Category: Breaking News

July 16th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Mexican cartel shootout leaves 26 dead or wounded in latest violent clash

Mexican cartel shootout leaves 26 dead or wounded in latest violent clash

(THE GUARDIAN) — By David Agren in Mexico City

A battle between rival drug cartel factions in Mexico’s northern Chihuahua state left at least 26 dead and injured, officials have confirmed, in the latest series of violent incidents that have sent the country’s murder rate soaring.

Chihuahua state officials say the shootout occurred in the hamlet of Las Vargas, deep in the rugged Sierra Madre mountains, where the illegal drugs business has deep roots in the local community and economy.

Details were scant, but experts say that the security situation in Chihuahua has deteriorated in recent months as criminal groups squabble over the remains of the empire once controlled by Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

The shootout was just the latest atrocity in a wave of violence extending the length of Mexico, which has sent the country’s homicide rate soaring to levels not seen in two decades. It came after a weekend attack in neighboring Sinaloa, where a confrontation between accused cartel members and state security forces left 19 suspects dead and five police injured.

Mexico recorded 11,155 homicides over the first five months of 2017, according to federal crime statistics. May, meanwhile, was Mexico’s most murderous month since 1997, when the country started accumulating such statistics, with 2,186 homicides committed.

Analysts attribute the rising violence to a confluence of factors, including changing dynamics in the illegal drugs business. Mexican cartels are shifting focus in their smuggling operations to the US from marijuana to heroin, unleashing a wave of violence in the opium poppy-producing state of Guerrero that has left entire villages have emptied.

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July 16th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Mexico gun attack on children’s party in Tizayuca kills 11

Mexico gun attack on children’s party in Tizayuca kills 11

(BBC) — Masked men burst into a children’s birthday party in the Mexican city of Tizayuca in central Hidalgo state, killing 11.

Police said they had found three children alive at the scene but all 11 adults at the party had been shot dead.

It had taken place in a tent set up by the host outside their home in a residential area of the city.

Mexico has recently seen a surge in violence linked to disputes between drug cartels.

In May alone, 2,186 killings were recorded – approximately 70 a day.

A recent trend has seen hit men murdering whole families, including children.

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July 14th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Cartel violence spills into Texas as gunmen storm past U.S. border security

Cartel violence spills into Texas as gunmen storm past U.S. border security

(BREITBART) — PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Coahuila — Two cartel gunmen fleeing from a raging gun battle with Mexican authorities ran through U.S. border security measures twice as they crossed into Texas and back; using their vehicle to ram barriers.

The cartel gunmen were able to cross into Eagle Pass through International Bridge #2 by running the security checkpoints. Shortly after they crossed back through a second bridge that was closed at the time. The gunmen used their vehicle to ram security barriers and later ditched it escape on foot.

The violence began overnight near the rural community of Nava, Coahuila, when authorities received information about two gunmen riding in a late model white Toyota Tundra, information provided to Breitbart Texas by Coahuila law enforcement revealed.

State police officers with a special investigative unit spotted the vehicle along Boulevard Carranza near the intersection with Airport Boulevard in the border city of Piedras Negras. Officers tried to pull over the gunmen but were met with gunfire as they sped off–setting off a high-speed chase.

The gunmen were able to reach the main plaza in Piedras Negras, Plaza de Las Culturas, where they once again engaged law enforcement in a short firefight. As they made their way to the International Bridge #2, gunmen rammed their way through other vehicles and barriers as they used the inbound lanes through Mexican Customs to reach the U.S. side of the bridge.

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July 8th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Brutal gang fight in Mexico prison claims at least 28 lives

Brutal gang fight in Mexico prison claims at least 28 lives

(OUTLOOK INDIA) — At least 28 people died after a brutal fight broke out in the Mexican Pacific resort of Acapulco prison.

This outbreak is said to be one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country’s penal system in the recent years.

Acapulco is the biggest city of Guerrero and the incident took place on the same day when the Homeland Security (DHS) secretary John Kelly was visiting Guerrero, which lies in the southwest of the country, reported the Guardians.

As per the Guerrero state security official, Roberto Alvarez, the fight broke out between rival gangs in presence of the maximum security wing of the prison.

Bodies were discovered throughout the wing, including the kitchen area, as well as the area for conjugal visits.

Acapulco being the center of opium poppy production has been a major concern to US officials. It is also one of Mexico’s most lawless states.

