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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Insider gave up "El Teo" to help "clean up my country".

Borderland Beat Posted by "Siskiyou_Kid" on BB Forum


Teodoro Garcia Simental aka "El Teo".
Capture of Mexican mob boss began with a fed-up informant

By Richard Marosi 

TIJUANA — The informant paid his own way to Mexico City and strode into a hotel room in an upscale neighborhood, willing to end the reign of one of Mexico's most brutal crime bosses. 

He wanted money, he told four Drug Enforcement Administration agents, but that wasn't his primary motivation. The Tijuana drug cartel insider said he had grown disgusted by the savagery of Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental — the pudgy kingpin whose criminal mayhem was generating headlines around the world. 

Baja California, once a popular destination for day-tripping Americans, had become one of Mexico's most violent regions. Army soldiers patrolled in convoys and manned bunkers flanking highways. Torture victims' bodies hung from overpasses, and once-crowded beaches became playgrounds for mob bosses and their entourages. 

Sitting across from the agents in a double-locked hotel room that day in late 2009, the informant handed over his cellphone. It listed a number he said was Garcia's. An agent wrote it down. 

"This is something I can do to clean up my country," the informant said, according to an agent, who added: "He wanted to do his obligation as a citizen." 

That meeting, not previously disclosed, set off an investigation that quickly culminated with Garcia's arrest during a predawn raid on his hideout in La Paz, in southeastern Baja. In a drug war plagued by setbacks and mistrust between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, the capture was an example of binational cooperation that brought instant, lasting results. 

The hunt for cartel chieftains yielded another major success Monday, when Mexican marines seized Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, the notorious commander of the Zeta organization. Like Garcia, he was known for extreme brutality. 

When Garcia was captured three years ago, the beheadings, massacres, high-speed chases and daytime shootings stopped in Baja. Restaurant tables in Tijuana started filling up again, cops were no longer targeted, and some of the thousands of people who had relocated to San Diego started moving back into the city. 


In the years immediately before the raid, such a scenario was hard to imagine. 

Garcia was a "Batman"-esque villain whose lieutenants included a man sporting skull tattoos for every murder he committed and a former bricklayer whose sole job was to dissolve enemies in barrels of lye. 

The Tijuana organized crime group that spawned Garcia, better known as the Arellano Felix drug cartel, had long operated in Tijuana, largely tolerated under an unwritten code: Criminals were free to move their drugs to the U.S. as long as they kept their bloodletting among rivals. 

Garcia broke all the rules. 

A onetime enforcer, he assembled his own crew and started targeting the citizenry, kidnapping hundreds and holding them for ransom. Garcia extorted shoeshine vendors and human smugglers alike and roamed his east Tijuana stronghold in a convoy of 10 vehicles. 

In April 2008, Garcia's clash with a cartel rival left 14 dead on a highway, triggering a drug war that introduced a style of terror that would become commonplace across Mexico. Garcia's rivals weren't just killed; they were mutilated and had their tongues cut out. They were rolled in carpet and set aflame. Many were beheaded and tossed onto busy streets. 

U.S. authorities in San Diego watched the carnage with growing concern. They had demolished the cartel's upper ranks through arrests and prosecutions, only to watch the once-obscure Garcia ascend. In a 2008 intelligence report, the FBI expressed concern that drug war violence would spill over the border, noting that senior members of Garcia's gang lived in downtown San Diego. 

Some federal agents and prosecutors wanted to indict Garcia and have him extradited to the U.S.; others said the situation was too urgent to wait for a case to be put together. 

"We always wanted to press charges on Teo, but when you're listening to death and destruction every day and the kidnapping of people, you just can't allow it" to go on, said one high-ranking U.S. law enforcement official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of security concerns. 

Garcia expertly eluded capture. He constantly switched phones and rarely called twice from the same location. Police informants alerted him at the first sign of trouble, most memorably in 2009, when Garcia and his cronies escaped a raid at his rented oceanfront cottage by running down the beach. 

U.S. authorities did have a tenacious ally: Tijuana's then-secretary of public safety, Julian Leyzaola. His 2,000-officer police force had once functioned as little more than an arm of organized crime, but Leyzaola had purged hundreds. 

