Nezahualcóyotl, Edomex: An Inmate At The Neza-Bordo Prison Fails To Pay His Debt

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

For any one man incarcerated within a Mexican prison it’s not enough that he will pay his debt to society locked behind bars. There’s also the mandatory extortion or what’s known as a charging fee that has to be paid at certain correctional institutions. 

And any refusal to pay up results in swift actions of violence being brought forth against uncooperative convicts. Such is the corrupt system currently in place inside particular stockades where oppressive prisoners dictate who pays and how much has to be paid. 

For the following broadcast an inmate is assaulted mercilessly by his misanthrope counterparts for his failure to cough up the cost of living inside this hellish confinement. In a weird twist of fate the Mexican grupera band Grupo Bryndis is singing away a song about love in the background while the attack unfolds.

Video translation is as follows:

Inmate: Don’t pick up your hands during this. Go ahead and fuck him up, fuck him up. Since you didn’t give a fuck then we won’t give a fuck either. That’s why I was telling you that whenever Willy gives you advice it’s best you pay attention. 

But you chose not to give a fuck. That’s why I don’t even bother telling you anymore for your own good. Go ahead hit him, hit him, hit that dumb bitch, hit that dumb bitch. Keep doing it. 

que poca madre

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Zacatecas: Several CDS Hitmen Immolate A CJNG Gunman

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Within the state of Zacatecas a fierce battle rages between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Cartel de Sinaloa. It is only through the perpetual drip of video releases online that we are made aware of these low grade conflicts between the warring cartels. 

For this broadcast a dead CJNG assassin lies anchored to the ground. An armed criminal cell of Sinaloa gunmen has gathered for his send off into the next world. It is with the use of a flammable liquid that finalizes his departure. 

Warning: Graphic Video

Video translation is as follows: 

Sicario #1: No. Whistle at him. Otherwise, signal towards him with gunfire. 

Sicario #2: Let them fire a few shots. 

Sicario #3: Damn, look at that piece of shit now. 

Sicario #2: What an asshole piece of shit. 

Sicario #1: Take a look at this everyone. This is one of those Jalisco gunmen who likes to run away, steal, and give everyone a hard time by ransacking them. Here lies one of your bitch ass Jalisco gunmen. I thought they were supposed to be so tough? In the end they’re left to fucking fend for themselves. What a piece of shit. 

Sicarios screams out: We are the absolute Flechas mob. 

Sicario #1: We are the absolute Cartel de Sinaloa, the absolute Mayo Zambada mob. 

Sicario #2: We are the fucking absolute Operativo MZ. 

El Blog de Los Guachos

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Dismembered Body of "Flacaman" Left as a Warning To Los Chapitos in Sonora

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

A subordinate of a Los Chapitos regional boss was dismembered and tortured, then his remains were left along with a threatening message toward his boss near Santa Clara, Sonora. Because the Santa Clara gulf acts as a key point within the Chapitos drug smuggling route of choice, the threats to one of their important lieutenants may be taken more seriously than most.

Warning: Graphic images below this point. 

The End of El Flacaman

On January 25, 2022, Julio Alonso was abducted by armed men while he was in the southern part of the city of Mexcali, in a neighborhood called Satélite. Several hooded men, carrying firearms and wearing tactical vests, allegedly shot Julio in the leg to incapacitate him and then dragged his body into their vehicle and then sped away from the abduction location. 

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Silao, Guanajuato; Armed Attack At A Dance Leaves 8 Dead

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

An armed criminal cell took advantage of the sound of the music of a dance that was held in the San José de Gracia community of this municipality to riddle eight people within an address.

Around 7:50 in the evening of this Saturday at a home address of San José de Gracia, the gunfire produced by weapons of high caliber could be heard. 

The event was informed by inhabitants of the area through the 911 Emergency Central, public safety elements arrived on the main street in front of the temple of the town where they located four adult men, two women and two minors with firearm injuries. 

