El Chapo Trial: Transcript of recorded conversation between Chapo and FARC representative

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Who exactly recorded this call between Chapo and a FARC representative, wasn’t made known in the trial of El Chapo. However this recording and transcript was entered into evidence. [use full size viewing option]

To read post on the recorded phone call, use this hyperlink by clicking on here.

3 Federal police and a sicario killed in Morelia attack

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat- Thank you 'Tu Fren'---from LaVoz and Primera Plana

Three vehicles were  traveling in convoy. One was stopped by two Federal Police pickups. The occupants of the other two vehicles opened fire. Three cops killed. In the counterattack, one sicario killed and left in vehicle. This happened just a couple miles south of Morelia:

An armed attacked against the Federal Police, left three police dead in addition to 1 civilian [sicario].

This was the first aggression against federal police since AMLO took office, but such attacks have experienced an uptick at the end of the previous administration.

He perps fled in two trucks down a dirt road and left a dodge truck behind with the dead sicario inside. 

El Chapo Trial: "He is a really good businessman" cooperative witness says of Chapo

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat-Mica and Chivis' trial Coverage

Jorge Cifuentes, a cooperative witness in the trial of El Chapo, testified that in 2007, Chapo  met with executives of Pemex to request that oil tankers be use to facilitate cocaine from  Ecuador.

He further explained that Vicente Zambada the son of El Mayo Zambada, leader of  the Sinaloa Cartel,  was the contact  with Pemex and that the meetings took place at the end of 2007 in the highlands near Culiacán.

The plan, Cifuentes said, was for the company's ships to go to Ecuador to collect oil and cocaine and take it to the Lázaro Cárdenas port in the Mexican Pacific.

Without specifying why, he said the plan was not carried out, the witness said.   Cifuentes only appointed one Pemex official present at the meetings: Alfonso Acosta.

The Colombian also explained that Chapo gave him money generated by the sale of drugs in the United States.

With the money, a Colombian named Gilberto García, aka "El Político", bought cocaine in the Colombia, in  an area controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The drug then was transported to Ecuador by the Colombian Army in military trucks to warehouses in Quito and Guayaquil.

Subsequently, the cocaine was transported to Mexico in shark boats, and  bribes paid to members of the Ecuadorian Navy to inform the cartel  the location of the US Navy in the area.

USCG Brings in Lots of Weed and Traffickers

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: USCG 

Photo by: Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Kelley , U.S. Coast Guard District 11 PADET, San Diego

Fireman Patrick Saragoza ties off a fender aboard a Coast Guard Station San Diego 45-foot Response Boat-Medium during a joint patrol with the Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour off the coast of Southern California Nov. 27, 2018. The crew of the Rednour made the ship's first drug bust during the patrol.

San Pedro, Calif: The crew of a San Pedro-based Coast Guard cutter returned to their homeport Saturday following a two-week patrol that included the ship’s first drug bust.

The crew of the recently commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour interdicted approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana from a suspected smuggling vessel on Nov. 28 in international waters, approximately 30 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico maritime border.

A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Multi Enforcement Aircraft spotted a northbound 25-foot cuddy cabin boat with three people aboard just before midnight, Nov. 27. The Forrest Rednour crew arrived on scene, deployed their interceptor boat and stopped the suspect boat. 

Colombian Drug Exports: Marketed by Mexican DTOs

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Proceso

                              Drug trafficking in Colombia generates $15 billion dollars a year
By: Rafael Croda

BOGOTÁ , Colombia:  The value of drug revenues in Colombia reached the previous years at some 15,000,695 billion dollars, equivalent to 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), estimated on Thursday a government report .

The document "Integral policy to confront the problem of drugs", presented by Colombian President Iván Duque, also points out that drug trafficking revenues in the country multiplied by 150 percent between 2016 and 2017.

This, because in 2016 this illegal activity generated resources equivalent to 2 % of GDP, while in 2017 the percentage rose to 5 %. According to the report, drug trafficking produces more income than the coffee sector, which participates with 1 percent of GDP.

The $ 15,000,695 billion generated by drug trafficking in Colombia in 2017 represented 41 percent of the country's total exports during that year.

According to intelligence sources, most of the cocaine produced in Colombia is transported and marketed outside the country by the Mexican drug cartels.

Canadian killed in Mexico City washed money for El Pistache of La Unión de El Betito

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat-thank you BB follower-from Diario Contra Replica

Jodh Singh Manj, the Canadian man who was executed last week in the parking lot in a Santa Fe shopping center was the main money launderer for David García Ramírez, “El Pistache”, ex-leader of the La Unión de Tepito cartel.