The remaining cops were caught between the professional demands of Leyzaola and the death threats and bribes of the shadowy crime boss. Forty-five officers eventually died at the hands of Garcia's gunmen. 

Leyzaola came close to capturing Garcia in August 2008. After seeing Garcia's convoy of Tahoes and Suburbans filling up at a gas station, his team gave chase at speeds up to 150 mph. Leyzaola's heavily armored vehicle bottomed out in the dirt in a hilly area, and Garcia got away. But the constant pressure forced Garcia to move out of the city, still in charge but vulnerable. 

The informant decided to act. 

Though the DEA has an office at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, the informant chose to make contact with U.S. authorites far away from Baja California. He called the DEA at its regional headquarters at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. 

The DEA was accustomed to receiving blustering types who exaggerated their claims in search of a quick payday. This source wasn't like that. He had paid for his flight to Mexico City, for one thing. And his working knowledge of the organization matched the DEA's information. 

He also had no criminal record, was well-dressed and sported a professional attitude. "He was a cool, collected person," said one agent who was in the hotel room. "That's what triggered our interest. This source wasn't fishing for how much he was going to get paid." 

Agents analyzed call records and determined that the telephone number he gave them was indeed Garcia's. Within weeks, they had tracked Garcia to an upscale development near Cabo San Lucas. 

The agents contacted a Mexico City-based federal police commander whose highly trained unit had partnered with the agency on other kingpin arrests. "When you have a good lead, you need to act fast," said Gary Hill, assistant special agent in charge at the DEA's San Diego office. 

The target information remained secret. No local police in La Paz were notified, and only three members of the squad were told whom they were pursuing. 

Early on Jan. 12, 2010, 100 federal police flew into La Paz and boarded two tour buses. When the drivers saw the masked lawmen filling the aisles, they refused to drive until they were given a bonus. 

The buses parked on either end of Garcia's street. As a Blackhawk helicopter circled overhead, the team rammed open the palm-flanked front door and swarmed in. Balloons from Garcia's daughter's birthday party the day before floated in the living room. Rousted from bed, Garcia scrambled onto a balcony and was caught trying to get on the roof. 


Teodoro Garcia Simental´s home at the moment of his arrest.

No weapons were found. Garcia had been caught by surprise, in his "tighty whities," as one U.S. agent described it. 

"There were 100 guys preparing for the worst and, turns out, it was just a guy in his underwear," one agent said. 

Even with Garcia's arrest, organized crime in Baja California is far from eliminated. Authorities believe that the Sinaloa drug cartel has taken over and that given the region's proximity to U.S. drug markets, it will remain a heavily contested trafficking corridor. 

But a semblance of order has been restored. 

These days, Baja California is better known for its funky nightlife in downtown Tijuana, the beloved Mexican soccer league champion, Xolos de Tijuana, and the seafood-infused Baja-Med cuisine that draws celebrity chefs and foodies from around the world. 

"Instead of being dominated by fear, now civic life revolves around hope, and that leads to much better things in the future," then-President Felipe Calderon said in a 2010 interview with The Times. 

Three years later, Garcia remains locked up in a high-security prison outside Mexico City. 

And the informant from Baja California who made it all happen? Said one agent: "He's still alive, living happily, in that general area." 

48 comments:

  1. ... and the drugs keep on flowing!!!

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  2. Sounds like one of El Chapo's intel agents.

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  3. When the drivers saw the masked lawmen filling the aisles, they refused to drive until they were given a bonus.

    They are under orders, they don't have the right to refuse, this story is fishy.

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    Replies
    1. Wow these fucks need a bribe to drive a fucking bus.

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    2. You do realize they ask for bonus incase somethinf happens they will have sone to leave their family or to scape with resources

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  4. So what happened to the story about following one of Teo's cousin to his house?

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  5. Fat fucking pig. He is lucky others did not do to his family what he did to so many innocent people.

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  6. snitches get stiches, viva Z42

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    1. Lol el z42 tambien va ppr el rumbo del 40 no se preocupen poco a poco unos antes otros mas tarde pero al final todos caen

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    2. Chinga tu puta perra madre tu y el joto 42. Pinche lamehuevos! Los van a quebrar muy pronto culeros.

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  7. EL Teo was diabolical.A real psychopathic killer.Mis respetos para el citizen q lo denuncio aunque esroy seguro que su mayor motivacion fueron las papeletas de dinero

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  8. Thank you. Maybe there is some reason to hope.

