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Thursday, July 20, 2023

FBI Investigates FARC-EP Operation In Mexico: Jalisco

"Char" for Borderland Beat 

Article by: Anabel Hernández 

Drug war author Anabel Hernandez

The FBI and ATF are investigating the Tlajomulco bombings. According to the progress of their investigations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) were behind the explosions of seven explosive devices.


In an event never before seen in Mexico, seven explosive devices placed on a road in Tlajomulco, near Guadalajara, Jalisco, exploded on the night of July 11. The terrorist act caused the death of four public servants and two civilians, and caused serious injuries to 14 people, including three minors.

Since last week, a group from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived at the scene to begin an investigation. According to public servants of the Mexican counterpart participating in the investigation, it has been discovered that, behind what the U.S. agencies call a "terrorist attack", there could be elements that belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP), considered by the U.S. government as a terrorist group, in complicity with the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation.

According to the investigation files I have collected for this DW collaboration, one of the main suspects in the attack in Tlajomulco is Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, alias "La Firma," born June 19, 1986, in Cali, Colombia. The files indicate that he is based in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and works for the CJNG, specifically for Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, better known as "Pelon" and "03," stepson of Nemesio Oceguera Cervantes, leader of the criminal group.


"La Firma" would be the contact between FARC-EP and CJNG, and would have brought expert operators in the manufacture of explosive devices to Mexico.

Terrorists in Mexico?

The FARC was a group that was born in Colombia in 1966 as a counter-insurgent guerrilla group. They committed massacres and kidnappings. In the 1980s, the group turned to drug trafficking to finance its armed activities. For years they were suppliers of cocaine to the Sinaloa Cartel and in exchange received millions of dollars or weapons to continue exercising violence in that country.

One of the common practices of this group was the use of non-conventional weapons, such as bomb devices and anti-personnel mines. Since 1997 it was declared by the U.S. government as a terrorist group, with all that this implied.

In 2016, a pacification and demobilization process began in Colombia. It is assumed that, in 2017, a good part of the members left the guerrilla and created a political party called Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común. In November 2021, as part of that peace process, the U.S. government removed the FARC from the list of terrorist organizations, but has maintained on the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list a FARC dissidence called FARC-EP, led by Miguel Santanilla Botache alias "Gentil Duarte."

"The reason for the measure is for having refused to demobilize and being involved in terrorist activities responsible for the murders of FARC members and community leaders," states the U.S. government statement issued in November 2021.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Assets Control (OFAC) stated that "all assets and interests in assets of these groups and individuals should be blocked."

Regarding the explosions in Tlajomulco, it is reported that "La Firma", in agreement with the CJNG, would have brought people from Colombia, experts in the manufacture of explosives and belonging to FARC-EP, to Mexico.

CJNG Operates in Colombia
Regardless of the FBI and ATF investigations, the CJNG's ties to armed terrorist groups in Colombia are documented. The Mexican drug trafficking organization has been operating in that country since at least 2018, according to an investigation I have been conducting for months as part of my inquiries to understand the dynamics of organized crime in Mexico and its power.

Internal documents from the Colombian Attorney General's Office, to which I had access, indicate that they have detected the operation of the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation in Colombia. In 2021 they seized assets related to that organization located in Cauca, Nariño, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Guaviare and the city of Bogotá.

Another classified Colombian government report to which I had access states:

"Grupos Armados Organizados Residuales (GAOR) are the armed groups that emerged from the FARC-EP, guerrillas demobilized in 2016, whose members did not embrace the peace accords and returned to arms, forming these groups. They are known as dissidences of the FARC-EP and, although they have the same insurgent origin, several are at odds with each other for territorial control of illegal activities, including some working with the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel New Generation, criminal organizations from Mexico, which since 2018 seek to take over the production and distribution of cocaine in the country, from the cultivation of coca leaf."

In another report it is reported that on May 4, 2022 in Tumaco, Colombia the incursion of the CJNG was detected: "It was determined through a video published by this new criminal organization, who determine that they would be making presence in rural area of the municipality of Tumaco, they claim that they would confront other structures, likewise a large amount of firearms, vests, among others, are observed".

If we combine this information with the FBI and ATF investigations, the facts in Tlajomulco are more complex than they seem.


Operators

Images by HEARST


According to the investigations into the explosion of the seven bombs in Jalisco, Francisco Javier Gudiño Haro, alias "La Gallina", who is alleged to be part of the CJNG, and who is located in the area of Zapopan, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, is also involved.





Julio César Montero Pinzón, who serves as "private secretary" of Juan Carlos González Valencia, is also being investigated for these acts.

On February 17, 2022, the US embassy in Mexico issued a statement informing that the Treasury Department issued sanctions against the Colombian Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, alias "La Firma" and "La Gallina", because they lead a CJNG group established in Puerto Vallarta "that has helped orchestrate assassinations of rivals and politicians using great armed power".

