On September 19, 2006, a body was dumped in front of the entrance to the military zone, and a message was left for the then-garrison commander, Rolando Eugenio Hidalgo Eddy. "FOR BEING A RAT, Eddy." It was some time later that we received "secret" reports from Army intelligence units in this area and discovered that the message left on the body of Jesús Enrique Parra Torres had been altered by the military. To the phrase "FOR BEING A RAT... Eddy," they added "Sincerely, Noel L.P.," referring to Griselda's brother.
The woman's visit to our newsroom was to clarify that her brother had nothing to do with illicit activities. We asked the young man to give us an interview so he could defend himself, and he agreed. The manipulation of the message was incontrovertible, based on the photographs the soldiers themselves had taken and attached to the report of the incident. I then asked Javier Valdez to conduct the interview, which would be the next day in Jesús María. Edgar Guzmán López had already been killed, and an imposing mausoleum was being built next to the cemetery. Javier was received courteously, but in the end, Noel refused to give the interview, so Bato returned with only a couple of bags of empanadas and coricos that were baked in the family's ovens and that had been given to him. They agreed to publish a note in which Griselda clarified things, on the condition that we see it before it was posted online. The young lawyer returned to the office, we printed it, took it to her, and a short time later, he called us and told us it was best not to publish anything. In July 2023, the United States Treasury Department included Noel López Pérez on a list of Chapitos collaborators.
The second visit by Chapo Guzmán's ex-wife to Ríodoce was in October 2012, when Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, the kingpin's daughter by his first wife, was arrested at a San Ysidro prison. Ninety-nine percent of the media outlets that reported the news included a photograph of Griselda's daughter, Grisel Guadalupe, and that worried her. She perhaps thought we had done the same, but that wasn't the case. I had her daughter very well located—there aren't many photos of the other woman—because in those years the drug lords uploaded hundreds of photographs to Metroflog—then to Facebook and Instagram—and among them were photos of Grisel. No, I told her, look at the article, we didn't post photos of her daughter, because, besides, we located her very well, look. And I showed her a folder on my computer with two dozen photographs of her daughter on her trips and parties. And why does she have them? she asked me. Because she or her friends upload them to social media, I said. She calmed down, we talked for a while—Javier was there—and she only allowed me to take photos of her handbag, a Louis Vuitton. When she left, we saw her through the window getting into a small white van with impenetrable windows.
The third time I saw her was at a bass fishing tournament at the El Varejonal dam. It was organized by the municipality of Badiraguato, and the teams were leaving from Jesús María. It was in the afternoon, when the boats were already returning to weigh their catches. I preferred not to be seen; you never know. Late in the afternoon, two municipal police patrols arrived at Griselda's location. Suddenly, the officers formed a crescent moon, and she stood in front of them and spoke to them for several minutes, something I didn't hear. A sort of commander, but not in uniform. He had arrived at the camp in a Land Rover.
Ball and Chain
I returned to Jesús María days after Ovidio was taken away in the midst of that melee that left dead everywhere. I asked about her and was told she wasn't in town. I returned with Roxana in July, maybe August of last year, after Joaquín surrendered to the United States, taking with him that "expensive gift" to the gringos, El Mayo. We went to her house and asked to speak with her for an interview. Someone delivered the message and came back to tell us she wasn't there. And if she was, she didn't want to see us, although this time there weren't even any shouts.
Otherwise
NOW THE LADY WAS AT THE HEAD OF the group of 17 members of her family who crossed the San Ysidro border crossing to take refuge in the US government, as a result of a negotiation between her son Ovidio and the US prosecutors. We'll soon find out if her brother is involved in the chain.
Black Smoke
I REMEMBER THE FEAST OF MANY Morena supporters when Gerardo Vargas joined their party. The same thing happened with the PAN supporters when Malova ran for the PAN against Jesús Vizcarra, and Vargas was his right-hand man. Now the defrocked mayor of Ahome faces accusations that are derailing him from the race for governor, his golden dream. He's too smart and has too much money, his two deadly sins. Hence the relentless and sought-after action by auditors, prosecutors, and judges.
Article published on June 1, 2025, in issue 1166 of the weekly Ríodoce.
