Operation Bastión Launched Against La Familia Michoacana In The State of Mexico

"Enojon", "Char", "Pernicious Propaganda", "Halipon", "Hearst", "Itzli"  for Borderland Beat

Photograph By: The State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office (Compilation of properties seized during Operación Bastión)

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Tamaulipas: Mexican Navy Takes Down 7 Alleged Criminals

Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

Members of the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) took down seven alleged members of a criminal group operating in the region of Ribereña, in the state of Tamaulipas.

In a statement, the Tamaulipas Coordination Group (GCT) reported that on March 19^th, in the municipality of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, members of SEMAR were attacked by gunmen, and in repelling the attack, they took down seven of them.

According to the GCT, the attack occurred at kilometer 15 of the highway Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, on the border with the municipality of Parás, Nuevo León, where the marines were carrying out ground reconnaissance.

Upon arriving at the location, they were suddenly attacked by armed individuals who were traveling in several vehicles, they then proceeded to repel the attack in defense of their lives.

In a breach that is located about three kilometers from the starting point of the attack, the bodies of the seven attackers were left; two were identified as Miguel Ángel López Zárate, originally from Sinaloa, and José Luis Luna Garza, a native of Parás, Nuevo León.

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3 die as Mexican security forces conduct raids in Tamaulipas

By Chris Covert
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

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3 die, 8 wounded in Tamaulipas state

A total of three dead and eight wounded have been recorded in shootings in the northern Mexican border state Tamaulipas since last Friday, according to official news reports.

A shooting incident in the state capital of Ciuidad Victoria Friday left two  dead and seven wounded among them a five year old child in a drive by shooting.

According to the government's account, the first incident took place at around 2200 hrs on Calle 31 Sierra Madre at a taco stand in Sierra Ventana colony where four armed suspects traveling aboard a vehicle opened fire on several individuals and businesses.

The dead were identified as José Antonio Ruiz Martinez, 43, and Dolores Lopez Rivera, 72.

Further south in the coastal municipality of Tampico, one unidentified man was wounded in a drive by shooting Saturday evening.

The incident took place at around 1800 hrs near the intersection of Calle Ejercito Mexicano and Avenida Universidad, where armed suspects traveling aboard two vehicles opened fire on customers.  Damage was recorded to buildings in the area as well.

The shooters were said to be aboard a Dodge Journey SUV and a Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

Mexican Naval Infantry seized a number of contraband in two separate incidents in southern and northern Tamaulipas, detaining three unidentified suspects.

In Rio Bravo municipality, a Marine rifle unit stopped armed suspects traveling aboard a Ford Lobo ()F-150) extended cab pickup truck.  Aboard the truck marines seized a grenade launcher attachment for an AK-47 rifle,  145 weapons magazines, 1,142 rounds of ammunition and MEX $1,720 (USD $130.93) in cash.

In Mante municipality a marine unit stopped armed suspects traveling aboard a Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV following a brief pursuit.  Marines seized one handgun and 58 rounds of ammunition.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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7 die in Tamaulipas -- UPDATED

Updated with revised, confirmed death toll
 
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

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3 die in Matamoros

Three unidentified armed suspects were shot to death after firing on a Mexican Navy helicopter in the border municipality of Matamoros Friday afternoon, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to an official news report posted on the website of Tamaulipas state government, the incident began Friday at 15:25 hrs, when a Mexican naval helicopter observed several armed suspects traveling aboard two vehicles in ejido Francisco I. Madero.  Some of the suspects fired on the bird, causing naval personnel to return fire.

Naval return fire killed three.  Others in the convoy escaped the scene.  Mexican security forces seized a Chevrolet Equinox SUV and an AK-47 rifle.  The dead were all men in their 20s.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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4 die in Tamaulipas state

By Chris Covert
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.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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11 die in Tamaulipas

By Chris Covert
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

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4 die in Sinaloa state

A total of four men were shot to death in an exchange of gunfire involving the Mexican security forces Friday night, according to Mexican news reports.

According to a news account posted on the online edition of El Debate news daily, three of the four men who were killed were identified as Juan Francisco Espinoza Lopez, Sergio Enrique Ceniceros Angulo and Jonathan Atadeo Lagunes.

