"Enojon", "Char", "Pernicious Propaganda", "Halipon", "Hearst", "Itzli" for Borderland Beat
Showing posts with label SEDENA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEDENA. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Operation Bastión Launched Against La Familia Michoacana In The State of Mexico
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Drone Footage Captures Explosive Attack Between Rival Gulf Cartel Factions
"Enojon" for Borderland Beat
(Still image of drone attack against 'Los Metros' convoy)
Monday, August 21, 2023
The Mexican Military Deactivated 2,241 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) In Mexico In The Last Two Years
By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat
The Mexican military deactivated 2,241 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) across half of the states in Mexico during the last two years, revealed the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena).The report offers important context on the trend of criminal groups creating and using IEDs.
Monday, May 5, 2014
3 die as Mexican security forces conduct raids in Tamaulipas
Rantburg.com
Three unidentified armed suspects were killed in an apparent intergang gunfight in Ciudad Mier municipality, as Mexican security forces in the form of Mexican Army and naval infantry units seized weapons munitions and drugs in several encounters and raids in northern Tamaulipas municipalities over the weekend, according to official Mexican news accounts.
According to a news release posted on the state government's website, a Policia Militar unit had been dispatched Friday at around 0300 hrs to a location near a funeral home near the intersection of Libramiento 5 de Junio and Bulevar El Huizache, in Mezquital colony on the basis pf an anonymous citizen's complaint, where the military unit found two armed suspects killed by gunfire. A third body was found inside the funeral home five hours later.
Mexican naval infantry units conducted several raids and engaged in a brief firefight with armed suspects in northern Tamaulipas municipalities.
In Reynosa Sunday night a marine unit was dispatched via a citizen's complaint to Las Seybas colony where marines found a tunnel with two vehicles parked inside. The tunnel itself was 60 meters long, by six meters wide by three meters high. Vehicles found inside include one Ford Super Duty pickup truck and one Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Marines also found 11 weapons magazines for rifles, 1,121 rounds of ammunition and three radios.
In Rio Bravo municipality marines seized a number of contraband including 11 rifles, one pistol, one grenade launcher, 293 weapons magazines, 1,167 rounds of ammunition, two grenades and packages of marijuana cocaine and crystal methamphetamine. One Toyota Tacoma and one Ford Lobo (F-150) pickup truck along with military uniforms and four radios were seized at the location as well.
Also on Sunday at night, between San Fernando and Matamoros municipalities, a marine unit exchanged gunfire with armed suspects, forcing the suspects to abandon their vehicles and flee the scene.
According to the government's account, armed suspects were traveling aboard two vans when the occupants opened fire on the marine road patrol.
Earlier in the day closer to Matamoros, a marine road patrol conducted a traffic stop, detaining one suspect who was driving a pickup truck.
The detainee was identified as Sergio Alejandro Lopez Muñoz, reportedly a member of an unidentified criminal group. Inside the truck marines also found one AR-15 rifle, one weapons magazine, 300 rounds of ammunition and one kilogram of marijuana.
Meanwhile, Mexican Army units conducted three raids in Reynosa and Cruillas municipalities netting 14 suspects and a number of contraband.
In Reynosa municipality a Mexican Army unit was dispatched to a residencein Rancho Grande colony because a citizen filed a complaint about armed suspects in the area.
Soldiers detained nine unidentified suspects total including six Mexican nationals, two from Guatemala and one from Nicaragua. Contraband seized included two rifles, three pistols, 151 weapons magazines, 694 rounds of ammunition and two vehicles.
A second Mexican Army road patrol stopped a vehicles and detained three unidentified suspects. The government report said the suspects were in then area working a lookouts for a local criminal group. Soldiers seized two radios.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Mexican security forces seize munitions in Reynosa as 3 more die
The latest report bring the reported death toll in two days of fighting in Reynosa to 17.
According to the news account, a Mexican Army road patrol was fired on Tuesday night by armed suspects who were aboard a Pontiac Torrent SUV near the intersection of Bulevar Del Maestro and Avenida Mozart in Narciso Mendoza colony.
Army return fire killed two of the occupants, one of whom was identified as Fidel Gutierrez Gonzalez, 34. The report hinted that rifles, pistols, one hand grenade, ammunition, tactical gear and the vehicle was seized following the incident.
Meanwhile Mexican Army unit conducted four raids in Reynosa stretching out across Tuesday night and into late Wednesday morning, seizing a total of 76 rifles, six each 40mm grenade launchers, 12 each 40mm grenades, drugs and vehicles.
Tuesday night at a residence in Hacienda de las Fuentes colony, Sector 4 near the intersection of calles Quebec and Liverpool, soldiers seized 22 rifles, two each 40mm grenade launchers, four each 40mm grenades, three kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 415 small packages of cocaine, 714 small packages of marijuana, 3,000 marijuana cigarettes, weapons magazines, ammunition and one vehicle.