Upon review, they all no longer had vital signs, who according to unofficial versions, armed subjects on board two cars and three motorcycles escaped after discharging their weapons against them.

The State Prosecutor's Office is processing the area in order to gather evidence that will determine the facts as well as the number of victims.

Noventa Grados

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More Than 5,800 Kilos of Methamphetamine Seized in Culiacán, Sinaloa

"Ivan" for Borderland Beat 

Soldiers from the Army (SEDENA), National Guard and agents from the Attorney General's Office (FGR) secured in the town of Carboneras, municipality of Culiacán. This is the largest seizure of methamphetamine under the current administration.

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Altar, Sonora: 8 Los Salazar Hitmen Arrested, A Safe House is Raided

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Eight Los Salazar hitmen were arrested in the town of Altar, in the state of Sonora. Then two days later, law enforcement launched a raid on a safe house located in a different section of the town which netted police 2 vehicles, 15 firearms and narcotics.

Eight Hitmen Arrested

On the afternoon of January 24, 2022, soldiers from the Army (SEDENA) requested the aid of State Police officers after discovering 8 armed men in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the town of Altar. 

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Zacatecas, ZAC: Dismembered Human Remains Found Inside Plastic Bags

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Human remains were found in plastic bags in the Las Palmas neighborhood 

Specifically a human head and other parts of the body were discovered.

Authorities were alerted to the discovery by an anonymous complaint. 

This happened less than two days after an armed attack on a façade of an address in the Las Palmas neighborhood, human remains were located in some bags in said colony.

The crime happened shortly before 9 on Saturday morning on Neptuno Street of the Las Palmas neighborhood.

By means of an anonymous complaint to the emergency system 911, the authorities were alerted to the discovery of human remains that were in plastic bags.

Municipal police officers were the first respondents, they confirmed that it was a human head and other parts, without being too specific which ones.

The area was cordoned off and requested the support of prosecutors' experts to begin with the corresponding investigations.

At this time it’s unknown if the injuries belong to a man, or a woman. Just as well weather the remains pertain to a single person. 

Imagen Zacatecas

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Uruapan, Michoacán: Jalisco New Generation Cartel Sends A Message To The United Cartels

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

El Fantasma from the CJNG sends a message to the United Cartels, if they want the charging fees they need to come look for them. Three men from Los Viagras were apprehended while they were carrying the collected charging fees. El Fantasma offered to return the envelopes to their owners, there was also a list of clients in their possession. 

Video translation is as follows:

This message goes out to all the businessmen who’ve been harassed by the Carteles Unidos with their charging fees. I have proof of this here before me. That these scumbags live off of extorting the citizens of Uruapan. Peña, 14, and Galleta I have your charging fees here. Come and recover them. 

We will hold responsible the United Cartels for any reprisals that are made against the taxi drivers. Specifically you Nicolas Sierra Santana aka Gordo Viagra. Gentlemen, citizens of Uruapan, help us to help you. I know this is hard for you because you’re all afraid. But we are here now. 

We’ve come to do this purge. Sincerely, Jalisco New Generation Cartel. These guys collected their charging fees. And to top it off the citizens even went so far as to pay up with change. Gentlemen this has gone on far enough already. We’ve come here to support you guys on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 

Balam.

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Gulf Cartel's Metro 32 Possibly Killed (Updated 2/1)

“Ivan”, “Itzli”, and "HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Sources are claiming that Rafael Joaquin Salinas Aparicio, alias “Metro 32”, a high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo, CDG), was killed on January 27, 2022 by fellow members of the CDG faction Los Metros.

Please note, this is a developing story and initial information may be inaccurate. Warning: Graphic photos below this point.

The Alleged Killing

Emerging information indicates that Rafael Joaquin Salinas Aparicio was summoned to a meeting in the city of Camargo, Tamaulipas, by his superiors within the cartel on Thursday, January 27, 2022.