According to various news reports, a Mexican Naval Infantry road patrol intercepted a convoy in ejido Sinaloa de Navolato in Culican municipality, one vehicle of which was a Humvee with the victims, and exchanged gunfire with the occupants and others in the convoy.

According to a separate news account in Milenio news daily, the confrontation took place in two areas in the ejido and involved hand grenades as well as small arms fire.  Some elements of the convoy had dismounted, and so marines continued their pursuits into corn field all the while firing their weapons. 

Three marines were wounded in the exchange including one hit by grenade shrapnel.

The Milenio report noted that the commander of the Mexican 9th Military Zone, General Miguel Hurtado Ochoa had visited the scene in the aftermath, but to explanation was made as to why such a senior commander would be in the field.

News reports suggested that the fourth victim was a former Navolato municipal police commander, identified as  German Ceniceros Ibarra, AKA Jaguar, who went missing back in 2008.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com  He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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Mexico begins squaring military law with court rulings

Senadora Gonzalez Gomez

By Chris Covert
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."

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4 armed suspects die in Tamaulipas

Four unidentified armed suspects were killed in an armed encounter with Mexican security forces in the northern Mexican border state of Tamaulipas Tuesday afternoon, according to official Mexican government news reports.

A road patrol of Mexican Naval Infantry came under small arms fire in San Fernando municipality near ejido Santa Teresa from armed suspects traveling aboard a GMC Sierra pickup truck.  Marine return fire killed all suspects in the truck.

Inside the truck sailors found three rifles and four weapons magazines.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com  He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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3 die in Tamaulipas as Mexican security forces seize weapons

Three armed suspects were killed in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas as Mexican security forces seized 90 rifles and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in separate incidents, according to official Mexican news reports.

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

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Violence explodes in southern Tamaulipas after Z-40 detention

At least 10 unidentified individuals have been killed and several more wounded in southern Tamaulipas state, the result of the aftermath of the capture of Los Zetas leader Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, AKA Z-40 according to Mexican news reports.

An APRO wire dispatch which appeared in the online edition of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said that operatives with the Gulf Cartel had been firing indiscriminately over a two day period at residents of ejido Fe del Golfo in Jimenez municipality last Sunday.

According to the report several Gulf Cartel shooters arrived at the ejido and ordered residents to leave, firing on them as they did.

The reason why the ejido was ordered to vacate was not clear.  The Gulf Cartel maintains a logistics and training camp in the region said to house as many as 100 shooters.  The camp is so large, according to the report, Mexican Army and Tamauliupas state security troops refuse to enter the area.  Abasolo municipality is also reportedly another no go zone for federal and state security elements.

Unconfirmed reports have been made of armed confrontations between armed suspects and detachments of Mexican Naval Infantry in Gonzalez and Magiscatzin municipalities.  At least eight armed suspects have been killed in Magiscatzin municipality.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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7 die in gunfight with Mexican Marines

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of 13 individuals were killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in Zacatecas state including seven armed suspects shot to death in an armed  encounter with Mexican Naval Infantry, according to Mexican news accounts.

A news report which appeared in the online edition of El Sol de Zacatecas news daily said that the gunfight took place in Sain Alto municipality.

The report said that the Mexican Marine road patrol encountered armed suspects on a road which connects the village of El Cazadero at around 0600 hrs Saturday.  Marines also seized a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the scene, which indicates that other vehicles may have been involved in the shootout, but which escaped.

Among the dead, all in their 20s, was reportedly a female.

Sain Alto sits astride Mexico Federal Highway 45 in western Zacatecas on one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Mexico.  Highway 45 connects Fresnillo with Durango in Durango state.

One example is of one unidentified man found tortured to death in Trancoso municipality Sunday.

According to a separate report in El Sol de Zacatecas the victim was found on Highway 45 with two severed limbs.  The report said the victim was mutilated with a saw while still alive .

A note was left at the scene signed by Cartel del Norte, which is reportedly affiliated with Los Zetas.  The contents of the message was not disclosed in the news account,

In other news, four unidentified individuals were found murdered in Fresnillo municipality a week ago, according to Mexican news reports.

