Category: Breaking News

24,000 homicides – Mexico on pace for most violent year in history as drug wars spiral out of control

(ZERO HEDGE) — by Tyler Durden

As our elected officials in Washington D.C. continue to debate whether or not Trump’s proposed border wall would be an effective deterrent to those looking to come to the U.S. illegally, the one thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that Mexico’s drug wars are spiraling out of control…a fact that the Trump administration will almost certainly leverage as it seeks additional funding for border security.

As PanAmPost notes, Mexico has recorded a staggering 24,000 homicides in 2017 through September with 73% of those murders being tied to organized crime.

2017 might be the most violent year in Mexican history, one NGO claims. Semáforo Delictivo said that, due to the 24,000 homicides between January and September, the year is proving even worse than 2011, when President Felipe Calderón’s war on drugs led to 22,000 homicides.

President of the organization, Santiago Roel, said that 73 percent of murders committed in the first eight months of the year were related to organized crime. He said that in 2007, there were 2,828 executions. Now, a decade later, 18,017 have been reported.

All high-impact crimes have increased during the current year, including abductions, homicides and grand theft auto at gunpoint. According to Roel, the main cause of violence and corruption is the “Mérida Plan,” which focuses on eradicating drug cartels.

Moreover, some 85,000 insured vehicles have been stolen over the past 12 months, with 60% being considered ‘violent’.

According to the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions, violent car robberies are at their highest point in the country’s history. Between October 2016 and September 2017, 85,943 insured cars have been stolen. Sixty percent of the robberies were violent.

Recaredo Arias, the association’s Director General, said that elements of organized crime have been identified in these cases, and that more urgent measures are needed to combat the problem.

The states of Guerrero, Sinaloa, Mexico City, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Michoacán, Zacatecas, Morelos, Tabasco and Tamaulipas, have the highest numbers of violent car thefts, he said.

Meanwhile, as Fox News pointed out earlier this week, the drug wars south of the border are seemingly on the precipice of becoming way more sophisticated after 4 men were arrested by federal police carrying a drone equipped with an improvised explosive device wired for remote detonation.

Mexican Federal Police arrested four men Oct. 20 in Guanajuanto who were driving a stolen vehicle equipped with a 3DR Solo Quadcopter drone attached to an IED, Small Wars Journal reported. The drone had a range of about half a mile, but modifications would have allowed it to fly farther.

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Cartel shootout in Chihuahua with 100 gunmen lasted eight hours before troops intervened

(BREITBART) — by Robert Arce

More than 100 gunmen took part in a series of large-scale shootouts between factions of the Sinaloa and Juarez Cartels in the border state of Chihuahua. The skirmish took place in a rural mountain area that went on for more than eight hours until state and federal authorities arrived.

The fighting occurred in the rural community of Uruachi where the 1,100 residents were left helpless as the local police force stood helplessly after being outgunned and outnumbered by the large cartel armies, El Diario de Chihuahua reported.

The convoys of gunmen taking part in the fighting that went on for hours were described as carrying high-powered rifles and wearing tactical gear. When the two rival armies clashed near the rural community, local police officers were rapidly overwhelmed, forcing them to back off and wait for state and military forces to arrive. According to statements made by local mayor Hacel Campos Rascon, authorities arrived eight hours after the shooting began.

According to the state attorney general and Breitbart law enforcement sources, the fighting took place between a group called Gente Nueva, who are part of the Los Salazar faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Gente Nueva is currently led by Noriel “El Chueco” Portillo. The second group involved in this confrontation was led by César Daniel “H2” Manjarrez Alonso, whose organization is under the Juarez Cartel, also known as the Nuevo Cartel de Juarez (NCDJ).

Sources within the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office revealed to Breitbart Texas that the confrontation is believed to be in retaliation for the recent kidnapping of the chief of police of the community of Carichí, Cipriano “Pano” Escárcega Aranda, El Heraldo De Chihuahua reported. The local police chief is also the father of Julio César “El Tigre” Escárcega Murillo, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel faction called Gente Nueva del Tigre.

The kidnapping took place on October 3 when a convoy of at least eight trucks with 20 armed cartel gunmen led by Manjarrez Alonso stormed the house of the police chief. Despite a gun battle to rescue the police chief, the kidnappers were able to escape with their victim.

The Sinaloa and the Juarez Cartels are fighting over control of key smuggling routes to bring drugs and humans into the U.S. One of these areas being fought over is the remote home of the Tarahumara Indians, who live in the mountainous communities surrounding Uruachi.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)
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Armored convoy of cartel gunmen invades Mexican border town

(BREITBART) — RIO BRAVO, Tamaulipas — Dozens of SUVs filled with Gulf Cartel gunmen rolled into the border city of Rio Bravo, waiving rifles as they prepared to hunt rivals in what became a day of fierce shootouts.