Just after midnight Wednesday in Los Caracoles colony, a Mexican Army patrol was fired on by armed suspects who were moving aboard nine vehicles, who then immediately fled the scene, apparently abandoning their vehicles.
Following that incident soldiers seized 19 rifles, one pistol, three grenade launchers, three each 40mm grenades, 103 weapons magazines, ammunition, 10 kilograms of marijuana and the nine vehicles.
Eight hours later at 0840 hrs also in Los Caracoles coloy, a Mexican Army road patrol found one vehicle abandoned with one suspect dead inside. Soldiers also seized 10 rifles, five grenades and 67 weapons magazines.
At about 1100 hrs in Riberas del Bosque colony soldiers located an abandoned vehicle which contained 25 rifles, two grenades, two 40mm grenade launchers, 2,100 rounds of ammunition and 12 weapons magazines.
A news story which appeared Wednesday afternoon in the online edition of Milenio news daily said that numerous shootouts had taken place throughout the city and that local criminal gangs were uimplementing road bloacks in various points in the city.
In one incident, according to the article, armed suspects entered an OXXO convenience store demanding car keys from customers so their vehicles can be used to block roads. The story failed to say where that incident took place or whether it was just one of many.
Another part of the news report said that large convoys were reported moving in Reynosa.
All of these reports were gleaned from Twitter and other social media.
A separate Milenio news report hinted that Reynosa mayor José Elias Leal had at least discussed asking for either more army reinforcements or a curfew in the municipality, but denied actually making a request for either.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Reynosa explodes: 14 die
A news release published by the state government of Tamaulipas on the state website said that three separate encounters were recorded in the city.
The gunfights began at 1200 hrs in Beaty colony when an armed group attacked a Policia Federal road patrol. Two unidentified Policia Federal agents died in the encounter, one at the scene and the other later while receiving medical attention.
An attempt by a Mexican Army unit to respond to the gunfight was attacked by armed suspects traveling aboard a Ford Lobo (F-150) pickup truck, presumably near the area of the first encounter. Army return fire killed all four unidentified attackers.
Two others were found dead aboard two separate vehicles, hit by stray gunfire from the firefight. Both victims were in their 20s.
Later on, a Mexican Army patrol encountered armed suspects traveling aboard a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in Aquiles Serdan colony, killing all six by return gunfire.
Criminal gangs inside the city blocked roads to slow security forces response to the fighting. Blocks were reported on the Reynosa-Matamoros highway, on Bulevar Morelos in Ampliacion Rodriguez colony, Libramiento Monterrey in José Lopez Portillo colony, on Libramiento Monterrey in Las Cumbres colony, on Bulevar Morelos in Petrolera colony and on Bulevar Hidalgo in Longoria colony.
The Mexican Army also claimed a total of 10 rifles, accessories, ammunition, weapons magazines and two vehicles were seized following the gunfights.
Fighting in Reynosa has exploded because a top drug gang leader, identified only as El Mono was executed Monday, presumably by Gulf Cartel shooters. Cartel related messages on narcoboards indicate that the drug gangs inside the city were vowing revenge for the killing.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
7 die in Tamaulipas -- UPDATED
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Even as officials with the state government of Tamaulipas proudly trumpeted their role in a peaceful Semana Santa or Holy Week, seven individuals have been killed in Tamaulipas since Tuesday as shootouts continue in southern regions of the state, according to officials and Mexican news accounts.
A late news release published on the website of Tamaulipas said that seven unidentified individuals were killed in two confrontations in San Fernando municipality Tuesday afternoon.
According to the report, a Mexican naval infantry road patrol came under small arms fire coming from a convoys near the village of Carbajal.
Marine counterfire struck and killed five suspects, and presumably the rest of the occupants in the convoy managed to escape. Marines seized a number of contraband in the aftermath including five rifles, one semiautomatic pistol, a tube grenade launcher, four grenades, 39 weapons magazines, 947 rounds of ammunition and a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.
A second incident took place at around 1640 hrs in San Fernando proper in Guillermo Guajardo colony on Avenida Division del Norte when a separate Mexican marine road patrol attempted a traffic stop of four men traveling aboard a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. Occupants in the vehicle opened fire on the marines. Three of the occupants escaped the scene while the fourth was killed by marine gunfire.
A short distance away, an unidentified man in his 70s was found dead inside his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. According to the official report, another man unidentified in the news account told prosecutors that he had been the driver of the truck, and that the victim had been hit by stray gunfire.
News has emerged in the wake of the end of Semana Santa that shootings and intergang firefights are on the rise in southern Tamaulipas municipalities.
According to a report which appeared in El Manana news daily, several gunfights have taken place since Tuesday in Tampico municipality.
According to the report as of Wednesday morning, official reports have yet to surface as to killed and wounded despite the fact that shootouts continue.
