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Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Barrio Azteca Gunmen Who Committed Consulate Murders in Juarez Sentenced to Life in Prison

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Leslie Enriquez and her husband were killed, their baby in their car was not. She was also pregnant when killed. 

The Barrio Azteca gunmen directly responsible for the March 2010 murders in Juarez, Mexico of a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband, and the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee were sentenced to life in prison today.


“The gunmen who viciously shot and killed Leslie Enriquez, Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Salcido Ceniceros will now deservedly spend the rest of their lives in prison,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution demonstrates the Department’s commitment to combating violent transnational criminal organizations and holding accountable those who may harm Americans, whether at home or abroad. I want to thank the Mexican Government for its cooperation that helped lead to this just result, including extraditing both defendants to the United States to be prosecuted for their heinous crimes.”

On Feb. 3, Jose Guadalupe Diaz Diaz, aka Zorro, 43, of Chihuahua, Mexico, and Martin Artin Perez Marrufo, aka Popeye, 54, also of Chihuahua, was found guilty of all 11 counts after a 13-day jury trial in the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division. The jury found Diaz and Marrufo guilty of conspiracy to commit racketeering, narcotics trafficking, narcotics importation, money laundering, and murder in a foreign country; three counts of murder in aid of racketeering; and three counts of murder resulting from the use and carrying of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking.

“The victims, in this case, were coming from a child’s birthday party when they were misidentified as targets by members of Barrio Azteca and gunned down in a senseless act of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff for the Western District of Texas. “I am incredibly proud of the work our office and our law enforcement partners, including international law enforcement, have done to bring some sense of justice to the victim's families.”

Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that on March 13, 2010, Diaz and Marrufo served as gunmen on the hit teams that murdered U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Enriquez, her husband, Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee. The victims were targeted by the hit teams after leaving a child’s birthday party in Juarez because they were mistaken initially for rival gang members. Diaz shot and killed Enriquez and Redelfs. Marrufo shot and killed Ceniceros.

The defendants were sentenced to life in prison on 10 counts and 240 months of imprisonment on the remaining count. Three of the life-in-prison sentences will run consecutive to the sentences imposed on all other counts. Both defendants were also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to fighting the senseless violence that transnational criminal organizations continue to inflict on the American people, wherever they reside,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “It was important that justice be served, not only for the victims, Leslie Enriquez, Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Salcido Ceniceros but also their families. The FBI appreciates the collaborative efforts of our local, state, federal, and international law enforcement partners in ensuring all those responsible were held accountable.”

“Today’s sentencing serves as a testament to DEA’s commitment, alongside our law enforcement partners, to bring to justice those responsible for the heartbreaking murder of innocent members of our U.S. mission abroad,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The men and women of the DEA will stop at nothing to pursue those that use violence and intimidation to further drug trafficking schemes.”

As proven at trial, Barrio Azteca is a transnational criminal organization engaged in, among other things, money laundering, racketeering, and drug-related activities in El Paso, Texas, among other places. The gang allied with other drug gangs to battle the Sinaloa Cartel, at the time headed by Joaquín “Chapo” Guzman, and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because it is a principal illicit drug trafficking route into the United States.

A total of 35 defendants were charged in the third superseding indictment and are alleged to have committed various criminal acts, including the 2010 Juarez Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico, as well as racketeering, narcotics distribution, and importation, retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, murder, and obstruction of justice. Of the 35 defendants charged, all have been apprehended. Of those apprehended, 28 have pleaded guilty, three (including Diaz and Maruffo) have been convicted by a jury following trial, one committed suicide before the conclusion of his trial, and three are awaiting extradition from Mexico.

Diaz was extradited from Mexico on Nov. 13, 2019, and Maruffo was extradited from Mexico on Jan. 18, 2020. The extraditions were the result of close coordination between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities, who have cooperated in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

27 comments:

  1. Great news. Awesome share, Socalj. Come to show that when you piss off Uncle Sam they will always fight you for all the marbles.

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    Replies
    1. Just wait for it...
      Lil nuts Truther will interject something dumb regarding USA.

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    2. 8:52 Truther is upset because he was deported probably

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    3. The drunken drug fiends go rah rah rah!

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    4. What about the Mexican general they had to let go?