A news account which appeared on the website of El Sol de Zacatacas said that the four victims were found in a hidden grave in the mountain community of Purisima del Maguey in an area called San Bajio.

The victims were found in an advanced state of decomposition, but the report said that three of the victims were males and one was female.  The victim had been killed at least three weeks before their discovery.

The report notes that the four were killed in a settling of accounts between armed criminal gangs, and that the area where the dead were found is known as a graveyard for such murders.

The report does not specify which group or cartel may have been involved.  Los Zetas, the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels are known to operate in Zacatecas state, and several gunfights between local criminal gangs have been reported in Fresnillo in recent weeks.

Fresnillo has been the focus of security incidents in the last ten days.

In one example, an unidentified man in his 60s was shot to death May 8th in Guadalupe municipality which is directly adjacent to Fresnillo.

The victim was found shot to death on calle Sicomoro in Arboledas colony.

Also, a Mexican Army unit with the 97 Infantry Battalion took over the headquarters of the Fresnillo municipal police corporation Monday in a surprise weapons inspection.

The action began at around 0700 hrs and lasted until 1200 hrs when the military unit left.  No one was reported detained nor were any weapons reported seized.

The Mexican Army is charged by law with the enforcement of the Mexican federal Firearms and Explosives Act, and has in the past disarmed  whole police departments when irregularities were found.

The best example was late last winter when the traffic division of Gomez Palacio, Coahuila municipal police were disarmed, and then later detained.

As with every other state, Zacatecas is under pressure by the federal government to provide trained police officers which have passed confidence tests in anticipation of the creation of a new police agency dubbed Policia Gendarmaria.  The head of the federal Secretaria de Gobierno (SEGOB) or interior ministry, Miguel Osorio Chong has decreed that every police agent, state and municipal must be certified by November 1st, 2013, or face losing their jobs.

Every municipal and state police agency in Mexico is heavily funded by the federal government,  municipalities with passthrough funds.  Municipal president are severely constrained by Mexican law as to how much money they can raise through taxes, fines and fees, and how much can be spent on security operations.

Mexican state governors are also expected now to take a greater hand in coordinating security operations between states.  Reports can be found in Mexican press about security meetings being held amongst the governors of states in five separate regions.  Those meeting often include representative from the Mexican Army, Mexican Navy and national police agencies within SEGOB.

Zacatecas state has been coordinating with other states in its region including  Aguascalientes and Jalisco states.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com

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Mexican marines rescue 104 kidnapped migrants in Nuevo Laredo

Five alleged kidnappers detained by Tamaulipas state cops

A total of 104 kidnap victims were rescued by a Mexican Naval infantry unit in Nuevo Laredo Sunday, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to a news account which appeared on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily, the military unit had been dispatched to a residence in 150 Aniversario colony in Nuevo Laredo where marines found the victims, 91 men and 13 women.  A total of 102 victims were from Honduras while two originated from El Salvador.

Meanwhile, a raid in Nuevo Laredo netted a total of five alleged kidnappers.

According to an account which appeared in a separate item on the website of El Diario de Coahuila,  the raid came after investigations began following an armed confrontation between armed suspects in Nuevo Laredo March 7th.  The gunfight involved Tamaulipas state Policia Ministerial, Policia Estatal Acreditable and Mexican Army units.

According to the report, the gang was responsible for at least 60 murders, as well as robberies and other violent crimes.

The detainees were identified as Fernando Araujo Flores, Carlos Aguilera Romano, Raul Murillo Fraga, Adriana Yacare del Toro Lopez, and José Juan Antonio Carvajal.

It is worth noting that  José Juan Antonio Carvajal and Adriana Yacare del Toro Lopez died in the Nuevo Laredo Centro de Ejecuciones de Sancciones (CEDES) only a day after entering the prison.  Antonio Carvajal was stabbed to death in a prison brawl while  Toro Lopez was found hanged in her cell.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

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Mexican Army deploys troops to 13 troubled Mexican states

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

The Mexican Army is deploying 14,000 effectives to 13 Mexican states it considers hot spots in the drug war, according to Mexican news accounts.