The woman who accompanied him is the one who helped “El Pistache” and Roberto Moyado Esparza, “El Betito”, to rent apartments and other places to hide or live.

Reports obtained by ContraRéplica reveal that the Canadian who was 31 years old, worked with the criminal group of La Unión de El Betito.

In recent months, the Canadian helped El Pistache to launder the money they obtained from their various illicit activities. He invested it in shadow businesses and then returned the cleansed money to the Union leader.

Cd Hidalgo, Coahuila: SEMAR Patrol Attacked by Armed Criminals

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Vanguardia

According to local media, authorities of the Coahuila government report a balance of one Marine dead and two civilians killed.

This Thursday morning there was a confrontation on federal highway number 2 Piedras Negras- Nuevo Laredo , between elements of the Secretariat of the Navy and armed men, which left at least three people dead; one on the side of the armed forces and two on the side of the criminal group.

The facts were recorded the morning of this Thursday in the vicinity of the town of Hidalgo, Coahuila, almost on the border with the State of Nuevo León, near the border area with the Rio Grande.

Although the facts were recorded around six o'clock in the morning of this Thursday, it was around 10:30 am that federal highway number 2 was closed to traffic, in the vicinity of the municipality of Hidalgo, due to the research work carried out by the staff of the General State Prosecutor's Office (FGE).

As a result of this situation, long lines have been created in both directions of the road, since the aforementioned road is one of the busiest routes for those who travel from the North region of Coahuila to Nuevo León or Tamaulipas and vice versa.

Guerrero: Community Police Take Over Security from Petatlán Municipal Police

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Excelsior

Elements of the Civic Police of Costa Grande, attached to the Union of Peoples and Organizations of the State of Guerrero, (UPOEG) took control of the Municipal Directorate of Public Security and Traffic of Petatlán Guerrero and disarmed the Municipal Police in turn , to whom they accused of working with an organized crime group called 'Guerrerense Guard'.

The disarmament of Municipal Police occurred around the 5 pm on Monday, when the group of Community Police burst into the municipal seat, from the community of Santa Rosa, where on December 2 announced their conformation.

The Municipal security elements did not resist and were placed face down on the esplanade of the barracks , while the Community Police took control of the facilities.

The community spokesman, Víctor Espino Cortés, said they discovered that the radio communications equipment of the Municipal Police were connected to the radio equipment of the criminal group that operates in the area .

Reynosa Tamps: Military Confrontation May Have Unleashed New Wave of Violence

Yaqui for Borderland Beat  from: Debate

                           Military repels attack of alleged assassins in Reynosa, Tamaulipas
            The balance of the crossfire was a detainee, a gunman shot and a high power arsenal

However today : Clashes in Reynosa unleash panic, a possible reprisal for yesterdays Military action.

A person without life and two students injured was the balance left by the violent day.

Alleged members of the CDN, the Cartel de Noreste, engaged in  a confrontation against elements of the Eighth Military Zone in the municipality of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, with the balance of a gunman shot , one arrested and an arsenal of high-powered weapons secured in two vehicles that left abandoned when fleeing.

The state delegation of the PGR did not specify the day of the events, but according to residents of the neighboring border municipality could be derived from an intense shooting occurred last Saturday in the rural area of ​​the municipality. ( Don't forget the bloodbath at Bar Carpa, Sat/ Sunday)

The PGR explained in the communiqué that elements of the Ministry of National Defense maintained a confrontation with armed civilians in the vicinity of the town of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, where a dejected aggressor, who wore a cap with the acronym "CDN" (Cartel from the Northeast) and a gunman was arrested.

CJNG's "Changa" Arrested for Extorsion in Morelos

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: UnoTV

                                                           Rubén "N", aka "Changa"
     The man operates in the eastern region for "Ray", a boss of the CJNG. Photo: Fiscalía Morelos

Rubén "N", alias "Changa" , was arrested in Morelos for extortion ; In addition, he is an operator in the eastern region of the state for "Ray", a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel . 

One family accused the man of extortion:

"The victim arrived at his home and told  his father excitedly that moments before, a man on a motorcycle had impacted his truck. Then they immediately began receiving extortion calls, telling them that if they did not pay a large sum of money, he  would cause harm to some family member. 

