witnesses gave sworn testimony.  The witnesses were able to escape when the sicarios became sloppy after too much alcohol.  
 
Abarca goes to the media demanding justice, not for the murder, but for destruction from the  protesters (top photo)

Pleas for justice fell on deaf ears
Mexican priests and activists testified about the case in front of the Human Rights commission in Washington DC.   

And the  Hernández group protested and requested an inquiry of the PGR, who told the group "it is a state matter", the same state who was governed by corruption and whose governor was eventually forced out of office, governor Angel Aquirre, who the group had been charging with being complicit with the Abarcas in criminality.  That is who the federal government instructed the group to allow to investigate the case. 
It was not as though the Peña administration did not know what was happening in Guerrero, and in the case of  Hernández, through the human rights commission the world had information on the case at their fingertips.

8 days after the kidnapping and murder of Hernandez and others in his group, another  UPEZ leader was "taken" and disappeared as he ran an errand.  Justino Amos Osores (at left) vanished.
But nothing was even done in either case, until after September 26, 2014 when 50 were killed in Iguala, assuming the 43 abducted normalistas are dead.
So in effect but for the disappearances of 43 students studying to become teachers on September 26, 2014, nothing would have ever been done in the Hernández case.  And conversely perhaps if the case of Hernández was brought forth through the justice system, the lives of the 50 killed in Iguala on that nightmarish night, would be alive today.
The peculiar fact remains that when the Abarca's were captured, while on the lam, only then did the Hernández murder case come to life.  It magically sprung to life when the normalistas disappearance transpired. 
In fact, until this week the Abarcas were only charged in the kidnapping and murder of Hernández. 

Without fanfare, without explanation, of  why after two years of silence and non-participatory action in the case by the feds, it was in fact the PGR that brought charges against Abarca in the Hernández murder. 
The federal government is being tight lipped as to why it took this mass kidnapping to evoke the Hernández case, and exactly how that transpired.
Rafael Ochoa, one of the leaders along with Hernández of the Unidad Popular organization, says:
"The federal and state governments  waited a year and four months, to initiate an investigation against the former mayor and his wife, for the murder of our leader, who dedicated one hundred percent to defend the poor, and this delay, of course, the authorities have refused to explain why.
If they had acted immediately, as required by law, Ayotzinapa boys surely would not have been taken by municipal police  and would now taking classes at the teachers college."
Hernandez front center blue shirt, Ochoa is to his right
And the case was strong.  It had witnesses.  One can only imagine if one or more of the 43 had managed to escape, it would be a different case, we would not have to imagine the truth.  That is the frustration in the Hernandez case, it was solid from the beginning, it remains so, but without the forensics and other evidence that was available when the case was fresh.  
When the Abarcas were captured on November 4,  2014, their initial charges had zero to do with the normalistas case.  It was solely about the Hernández case, which seemingly rose from the dirt of the fosa his dead body was thrown into.  

(Photo below: Hernandez' wife Sofia has been outspoken against the Abarcas in her fight for justice  she is councilor for rural development)


                                              His kidnapping/murder was the only charges against the Abarca's until January 13, 2015 when the PGR charged the mayor with being the author of the police attack on students as well as for his alleged involvement in the cartel known as Guerreros Unidos,, whose  sicarios are now known to be involved in the normalistas case.
So until the ruling of this week, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) had not charged Abarca with the forced disappearance of persons, or any other offense regarding the normalistas.
However, it is noteworthy the fact that the Federal Public Ministry has now chosen to exercise criminal action for the crime of kidnapping, because it is likely, that if in the future the prosecutors charge him with enforced disappearance, Abarca can apply for and obtain an amparo, on grounds of being tried twice for the same events. 
44 others now being detained as suspects in the normalistas case, most being Iguala municipal police, were also charged in the disappearance of the students.
 

Sophisticated Narco Tunnel found between Arizona and Mexico

Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:52 AM PST

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


Naco Arizona :

Agents of the Office of Customs and Border Protection, confiscated this morning 2.3 tonnes of Marijuana in a sophisticated narco tunnel located in the city of Naco, Arizona, 355 kilometres  north east of the Sonora Capital.

The American agency informed that the investigation started last night when a squadron of anti narcotics agents detected an unusual movement of vehicles at the frontier with Mexico.

There they mounted an operation with drug sniffing dogs, who found the passageway built with wooden pillars and cement walls, equipped with a hydraulic mechanism to transport the drugs.



The height of the tunnel is approximately 1.70 metres so that a person may walk along it freely. The length of the structure is currently unknown, it is the responsibility of the aerial squadron of the USA agency to use radar to determine the dimensions of the tunnel.

Tunnel Entrance in Naco, Arizona


Mexican authorities were notified about the discovery, and in the next few hours will inform the agents about the location of the entrance on the Mexican side of the border.

A special agent of department of Interior Security, Matthew Allen said that drugs captured had a value of 3 million dollars on the black market.

This represents another major blow against the Mexican drug Cartels, who import this contraband either in the air or under the ground.

Inside the Tunnel


Also during the operation, they achieved the detention of 2 Mexican citizens located in the immediate vicinity of the residence in the city of Naco, as well as the drugs they located 3 firearms in the tunnel.

Since 2006, the USA agencies have located 80 narco tunnels in the states of Arizona and California.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso

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