A brief item posted on the website of Reforma news daily Saturday morning said that that 13 states receiving deployments include Mexico state, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas.

It is worth noting that most of the states are entities used by Los Zetas to bring product, migrants and shooters from central America to the northern border.  Notably missing from the list are three of the six northern tier Mexican state, Baja California, Chihuahua and Sonora, all states of which have experienced some decline in drug related violence in the passed year.

However, of those three, one, Chihuahua, has experience a spike in drug and gang related violence since the start of the year.

Notably absent from the list are states which have also experienced an increase in violence, namely Sinaloa, Jalisco and Michoacan states.  Those states have received security reinforcements since the start of the year in the form of Policia Federal units, which now operating under the auspices of the Mexican Secretaria de Gobierno (SEGOB) or interior ministry.

The Mexican national government has shifted the focus of its counternarcotics strategy away from one of confrontation with the several drug gangs currently operating in Mexico using Mexican military forces and by using Policia Federal more to quell violence from drug gangs.

Enrique Pena Nieto

One of the stated goals in Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto in the new strategy is to eventually return military forces to the barracks.  The strategy is already in motion, according to a statement released by the Mexican Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR), or Mexican Navy.  Last week  Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberon Sanz noted in an Organizacion Editorial Mexicano news report that slowly military troops are being removed from the streets to allow Mexico's police to handle counternarcotics operations.

Another element of the new strategy is to divide Mexican into five geographical regions overseen by representatives of local Mexican Army,  Naval infantry, interior ministry and Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) or national attorney general.  The idea is to make states more responsible for their security, to combined state resources and general knowledge of their regions and to allow close monitoring of police forces by the federal government  With the representatives of those institutions, several states within those zone are to appoint representatives within 30 days of the law's publication.  The law that instituted the five zones was passed December 17th, 2012.  Implicit in the law are required routines meetings of the five security zones.

Among the purposes is to provide a means of training and testing local municipal police, and to have that training standardized.  Another purpose is to provide a career track for local police for as long as 20 years.

Some of the  meetings have already taken place.  For example the latest meeting of the some of governors of the northwest zone held at an aircraft hangar at the airport in Chihuahua Friday afternoon demonstrated Pena's strategy as well as his attitude towards politicians of Mexican state governments.

PGR Jesus Murillo Karam

Procuraduria General la Republica (PGR) or attorney general, Jesus Murillo Karam, Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) General Cepeda Salvador Cienfuegos, SEMAR Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberon Sanz, undersecretary of the interior for Security Manuel Mondragon y Kalb were in attendance from the federal government.

Sinaloa Governor Mario Lopez Valdez, Baja California Governor Jose Osuna Millan,  Baja California Sur Governor Marcos Covarrubias and Sonora governor Guillermo Padres also attended, as well as Chihuahua governor Javier Durate and his Fiscalia General del Estado (FGE) or state attorney general, Carlos Manuel Salas.

According to an opinion piece posted in El Heraldo de Chihuahua news daily Saturday morning, among the first acts at the meeting of the federal government was for cellular telephones batteries of the participating governors and their staffs to be seized by federal government staff before the meeting, much to their apparent surprise and dismay. 

Perhaps more stark was the statement of SEGOB Miguel Angel Osorio Chong that the days of political flexibility of state governors allowed by the previous two PAN presidents Vicente Fox and Feipe Calderon were gone and that security in the states were now the responsibility of the SEGOB and the president.

SEGOB Migurl Osorio Chong

One possible interpretation to SEGOB's statement is that in previous federal governments state government were allowed flexibility in their security spending, within the parameters set by the Chamber of Deputies.  A good example would be two years ago when the Mexican Army was expanded by 18 battalions.  State governments were allowed to donate land in the construction of new bases to house the new units, and provide smaller amounts of their budgets for construction.

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Bloody Zacatecas: 15 die

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of 15 individuals have been killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in Zacatecas state since Thursday, including eight armed suspects according to Mexican news accounts.

