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Monday, October 12, 2015

They lived 72 hours of Terror in the Mountains, displaced while the Marines search for El Chapo

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from an El Debate article with added material from Riodice and videos
Thank you to all those on mainboard and forum sending links and info in

UPDATED 13/10/2015 with more in depth Riodice article

[ Subject Matter: Marines operation in the Sierra Madre Occidental
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required]


Reporter: Martin Gastelum
Since Tuesday no less than 14 communities and their citizens have been practically effectively kidnapped by elements of the Mexican Marines.

Cosala, Sinaloa: it was a little less than 72 hours that the villagers of 14 communities of the Sierra Madre Occidental lived nightmare existence due to an operation by the Mexican Marines.

Villagers of the said communities, concentrated in the atrium of the Santa Ursula Church in the head town of Cosala, denounced that the said communities and especially its citizens, were left incommunicado, and the Marines stopped everyone leaving or communicating with their families, so they tried to solicit the support of the Municipal Authorities of Tamazula and Concordia, who said they couldn't intervene as they considered it a Federal operation.


The problem

Stationed on the road that leads from Mexico 15 to Cosala, right in the town of El Salto, and Marine roadblock checked every person that was travelling to the "magic town", they questioned the purpose of the trip and demanded identification of all the persons travelling, the same being done to everyone leaving the town.





In the community of Cosala, those who were affected by the Marine operation, said that these interruptions to their communities, after the alleged same events in the community of "El Limon", in the mountainous part of the municipality of Tamazula, Durango, where a confrontation is brewing between the Marines and some alleged criminals, when recently a Marine plane in the area had been damaged by criminals that could have led to the aircraft crashing, resulting in anger on the part of the armed forces, provoking their wish for retribution on the the neighbours of the surround communities.



Recounting the events

Rosario said that in the community of El Verano (the summer), where her family have their roots, that the Marines arrived on Wednesday morning, interrupting the communities firing at the houses and into the air, they were shooting with firearms and grenade launchers, after they fired at the houses they fired into the surroundings, wanting to intimidate the population. The same story is told in a similar way by residents of the communities of La Lagunita, Las Higueras, La Sierrita, El Zaus Viejo and Jacales.






I believe the dreams of my grandson, he dreamed that the "Gauchos" were killing him, they came yesterday evening and started shooting, why are they doing that if we are good people?", said Donna Maria.

The citizens of the mountain communities living in Cosala, decided to go to the community of Palo Verde, where allegedly the marines were in the way, two units, who assured not to know the facts about what was going on, and that they were just carrying out orders from their superiors, ensuring that the population can travel overland, without guaranteeing their safety from the air.

The marines deny an aircraft was brought down

Yesterday, on their twitter account, the Secretary of the Marines of Mexico, denied that in Durango one of its aircraft had been brought down. In an unofficial report this past Tuesday, in the community of La Borrega, Durango State, it said it had had an armed confrontation in which several people had died, and a supposed helicopter had been downed by armed civilians.

Original article in Spanish at El Debate

Riodice offers more information in their article see below.

The faces of fear: the displaced by the search for El Chapo in Tamazula


After an intense operation carried out by Secretary of the Marines, in the mountains of Tamazula, Durango, in a supposed search for Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, citizens of various villages, accompanied by human rights activists, they were searching the villages, who report that the marines have stayed in one of the communities.

The villagers had to abandon their houses to seek refuge in Cosala, for fear of being attacked after an intense battle from helicopters Tuesday this past week, where houses were shot up, at this time there are no reports of loss of life.

The marines have already denied, in an official manner, that it is not their elements  that have been responsible for the shooting against houses,  and that they maintain a state of readiness, they also insinuate that a criminal group could be utilizing SEMAR uniforms, so that they will be accused.

Here the people left fleeing

"About ten of us came to the mountain, we came with a little girl, we are suffering from hunger, they girl, well already she is dying, we want to return to our homes and families", said Heraclio.