Citing the text of tweets of a local Televisa affiliate, shootouts were reported in Del Pueblo colony which took place Tuesday at 1430 hrs, and on Avenida Universidad at 1530 hrs. No reports were of dead or wounded. The report said the shootouts were simultaneous.
Later reports are of shootouts in Laderas de Vista Bella colony as well, including detonations of grenades at a residence, and in Cascajal colony where a Nissan X-terra was immolated.
That evening shootouts were reported in Tampico near the intersection of calles 2 de Enero and Heroes de Chapultepec at around 17:00 hrs, and near the intersection of calles Matienzo y José de Escandon in Zona Centro.
For their part, the state government of Tamaulipas reported a shootout between a Mexican Army road patrol and armed suspects in the southern municipality of Aldama Monday afternoon.
That incident took place at around 1740 hrs, but resulting in the capture of four suspects. Contraband seized included five rifles, magazines, ammunition, personal quantities of marijuana, tactical gear, communication equipment and the vehicle.
The same report mentions that a Mexican Army unit located two abandoned vehicles in Santo Niño colony, inside of which were found ammunition, weapons magazines and several incendiary devices, probably Molotov cocktails.
Meanwhile in Reynosa municipality a Mexican Army unit located and seized arms and ammunition in Hacienda Las Fuentes colony Tuesday. According to an official report, soldiers seized 41 rifles, two grenades, 22,334 rounds of ammunition, weapons magazines and tactical gear.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
4 die in Tamaulipas state
Rantburg.com
Four unidentified individuals were killed or were found dead in a series of intergang firefights in the southern municipality of Tampico Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, a total of 179 migrants were released from captivity by Mexican Army units over several days in four different cities in the state, according to official state and Mexican press accounts.
According to a news account in Proceso news weekly, two gunfights took place which left one dead. The first took place at La Puntilla market, while the second took place near the intersection of calles Aduana and Perimetral at a shopping center called Macalito.
Meanwhile in Tolteca colony, near the intersection of calles Nicolas Bravo and Rosalio Bustamante, armed suspects drove customers and employees from a children's playground, Castillo de Sueños, then torched the building, which was destroyed.
That afternoon, two men were executed in two separate incidents in Tampico. The first was near Hospital Militar, while the second was in Primavera colony, near a Coca Cola plant.
The next morning, Wednesday, two armed encounters took place in Tampico, the first at a nightclub on Avenida Universidad, which took place at around midnight and then at first light at the Seduccion disco, where Molotov cocktails were thrown. No one was reported wounded at either incident.
Mexico is in the middle of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which is a major event especially in Tampico, as residents and tourists as well take advantage of warm weather and Tampico's beaches to spend Easter Sunday. During Semana Santa, Mexican security is usually beefed up, and it has been announced so since last month that army and naval infantry forces would in the streets to provide security.
Ciudad Madero, a sort of twin city of Tampico is also the headquarters for the Mexican Navy Zona Naval 1, which is a large naval detachment. The Mexican Army maintains a large base near Ciudad Mante, about 60 kilometers away.
Busts in southern Tamaulipas
Units of the Mexican Army detained nine individuals and seized contraband in southern Tamaulipas municipalities in two separate operations Tuesday, according to official government news releases.
Just after noon, a Mexican Army road patrol encountered four suspects near Rancho Nuevo in Llera municipality, and detained all four. Inside the ranch house, soldiers found one unidentified man who had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom.
Soldiers also seized two rifles, two pistols, 124 rounds of ammunition, six weapons magazines, one stolen vehicle, and MEX $3,868.00 (USD $296.58) and USD $48.00 (MEX($626.03) in cash.
Meanwhile in Altamira, five unidentified male suspects were detained by a Mexican Army road patrol. In that incident, soldiers seized one rifle, 50 rounds of ammunition, two weapons magazines, four vehicles, 1,950 packages of marijuana, presumably wrapped for individual sale of marijuana, two cell phones and MEX $188,000.00 (USD $14,414.71) in cash.
Rescues
Since April 9th, Mexican security forces have rescued a total of 179 migrants in several separate operations, according to a news account posted on the website of Tamaulipas state government.
- April 9th: In Ciudad Madero a Mexican Naval Infantry unit located an freed 35 migrants, all from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Among the migrants was a four year old child. A total of three suspects were detained at the scene, identified as Hugo Cesar Rodriguez Niges, Servio Tulio Avalos Gonzalez and Ernesto Alvarado Machado. Sailors also seized three rifles, 132 rounds of ammunition, six weapons magazines and four vehicles.
- April 10th: In Reynosa municipality in Pedro J. Mendez colony, a Policia Federal unit rescued 76 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, totaling 65 and 11 women, who were kidnapped for ransom. No one was reported detained at the scene.
- April 11th: In the city of Tampico, 20 migrants were rescued by a Policia Estatal Acreditable unit as they were being loaded onto a bus for the United State. One suspects, identified as Eladio Lopez Cardona was detained at the scene. A total of 12 from Guatemala, four from Honduras and four from El Salvador were rescued.