Kelly, is one of the main links between the Mexican government and the Trump administration on migration and security cooperation.

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July 8th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Trump, Peña Nieto discuss Mexican guest-worker proposal

Trump, Peña Nieto discuss Mexican guest-worker proposal

(FOX BUSINESS) — By Robbie Whelan

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and U.S. President Donald Trump, at their first one-on-one meeting since Mr. Trump took office, agreed Friday to explore new ways of allowing Mexican workers to temporarily enter the U.S. to help the agriculture industry.

The proposal came at the end of a half-hour meeting between the two heads of state at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, where both sides also discussed the coming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Mexico’s government said it hoped to finish by the end of this year.

“We’re negotiating Nafta and some other things with Mexico and we’ll see how it all turns out, but I think that we’ve made very good progress,” Mr. Trump said after the meeting, according to Reuters.

Despite the upbeat message, the meeting could have gotten off on the wrong foot when a reporter asked Mr. Trump if he still wanted Mexico to pay for the proposed border wall. Mr. Trump answered, “Absolutely,” according to a video posted online by ABC News.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who was seated next to Mr. Peña Nieto during the exchange, said he didn’t hear what Mr. Trump said, but added that the subject of the wall wasn’t brought up during the meeting.

Mexican officials have insisted they would walk out of any meeting between both sides if the U.S. team brought up Mexico paying for the wall.

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July 8th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Border crossings at historic lows, but up from last month

Border crossings at historic lows, but up from last month

(BREITBART) — Illegal border crossings along the southwest U.S. border with Mexico are at a six-year low but are up some over last month.

The total apprehensions of illegal aliens crossing the southwest border with Mexico increased 10 percent from May to June, according to a new report obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. This follows a 31 percent increase from April to May.

In May 2017, border apprehensions increased from a historic 17-year low of 11,126 in April to 14,535 in May, Breitbart Texas reported. Those numbers went up again in June to 16,089, CBP officials detailed.

During the same period in the year before, Border Patrol agents apprehended 38,089 illegal immigrants in April, 40,337 in May, and 34,450 in June.

Year-to-date apprehensions are down substantially when comparing fiscal years 2016 and 2017. During the first three quarters of FY 2016, agents apprehended a total of 366,044 illegal immigrants. In that same period this year, the numbers fell to 240,930, a decrease of 34 percent.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/07/08/border-crossings-at-historic-lows-up-from-last-month/

July 2nd, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on 19 cartel gunmen killed in firefight near Mexican beach resort town

19 cartel gunmen killed in firefight near Mexican beach resort town

(BREITBART) — Nineteen cartel gunmen and two others died in a series of fierce firefights near the Mexican beach resort town of Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

The violence began on Friday night in the village of Villa Union located near the famed resort town of Mazatlan, information provided to Breitbart Texas by Mexican Military officials revealed. In that village, a team of gunmen executed two men outside of a house along a road that leads to the nearby town of Mapa.

Local police officers responding to the shooting chased the gunmen setting off a rolling gun battle as authorities and gunmen exchanged gunfire. During that clash, four police officers sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to emergency rooms in Mazatlan. Officials did not disclose the condition of the officers.

Shortly after the initial execution and the first firefight, a convoy of military vehicles clashed with a team of approximately 19 gunmen riding in 4 SUV’s. The gunmen wore body armor. They also carried machine guns and other military style weapons.

The fierce gun battle went on for several minutes until the military forces were able to kill 19 of the gunmen in the convoy. The bodies of the cartel sicarios were left behind for Sinaloa State authorities to document and investigate.

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June 27th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on 7th Mexican journalist murdered in months, killers incinerated corpse

7th Mexican journalist murdered in months, killers incinerated corpse

(BREITBART) — by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

MEXICO CITY — MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities identified the charred remains of an investigative journalist from Michoacán kidnapped a month ago. This is the seventh case of a reporter who covered the government or drug cartels being murdered.

On Monday afternoon, the Michoacan Attorney General’s Office (PGJ) announced the identification Salvador Adame, a journalist who was kidnapped a month prior. Adame’s charred remains were found in Mid-May in an area called Devil’s Creek or Barranca del Diablo not far from a state highway between the rural communities of Nueva Italia and Lombardia. The body was identified after investigators performed DNA testing, Michoacan authorities revealed.