He is a youngster of the El Aguila community, town of Tamazula, he said that on Saturday about 7 in the morning in the main square of Cosala, people left heading for their communities to rescue their relatives, which until then had not been able to leave the mountainous area.

Heraclio carries his 4 month old baby, beside his wife, Yanet who seems shy, " its because she is still afraid," said her husband; his plastic sandals scraped on the road where he originally fled in fear that the marines would shoot him.

This past Tuesday Heraclio and his family didn't lunch or breakfast, it was around 7:30 in the morning, when they had to flee for the mountain because helicopters arrived and started firing, who according to reports were Marine units, four days it took them to reach Cosala,Sinaloa.

"Here at the ranch passed three helicopters, but at El Limon ranch they were talking about two helicopters, that arrived firing. When they attacked we left our house for the mountain, they road was difficult because we had no facilities for the trip, which was hard on the little girl".

The fear that Heraclio had of being shot was because, two days earlier, agents of the armed forces, arrived at his house and beat him, claiming reports of kidnapping,"they beat us but apologized afterwards, and warned us not to make any complaints or they would kill us".

Heraclio and his family were not the only ones leaving the village on Tuesday because of helicopters shooting in the mountains of Tamazula, similar events being reported in the villages of El Verano, Lanunitas, Los Laureles, El Ranchito and Las Iglesias.

The tragedy at the Magic Village

The main square in Cosala was the meeting point for the families of the Durango mountains that are allegedly besieged by the Marines.

The Santa Ursula Church at Cosala showing the difficult surrounding terrain


Around 50 people, accompanied by the President for the Commission of Human Rights, Leonel Aguirre Meza, and the activist, Professor Oscar Loza Ochoa, the Attorney of Tamazula, Juan Jose Maclovio Gonzalez and Secretary of City Hall, Eduardo Mejia, went in search of authorities that would be able to guarantee their security to reach the villages.

Leaving Cosala, for the village of Palo Verde, the delegation med the first Marines. Peacefully people approached them for a response and guarantees for their safety and the people moving to their villages.

After questions from the people about the states of siege the marines have kept in communities such as El Verano, the marines commander denied the situation, expressing the right of freedom of movement of any person, and hinting that the people carrying out the shooting were criminals impersonating the institution.

"We are here, because we need to know if there is any force or group that is impersonating us".

In an interview with the marine in command of the local operation, who had installed himself in the graduate primary school Benito Juarez, in Palo Verde, he said the he could not guarantee the safety of the people who wanted to get deep into the mountainous area.

"So they dont they havent considered the feeling or opinion of the villagers besieged by marines in the higher villages?"

"The truth, no, and because of that I'm saying that people can pass, we are not obstructing the path of anybody, much less the Commissioner for Human Rights.

"What guarantees can you give the people that pass?"

"I think that you don't understand the situation now, but those that pass by now run the danger, because we know that a group of people are running around dressed as us".

"It has been mentioned that Joaquin Guzman Loera could be hiding here......"

"This is not the principal objective, now it is the nonconformity of the citizens because they are creating a bad impression of the this institution in this respect".

Heraclio is close to the elements of the marina and asks the question, " are you sure it is not your people?"

Heraclio also explained what had happened over the previous two days, " Look for the past two weeks a plane has been flying high, which we regarded little, and then at 7:30 in the morning, a twin turbine plane appeared, but I don't know what it is called."

"It appeared flying low over the ranch, we came outside to look to see what the disturbance was. In a few minutes, maybe five, after the plane left, came three small helicopters, that I'm not saying were from the marines.

"They were heading for the point of "El Limon", then two or three more helicopters arrived and began to shoot at the ranch."

They followed to another small ranch of a brother, they also started shooting, they killed women and fired grenades, on my ranch I was with my family, with my four month old daughter, and they started to shoot without looking at who was running or if there were armed people shooting", said Heraclio to the marines.