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  9. Z42 needs to be next.. tamaliupas needs some peace... miss the old days when u could go across and visit and not worry about your safety ...

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  10. What a fattie i guess all capos stuff their faces and dont hit the treadmill much while on the run lol how do they expect to getaway when they don't do any cardio haha u can cheat the system but not your abs . Ever hear of sugar free soda!? Teo i hope you eat shit tacos in jail. Was this scumbag an ex cop? We need to send Mexico robocop or the terminator he won't take shit from Chapo

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  11. As bloodthirsty as "el Teo" Garcia Simental was, he presented a threat to CDS as well as to the CDT and that is the reason he was turned in. However, Leyzaola also had something to do with the arrest of el teo. Subsequently, Leyzaola was transfered to Ciudad Juarez where he is having the same success he had TJ as far reducing cartel violence. You could say he is the Elliott Ness of MX. From Tijuas to Chiwuas, Julian Leyzaola is bringing peace and stability. Now the people of Tj, B. California can get to what's really important : Tijuana's nightlife.

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  12. Great story! i finally learned what i have been curious to know all this last year as i became interested in the drug war. I basically know plenty about all other regions but tijuanas updates are never posted here (iknow because the violence is down) but its still relevant as from what i know the arrellanos still control tj & if sinaloa is present it is towards the eastern part of the city. I live near tj so there's things that everyone in the region knows. Thanks for the article!

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  13. Here's an editorial change that would make this story true:

    The Sinaloa Cartel did have a tenacious ally: Tijuana's then-secretary of public safety, Julian Leyzaola. His 2,000-officer police force had once functioned as little more than an arm of organized crime, but Leyzaola had purged hundreds in order to consolidate Sinaloa's hold on the Tijuana Plaza.

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  14. all of this crap could be avoided if we had the balls to decriminalize drugs. Although it is such a lucrative industry that i don't doubt violence would still have a part in it. Even Chiquita Banana (aka United Fruit) is responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders. And that's for Bananas.

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    1. United fruit was responsible for the cia backed coup de etat against the arbenz the guatemalan president

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  15. Someone please tell me where i can get a Tahoe that will do 150, or a Suburban

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    1. Any Tahoe can above 150 just take the restrictor off!! Not safe going 150 though on a Tahoe or suburban... be careful

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    2. HAHAHAHAHAHA.. True that... (:*!

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  16. lol lol....do you really think teo was a threat to chapo, lets be real

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  17. This story is bs. He switched phones every day, new phones every hour for that matter. A simple phone number wouldn't of had been what was used to track him down. They followed his cousin to his house. Everyone knows this.

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  18. Anytime a big bad boss is going 2 b captured, especially, a demonic kind, soldiers, head person n charge of executing the capture will get either bonuses, vehicles, monies, jewelry, furnishings etc...obtained from the narcos captured. 2 what degree & 2 whom its distributed is up 2 the persons n charge. We need 2 remember that these guys put their life's on the line when going out there 2 execute warrants 4 their arrest, anything can happen -good or bad -easy or difficult -just remember the soldier who was killed during the capture & death of Arturo Beltran Leyva, after being recognized as a hero by then president Calderon -name of soldier & his family were published n newspapers cartel thugs came later that evening after the burial of soldier & killed the mom, bother, sister & sister in law. That's another reason why they r also masked. Yeah there r corrupt military but, I also think there r military personnel & branches that would like 2 one day enjoy a beautiful peaceful mexico. We must not forget that many politicians, police officers, prison warden's, soldiers etc... have been murdered, tortured, kidnapped because they didn't want 2 b part of this on going nightmare with the cartels.