"Out of fear, the victims gave away land, cash, a vehicle and cattle. " says the statement of FGE Morelos 

As the threats continued, the family presented the denunciation, to the FGE, which was then executed during the weekend against "Changa" for the crime of aggravated extortion.

Magdalena, Sonora: Violent Confrontation Leaves 2 Dead, Vehicles Burned

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Imparcial

VIDEO next page.
The confrontation of two antagonistic armed criminal groups in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, left the balance of three people dead and a pregnant woman wounded by a gunshot, as well as cars burned and damaged  homes and vehicles were registered in Magdalena after the shootout was provoked.

Magdalena de Kino, Sonora:  The afternoon of this Tuesday the population of Magdalena de Kino , saw its tranquility interrupted after a scuffle with firearms was recorded among alleged members of organized crime , where apparently one  of the assassins was left dead, another man shot dead in the face, which provoked a strong mobilization of the security bodies, municipal, state and federal.

According to state authorities, "El Audi", originally from Ciudad Juárez , Chihuahua , is alleged to be the leader of a criminal group and was one of the dead.

In addition, the State Attorney's Office reported on three people injured by bullets: two of them are out of danger and the other is attended by doctors. People had to shelter in place.

El Chapo Trial: Emma's interview, "I am a normal person"

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat Op-Ed

Inset Emma at 17

I wasn’t interested in watching this Telemundo interview with Emma Coronel, the wife of El Chapo.

But I was encouraged to do so, told it was informative.  I still feel these interviews are more self-serving at this point and probably surfaced because of the negative press attributed to Coronel, and the window to humanize her husband, at any level, slammed shut when the trial began.  She was to conduct interviews in October.  She decided not to do interviews. 

And she is an excellent interview.  She artfully dodges delicate questions, answers others with grace and good articulation.  She is warmly guarded, beams when speaking about her 7 year old twin daughters, and does humanize her husband in a way that others can’t. 

Her interview was not without missteps, nothing a little more prep and small adjustments wouldn’t have secured.

Truck Driver Held While his Trailer was Loaded w Drugs

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Riodoce

                           Truck Driver alleges kidnapping and threats to bring drugs to the US

The long haul trucker owns the  truck and for 23 years he has had a US visa to deliver commercial goods and has regularly entered the country.

By: Alejandro Monjardín

The cartels have developed novel methods to pass drugs to the United States: from hiding it in the bodies of people, to packages that simulate fruits, tamales or cakes and even in drones.

They have also used blind mules, those people who hide the drug in their vehicle without realizing it, but there are also those who claim that they were kidnapped and threatened with death to carry a shipment.

One of them is Sinaloan Enrique "V", who says he was kidnapped and held for several hours and then released and returned his trailer in which he had chiles.The defendant alleges that he was threatened to carry the load.

According to his defense, the kidnappers told him to continue his way to the United States and that everything was already arranged so that he would cross the border with more than 6 tons of marijuana, but in the secondary  inspection in the Customs Facility he was arrested.

Madera Chihuahua: People Trust "El Jaguar" Not the Federal Police

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: El Heraldo

                              They run off Federal Police and cheer on the "Narco of Madera"

Thirty-five or more people  block the passage of eight vans of the Federal Police in an area dominated by "El Jaguar" who disputes the plaza with the Juarez Cartel.

Madera, Chih: At the cry of "We feel more secure with "El Jaguar" , the unusual demonstration, which included women and children who were used as a shield, expressed slogans of repudiation towards the uniformed authorities,  who chose to avoid confrontation. 

As a sign of damage to the social fabric in several communities in the mountainous area of Chihuahua, the atmosphere of narcos, lack of social actions of the authorities and the impunity with which acts organized crime, Sunday, residents of the Ejido El Largo Maderal , ran to agents of the Federal Police, and chanted praise and cheers to the drug lord of the area, known as "El Jaguar."

A convoy of 8 trucks of the Federal Police was blocked by residents of El Largo Maderal who with banners in hand demanded that the more than 35 agents leave the town , this because they argue that they feel more secure with the presence of Francisco Arvizu Márquez , "El Jaguar" of CDSinaloa.

Chapo Trial: "El Mayo almost killed me"..says Tirso

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Tirso Martinez Sanchez, aka “El Futbolista” was questioned under cross about his futbol teams.

Tirso admitted to using millions of drug money to invest in Mexican soccer teams.

He named the cities where he owned teams, La Piedad, Celaya, Merida, Queretaro and Irapuato.  He told the court he later sold the La Piedad team for 10M making a profit of 4 million.