- April 12th: In Matamoros municipality in Estancia Residencial colony, Mexican Army and Policia Estatal Acreditable units were dispatched to a residence based on an anonymous complaint to find 48 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua detained by criminals. One suspect identified as Daniela Gomez Garcia was detained at the scene. The count of the kidnapping victims were 38 men, six women and four children.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Bloodbath in Tamaulipas: Death toll climbs to at least 24
Rantburg.com
As many as 60 individuals have been killed in the Mexican northern border state of Tamaulipas since last Friday, according to Mexican news reports.
Officially as of Sunday evening, the death toll solely in shootings and shootouts climbed to 10, including a confrontation between a Mexican Army road patrol and a convoy of armed suspects in Miguel Aleman, and a series of shootings and shootouts in the southern Tamaulipas municipalities of Madero and Tampico, bringing to death toll to 10 total.
According to an unsigned report in Amigos de Tamaulipas2 in mforos.com, the actual death toll as of Sunday was 18. The posting said that Monday afternoon a number of gunfire exchanges had taken place, specifically in Tampico and Madero, but no deaths or wounded have been reported so far.
A news release posted on Tamaulipas' government website said that three individuals were found shot to death Monday, including one man found at around 0039 hrs in Pueblo colony and two more found in Echeverria colony. All the victims were men in their 20s. Both of these finds were made before 0900 hrs.
A second report posted Monday night on the website of Tamaulipas state said that a second gunfight took place between another Mexican Army unit and armed suspects in Miguel Aleman municipality which ended with three armed suspects dead.
According to the news release, the gunfight took place near a gap called Las Crucitas near the Rio Grande river Sunday night at 1935 hrs. Only one of the three were identified, Raymundo Mares Rivera. All three men who died in the encounter were in their 20s.
Soldiers seized a number of contraband including three AK-47 rifles, one AR-15 rifle, one grenade, 31 weapons magazines for AK-47, 15 weapons magazines for AR-15, two bulletproof vests and a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
According to a report posted on the website of Tamaulipas state, four men were detained in Zona Centro of Tampico by a Mexican Army unit, and a number of weapons and munitions were seized Monday afternoon.
Among the contraband seized was seven rifles, one 12 gauge shotgun, one grenade launcher, three sub machine guns, two hand grenades, two rifle grenades (probably 40mm), one rifle scope, 80 metal stars, six weapons magazines, personal quantities of marijuana and cocaine, two vehicles, tactical gear and MEX $6,674.00 (USD $513.48).
An uncredited dispatch posted Monday afternoon on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said the number of shooting deaths in the past 30 hours in Tamaulipas state could be as high as 60.
Tampico recently received a new Gulf Cartel plaza jefe, a criminal underboss whose territory is the municipality of Tampico, and could be a possible reason why intergang firefights have spiked in the state. Tamaulipas is a primary route for the shipment of drugs, weapons and munitions, shooters, and migrants north.
A news report posted on the website of Dia a Dia Tamaulipas news daily said that Twitter users were still reporting gunfire in Tampico as of 1830 hrs CDT. This writer saw Twitter reports as late as 2130 CDT. An official associated with schools in Tampico reported public school attendance down to between 40 and 50 percent.
According to a late news report posted on the website of Milenio, despite rumors to the contrary, public schools will convene normally Tuesday. Also, according to a facebook posting classes will convene for Tueasday at Unidad Academica de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales (UACJS).
According to Informador news daily, however, , three universities in the area have suspended classes. The schools include Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas (UAT), Facultad de Comercio y Administracion de Tampico (FCAT) and Universidad del Noreste (UNE).
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Video
A video, reportedly of a portion of the shootings in Tampico, can be found here
Another video, this time in Del Pueblo colony in Tampico here.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
5 die in southern Chihuahua
According to a news report which appeared in the online edition of El Sol de Parral news daily, three men were found shot to death Friday evening.
The victims, two of whom were identified as Edil Bitelio Jimenez Payan, 30, and José Isaías Torres Meza, 33, were both both from Guadalue y Calvio municipality. Local residents had filed a complaint about three dead bodies on the Guadlupe y Calvo to Parral road, dead from gunshot wounds near the village of Turuachi. All three victims were shot in the head.
Meanwhile in Bachiniva municipality, a man was found shot to death in April 1st near a location called San José y Anexas. The news report said he was struck with rounds from a 9mm weapon, probably a pistol.
Lastly, in Cuauhtemoc municipality last Thursday one unidentified individual was wounded and another unofficially was killed in an encounter with a Mexican Army unit, according to a separate news report in El Diario de Chihuahua news daily.
According to a news account gunfire was exchanged between the occupants of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a Mexican Army road patrol.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
10 die in Tamaulipas
Rantburg.com
A total of ten unidentified individuals were shot to death or were found shot to death over the weekend in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, according to official Mexican news accounts.