Salvador Adame was the director for a local news station called 6TV in Michoacan, the same state where he was kidnapped by cartel gunmen on May 18 near the rural community of Nueva Italia. For more than one month, the fate of the journalist went unknown. Various colleagues took to social media to express their outrage and even the U.S. Embassy tweeted about his disappearance.

According to information gained from the interrogation of Daniel “El Cabezon” Ruiz, a top enforcer for the Familia Michoacana/Knights Templar, Adame’s kidnapping, murder, and incineration was carried out by Feliciano “Chano Peña” Ledezma. Daniel Ruiz was recently arrested by authorities in the operation where they captured the head of the Nueva Familia, Ignacio “El Cenizo” Andrade Renteria the leader of the Familia Michoacana/Knights Templar.

According to Michoacan law enforcement officials, the late Salvador Adame was a childhood friend of Ruiz–leading to his cooperation in an effort to recover the slain journalist’s body.

As Breitbart Texas reported, 2017 has been a deadly year for media with a total of seven investigative journalists critical of Mexico’s government or drug cartels being killed. Days before Adame was kidnapped, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, gunmen murdered award-winning journalist Javier Valdez, sparking outrage among local journalists.

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June 25th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on 74 killed in weeks-long cartel war near Texas border

74 killed in weeks-long cartel war near Texas border

(BREITBART) — REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — The raging cartel war for control of this city resulted in at least 74 officially-counted murders. Many more victims have been incinerated just south of the Texas border.

In early May, Breitbart Texas began reporting on rival factions of the Gulf Cartel fighting for control of this border city. The continuing conflicts resulted in convoys of cartel gunmen roaming the streets looking for their rivals.

Overnight, cartel gunmen dumped a bloodied corpse with a posterboard where one cartel factions threatened their rivals. Bodies with warnings had not been seen previously in Reynosa. However, they are commonplace in Ciudad Victoria and in the border state of Nuevo Leon where Breitbart Texas has been reporting Los Zetas and other cartels are also carrying out massacres.

The violence spiked in early May, shortly after Mexican authorities killed former Gulf Cartel boss Juan Manuel “Toro” Loiza Salinas in late April. His death led to a power vacuum where his former allies are trying to fight off the another faction that appears to be favored by other cartel leaders. The ongoing fighting has led to a spike in highway robberies, armed robberies, kidnappings, and extortions as cartel commanders continue to look for ways to fund their ongoing war.

The raging violence by the Gulf Cartel immediately south of the Texas border led to the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) issuing an alert to agents that they represent regarding the cartel war just south of the border, Breitbart Texas reported.

The NBPC warned federal agents about the constant gun battles and the possibility of spillover violence or stray rounds fired in Mexico landing in Texas.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/06/24/graphic-74-killed-weeks-long-cartel-war-near-texas-border/

June 24th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Mexican cartel spying on U.S. cops in plot to identify, murder informants in Arizona

Mexican cartel spying on U.S. cops in plot to identify, murder informants in Arizona

(BREITBART) — by Robert Arce

A Mexican transnational criminal group aligned with the Sinaloa Federation (Sinaloa Cartel) is performing a surveillance operation on U.S. soil against U.S. law enforcement personnel. The cartel is attempting to identify U.S. law enforcement agents’ confidential informants so that the sources can be murdered.

The operation is occurring in southern Arizona, according to a warning classified as law enforcement sensitive (Police Sensitive/Unclassified) that was issued by the FBI. The warning, known a situational report or bulletin, was issued on Friday, June 23, 2017. A highly trusted source working in the region provided the information to Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity and with the agreement that we would redact certain details in our public report.

This deadly plot is occurring in Douglas, Arizona, or surrounding areas by a special forces group of the Sinaloa Federation based out of Agua Prieta, Mexico. The cartel’s group, specifically a specialized surveillance team, is called “Grupo Delta.”

The FBI-issued report names a specific individual as a known member of the Agua Prieta drug trafficking organization and it asserts that this individual deployed the cartel surveillance team into the U.S. for this effort.

Though the FBI-issued situational report does not specify the name of the specific Mexico-based criminal group, Agua Prieta is controlled by a group known as Los Salazar which operates under the banner of the Sinaloa Federation, thereby making them part of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Agua Prieta is located on the border with Douglas, Arizona, approximately two hours southeast of Tucson, Arizona.

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