Rafael Joaquin Salinas Aparicio goes by the aliases of “El Salinas” and “Metro 32”. El Salinas is believed to be a high-ranking member of the Los Metros faction of the CDG.  

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San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora: Los Salazares Plaza Boss El HH Executed

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Two people wounded were also reported in the confrontation

The Municipal Public Safety Directorate informs about a confrontation among civilians that ended with a balance of two dead and two wounded.

The events occurred minutes after 2:00 in the afternoon on the Avenue Nuevo León between 11 and 12 streets.

The dead were on board a grey Chrysler 300, carried long and short weapons, the wounded were transferred to a hospital, in the car there were magazines and ballistic vests.

The facts are being investigated by the AMIC and the General Prosecutor's Office of the State.

Warning: Graphic Picture

Reporte 653

Muerte X Gloroiusdead 69

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The Flores Wives Money Laundering

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Olivia and Mia Flores are married to the highest level drug traffickers ever to become US informants. Their husbands worked with--and then brought down--El Chapo, as well as dozens of high-level members of the Mexican cartels. They had everything money could buy: luxury cars, huge houses, and expensive jewelry--but they chose to give it all up when they cooperated with the US government. 

They knew that life was about more than wealth; it was about love, family, and doing what's right. Cartel Wives is a love story, a "Married to the Mob" story, an insider's look into the terrifying but high-flying empire of the new world of drugs, and, finally, the story of a major DEA and FBI operation. 

This is the marketing blurb for the book “Cartel Wives” published by the wives of the infamous Flores Twins of Chicago- who were two of the key turncoats in the conviction of El Chapo- while they were in hiding and their husbands were in the witness segregation wing of the Federal prison system… which probably meant a halfway house type environment much different than a normal Federal Prison. 

Now when criminals write their own stories or have it packaged up by Entertainment professionals it becomes very sanitized. The blurb claims that their story is about “love, family, and doing what’s right”. Now that’s about as accurate as Rick Ross and Jay Z posing as former Narcos. 

Laughing emoji. Not that the Flores families don’t have love or family bonds… but its definitely always about the money first and foremost in the world of serious gangsters. Never ever let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Now, last year I actually had an hour long phone conversation with one of the Flores twins and his wife- I was in Chicago and someone put me on the phone with them in whatever place they were relocated to, and we talked… mostly about their “fairytale romance”, how they were enjoying “normal suburban life” wherever they were at, and how they wanted to make a positive change in their community. 

Now, all of those things are probably true to some extent or another, but, even after “doing the right thing” and learning “that money doesn’t buy happiness”.. It turns out they were still spending dope money on lavish trips and material items. Though they did pay their kids school tuition, and ironically, paid off their own student loans.

Al Profit

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Zamora, Michoacán: An Armed Criminal Cell Kills 7 Individuals

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

The attack happened at an address known as 'The Casa Azul'; there are three injured.

This Thursday night an armed group killed seven people and wounded three others in a house located in the El Porvenir neighborhood, in Zamora, Michoacán.

Armed men aboard a motorcycle stationed themselves in front of the house, later they entered by force and fired against the people who were inside, according to the Quadratín news media. 

The wounded were identified as Roberto F., 31,; Silvia Janeth G., 24 years old; and Adrián A.,a minor, who are hospitalized and under the protection of the authorities.

In a preliminary manner, among the deceased the following individuals have been identified: Gabriela A., 41 years old; Fernando Daniel G., 22,; María del Carmen G., 35,; Silvia A., 40 years old; Moisés M., 30, Maria L., a senior citizen; and, Ruber H, detailed the news medium.

Aristegui Noticias

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Tepalcatepec, Michoacan: CJNG Attacks Military Personnel With Explosives

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

The armed criminal cell fired from different points against the armed forces, who also launched drones loaded with explosives

Mexican army staff was attacked this morning by an armed group from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel who had taken by assault the Community of Loma Blanca.

The criminal offensive began this morning with an ambush against the army in that bordering area of ​​Tepalcatepec and Aguililla, when it advanced its troops to recover the Loma Blanco community.