A news report posed on the online edition of El Sol de Zacatecas news daily said that eight armed suspects died in an exchange of gunfire with Mexican Policia Federal (PF) and Zacatecas state police forces that started around noon in Genaro Codina municipality and ended at around 1500 hrs Saturday.

According to reports, the gunfight was a series of encounters including pursuits that involved as many as 22 PF vehicles including an number of Rinoceronte or Rhino armor vehicles.

Eight armed suspects were killed and another five were detained at the scene.  A quantity of weapons were also seized but the details were not disclosed.

Genaro Codina is about 30 kilometers south of Zacatecas municipality.

Seven other individuals  were killed in ongoing drug and gang related violence in Zacatecas state.

• Two armed suspects were and a female passerby were killed in an intergang firefight Wednesday night in Sain Alto municipality.   Margarita Monserrat Vazquez Araujo, 19, from Guanajuato was travelling with a male companion on Mexico Federal Highway 45 when she was struck in the face with a stray bullet.  She later died while receiving medical attention.  Mexican security forces found three abandoned vehicles which had been shot up presumably during the gunfight.
• Three armed suspects were killed in an armed encounter with a Mexican Naval infantry road patrol near Jerez  municipality.  The military unit was on patrol near the village of Organos when marines came under small arms fire.  Marine return fire killed the three suspects.   The El Sol de Zacatecas report said that the number of armed suspects firing was undetermined, so apparently a number of them escaped.  A total of four more armed suspects surrendered.
• One unidentified armed suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire between armed suspects and a Mexican Policia Federal (PF) road patrol in Calera municipality Thursday. The army unit attempted a traffic stop of several vehicles in Lauro G. Caloca colony, but were instead fired on during a brief pursuit.  Army return fire killed one suspect. Two other suspects were detained at the scene.
• A Mexican Army unit detained four suspected kidnappers in Fresnillo municipality Wednesday.  A unit with the Mexican 11th Military Zone received a complain from an unidentified female kidnapping victim from Plan de Ayala neighborhood in Fresnillo.  An army unit dispatched to the address rescuing one other female kidnapping victim and detaining four suspects at the scene.  Soldiers also secured two Norinco brand AK-47 rifles, 10 weapons magazines and 539 rounds of ammunition and one Nissan Altima sedan.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

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2 Mexican military die in plane crash

Two Mexican military aviators were killed Wednesday morning in an Mexican Navy airplane crash in Baja California Sur, in Mexico, according to Mexican news accounts.

According to a news account posted on the website of Proceso news weekly, the men who died were identified as Mexican Navy Lieutenant Commander Adrian Ignacio Gonzalez Vargas, and Mexican Air Force Major Alfonso Barajas Jesus Verduzco. Both men were flight instructors.

According to the report,  the two military men were on a training mission aboard a Moravan Zlin 242L single engine aircraft at about 1130 hrs when the aircraft crashed.  The location of the crash was 36 kilometers southeast of La Paz, Baja California Sur.

The pilot and passenger were flying out of the naval aviation school in La Paz, part of the Mexican 2nd Naval Zone.  The aircraft was destroyed in the crash.

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Mexico promotes five sailors to admiral

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

The Mexican Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR) or Mexican Navy has elevated five sailors to the rank of admiral, the top rank of admirals in the Mexican Navy, according to official and private news sources.

The five sailors all have extensive experience in coastal counternarcotics operations, and one is a naval infantry commander. They are Admirals Juan Ramon Alcala Pignol, commander of the Tenth Naval District, in Michoacan; Arturo Bernal Carrasco, head of the Fourth Naval Region, in Sonora, Victor Uribe Arevalo, commander of the Eighth Naval Zone in Puerto Vallarta; Vidal Francisco Soberon, secretary to SEMAR Admiral Mariano Francisco Saynez, and Pedro Garcia Valerio, a naval infantry commander.  All five are graduates of Mexico's Heroica Escuela Naval Militar naval academy.  The appointments of all five were confirmed by the Mexican senate last week.