"But these were not the only units encountered by the villagers, before they arrived in the community of  El Verano, there were elements with the UNOPES insignias, a tactical group from the special forces of the marines".

After about an hour of following the route of the river to get to an improvised road, up and down the rocky hills, difficult to navigate but with beautiful scenery.

The first thing that we arrived at was a high school of CONAFE, a single building that seems abandoned, the marines were camped there.

They were allegedly attacked, there were a few spent cartridges of different calibers but the building showed no bullet impacts.



Arriving there are trucks loaded with blankets, clothes, food, and everything they could bring, little by little the villagers are leaving, preparing vehicles to leave quickly; there were elderly women crying because they had to leave after 80 years of life there.

Meanwhile the Commissioners for the Defence of Human Rights and support authorities from Tamazula carried out an inspection, he heard a helicopter flying, and though he could not see it flying high he could hear a twin engined plane.

The injured

Martha Marbella, lives in El Verano, her house being one that the marines shot up from their helicopters, the roof and walls peppered with bullet impacts, allegedly attacking this woman's house for an hour and a half.

This Tuesday past, since the morning the villagers of El Verano, when disturbed by aircraft overflying the area, came outdoors to look at them.

By the afternoon Martha went outside to look and saw there was a helicopter flying very low, it was around six in the afternoon, she was with her daughter of two years of age, her husband had gone to work with her son cutting melons together with their grandmother that lived in the village.

"I ran for my daughter outside to get her into cover inside, I almost got to the side door when they opened fire at me but didn't hit me, I got inside for refuge, I waited until the aircraft had gone before I came back out of the bathroom, we had been sheltering there for an hour and half while they shot at my house."

The following day, elements of SEMAR left to placate the villagers that were in the majority, women and children.

"We asked the officials what had happened, they said it was bad people, but I told them it was the Government, we have seen their plane, its the same plane that has been going around all the time."

"We did not collect any shell casings, the marines did that, they ordered us out of our hose, we were refugees, we left because of the fear."

"After they left were heard they were looking for someone, they didn't tell us, they may want to do harm to whoever it is, but to us?" said Martha Marbella.

The son of Martha was putting a couple of small chickens into a cardboard box, while his mother recalled the fear he felt last Tuesday and the days that followed, not knowing if they would return and open fire again, his hands slowly stopped shaking and his voice returned to normal pitch, as if he calmed down with every minute that his leaving El Verano approached.

Around 43 people abandoned their homes on Saturday afternoon, but arriving at Cosala was not easy, five and half hours journey, all the vehicles in the caravan packed tightly together as the bad roads and tough going meant those at the back caught up quickly.

The river was almost the last obstacle blocking their arrival, two vans were stuck, one with two little girls inside, who were rescued by a resident of Palo Verde. After a while a municipal police patrol arrived to remove the vehicles from the water.

The marine roadblocks of Palo Verde, were searching every vehicle, the people were threatened with disappearance, a five hour queue waiting at this point.

On the other side of the marine roadblock, a group of people were already waiting and received with applause, hugs and tears, family members with whom they had had no communication since last Tuesday.

Inhabitants of other communities more remote have not been able to leave their communities, and that people remain trapped within the zone of the operation launched by the Marines in a supposed search for Guzman Loera.

Original article in Spanish at Riodice

60 comments:

  1. So the Marina does what it is supposed to do ( checkpoints , investigation , interruption of logistics to local criminals ) and the citizens complain ? how is this important ... lame .. lets here about balaceras in Reynosa . the thugs in that plaza get it on with the Army . shootouts that last all day ... Sinaloa only in corridos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking for el chapo or protecting him?

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    2. Vence al enemigo sin manchar la espada? Ring a bell?

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    3. La Marina is resopnsible for more citizen deaths than the army and all enteties of police combined. They have the worst record of human rights abuses.