Videos recorded by inhabitants show the moments of gunfire between the criminal cell and military personnel who responded to the attack.

In the place, five soldiers were injured by an explosive, the severity of their wounds is unknown at this time. 

The attack lasted some time after noon this Saturday, the federal forces responded by land and air offensive.

The military didn’t cease in its advance, until they recovered the control of security in Loma Blanca, El Bejuco and Casange, communities that the CJNG had displaced the inhabitants after a series of attacks.

The Mexican army maintains an important deployment in Tepalcatepec, Coalcomán and Chinicuila, adjacent to the states of Jalisco and Colima, it has been a target of multiple attacks by that criminal organization.

El Universal

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In Sinaloa, More Addicts and More Mental Problems Due to Amphetamines

"Ivan" for Borderland Beat

The following is a direct translation of an article written by journalist Alejandro Monjardin for Riodoce.

Sinaloa, in addition to being a producer state, is becoming a consumer of amphetamines and with this, mental problems due to its consumption are increasing.

Data from the Mexican Observatory of Mental Health and Drug Use of the National Council against Addictions reveal that in recent years the demand for treatment against addiction to amphetamine-type stimulants has increased and the demand for mental health treatments associated with this type of addiction drugs.

For marijuana, which for decades has been the most widely used impact drug, the demand for treatment is going down.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the most common amphetamine-type stimulants are amphetamines (including methamphetamine) and ecstasy.

Sinaloa, headquarters of the Sinaloa Cartel, is one of the main states producing synthetic drugs since 2006 when methamphetamine seizures began in the state by federal authorities.

The Observatory records demand for treatment against addiction to the use of amphetamine-type stimulants since 2013. Of the total services that year, 23 percent were for amphetamine use, by 2019 it rose to 41 percent and in 2020 it increased to 47 percent.

Marijuana is going the other way and requests for treatment for addiction to this drug are going down. In 2013, 35 percent of the people who requested treatment were for marijuana use, in 2019 it was 25 percent and in 2020 it dropped to 16 percent.

Mental disorders due to drug use had the same behavior.

In 2013, 23 percent of patients had marijuana use disorders, in 2019 it was 18 percent, and in 2020 it was 16 percent.

The demand for mental treatment for the use of amphetamine-type stimulants increased. In 2013, 9.5 percent of patients had mental problems due to this type of drug, in 2019 it was 28 percent and in 2020 it was 30 percent.

Problematic use of amphetamine-type stimulants predominates in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Colima, Durango, Coahuila, Michoacán, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Querétaro.

Alcohol use disorders and their highest levels occur in the states of Oaxaca, Mexico City, Zacatecas, Veracruz and Tlaxcala; for cocaine use is in Chihuahua, Baja California and Tamaulipas; and for opioid use in Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora, and Mexico City.

According to statistics, the most significant mental and behavioral disorders in Sinaloa were depression, major anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dysthymia.

The Conadic points out that there is a worrying increase in the demand for treatment due to the use of amphetamine-type stimulants and a tendency to decrease in the demand for the use of alcohol and marijuana; and the demand for the use of alcohol and amphetamine-type stimulants are the ones that have the most presence in the country's entities.

The Commission reports a decrease in the patterns of consumption of psychoactive substances during the isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intake of alcoholic beverages decreased 26.7 percent; 16.8 percent tobacco, and 1.5 percent illegal drugs.

It indicates that care was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many health professionals continued to provide care remotely.

It indicates that a diagnosis was made to identify the use of fentanyl among people who requested treatment in public and private centers and civil society organizations and according to this exploratory study, between 2013 and 2020, 122 cases were detected in which users reported having consumed these substances, but does not detail in which states they were registered.

At the national level, the substances whose consumption caused the greatest demand for treatment by women were alcohol with 30 percent of cases, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants with 26 percent and marijuana with 14 percent; while among men the main substances were amphetamine-type stimulants with 30 percent, followed by alcohol with 23 percent and marijuana with 16 percent of cases.

