Information Warfare Conducted By Armed Groups In Mexico

 "Enojon", "Pernicious Propaganda" and "Char" for Borderland Beat 

Photograph By VendettaTamaul1 on Twitter (Banner placed by 'Los Chapitos' of the Sinaloa Cartel Threatening National Guard personnel)

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The Jalisco New Generation Cartel Denies Involvement In Massacre Against Bar Patrons In Macuspana, Tabasco

 "Enojon" and "Char" For Borderland Beat 

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In Narco Banners, Los Chapitos Faction of Sinaloa Cartel Announce Ban on Fentanyl in Sinaloa

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Several plastic narco banners signed by "Los Chapitos" banning the "sale, manufacturing, or transport of fentanyl" were found hanging from public places around Sinaloa this Monday morning. 

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Dismembered Body With Narco Message From Comandante 18 Thrown from Moving Vehicle in Acapulco, Guerrero

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Image: @CharroNegro_Mx Twitter

The dismembered body of a man was found next to a threatening narco message on a street in Acapulco, Guerrero. According to the police report, the body was thrown from a moving vehicle. The name on the message "El Comandante 18", may refer to a nephew of Rafael Caro Quintero.

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Video Shows CJNG Donate Computers to School in Jalisco

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

"This computer was donated by Señor Mencho in order to support the students of this school so that they have a better and greater education."

A video released on social media shows a classroom furnished with computers apparently donated by Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). 

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A Look at Narco Messaging and Propaganda - And Why It Must be Contested

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

"Lead soldiers and straw federal police - this is the territory of Arturo Beltran" [1]

In this article I aim to explain the phenomenon of narco communication and propaganda in Mexico and offer my view that it is worthwhile to study and necessary to confront. 

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UPDATED Ringing Church Bells - CJNG Use of Populist and Revolutionary Themes in Propaganda

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Image created with Dall-E ai.

Last week, CJNG gunmen attempted to instigate a community uprising against Los Viagras, a rival criminal group in the town of La Ruana, in Michoacán state. These armed men went to the local church to ring the bells, against the parish priest's wishes. This act has dual significance, and may offer insight into CJNG messaging strategy, which often uses revolutionary and populist themes.\

Authors note 9/24/23: The captured civilians have now been released after a federal judge ruled that there was not enough evidence they were carrying firearms, as Michoacan security forces initially reported. At their capture, the FGR reported they were being investigated for links to CJNG. 

Based on the information at the time, I concluded they were CJNG affiliates. This is probably not the case. For more information, read a timeline of events here.

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Three Bodies of "Los Pelones" Gang Left With Narco Message in Tulum, Quintana Roo

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Image: Por Esto!

The bodies of three people, possibly "Los Pelones" gang members, were left next to a trash dump in southern Tulum on Monday with a threatening message accusing them of being involved in drug sales.

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CSRL Releases Video Communication Accusing CJNG of "Heating the plaza" in Guanajuato

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

A new communication video, allegedly from the Cártel Santa Rosa Lima (CSRL), accuses rivals the CJNG of being behind a recent theft of Guardia Nacional uniforms, and alleges that the CJNG have an alliance with Guanajuato’s governor and security chief.

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Four Tortured Bodies Dumped with Narco Message Near Acapulco, Guerrero

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

This morning, the bodies of four men were dumped in the middle of a road with a narco message accusing them of extortion in Barrio Nuevo de los Muertos, a neighborhood just outside Acapulco, Guerrero.

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Narco Message Accusing Men of Murder Left at Santa Muerte Altar in Colima City

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

A message naming accused murderers was left on the front door of a shrine to Santa Muerte in Colima City, Colima. Borderland Beat spoke to Santa Muerte expert Dr. Andrew Chesnut to learn the significance of placing a message here.

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In Video, El Machete Accuses Los Motonetos Of Murder In San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

On August 14, armed members of the autodefensa group 'Los Machetes' released a video blaming another criminal group for the murder of two Tzotzil indigenous men, and asking the government to investigate the matter. They say if the government is not able to bring justice, they will.

The narrator stands in the middle of about 80 heavily armed men, who are wearing balaclavas and black clothing. He addresses local authorities, asking them to investigate the murder of two men earlier this month in San Cristobal de las Casas, saying that they were innocent. The armed men also name and accuse local San Cristobal gangsters of orchestrating and carrying out the attack. According to the Los Machetes, these men are members of local criminal group Los Motonetos, and are responsible for car theft and drug dealing.

"If you are not able to capture these people, we, as an autodefensa will capture them, imposing our own laws. We dont want any more injustice in the town, we want to live in peace and tranquility with the people around us.

We want to announce to Los Motonetos, take note of this message, you should not let people who murder innocents to join you"

The event referenced in the message was a double murder which occurred on August 5, 2022 in the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood in north San Cristobal. The father and son, identified as Javier Ruiz "N" and Jose "N", were killed by gunfire while being chased by assassins on motor bikes, according to El Heraldo de Chiapas.

El Machete

InSight Crime reported that Los Machetes first surfaced in July 2021, when they released a video announcing their formation as an armed autodefensa to fight the threat of organized crime in their community of Pantelho. They formed in the wake of violence which forced thousands of indigenous peoples to flee their homes.

Last year, they overthrew the local government of their home municipality of Pantelho, and now self govern. According to local journalist Abraham Jiménez López, there is "no presence of state police, no army, no SEDENA, no national guard, no authority".

Graphic created by Hearst.

Los Motonetos

Los Motonetos, or "The Scooter Gang" is a criminal group which operates in the San Cristobal region. They are involved in extortion, drug dealing, and production of pornography. They frequently travel on motorbikes, according to local news sources.

They reached national headlines earlier this year when a large number of them descended on the northern part of the city, burning vehicles and firing shots into the air, as reported by Borderland Beat.

Sources: Milenio Noticias YouTube Journalist: Abraham Jiménez López @jimenezcorresp, El Heraldo de Chiapas, InSight Crime, Borderland Beat Archives, Video from @ChrisAlegria_, Borderland Beat Archives Hearst

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