• According to a news item posted on sipse.com, Admiral Alcala Pignol has served at director of Heroica Escuela Naval Militar, deputy director of SEMAR's office of personnel management and commander of the Mexican 5th Naval Zone in Tabasco state.  He executed operations against the La Familia de Michoacan drug cartel as commander of the 10 Naval District operating in part out of the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michocacan.  Between July 27, 2009 to July 31, 2010, while vice admiral, he served as commander of the IX Naval Region based in Yucalpeten, Yucatan.
• According to a new item posted last February on the website of uniradionoticias.com, Admiral Arturo Bernal Carrasco has been commander of the IV Naval Region based in Guayamas, Sonora, a post he took in February.   The IV Naval Region encompasses the coast between Gulf of Santa Clara and Mazatlan.  His predecessor, Vice Admiral Eduardo Villa Valenzuela had conducted naval counternarcotics operations along the coasts of Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California states, and coordinated police in Guaymas and Empalme municipalities in Sonora state.  Admiral Bernal Carrasco has also seved as SEMAR's  Director General de Recursos Humanos or human resouces.
• According to a news item posted on the website of elvigia.net, Admiral Victor Uribe Arevalo had taken over command of the Mexican II Naval Region based in Ensenada, Baja California last February, replacing Admiral Humberto Santos Gomez Leyva.  Admiral Uribe Arevalo has previously served as chief of naval staff and commander of the Sixth Naval Zone based in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, and Eighth Naval Zone of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.  He was formerly inspector of the 2nd Naval Zone and was commander of the destroyer flotilla of Mexico's Pacific fleet.
• Admiral  Vidal Francisco Soberon was a secretary to SEMAR Admiral Francisco Saynez.  According to sipse.com, he commanded the Naval Subsector Matamoros, Tamaulipas, led a group of command of the Sixth Fleet Ocean Surveillance Ship, and was chairman of the Committee on Special Studies of the General Staff of the Navy.  He has also trained on the Cuauhtemoc, the Mexican Navy's sailing training ship.
• Admiral Pedro Garcia Valerio is general coordinator of Mexican Naval Infantry forces, and has served in various naval infantry rifle company and battalion commands.  He is credited with the formation of SEMAR's first parachute rifle battalion and has commanded the Mexican Pacific Fleet's amphibious reaction force.  He was also Mexico's naval attache in the republic of China from 2000 to 2002.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

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September 2nd Badanov's Buzzkill Bulletin

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Mexican army and naval infantry forces have since August 24th seized 42.286 kilograms of methamphetamine , 398.77 kilograms of cocaine, MX $205,700 (USD $15,595.27) and USD $25,300.00 (MX $333,704.41) in cash, according to information provided by official Mexican government sources.