In the country, between 2013 and 2020, there were changes in drug use and the demand for treatment for the use of amphetamine-type stimulants increased by 218 percent, that of alcohol decreased by 32 percent and that of marijuana decreased by 31 percent. Hundred.

The Conadic points out that Mexico has one of the largest treatment networks in Latin America, but there are still significant challenges regarding the interventions of non-governmental centers, which in some cases lack minimum quality criteria and can even violate the human rights of users.

“An important challenge in treatment is the implementation of social integration, rehabilitation and harm reduction programs, the latter carried out in recent decades by Civil Society Organizations, which are beginning to be implemented by state health services”, indicates.

Source: Alejandro Monjardin for Riodoce

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Former Head of Federal Police Arrested For the Fast and Furious Case After Killing Woman in an Unrelated Road Incident

The following is a direct translation of an article written by journalist Karina Suarez for El País newspaper that was published on January 28, 2022. 

Federal authorities have arrested this Thursday the former commissioner of the Federal Police, Facundo Rosas, for the plot of arms trafficking in the Fast and Furious case. 

The arrest warrant against the former official during the PAN government Felipe Calderón was executed by members of the Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney General's Office after this morning the former police commando ran over a woman with his car, causing her death in the Álvaro mayor's office Obregon in Mexico City. 

Hours later, the detainee boarded a plane to a prison in Hermosillo, Sonora because the arrest warrant was released by a judge in that state. Rosas, 56, was one of the closest collaborators of Genaro García Luna, who is now in prison in the United States for drug trafficking.

Facundo Rosas after the road incident. Photo Source: Carlos Jiménez

The accident that led to the arrest of Rosas was recorded this morning at the intersection of Insurgentes Sur Avenue and Eje 10 Sur Río de la Magdalena. He was driving a white luxury truck and after the incident he admitted to the road agents that he did not notice the woman's presence and ran over her with her car. 

Warning: Graphic footage. Woman is seen being hit by a vehicle.  

Video Source: Mario Andrés Landeros

In the images that circulate on social networks about the accident, it can be seen how the victim was tossed a few meters after being hit by the former commissioner's vehicle. Paramedics who attended the scene confirmed the woman's death due to head trauma.

Photo Source: Foro TV

After the incident, Rosas was transferred to the agent of the Public Ministry, in order to determine responsibilities. There the authorities realized that he had an arrest warrant against him for the case of arms trafficking in the Fast and Furious case. After he was arrested for the crime of manslaughter, Rosas was transferred to the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO).

Photo of Facundo Rosas, after being arrested, on board a plane headed for Sonora while in handcuffs. Photo Credit: Milenio

Others With an Arrest Warrant for Fast & Furious 

Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered his arrest for his involvement in the Fast and Furious case. His arrest warrant was just one of a total of seven that were ordered; all former government officials and drug lords who are related to the controversial operation of illegal arms trafficking from the United States to Mexico. 

Among those mentioned are Genaro García Luna, Secretary of Public Security during the Government of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012); Luis Cárdenas Palomino, Intelligence Coordinator of the Federal Police during the same period; and the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán.

El Chapo is in a maximum security prison in Colorado (USA) serving a life sentence for drug trafficking; García Luna is awaiting trial in New York for his complicity with the drug cartels; Cárdenas Palomino was arrested in July 2021 and sent to the Altiplano prison, in Almoloya de Juárez, accused of torture in the Florence Cassez case.

Background on Fast & Furious 

The Fast and Furious operation occurred between 2009 and 2011 when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – with the permission of the Obama Administration, but without notifying Congress – allowed the departure of 2,500 weapons illegal to Mexico. The plan, which sought to trace the activities of the drug cartels through weapons, failed and the trace of the weapons was lost. In February 2011, one of them killed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata in an attack in San Luis Potosí.