Saturday night in Miguel Aleman municipality, a Mexican Army road patrol encountered armed suspects traveling in a convoy, and exchanged gunfire witht he suspects leaving four dead and two wounded.
According to a new release which appeared on the official website of Tamaulipas state, the army patrol encountered a convoy including a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in the village of Los Guerra, and attempted to affect a traffic stop, only to be fired on. Mexican Army counterfire ended the confrontation.
Soldiers seized 17 rifles, one 0.50 caliber Barret rifle, 11 grenades, two grenade launcher attachments, three handguns,weapons magazines, ammunition, tactical gear and a package of marijuana. Five unidentified individuals were also detained at the scene.
According to official reports, Mexican Army units had been reinforcing the region following a Friday night incident in which a hotel in Migeul Aleman was fired on by armed suspects said to be part of the convoy the unit encountered a day later. No one was reported hurt in the incident and damage was limited to the facade of the building.
Meanwhile, in southern Tamaulipas, six unidentified individuals were shot to death in a series of shootings in Tampico and Madero municipalities Saturday and Sunday.
According to the official version, three unidentified individuals were shot to death at a hotel in Madero Sunday afternoon at about 1510 hrs. The shooting was said to be an assassination. Of the three victims one of them was said t be an employee of the hotel.
In Tampico at around 1530 hrs, one unidentified man was found shot to death at the intersection of calles San Pedro and Nardos in Las Violetas colony.
An hour later in Madero one unidentified man was shot to death by armed suspects traveling aboard a Volkswagen Jetta. The incident took place near the intersection of calles Malva and Lilas in El Chipus colony.
At around 1650 an unidentified man was found shot to death near the intersection of calles Honduras and Aduana in Talleres colony.
Officials say that three separate intergang firefights had taken place in Tampico Saturday night, but police were unable to find any bodies.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
11 die in Tamaulipas
Rantburg.com
A total of 11 men were killed in several gunfights in the border cities of Matamoros Monday and Reynosa Tesday, according to official Mexican news accounts.
Monday the mayor of Matamoros, a Tamaulipas city that borders the United States, Leticia Salazar warned her city via Twitter about roadblocks and gun fights taking place in Matamoros.
Late Monday night the Grupo Coordinacion Tamaulipas reported a total of five armed suspects were wounded in gunfights with Mexican security forces.
According to the news release which appeared on the website of Tamaulipas state government, gunfire was exchanged starting at 1300, and ending at 1500 hrs, and spread to other sectors of the city.
One gunfight, which took place at 1400 hrs near the intersection of calles Valle Real and Valle Monica in Valle Real, left one Mexican Army soldier dead.
According to the report, the incident began Uniones colony where a Mexican Army road patrol attempted to stop a SUV, but instead attempted to flee, initiating a pursuit. When the patrol followed the SUV into Valle Real colony, the soldiers were were ambushed.
The report said a number of other army road patrols were ambushed in other sectors of the city. The report said that at least five armed suspects were wounded in the fighting.
A news account which appeared in the online edition of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said that a separate encounter took place between Mexican Army forces and armed suspects at 1330 hrs near the intersection of calles de Sendero Nacional and 12 de Marzo in Las Aguilas and Puerto Rico colonies, as well as at other sectors in the city as well.
Armed suspects put up roadblocks in the streets and laid out across several streets in Matamoros ponchar de los neumaticos, or metal stars used to puncture vehicle tires .
A Mexican Naval Infantry helicopter was also deployed Monday in an attempt to prevent the escape of armed suspects traveling in the city by vehicle and had been fired on by armed suspects.
According to the news report five armed suspects were killed in a firefight on Avenida Uniones in Esperanza colony near the Decofimex factory.
The five dead were said to be members of the Gulf Cartel.
According to a news account which appeared in Notinfomex, a number of gunfights and road blocks have taken place in Reynosa Tuesday afternoon which have left five armed suspects dead.
The sudden activity in Reynosa is said to be local criminal gangs' reaction to the detention by a Mexican Naval Infantry unit of a Gulf cartel plaza chief identified in news account only as El Simple.
Another news account which appeared in Amigos de Tamaulipas website mentioned a Tweet by the Nuevo Leon Coordinacion Estatal de la Policia Federal which warned that a number of gunfights and roadblock were taking place in Reynosa, warning Nuevo leon residents away from the region.
Twitter reports include roadblocks on Avenida Hidalgo, and said that government helicopters are flying in the area.
The Notinfomex account said that a total of five armed suspects have been killed in Reynosa so far.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Mexican Army dismantles narcocamps in Tamaulipas
The news website of Tamaulipas state government said that the six separate operations took place in Mier and Reynosa.
In Mier, army troops seized one AK-47 rifle, five weapons magazines and 146 rounds of ammunition. In another camp, soldiers seized two AK-47 rifles, 20 magazines and 600 rounds of ammunition.