The Ministry of National Defense, in an intelligence report on the municipality of Tlajomulco, Jalisco, dated October 2021, states that it is a locality "with important corridors for the trafficking of drugs and weapons from neighboring states. So far, the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation has maintained its hegemony in the area and is the only cartel that manages the drug market in the neighborhoods of Tlajomulco.

CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel's Power Multiplies
The strengthening of organized crime in Mexico during the lax government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has had an impact on Central and South America. The result is mathematical: the more tolerance, the less strategic combat against drug cartels, the greater their capacity to expand.

According to the information I have gathered over several months in Colombia, the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel, both the factions of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and "Los Chapitos", led by Ivan and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, sons of drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman Loera, have expanded their operations.

These Mexican organizations not only buy the cocaine produced in Colombia, but also have a territorial presence in some key regions of production and trafficking of the drug to Mexico and Europe.

There are Colombian government documents indicating that the CJNG pays for drugs in dollars, or even with weapons, which helps local armed groups to have more power and extend their territory.

It is not absurd to think that, just as Mexican criminal groups have moved into Colombia and operate territorially, Colombian FARC-EP-type groups have also moved into Mexico and operate there.

Presidential Negligence

Despite the increasingly serious problems of violence and ungovernability in Mexico, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ignores, minimizes, and even claims they do not exist.

Instead of doing the job he was hired for, being president of all Mexicans and procuring justice and peace, AMLO occupies his time, public resources and efforts in illegally influencing the presidential elections of 2024, attacking with a misogynist and classist discourse the engineer Xóchitl Gálvez, of indigenous origin, successful businesswoman, who appears as one of the strongest candidates of the opposition to obtain the candidacy for the presidency of the Republic.

Even in moments like those experienced in Tlajomulco, AMLO puts the group interests of his party, Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (National Regeneration Movement), before the interests of the victims. It is not the first time, but it is increasingly unacceptable and scandalous, and the social cost is greater. 

In the face of the explosions, on July 12, López Obrador refused to classify the attack with seven bombs as a terrorist act in order "not to give entrance, not to open the door for our ultra-conservative neighbors who want to have excuses, pretexts, to violate our sovereignty".

López Obrador, frantic and blind, walks over a dynamited country. He does not realize that he is not walking alone, but with more than one hundred and twenty million people who, by his complicit omission, live in a climate of violence, death and disappearances.

Whoever wins the elections in 2024, what country will he receive if the president of Mexico prefers to defend the pyrrhic interests of his political group rather than those of a nation?

If the investigations confirm that the terrorist act that occurred in Jalisco on July 11 was indeed perpetrated by members of the FARC-EP in conjunction with the CJNG, an escalation of violence can be expected, with more serious and bloody episodes, putting the civilian population at greater risk.

59 comments:

  1. There done watch first the firearm bust then the frozen funds

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  2. Has Anabel Hernandez English improved?

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    Replies
    1. No, she is pending classes with Dr. Sol Prendido

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    2. Fucked up but true lol

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    3. I lost all respect for her..

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    4. 2:24
      I heard someone in here mentioned, besides Sol volunteering for BB, he has jobs. It was said he teaches youngsters Pre-Algebra.

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    5. Will Sol be teaching Anabel Hernandez, ESL on his lap.😂😄

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  3. Anabels high if she thinks Mexicans taking over anything in Colombia

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    1. It's already in the works chief both CDS and CJNG have a lot of leverage in Colombia

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    2. 2:52 the Chief says do your home work and dont listen to a journalist known for embellishing stories

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    3. Colombians scared of Mexicans even Popeyes said it lol

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    4. 2:27 Money ! and Mexican cartel’s they have a lot of it

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    5. 2:27 They kill 3, 5, 2 Colombians in Mexico every other day ! Pan comido

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    6. 2:27 Jhon Jairo Velásquez aseguró que todas las transacciones eran a través suyo, él era quien se movía a México, para checar los envíos y mantener la relación con Amado Carrillo.

      Cosa que, según expresó, no era fácil porque siempre consideró que los sicarios mexicanos eran más salvajes y sanguinarios que los colombianos.

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    7. The Colombians alone can’t compete with the other coca providers combined.. what makes you think they could compete with the biggest DTOs on the planet?

      They have to do their bidding.

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    8. Y'all slow if you think Mexicans controlling the coca growing region good chance non of y'all ever been to Colombia

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    9. @632 — says the moron with impeccable grammar..

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    10. @709
      He's not wrong. Mexicans are just buyers like the Albanians and Brazilians

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    11. 7:41 its a Mexican pride thing but what they dont know is theres thousands of young Colombian men ready to die for a couple of bucks just like Mexico. Simply put Mexicans dont have the muscle to take any thing in Colombia. Its like the Colombians coming to Mexico and taking over its not going to happen.