The Prosecutor's Office has indicated that the then officials knew of this "absolutely illegal and inadmissible" operation and that Guzmán Loera was the leader of the main organization that received the weapons. 

"It was established that these weapons were not only illegally introduced into the country, but that they have also been used in various criminal acts, which have already been investigated and prosecuted in Mexico," explains the Prosecutor's Office in a statement. 

Source: Karina Suarez for El País

Some images by HEARST.

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Tennessee Sheriff: Cartel Contacted Family Of East Tennessee Fugitive For Ransom

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

After an escapee from an East Tennessee jail was found dead in Mexico, Roane County Sheriff Jack Stockton said the escapee’s family was contacted by someone believed to be a member of a drug cartel who demanded ransom in exchange for the return of his body.

Charles Kennedy, 35, had been on the run since July after he escaped from the Fentress County Jail before the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Jan. 24 he had been found dead in Iguala, Guerrero, in Mexico, about three hours southwest of Mexico City.

Kennedy and inmate Casey Ridenour took a correctional officer’s car after escaping the jail and drove at speeds of 130 mph before stopping in Jamestown to run on foot. Ridenour was captured the next day, while Kennedy remained at large.

Roane County Sheriff Jack Stockton told WATE that someone from Mexico, believed to be a member of a drug cartel, sent a video of Kennedy’s body to his family asking for money in exchange for its return.

Roane County District Attorney Russell Johnson confirmed that Kennedy’s body is in a morgue in Mexico at this time. Stockton said he was told the U.S. Marshals Service is working with the American embassy in Mexico and Mexican authorities to return Kennedy’s body to the U.S.

wate 6

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Chicago’s ‘Cartel Wives’ Traveled Abroad, To J.Lo Las Vegas Concert With Drug Cash, Feds Say

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Vivianna Lopez and Valerie Gaytan — wives of former Chicago cocaine kingpins Pedro Flores and Margarito Flores — used drug money for 2018 and 2019 trips, newly unsealed affidavit says.

Pedro Flores, left, and his brother Margarito, once the biggest drug traffickers in Chicago.U.S. Marshals Service

After Chicago cocaine kingpins Pedro Flores and Margarito Flores were arrested in 2008 for their dealings with Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, their wives took lavish trips to the Caribbean and Europe that were paid for with bundles of suspected drug cash they got in the mail, according to a court document.

Vivianna Lopez and Valerie Gaytan used drug money for the trips in 2018 and 2019, flying to Las Vegas for a Jennifer Lopez concert and to the Turks and Caicos islands, Dubai, Greece and Italy, a federal postal inspector said in an affidavit for a 2019 search warrant that’s only now been made public.

The warrant was for a priority mail package with a return address for the mother of one of the Flores twins’ wives. The two women are identified only as ‘Spouse 1’ and ‘Spouse 2’ in the affidavit.

In June, Lopez, the wife of Pedro Flores, and Gaytan, the wife of Margarito Flores, were charged in federal court in Chicago with helping to stash hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money over a dozen years, starting in 2008.

The money paid for schools for the twins’ children, Lopez’s student loans and an exercise bike, according to the indictment.

The affidavit provides more details on how the wives spent the money their husbands are suspected of squirreling away after they surrendered to authorities in 2008 and agreed to become informants against Guzman.

In exchange for their cooperation with prosecutors, the Flores twins got relatively light sentences of 14 years in prison.

Guzman — whom Pedro Flores testified against at his trial in 2018 in New York — got a life term.

According to the Oct. 15, 2019, affidavit for the search warrant, one of the Flores brothers’ wives spent $20,000 to $30,000 in cash per trip, including airfare and hotel accommodations for groups of people.

A man in a pickup truck would deliver the cash to an unnamed travel agency that booked the trips. A witness told authorities the cash was rolled up and “smelled funny,” probably from being near drugs, according to the affidavit.

On July 19, 2018, customs officials encountered the wives after their plane landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, arriving from the Turks and Caicos. One wife had five cell phones, two with Chicago area codes. The other was carrying a sheet of notebook paper that appeared to tally up tens of thousands of dollars from at least four packages, according to the affidavit.