Also in Mier, in a break called Las Morenas soldiers found seven rifles, 98 weapons magazines, 2,600 rounds of ammunition and USD $800 in cash. Nearby on a rural road, soldiers located five rifles and 2,370 rounds of ammunition.
In Reynosa, soldiers found six abandoned vehicles on Libramiento Sur, with 732 rounds of ammunition and 35 weapons magazines.
In ejido Los Longoria, also in Reynosa municipality, soldiers seized six rifles 12,676 rounds of ammunition, six kilograms of marijuana as well as gun parts.
Missing from the government report were detentions or shootout victims. In years past local drug cartels have fought hard against Mexican security force encroachment on parts of Tamaulipas, especially locations where narco training camps were established.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news or Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Sunday, March 16, 2014
4 die in Tamaulipas state
Rantburg.com
A total of three armed suspects were killed in two separate incidents in Tamaulipas state since Thursday, and a Mexican federal police official was assassinated, according to official Mexican government news accounts.
According to a new release posted on the state government website of Tamaulipas, last Friday night a Mexican Army road patrol intercepted a convoy of at least two vehicles in ejido El Olivo near Recinto Ferial in Matamoros municipality. The suspects in the vehicles fired on the army patrol and return fire by soldiers hit and killed two.
As others in the convoy managed to escape, both of the dead were left on the roadway. The report said the men who were killed were both in their 20s. Soldiers seized one AK-47 rifle, weapons magazines and ammunition, and one Chevrolet Malibu sedan.
Meanwhile in Reynosa municipality, one armed suspect was killed in an apparent traffic stop attempt by a Mexican Army road patrol.
The incident took place at around 1200 hrs near the intersection of Bulevar Tiburcio Garza Zamora and Calle San Luis in Rodríguez colony, where the army patrol attempted the stop, but were instead fired on by the driver, said to be in his 20s, who was aboard a Chevrolet Tornado pickup truck.
Soldiers seized one AR-15 rifle in the aftermath, as well as the vehicle.
The day before in Gonzalez municipality, an unidentified Policia Federal Preventativa inspector was shot and killed at 1015 hrs near the intersection of Avenida Insurgentes and Calle Honduras in Aviacion de Villa Manuel colony.
Suspects aboard a Chevrolet pickup truck are suspected in the attack.
Secretario de Seguridad Publica del Estado resigns
According to a news release on the Tamaulipas state website, Tamaulipas' Secretario de Seguridad Publica del Estado> (SSPE) resigned his position after 36 months in office.
Lomeli Martinez was said to have personal reasons for his resignation. The website report notes that Lomeli Martinez oversaw the certification of police in the state, the worst record in Mexico at only 43 percent of police certified to work as police as of last fall. At the time, police certifications were due to be complete, but Mexico's national Chamber of Deputies extended the deadline another year, the third extension in four years.
Replacing Lomeli Martinez is Brigade General Arturo Gutierrez Garcia, who was formerly chief of staff of the Mexican IV Military Region, based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon between 2012 and 2013. Searches of government websites yield little in the way of former commands for the general, although Mexican civilian press says he has extensive field experience.
The Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), controlling agency for the Mexican Army indicates that General Gutierrez Garcia has served as military attache to Honduras a few years ago.
It must be noted that Lomeli Martinez, himself a former Mexican Army first captain, became SSPE just as the mass graves in San Fernando were being discovered. The total dead found was 193, the worst in the Mexican Drug War.
His predecessor, Brigadier General Ubaldo Ayala Tinoco, resigned his position after only 107 days in the wake of the discovery of the immensity of the mass murders in San Fernando municipality.
Command Shuffling in Northeast Mexico
Both of the two command units covering Tamaulipas have undergone changes of command since last December, 2013. Every November, the SEDENA comes out with its latest promotions of flag officers, and sometimes with it new commanders are reassigned. The Mexican Army likes its commanders to have extensive experience in the field, and so commanders tend to stay in place, so that they may train new subordinates. Normal command shuffling takes place in June, but sometimes they are known to take place directly after the promotions lists come out.
Th IV Military Region, which includes Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi states, recently experienced a change of command as General de Division Tomas Jaime Aguirre Cervantes took command of the region last December, according to data supplied by Milenio news daily.
General Aguirre Cervantes has extensive command experience commanding several military zones including the 11th, 33rd and 40th Zones. He has taught at Mexico's Escuela Superior de Guerra and was commandant of Heroico Colegio Militar. His other assignments include work in intelligence and in counterintelligence.
He replaces General Noe Sandoval Alcazar, who took an administrative job for SEDENA in Mexico City.
Meanwhile the 8th Military Zone, a subordinate unit to the IV Military Region, experienced a change of command as General de Brigada Pedro Felipe Gurrola Ramirez took command, replacing General de Brigada Miguel Gustavo Gonzalez Cruz, according to a news report in El Manana news daily.