A video taken by one of the gunmen and shared on social media shows the moment the cartel presumably with the Los Escorpiones (Scorpions) group roll into the city. Rio Bravo is immediately south of the McAllen, Texas, metro area.

“Rio Bravo que onda (what’s up) …. matalos a todos (kill them all), says one of the gunmen as he sticks a black AR-15 rifle out of the window.

The incursion by one faction the Gulf Cartel was part of an ongoing war for territorial control. The group called Los Escorpiones rolled in from Matamoros in armored SUVs to kill key leaders of the rival faction commonly known as Los Metros. When the two factions met throughout the day, terror ensued as the rivals unleashed thousands of rounds of ammunition and explosives on each other.

Information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas government revealed that the gunmen were riding in SUVs with makeshift armor and artillery weapons. Authorities seized 13 armored SUVs, 10 stock vehicles, four grenade launchers, 23 grenades, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, 23 assault rifles, and machine guns.

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Cartel-linked former Mexican border governor denied bond, must stay in jail

(BREITBART) — by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

A state judge in Tamaulipas formally charged a cartel-linked former governor and ordered him to remain behind bars without bond.

Eugenio Hernandez Flores, a former governor of Tamaulipas, will have to remain behind bars at a state prison he once ruled over on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. The judge notified Hernandez on Thursday morning that he found enough evidence to criminally charge the former politician, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas government revealed.

Agents with the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office arrested Hernandez last week as part of an investigation into the illicit purchase of state-owned property resulting in the charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Hernandez was scheduled to have a hearing on Thursday morning where local politicians and political analysts suspected or claimed that Hernandez would be released.

Hernandez is currently listed as a fugitive by the U.S. Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on multiple money laundering charges, Breitbart Texas reported. Testimony in other related cases and civil matters claim Hernandez not only laundered embezzled funds, but also cleaned hefty bribes from Mexican drug cartels.

The Tamaulipas case against Hernandez deals with the purchase of a large tract of coastal state-owned property that the politician allegedly purchased at 1 percent of its fair market value through the use of various shell companies and straw men.

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At least 13 dead after police use force to end Mexico prison riot

(GEARS OF BIZ) — By Victoria Ritter

At least 13 inmates have died in a prison riot in northern Mexico that authorities ended with lethal force, a state security official has said.

Spokesman Aldo Fasci said the riot occurred at the state prison in Cadereyta and the death toll could climb because eight people were in a critical condition.

The battle began overnight in the prison, just outside the city of Monterrey.

All afternoon, desperate families battled authorities outside the prison gates, demanding information about their relatives inside as black smoke poured from several points inside the facility.

Several hours of attempted negotiations failed and police using non-lethal force were unable to quell the riot, Mr Fasci said, so it was decided lethal force would be necessary to protect the lives of guards and prisoners.

Authorities could see through video monitors that at least one prisoner had already been killed and guards had been taken hostage, Mr Fasci said.

The guards were being held and beaten on the roof.

“If they had not taken these decisions right now we would be talking about many more dead,” Mr Fasci said.

The trouble started Monday night (local time) when one of the half-dozen gangs that is normally kept apart inside the prison protested.

The protest died down, but early on Tuesday morning fighting broke out and a prisoner was killed and his body burned, according to Mr Fasci.

When police first went in trying to take control, they were met by about 150 prisoners who attacked them with metal tools and rubble from work that was being carried out inside the prison.

No guards were killed in the violence, but a police officer was gravely wounded with a punctured lung.

It is 4,000 inmates against 300 guards, Mr Fasci said, adding the facility was not designed for that many prisoners or prisoners of the risk level it holds.

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Mexican border state cops capture 10 cartel gunmen sent to terrorize region

(BREITBART) — PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Coahuila — State and local authorities arrested 10 gunmen from a drug cartel in Tamaulipas who were looking to sneak into this border city under orders to spread terror in the region.

The recent arrest took place after a shootout where the 10 gunmen clashed with state and local police officers, law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas. No casualties were reported in the shootout which began when local police officers responded to the Central neighborhood, after receiving information about “suspicious” individuals there.

When cops arrived, they were met with gunfire–forcing the officers to call for backup. A detachment of Fuerza Coahuila officers and local cops responded, leading the gunmen to surrender before any injuries or deaths were reported.

Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that during questioning, the gunmen claimed they were from Tamaulipas to join the Zetas Vieja Escuela. The group slipped into Piedras Negras with the intent to carry out attacks to destabilize the area and maintain armed conflict with Cartel Del Noreste. [READ MORE]

Mexican cartel targets SUV drivers for carjackings near Texas border

(BREITBART) — REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Gun battles, carjackings, and kidnappings continue to take place every day in this border city as two rival factions of the Gulf Cartel continue to fight for control.

In recent days, cartel gunmen targeted average citizens for daylight carjackings in their efforts to steal four-door SUVs. The teams of cartel gunmen stole trucks at gunpoint near the Anzalduas International Bridge, near the city’s downtown area.

Mexican law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that SUVs are a favored by cartel gunmen due to powerful engines; high clearances for dirt roads; and the four doors allow each gunman the ability to shoot in and out of the vehicle with relative ease. SUVs are used in large-scale gun battles along rural dirt roads or in the main city streets when rival cartel factions clash.

Mexican law enforcement officials have been targeting these convoys, many times finding them and clashing with them before the rival cartel factions meet. This has led to a large number of shootouts between law enforcement and cartel gunmen.

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Cartel kidnaps, incinerates Mexican border congresswoman’s son

(BREITBART) — MONTERREY, Nuevo Leon — A group of gunmen presumably with the Gulf Cartel kidnapped and incinerated the son of a former Mexican congresswoman from this border state.

A possible debt with the cartel appears to have been the reason for the kidnapping and murder. Law enforcement sources in Nuevo Leon revealed to Breitbart Texas that the case began when police officers in the town of Santa Catarina received a call about an incinerated man left in a rural field along the highway to Saltillo.

When authorities arrived, they discovered the body of 38-year-old Victor Ibarra Martinez–who has been identified in a preliminary fashion as the son of the former congresswoman Margarita Martinez. Authorities were not able to formally identify the body since the remains were badly burned. Nuevo Leon law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that Ibarra Martinez was considered kidnapped since September 26.

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Gulf Cartel’s top boss pleads guilty in U.S. court

(BREITBART) — by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The man who once had full command of the Gulf Cartel during its heyday pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and charges of assaulting a federal officer.

Jorge “El Coss” Costilla Sanchez went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan and entered a guilty plea to one drug conspiracy charge and two separate counts of assault on a federal officer.

From 2003 until his arrest in 2012, Costilla controlled the criminal organization known as the Gulf Cartel (CDG). According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, since the 1990’s the Gulf Cartel has been Mexico’s leading drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the northern part of Tamaulipas.

Costilla inherited the command of the Gulf Cartel from its previous leader, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison. Cardenas was arrested in 2003 and extradited to Texas in 2007.

According to prosecutors, Costilla-Sanchez was responsible for making strategic decisions and trying to manage the various factions of the Gulf Cartel, including Los Zetas who eventually broke away. Beginning in 1998, Costilla helped the Gulf Cartel move tons of cocaine and marijuana into the country through the international bridges in Hidalgo and Cameron County, as well as through the waters of the Rio Grande and through the Gulf of Mexico into the Texas coast.

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Cartel gunmen attack funeral procession in Mexican border state

(BREITBART) — CIUDAD VICTORIA, Tamaulipas — The raging cartel violence that continues to envelop this border state took an odd turn when gunmen killed two underage brothers and an adult woman who were taking part in the funeral procession of a recently murdered cartel member.

The multiple homicides took place south of this city along the highway that connects with the rural community of Soto La Marina.

Those attacked were taking part in the funeral procession of 20-year-old Jose Ramon Sandoval Garcia who was murdered in his home last week. Jose Ramon was linked to one of the cartels that operate in the city and was believed to have carried out local extortions. During the funeral procession, a team of rival cartel gunmen riding in various SUVs pulled up next to the procession and opened fire.

When the attack took place, the two 13-year-old brothers, Adolfo and Angel Ramizez Avalos, were struck by multiple bullets as they rode in the back of an older Ford F-150.

The sudden attack sent others fleeing in a panic as they attempted to avoid being shot by automatic bursts of gunfire. On the side of the road next to a barb wire fence, authorities located the body of the unidentified woman who appears to have been hit by a stray bullet and collapsed.

One of those in attendance rushed to a local gas station to call for help, asking for the military and the red cross to respond. By the time emergency personnel arrived, the two teenagers had died. Paramedics were able to tend to another teen named Cristian Azael Perez Torres, shot twice in the groin area and was rushed to the local children’s hospital in critical condition.

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