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    4. Bro,this isn't safeguarding or protecting a community,,this is terrorizing a community.There has been many cases where similar things have happened.The Marina will just assume everybody is ' in the business ' or knows something?Lets say people did know something or someone?It still,would never justify indiscriminately using firearms on homes with women and children in harms way..

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    5. Man im from reynosa and criminals here are cowards the only reason they started to fight marines is because they had no other option they were going to get kill either way , you be suprised how many zeta and cdg sicarios and bosses are captured whit not 1 shot fired buddy

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    6. I bet you got bully by sinaloense

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    7. and the citizens complain?, the life of an American who has rights, "you can't touch me I'm an American"... intimidation by show of force, clearly you don't understand that the Mexican military kills without remorse, as well as stages crime scenes to their favor... The internet is full of pics of battered bodies if you need a fix but it is funniest part is cómo se cuelga la gente, "well I'm from such and such place and this cartel is the best.", fuuny ass shit...

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    8. That's funny because the next article posted on BB was about a balacera in your neck of the woods...

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    9. Man shut your ass up there's ways of doing shit and then there's this way keep talking keyboard warrior....

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    10. I applaud the gulf fighting with the army cause fk them, but they put too many peoples lives in danger.

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    11. 5:57 the "stealthy tactics" of the mexican military
      --arrive secretly looking for El Chapo!!! Shooting up the place, women and children and the elderly...
      --fabricate an attack on the high school that shows no bullet impacts..
      --whatever you have to do, but "terrorize, depopulate, remove and relocate the enemy politics" used in vietnam...
      --and what, if nobody is watching, rape and plunder, they can always die later, "them damn enemy combatants..."

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    12. Aye mann.... 'giniral' burrolas is that you? Lol

      Delete
  2. Http://riodoce.mx/noticias/operativo-tamazula

    Not again !

    ReplyDelete
  3. No, this post is missing some key facts. The marina was shooting at homes, and supposedly looking for chapo and don't much care who is in the way. that is why they fled. they were given no warning or protection.

    Otis posted the story at my request, I just sent him additional info so he may choose to add to the story. but RioDoce has 5 or 6 articles and Zeta also has an article.

    Balaceras in reynosa? yeah lets go with something totally unusual

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    Replies
    1. more like letting chapo know they're there with all that sound. hey chivis, did you get a chance to see that documentary titled "Cartel land"? what did you think of it?

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    2. Chivis i apologize . Otis you also . im just used to hearing violent stories .

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    3. "Balaceras in reynosa? yeah lets go with something totally unusual" <<< still, it would be interesting to have a summary or even perhaps a timeline of balaceras in 'nosa simply because info is so blacked-out there, maybe only a tiny proportion of events there ever come to light... Have things calmed down or is the war of Metros ciclones z's/cdn still raging?

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  4. Chivis you really belive they were looking for Chapo or that they were shooting at random homes ? Hahaha you lost it there's no doubt

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    Replies
    1. no doubt :) bad week.... :(

      as for chapo, at first I said no, but now I am thinking it may be true.

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    2. I don't see why they wouldn't be looking for el chapo in cosala. Didn't some high ranking politician lady from cosala give birth to another one of chapos children while he was in jail?

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  5. Marines are no diffrent then any other criminal cell when theres alot of them there big and bad i'd like to see how tough when they go home hiding in civilian cloths phucken cowards.

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    1. 7:23 you will not find a soldier there there, but their commanders, platoon leaders, operation designers, developers of the strategery, the military zone commanders, they are easier to locate, I am sure they will say this was a federal operation from the supreme executive.commander who sent this Mexican Caravana de la Muerte because of "special intelligence, so scuse our dust" and don't come back, here here, have a bottle of water...and a blanket...
      --What, no TV?
      --Chingue su madre el ejercito mexicano lleno de culos de gallinas...

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    2. True that, 7:23, nothing but low life gangbangers in marina uniforms.