General Gurrola Ramirez is a special forces soldier with command experience in Culican in Sinaloa state and in Chiapas state.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Mexican counter narco policies yield mixed results
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| Col. Lopez Gutierrez |
Rantburg.com
As the Mexican border state of Coahuila claims a sharp drop in homicides fir the first two months of 2014, another state, Tamaulipas is claiming a spike in denunciations for crime, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news compilation presented in the online edition of El Diario do Coahuila news daily, the Coahuila state Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) or state attorney general announced that a double digit drop in homicides were reported in the state for the first two months of the year, when compared with the same period in 2013.
Overall, intentional homicides (homicidios dolosos) dropped to 78 as opposed to 140 from 2013, a total of 44 percent. Gang on gang murders have dropped by an even greater amount of 46 percent with 44 in 2014 and 81 in 2013.
In Saltillo, which is the state capital of Coahuila, gang on gang murders dropped by 86 percent, while intentional homicides dropped 63 percent, six so far in 2014 as opposed to 16 in 2013. No numbers were given on the number of gang on gang killings.
In Torreon, gang on gang killings dropped from 54 incidents in 2013 to 23 in 2014. A 49 percent drop in intentional homicides over have been recorded, with 69 deaths in 2013 as opposed to 35 in 2014.
While the drops in homicides are impressive it is important to note that the Coahuila PGJE has cooked criminal statistics before by reporting false statistics to the federal government then taking those results and reporting them as fact.
Even so, in Tamaulipas a senior Mexican Army command has reported an equally sharp spike in criminal incidents reported to their commands.
According to a news report which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily, Colonel of Infantry Jesus Gabriel Lopez Gutierrez was quoted saying that while in the first two months of 2013 daily calls reporting criminal activities to their communications node averaged thee to five calls per day, the number of calls have increased dramatically going from between eight to ten calls per day.
Col. Lopez Gutierrez is commander of the Mexican 15th Infantry Battalion which is responsible for security in southern Tamaulipas state, easily one of the most violent in Mexico.
According to the report, more calls came from the urban municipalities of Tampico, Madero and Altamira, and fewer from the rural areas of Altamira, Gonzalez and Aldama.
Most of the calls received are calls already made to other security groups, while about a third relate to federal crimes. The rest are either domestic reporting and reporting of traffic problems in southern Tamaulipas. According to the report, the calls can last from 10 seconds to four minutes, depending on the amount of information received.
The Colonel reported said that the spike in calls doesn't seem to correspond with an increase in crime. According to the report, the increase of calls reflect local citizens' demand for better security.
The Colonel also noted he was not aware of any timetable for the return of the army to the barracks, an early promise of the Enrique Pena Nieto administration from the 2012 campaign and last year. That promise had been continually reiterated in Mexican press until the spring of 2013, when even top army commanders publicly admitted they were not to return to the barracks anytime soon.
It is interesting to note that the Mexican Army has been in charge of security in southern Tamaulipas since May, 2011, which would coincide with the discovery of the San Fernando mass murders, which took the lives of 193.
Chris Covert writes Mexican drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Mexico begins squaring military law with court rulings
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| Senadora Gonzalez Gomez |
Rantburg.com
Almost two and a half years after the July 2011 decision by the Mexican Suprema Cort de Justicia de la Nacion (SCJN) that international treaty obligation concerning human rights can take precedence over Mexican law, talks and committee meetings between military and senators continue that could lead to laws that balance Mexican law with international law, according to Mexican press accounts.
A news report which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily said that several military staff admitted that the nature of fighting against narcotraffickers has let to some human right violations, and have been "inevitable".
The lead in the senate to deal with military justice reform is Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) senator Arely Gomez Gonzalez, who has been holding hearings on this as well as other legal reforms since last fall. But these meetings were not the first. A quick meeting just after the 2011 SCJN decision was held between senators and the military.
Last September, according to a news account which appeared in El Mexicano news daily, the senator declared that five meeting between senators and Mexico's senior military staff would take place to discuss "the balance between the protection of human rights and military discipline, with all the practical consequences that this entails..."
In Friday's meeting military staff from the Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), the controlling agency for the Mexican Army and Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR) have both admitted that human rights violations, while rare have occurred in the past.
Contradmirante Alejandro Vazquez Hernandez, director of the Justicia Naval de la Unidad Juridica told senators Friday, "We were asked to clean house, and now we are told we only dusted. It is clear in some instances there have been human rights violations, but it is inevitable because of the fighting."
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Mexican security forces rescue 61 in Reynosa
According to the news release posted on the state government website of Tamaulipas, a Mexican Army unit was dispatched to a residence in Las Fuentes colony based on an anonymous citizen complaint. There they found a number of men and women being held against their will inside.
Among the captives were 33 Guatemalans, 20 Salvadorans, four Hondurans, three Mexicans and one Nicaraguan. The news release said men and women were in that group, but failed to detail a count. Some of the captives had been physically abused.