According to postal records, 82 packages were delivered to addresses for one of the spouses between 2017 and 2019 and 55 to the other spouse’s home.

A separate search warrant was executed on Sept. 27, 2019, after a drug-sniffing dog alerted on a package addressed to one of the spouses. The package contained $5,000 in cash and a $500 gift card with a receipt from a Walgreens store in the 4300 block of South Archer Avenue. Security footage showed a relative of the wife had mailed that package and others, according to the affidavit.

Lawyers for Lopez and Gaytan didn’t respond to messages seeking comment

Chicago Sun Times

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Who Killed the Tijuana Photojournalist? Both the CAF and the CJNG Are Accused

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

The gun used to kill photojournalist Margarito Martínez was used in five previous 2020 shootings that were associated with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation (CJNG). Margarito had also recently gotten into a dispute with a man allegedly involved with a group from the Arellano Félix organization (Cártel Arellano Félix, CAF) led by David López Jimenez, alias “El Lobo”. 

These potential culprits will be examined in the following story, which includes a detailed timeline of the homicide, the medical autopsy findings, and an examination of the ballistic evidence trying his murder to cartel organizations.

Quick Review 

As previously covered on Borderland Beat, the photojournalist Margarito Martínez Esquivel was murdered on the morning of Monday, January 17, 2022. Martínez Esquivel worked as a journalist for Zeta Tijuana magazine and as a “fixer” assisting international outlets including the BBC, The San Diego Union-Tribune and Los Angeles Times. He was 49 years old at the time of his death and had a two decade long career covering crime in the Baja California border city of Tijuana.

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Tijuana, Baja California: Criminals Run Over Municipal Policeman

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Video translation is as follows:

In Tijuana, this very shocking image was captured. A policeman is run over by criminals that moments before had stolen a vehicle and were trying to get away. It occurred at noon on the Boulevard 2000 near the Rancho Casian.

Video shows as a patrolman is attempting to stop the driver by blocking the path at this intersection. The element descends from his vehicle. But this didn’t prevent the criminals from crashing into it, they didn’t stop.

On the contrary, they were driving at full speed. The patrol vehicle and the policeman was seriously injured. After the aggression, only one person was arrested. There’s the video footage. 

Milenio

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Mexico And The US Seek To Stop Ammunition And Firearms Trafficking Between The Two Countries

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

On Wednesday, the Binational Group against Arms Trafficking of the Bicentennial Understanding began formally, in which high-level officials from Mexico and the United States highlighted that the illicit flow of arms and ammunition from the United States to Mexico is an essential factor to the construction of peace and the fight against organized crime in both countries.

The group is made up of different security and law enforcement agencies from both countries, and the main objective is to increase the confiscation of weapons and ammunition on both sides of the border destined to be sold illegally in Mexican territory and to bring before justice those responsible.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegations agreed to streamline the prosecution of cases, increase extraditions to both countries, strengthen mirror operations on the common border, work together to modernize border inspection technology and increase the exchange of ballistic and intelligence information.

As well as strengthen cooperation to increase the costs of arms traffickers.

"Those who traffic arms are going to pay in both countries," said the United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, who led the delegation from the neighboring country.

While the Undersecretary of Public Security, Ricardo Mejía Berdeja said that the instruction of the Rosa Icela Rodríguez secretary is that they send a simple message: "Weapons traffickers will face higher costs for their illicit actions."

Roberto Velasco, head of unity for North America, emphasized that the strategic objective of binational cooperation obeys a clear objective: the number of arms confiscations, especially high caliber, has to increase significantly in the two countries, In the name of the Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard.

For its part, the United States Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Bruce Swartz, applauded bilateral cooperation with an intelligence-based approach, which results in more detentions of illicit arms traffickers, particularly those who traffic exclusive arms of the army by the cartel.

Riodoce

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