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    5. 12:31 - Not a useful chess piece. It would have fucked up the entire game and too many Americans (too) would have been exposed. Uncle Sam went for it but Mexico cried like a baby, so as a good older brother they sent him back. Plus the US media doesn't really care about a general who hasn't messed directly with Americans.

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    6. 3:10 you are minimizing the dirty deeds of giniral Cienpedos, his US accomplices worked to let him go, and the US kept the evidence they had against him.
      México crying like a baby has never mattered except to a few foolish dumbos.

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    7. 9:51 El ejecuto las ordenes recibidas por parte del ejecutivo, y dio a cambio informacion de valor a las autoridades mexicanas. Eso es lo que pudiera concluir del por que soltaron en Mexico a Cienfuegos.

      SIR es bien chingon! ☺

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    8. Cienfuegos is a curupt old school general. His ass was arrested by DEA, on US soil. Lot of evidence on his crimes. Mexican government got upset, that they were not informed, that he was going to be arrested (in order to tip him off that he is on the radar). The old school military, has puppet powers, to tell ALMO and informed US to let him go(big mistake by the Trump cabinet), ALMO said they would try Cienfuegos at a Mexican court, it was all hogwash in Mexico, after a week they let him go.
      Nevertheless, ALMO said, DEA will be cut back in Mexico, now we know, ALMO is puppetized by cartels and military.

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    9. 8:10
      If AMLO were corrupt, paid media would be talking nice things about him, like previous administrations thats how it works. Now amlo is "puppetized" by cartels, military, DEA, or anything.... Learn spanish before pretending anything else, boy.

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  2. Aztecas from El Paso claim these two American consulate workers were selling visas and green cards to Sinaloa cartel members.
    Of course American agencies are not going to admit to this.

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    Replies
    1. Santa Claus will be here too in December 👍

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    2. At that time Cds was winning the plaza

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    3. 11:47 this is one of the reasons why CDS was winning the plaza.

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    4. 11:47 you ment the government was winning the plaza for cds

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    5. Wtf would getting a green card or visa have to do with winning a plaza. Green cards and visas are used to enter United States, has nothing to do with a cartel war going on inside Mexico. Maybe I’m wrong. If I am explain to me how visas or green cards can help win a plaza.

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    6. What a bunch of sore losers!

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    7. 6:33 Juarez kept the plaza. Nobody is being sore of anything.

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    8. 6:01 you seriously think illegal immigrants looking for a better life are the people bringing drugs into this country?
      People with visas and shit are the ones crossing these by the tons.

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    9. 7:15 what a bunch of sore losers at the time when cds was winning the plaza (past tense)

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    10. 7:19 People with VISA?, not really. Mostly US citizens.

      You are more than welcome to corroborate:

      -Diario de Juarez
      -CBP media releases

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    11. Juarez is a mess tho. I don't think cdj has it on lock 100%

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    12. 11:15
      The point is illegal immigrants are not the ones bringing in the drugs into this country.
      More people with visas than illegals are the ones bringing the drugs. More U.S. citizens than people with visas bring in the drugs etc...

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    13. 2:17 Actual tendency shows MOSTLY US citizens are the ones involved. Only a few mexicans when it comes to CBP detention at international ports.

      Recent examples:

      https://diario.mx/juarez/caen-tres-con-mas-de-11-mil-pastillas-de-fentanilo-cristal-y-armas-20220921-1974110.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/decomisan-metanfetamina-y-fentanilo-a-ciudadanos-de-eu-20221018-1983471.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/decomisan-fentanilo-y-cocaina-en-cruces-internacionales-20220922-1974682.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/ocultaban-ciudadanas-de-eu-fentanilo-en-partes-intimas-20220305-1905311.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/asegura-cbp-123-libras-de-drogas-durante-el-fin-de-semana-20220412-1919207.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/incauta-cbp-cocaina-y-metanfetamina-con-valor-de-210-mil-dolares-20220429-1925302.html

      https://diario.mx/el-paso/decomisa-cbp-drogas-y-detiene-a-30-fugitivos-en-cruces-internacionales-20220509-1928727.html

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  3. Rot in hell you mass raping mass murdering piece of shit!

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    Replies
    1. Are you referring to Lil nutts Truther?

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  4. Haven't seen any articles here lately on what's going on at this time in juarez, how's cleaning up juarez, there has been killings every single day about 6-10 dead per day, where I live that where from CDS have been getting killed

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