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    12. 9:25 😂🤣

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    13. 9:25 You don’t need muscle when Mexicans have the 💰💸💵💲

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    14. 9:25 you said it and Columbians will sale each other’s for a couple of dollars

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  4. YES, America investigating. Designating cartels as terrorist will automatically give America authority for air strikes/invasion/special ops. America will do what Mexico can't.

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    Replies
    1. They should worry about their addiction problem first.

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    2. Umm.. read this:

      https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/WikiLeaks-tells-why-Mexican-drug-king-is-still-1716710.php

      They had operations to take out the heads for decades, yet they didn’t..

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  5. Does anyone know why the hell would CJNG commit such a stupid attack like this ? They are bringing a lot of heat to the plaza.

    MDZ Br

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    1. 2:56 Maybe they didn't? If they control the plaza why attack the government and cause casualties of civilians and law enforcement. It doesn't make sense. Who would benefit from this? In ZMG it would be La Corona.

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    2. Maybe also CJNG are trying to intimidate the government this wouldn’t be the first time they attacked law enforcement to prove a point

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    3. 1:21 it doesnt make sense at all if they already control de plaza/state why would they commit such a mistake to bring this unnecessary heat. Unless they are trying to make an effort against the government of Jalisco state

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    4. 6:57 the only thing that makes sence is maybe MG and a few friends trying to bring heat on CJNG so that the Federal forces get involved and he gets a brake cause CJNG is all up in his ass

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    5. 8:38 the thing is the government is already siding with MG well atleast thats what the flyers and mantas CJNG are putting all over Jalisco are saying that MG keeps hiding behind the government i do think that’s the only reason that MG has been able to hold his turf

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    6. 1:03 is not all over jalisco, is just in teocal

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  6. Now CJNG has an Even bigger target on their head...

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  7. AH telling it like it is as far as ELMO is concerned. ELMO hasn't done shit for Mexico and turned it into a giant graveyard.

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  8. In other news, ELMO has recently broken EPN's record of 157,158 homicides during his presidency and is on target to hit 210,000 before his term is over. Congratulations ELMO on your record breaking achievement.

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    1. 😳 Watch out you're going to be attacked by the Cayoteros, that love Elmo for his daily Hablador speeches.

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  9. Anabel has more balls than Amlo ...tells it
    How it is ....Amlo with Abrazzos no balazos is
    100 percent complicit with the Cartels they thriving while Mexicans are dying

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    1. I wouldn’t doubt she has a pair of cajones… but what did she do exactly again?

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    2. 3:58 can we start calling him Anabelo? She does have a manly kindda face

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    3. 8:35
      Anabel is fine with me.
      She has real Mellon's. You should see her in a Bikini.

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    4. 8;58 you are defenetly talking about a different Anabel Hernandes, cause this Anabel looks like the old guy who did the gobling in the spiderman movie

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  11. Anabel Hernández should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in Journalism. She is very brave. She belongs in the pantheon of great Mexicans such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. And her English is solid, thank you very much.

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    1. I believe Anabel is in the United States otherwise she would have been dead all ready, if not killed by mencho definitely killed by Almo

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    2. 7:31 no offense to them but that I'm aware of neither Cesar Chavez or Dolores Huerta were born in México. Great Americans of Mexican descent or as some prefer to call themselves Chicanos.

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    3. 1:29
      Ceaser Chavez was born to Mexican parents in Yuma, Arizona.

      Dolores Huerta was born in Dawson, New Mexico.
      Thereby they are in fact considered
      Chicanos.👍💯

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    4. Cesar chavez and Dolores huerta were legends in the labor and Chicano movements: what do they have to do with a reporter living in Berkeley who just writes and writes and nothing is accomplished? Still good reporting.

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    5. Nobody in Mexico knows or have heard of chavez and huerta Chicano legends in the movement they don't care all they want are their green cards .

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    6. 7:31 News flash for you, nobody cares about cesar Chaves in Mexico

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    7. @james brown nobody cares in Mexico About “Cesar Chaves” or dolores puerta

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    8. 12:24 I do care for them, I'm in Sonora.
      Many as Mexicans , go North and work the fields, picking up strawberry, lemons, oranges. What they do is labor rights. So us don't get cheated on wages.

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    9. I know nobody cares about chavez and huerta in Mexico ungrateful after they fought for all field workers local and imported they don't care about their own history much less Chicano history: pero.nomas.les.pasa.algo.y.quueren.que.todos.les.ayuden.

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  12. Funny how since two weeks ago when CJNG made MG run for his life in teocal this land mines apear in an area where some people from Cholo are still hiding🤔 this reminds me of all the times when CDS would heat up plazas to have Garcia Luna send the federal forces to fight the local cartel 🤔 why in the hell would CJNG want all that heat? They are bussy kicking MG's ass

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    1. Grillonautas Has a video that MG was able to defend and some CJNG members were caught on the retreat with bombing type equipment

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    2. 6:30 word in the street is he lost the last one, and the ones incharge of defending his plaza are law enforcements, but it wont take long before they quit, is not worth dieying for a guy who runned away and is hiding some where else

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