Soldiers were told that some of the captives has been kidnapped various locations in Reynosa including bus stops and local markets.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
2 die in Nuevo Laredo
A news release posted on the state government website of Tamaulipas said that the gunfight took place at about 0255 hrs near the intersection of Bulevar Adolfo Ruiz Cortines y Calle Coahuila in Riberas del Bravo colony.
A Mexican Army Policia Militar unit observed a Mazda Tribute SUV that had been reported as stolen, apparently traveling in convoy with a Chevrolet Malibu sedan. The unit attempted a traffic stop, which ended with gunfire. Two of the shooting victims were left in the vehicle. Presumably other armed suspects fled the scene.
In the sedan, soldiers found five rifles, one semiautomatic handgun, and weapons magazines and ammunition.
Later that evening in Matamoros municipality, according to a separate news release, a Mexican Naval Infantry road patrol detained eight suspects in the village of Control Ramirez presumably at a residence near the intersection of calles Sexta and Panaderos y Jornaleros. The report said that the detainees were behaving suspiciously.
Marines seized eight rifles, 164 weapons magazines, 5,137 rounds of ammunition, four hand grenades, .67 kilograms of marijuana, five radios, and five vehicles.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. he can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Saturday, February 8, 2014
3 die in Tamaulipas as Mexican security forces seize weapons
An official news release posted Saturday on the Tamaulipas state government website said that one unidentified armed suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire in El Mante municipality Saturday afternoon.
A Mexican Naval Infantry road patrol observed armed suspects traveling aboard several vehicles in convoy on a road between Mante and a location called Balneario La Aguja.
Gunfire was exchanged and one armed suspect was killed while other suspects managed to flee the scene.
Marines seized one Nissan Frontier pickup truck, two .45 caliber semiautomatic pistols, two weapons magazines and 46 rounds of ammunition. The victim in the shooting was said to be in his 20s.
Wednesday, a Mexican Army road patrol encountered a number of armed suspects, killing two and detaining five.
According to a separate news account, the military detachment was in Reynosa municipality near a break identified as El Becerro when soldiers came under small arms fire from armed suspect traveling aboard several vehicles.
The two shooting victims were said to be in their 20s, and five other suspects were detained at the scene. Soldiers also took possession of one Nissan Pathfinder SUV, two Ford F-150 pickup trucks, one compact sedan, 16 rifles, 72 weapons magazines and 1,158 rounds of ammunition.
Mexican security forces have also seized 90 rifles and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in separate operations in the state in the past week.
A Mexican Naval Infantry unit was dispatched to a location in Buenavista colony in Matamoros municipality on a report of armed suspects in the area. Inside a residence marines seized 31 rifles, 8,000 rounds of ammunition, 445 weapons magazines and one Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.
In Oasis colony in the same municipality, Marines were dispatched to a residence where they found 59 rifles, 1,685 rounds of ammunition, 223 weapons magazines and one Chevrolet pickup truck.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Friday, February 7, 2014
300 Mexican Army effectives deploy to southern Chihuahua
Rantburg.com
A total of 300 soldiers were deployed to southern Chihuahua to reinforce the Mexican 42nd Military Zone, according to Mexican news accounts.
A news report last week posted on the online edition of El Diario de Juarez news daily said that the unit, coming via road march from Cuernavaca in Morelos state, arrived Thursday in Hidaldo de Parral municipality. The unit is an element of the Mexican 9th Artillery Regiment.
The units is expected to reinforce road patrols throughout the region, a total of 41 municipalities covered by the 42nd Military Zone. A week ago an additional 100 soldiers were moved to southern Chihuahua.
Southern Chihuahua has experienced a severe increase in drug related violence in the last three weeks. More recently, at least four individuals have been killed in drug related violence.
- The owner of a seafood kiosk in Parral was shot to death Thursday, according to a separate news report in El Diario de Juarez . Alfredo Valenzuela, 33, was shot near Avenida Independencia when an unidentified armed suspect shot him three times. The shooting took place near a location where a seller of sushi was killed a few days before
- An undisclosed number of armed suspects were killed in an apparent intergang firefight near the village of Villa Matamoros in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality Wednesday afternoon. The shooting started as part of a kidnapping at around 1400 hrs. Police arrived to find a Chevrolet Suburban SUV afire from rifle fire. Dead were reported at the scene, but the death toll was not disclosed by police.
- An unidentified man was found dead Monday near the road connecting Parral and Jimenez municipalities. The victim had been tortured and was found with his hear wrapped in tape. The news account failed to indicate how the victim was killed.
- An unidentified cattleman was shot and wounded in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality Sunday. It is unclear why the 43 year old victim was shot, but it is apparent he is expected to survive his wounds.
- A traffic police officer was shot to death in Jimenez municipality Sunday. Victor Manuel Ramirez Salas 34 was shot by armed suspects as he was driving his personal vehicle on Calle 9th. He is the second transit police officer killed in Jimenez in January.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.