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    3. Blame their commanders for the corruption and /or for the falta de huevos y diciplina, they have more education, school and training, but their corruption wins all the time, hungry dogs never get their fill...

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  6. Sad,i hope these families and young bucks aren't seen by Marina they can do anything they want.The macho Marina wanting some payback and don't care who gets in harms way?They will straight lie about what is happening and why they are there?

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  7. I hope they interrupt the opium production in those hills . Bet they assume many of the mountaineers are involved if the believe shorty was there . Maybe theyre all innocent I don't know . Then again maybe theyre totally innocent and theyre making a show of looking for shorty someplace they know he is not . Hard to say who is wrong here . I surely don't know

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  8. Ironic how the "saviors of the town" are the ones who always end up terrorizing it. Take for example the middle east. Attacking the way they do won't "suppress" the criminAls as a matter a fact it will only worsen things. To take out the weeds you have to hurt them at the root.

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  9. Same shit different day. I have a cousin in cosala and he says both sides lost people including la marina losing 3 helicopters. That's what pissed them off then they decided to go all out thugs and starting harassing the people of this small towns. But of course the government will only tell things one way.

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    Replies
    1. Lo que tienen de presumidos ustedes lo tienen de chismosos los plebes.

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  10. I hate when mexican marines do this to civilians, seriously this scumbag soldiers are a joke, they are criminals with a badge this monsters won't last a minute with the U.S army, chives I'm mad at the army shooting civilians homes hope you post this thanks.

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  11. I heard about this on canal 44 juarez that supposedly they are in the hunt for chapo and have him on the run..

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  12. This situation is the same as the situation in la Sierra tarauhmara

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  13. Chivis what's going on in colima with cds and cjng??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no time until today i will ck it out

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    2. I am not sure we should run the story, there are zero fotos or facts coming through. if you see some let us know

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    3. It happend but since it involves the Sinaloa cartel the try too hide the news as much as they can they say that El Mencho escaped but they were going for him as for chapo getting caught its just an act the americans got him last time not Mexico

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    4. Do not run the story chivis its fake, the stories that come up on el blog del narco some are fake, CJNG is not fighting CDS

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  14. Depopulation, deforestation, relocation, all tricks as usual, somebody needs the land and by golly! Will get it, the milicos may pose as looking for el chapo or king tut's grave and it will be a fuckin' lie, THE USUAL...AS USUAL...

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  15. My grandmother donna Maria, not sure if its the same one as here but she says the helicopter hovered above the house shooting at or very close to the house. It is very dark up where she lives so I assume the marina had thermal detection to see if anyone ran out and they would take them out. Once my aunt came out and turned on the lights they stopped firing and proceeded to the next house. They say there were grenades being thrown, I believe they might have been flash bangs to stun whoever was in the houses. Its very remote land and the people there don't travel too much to the city or have access to tv, internet so its why I believe the sound caused by the stun grenades might freak out anyone who is not familiar with them. Once on the ground the marina kept screaming inside the houses to "come out you short bast**d we have you surrounded" I think they thought chapo was close or hiding in one of the houses they pretty much trashed the whole house and tied up all the males and roughed them up to see if anyone knew anything. I'll post more once I talk to the family

    El Cosala

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    Replies
    1. Interesting thanks for sharing this. So they don't even get a TV signal in the sierra?

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  16. Eye wash hunt for Chapo operation. The Mexican government wants to show to the world that they are hunting for chapo but in reality they are hand in glove with him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bet you are not going to comment when they get him!

      Delete
  17. 500 carreteras nacionales. Reten SSP o Puesto de Control Militar...

    "De donde viene?"
    "A done va?"

    Campesinos are not -that- stupid. To have militar check credenciales is normal and expected. So this leaves wide open if the campesinos are actually marijuanos. The complaint is stupid and I am really surprised that journalists hit on this. Do these writers know what day-to-day life is actually like en la republica? Or are they just trying to peddle stories? This does make me wonder...