Between the years of 2000-2003 he netted 40 to 50 million dollars in the drug trafficking business.  He says he made so much money he didn’t mind losing a couple of million on cockfights and gambling.

El Mayo almost killed me

Terror Continues it’s Reign in Reynosa

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Vanguardia

Terror continues in Reynosa, Tamaulipas: armed group attacks bar, kills four and leaves 10 wounded

In the club was one dead man , another person in the parking lot, and two other people died in nearby hospitals. Four dead and 10 wounded were the result of an attack that armed men perpetrated in the La Carpa bar in this city. At around 4:30 am, two bursts of detonations were heard from  the armed convoy that arrived aboard a BMW car , with which they then fled at high speed.

There were approximately 250 people still there at dawn, when armed men arrived in a black BMW car and went to the entrance of the site. When they arrived, they opened fire and, according to the witnesses, before the first shots the young people who were there looked for a way to escape, which caused chaos.

According to local media, one man was left without a life, another person was in the parking lot, and two others died in nearby hospitals , one of them being a minor, aged 17. At least 10 bullet wounded patrons were also treated by public and private medical services.

"El 20" aka "La Mole" Captured in Guerrero

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Proceso y BajoPalabra

Acapulco, Guerrero:  The state government announced the arrest of an alleged criminal leader, identified as Benjamín Flores Agatón, "La Mole", or "El 20" aka Miguel Martínez during an operation carried out by Marines and ministerial agents in a nightclub linked to crime in the tourist strip of Acapulco.

After a shooting in the Club Deportivo division, agents of the Armed Navy of Mexico and ministerial police officers arrested Miguel Martínez or Benjamín Flores, alias "El 20", presumed leader of the Independent Cartel of Acapulco (CIDA).

According to information unofficially, at dawn on Saturday there was a shooting in the vicinity of a table dance club. After the report, the security corporations moved to the area and made security tours, managing to stop a group of between 3 and 4 people.

El Chapo Trial: Chapo ran "Cocaine Trains" to NYC, says Tirso Martinez

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat
Prosecutors want "Fast and Furious" off limits

About the cooperative witness:

Tirso Martinez-Sanchez a Mexican native, was arrested in Mexico on Feb. 2, 2014, and extradited 

from Mexico to the United States on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015.  He was facing decade-old charges that he shipped tons of cocaine into this country.

Martinez employed a network that included railroad cars to ship and store cocaine between 1999 and 2003, according to the 2004 indictment. [see hearing transcript below]

Martinez worked with the Carrillo Fuentes and Beltrán Leyva organizations, as well as Colombian traffickers  Victor and Miguel Mejía-Múnera.

Martinez had been held in the Altiplano No.1 prison in Mexico before being brought to New York.

"If only they had let me touch his skull": Forensic knowledge from mothers of the dissappeared

Translated by El Profe for Borderland Beat adondevanlosdesaparecidos.org

                     

Mothers are experts in the knowledge of their children's bodies, in their medical histories, and in their daily practices, which are part of what forensic sciences call antemortem information.

By R. Aída Hernández Castillo (CIESAS-GIASF)

 

Photographs: Social and Forensic Anthropology Research Group (GIASF)

 

In the last two years I have joined the walk of organizations of relatives of the disappeared, constituted mainly of mothers and wives, who, faced with the inability of the Mexican State, have taken on the task of searching for the human remains of their relatives in clandestine graves.

 

As happened with the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina, or with the Mutual Support Group in Guatemala, it is mostly mothers who have mobilized in the search for their children, politicizing their maternal identities to transform all the disappeared men and women into their sons and daughters. The labeled T-shirts used in the marches or in the search days have changed from "I will look for you until I find you" to "We will look for them until we find them." Their identity as "mothers" has been  politically mobilized in order to obtain the solidarity of civil society and the logistical support of local institutions in the face of what they consider a "relative protection" of organized crime groups that control the area. (1)

El Chapo Trial: More insight into Emma's cell gate as prosecution withdraws request for sanctions

Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

Wanted sanctions all around

The prosecution has withdrawn their request for sanctions against the defense team, over prohibited cell communications allegedly implemented between Emma Coronel and El Chapo.

The motion was withdrawn “without prejudice” meaning it is not dead and could be refiled.

In reading the motion one is given a greater insight as to what exactly the prosecution is saying.

Although there are two defense players pointed out in the scenario, the government wanted the entire team to be sanctioned. 

Here is what the government claims;