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  19. el gallo de tijuanaJuly 22, 2013 at 1:34 PM

    tijuano como esta pareja hay algo que lla se habia hablo en el otro website hace un tiempo el teo empezo perder la guerra con el caf su misma gente lla no le crei sus mentiras y traisones el teo tuvo una junta con los altos mandos del caf y se rindio lo quicieron quebrar pero la orden de arriba fue sacarle la sopa como grandes capos del caf lo hicieron creer que todo estaba bien que todo regresaria alo normal pero lo sigueron y la patrona y el patron decidieron entregarlo y por quedar bien con el gobierno y la paz con los negocios que se tienen en toda la penninsula era mas combeniente entregarlo que darle piso ami en lo personal lo queria quebrar pero ordenes son ordenes mi tijuano el teo tambien estaba perdiendo gente ellos se estaban regresando al caf casi el 60% por eso el teo vendio las nalgas y tetas al chapo y mayo pero con todo ese apoyo aun asi no podian con la experiencia y estragedias de los duenos de esta frontera no entiendo porque las dea siempre quiere demostrar que estan altanto de todo la razon que saben lo que sabe es porque usan formas illegales pero si muy chingones son los de la dea y fbi que paso el 9-11 con respeto alos fallecidos porque no tanto interes en su mismo pais usen la cabeza y veran como financiera mente estados unidos se hizo de dinero para cuando van entregar al chapo y mayo la verdad es una burla me da gusto en saludarte pareja no entiendo porque dicen que alguin tuvo juntas para entregar al teo eso es muy incorrecto mi tijuano el alquiles traisono al teo y al muletas ychiquilin con una condision estar independiente y el caf miro pura ganacia es por eso que el alquiles y tigre se andan siempre enfrentando porque el alquiles no es del cds el nomas cordina y segunasegura cargamentos claro pagando piso y el tigre manda su cuota al caf

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  20. Chapo drop dime on his fatass, chikilin ,el muletas, me cai que se esta riendo el ingeniero,el pozolero might come out,?

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  21. Yeah it dose sound like el chapó de snitchaloa
    I just wonder WHO dose he pay to look the
    other way.

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  22. 11:43 am it is bullshit, if he showed his phone records to the dea nothing would be consistent if he switched phones everyday.

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  23. I will bet z40 ratted out diego from la linea. Diego was threatening the dea and wham bam thank you mam he was caught at home. z40 had a pact with la linea. el chingo from la familia was nabbed on the way to meeting with zetas. another z40 rat job!

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  24. Nice article BB...
    if ur bad for business ur gonna get taken out or snitched on!!! Fat idiot got what he deserved!!!

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  25. You gotta remember the bus driver´s were NOT Federal Agents, they worked for a tourist bus company, when they saw they were hired by masked agnets, they asked for a "bonus".

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  26. @El Gallo:

    Eso es algo que ya habia escuchado, que el Aquiles mueve droga sinaloense pero por su cuenta. Eso explicaria las broncas con los Tigres y los Wichos.

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  27. why care if a criminal rat on another crimanal? so fucking cares.

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  28. Wow!! With the red suit this guy could play santa claus at christmas lol!! I think he knew his number was up.he didnt do this out of love for the ppl thats for sure

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  29. This story is from the LA TIMES By Richard Marosi
    July 20, 2013, 7:25 p.m. GIVE Credit to the Organization and person who wrote it. You guys are starting to be like EL BLOG DEL NARCO

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    1. Wow if you read the story from the start you would of seen that

      Vegas Guys

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  30. i see you gave Marosi credit. please erase my previous comment.

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  31. Tijuano wats good with the war for tj3???

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  32. Would like to know about el inge wen he comes in the picture? ???

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  33. For real Im more interested about the Arellano mafia domination in la Baja than actual events that are occuring right now!!Haha lets get part 3 in!!
    Saludos

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  34. tijuano's the war for tijuana part 3 is startin to look like dr dre's detox

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  35. @Tijuano: Excellent article. Teo was a real animal, and he had an excellent mentor in Ramon Arellano-Felix. These accounts warm my heart because they almost always show these losers for what they really are--cowards who are brave only when they have the upper hand through hired guns, or when they attack defenseless people. Good job on the part of the MexFeds.

    By the way: when should we expect Chapter Three of your great Tijuana Cartel Saga? The first two chapters were outstanding, and I'd like to see the third when you have the time to write and post it.

    Respectfully,

    MF

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  36. @Tijuano is it true that narco jr Everardo Paez "El Kitty" got released from prison like a few months ago? Thats the word that has been spreading in Tijuana lately especially in the Hipodromo area

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  37. Puro arellano felix/los hijos de los senores arellano felix puro inge

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    Replies
    1. tú no eres hijo de nadie vato mentiroso

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