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    Replies
    1. Reporters WITH the army are allowed if they will paint a pretty 'picshur' of the melitary and government operation, all others die prematurerly...

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    2. 7:18 I am not trying to make you feel stupid, but did the houses they shot up on the roof from high above, did they answer "de donde viene o para donde va"?
      Or you just got a little lost...

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    3. The sierra is tierra de carteles. When a soldado orders you out of your carro YOU GET OUT. When they order people out of a house from a helicopter the people people must go outside. Those people are marijuanos and they know it and gobernacion knows it. When the carteleros starting ambushing soldados de ejercito y marina they brought this. Blame the killers, the secuestreros, the collectors of pisos, the enemy of la gente. Here in Michoacan I know of several high end marijuanos.They are not nice people. They are pricks. And so are the people who defend them.

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  18. There has not been a balacera in the matamoros tamps area in about two to three months and everything has been at peace just like twenty years ago like it should be.... I wish that things would remain the same.... I took a bike ride around the reynosa matamoros freeway south towards vallehermoso east to matamoros and everything was at peace no one bothered us no one scared us who ever or what ever is keaping things at peace continue to do your job for good or for bad whoever you are i commend you for the peace and tranquility that i have experienced these past few months.......

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  19. What about the story coming out of Guerrero (I think), that says the CDS attacked el Mencho from CJNG and killed up to 20 of his sicarios? It was said a convoy of up to 54 pickups were used in the attack by CDS. I don't hear the Marines even turning their heads in that direction???

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  20. They are chasing chapo blindly with no clue of where he is they know his people protect him and they want the truth out them to where he can be the man is know for his tunnels mayo is know for never being captured so this only leave one thing they are under ground!!!!!!chck the culiacan cementary you will find clues there!!

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  21. Drug kingpin ‘Chapo’ Guzmán spotted in U.S. and Mexico – as a Halloween costume.

    They said these costumes are selling like crazy!

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  22. This a psychotic Dog The Bounty Hunter on steroids style of putting heat on Chapo's support network! They know the area his safe houses are located! They are getting very close.
    You will see massive arrests of Chapo's family and closest confidants very soon!
    Chapo is now a big liability to Mayo and Caro and anyone close to him!
    Chapo will probably be dead within 30 days.
    The Donald Trump is living large!
    Hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ur funny ... Chapo always proving clowns like you wrong and Donald Trump is getting hammerd hard for being scared of Obama he's even losing money and getting sued over some stupid stuff his hotels got hacked plus he's scared of el Chapito so shut up trippling his security like a bitch ahahhaa

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  23. And they owner why people support El Chapo. This is what breeds his support.

    ReplyDelete
  24. http://m.milenio.com/policia/El_Chapo_fuga_Altiplano-El_Chapo_El_Mayo_Caro_Quintero-Joaquin_El_Chapo_Guzman_0_555544483.html

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  25. Something big is going to happen in the La Sierra Occidental. I expect a militia not cartel but militia to counter these crooked marines as they indicated something was already brewing. Those mountains ain't no joke that's why the marines came in guns blazing and the villagers are scared of not the marines but just getting around in general.

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  26. Then people wonder why they don't trust the marines and government and people do what they have to do to survive.

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  27. One of emma coronel's sister is married to the mayor of tamazula, APPARENTLY....How about that for tricks?

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  28. They do this so chapo turns himself in I'm pretty sure them 3 are up there somewhere thing is how are they going to get up there with no one tipping them off pretty much impossible because of the terrain

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  29. Reminds me of the charge of the "light brigade" under general George Armstrong custer, who lost his ass for an Arrow shirt...
    --I sure hope el chapo and co. fuck 'em all up, and let hell lose once and for all...
    --the mexican government is looking for the 4 patas burro, said one wise BB commenter a few weeks ago... and I hope they find it...

    ReplyDelete

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