• A Mexican Army unit with the 9th Military Zone detained five unidentified individuals and seized weapons in Sinaloa state August 24th.  The arrests took place near the village of Buchinari  in Sinaloa de Leyva municiality where soldiers seized one rifle, two handguns, six weapons magazines, 133 rounds of ammunition and a stolen vehicle.
• An army unit with the Mexican 45th Military Zone located an abandoned vehicle with weapons aboard in Sonora state August 27th.  The unit was on patrol in Agua Prieta municipality when soldiers located the vehicle containing five rifles, including a Barrett 0.50 caliber rifle,  50 weapons magazines 2,875 rounds ammunition and tactical gear.
• A Mexican Army unit in the 6th Military Zone detained two unidentified individuals following an exchange of gunfire in Coahuila state August 27th.  The unit was on patrol in Piedra Negras municipality when soldiers came under small arms fire by an unknown number of armed suspects.  After ending the gunfight, soldiers detained two of the shooters and seized two handguns, seven weapons magazines, 35 rounds of ammunition and USD $13,000.00 (MX $171,468.60) in cash.
• An army unit with the 22nd Mexican Military Zone detained two unidentified individuals and seized weapons and munitions in Mexico state August 28th.  The arrests took place in Luvianos municipality where soldiers seized four rifles, 24 weapons magazines, 730 rounds of ammunition and two tactical vests.  Note these detentions and seizures took place two days after 30 unidentified gang members were reportedly killed in an intergang firefight in the same municipality. 
• A total of three unidentified armed suspects were killed in a firefight involving a Mexican Army unit in Veracruz state August 30th.  The gun fight took place in New Tuxpan colony in Cordoba municipality where an army unit attached to the 26th Military Zone came under small arms fire.  Army return fire killed three armed suspects and soldiers detained two others.  An unidentified man who was apparently a kidnapping victim, was released following the gunfight. Three rifles were seized in the aftermath.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 36th Military Zone seized a large quantity of cocaine in Chiapas state August 29th.  The unit  searched a truck which was found to have 398 coffee packages with 389 kilograms of cocaine.  One unidentified suspect, the driver, was detained at the scene.
• An army unit with the Mexican 45th Military Zone seized quantities of guns in Sonora state August 29th.  The unit was on patrol in Plutarco Elias Calles municipality, when soldiers spotted a suspect presumably with a weapon.  A search of a residence located three rifles, six handguns, 575 rounds of ammunition, 19 weapons magazines, three vehicles and quantities of tactical gear.  The suspect was detained at the scene.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 19th Military Zone detained two armed suspects in Veracruz state following a gun fight August 29th.  The unit was on patrol in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc municipality when it came under small arms fire.  Army return fire ended the gunfight and led to the arrest of two unidentified suspects.  Soldiers also seized one rifle, two handguns, 45 rounds of ammunition, six weapons magazines, one stolen vehicle and MX $8,700.00 (USD $659.60) in cash. 
• A joint raid involving municipal police from Mexicali municipality in Baja California state and soldiers with the 2nd Military Zone netted drugs and drug laboratory equipment August 29th.  The raid took place near the intersection of Calles Bambu and Saratoga in Ejido Los Algodones where a total of 6.650 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized along with quantities of precursor chemicals, one handgun and 56 rounds of ammunition.
• Soldiers with the 2nd Military Zone posted at the Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport in Tijuana municipality in Baja California state, detained two unidentified individuals with large sums of cash in their possession August 29th.  One suspect had USD $12,300.00 (MX $162,235.74) and MX $4,500.00 (USD $341.17),while the other had MX $192,500 (USD $14,594.50).
• One unidentified armed suspect was killed in a firefight with a Mexican Army unit in Guerrero state August 29th.  The unit with the Mexican 35th Military Zone was on road patrol near the village of Las Anonita in Ajuchitlan del Progreso municipality when it came under small arms fire.  Army return fire killed one.  Soldiers seized weapons in the aftermath including  ten rifles, one handgun, four homemade grenades, 31 weapons magazines, 1,907 rounds of ammunition and two vehicles.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 45th Military Zone seized a number of weapons in Sonora state August 31st.  The unit was on patrol in the municipality of Carborca when soldiers found an abandoned vehicle containing five rifles, 13 weapons magazines, 378 rounds of ammunition and tactical gear.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone seized quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine at a checkpoint in Baja California state August 31st.  A truck carrying bottled water from Sinalo state was stopped near Ejido Guadalajara in Mexicali municipality where soldiers located 50 packages with 27.7 kilograms of methamphatamine and nine packages with 9.77 kilograms of cocaine.  Then driver was detained at the scene.
• An army unit with the 2nd Military Zone seized a quantity of methamphetamine at a checkpoint in Baja California August 30th.  The checkpoint was located at Kilometer 36.7 of the Tijuana-Ensenada road where a truck was searched.  Soldiers found 3.546 kilograms of methamphatamine hidden aboard. The unidentified driver was detained at the scene.
• Soldiers from the 2nd Military Zone performed a traffic stop in La Herrera colony in Playas de Tijuana delegation in Tijuana municipality, finding 2.19 kilograms of methamphetamine August 30th.  The driver was detained at the scene. 
• A Mexican naval infantry unit seized drugs and wepons in Ciudad Guzman in Jalisco state August 26th.  Several members of the  Jalisco Nueva Generacion criminal cartel were detained, including Raul Sosa Jimenez AKA El Bufalo,  Guillermo Alberto Ramirez Mundo AKA El Wily, Jose Antonio Reyes Mundo AKA El Tres and Maria Nélida Flores Reyes AKA La Gorda.  A quantity of methamphetamine totalling 1.2 kilograms were seized along with five assault rifles, five handguns, weapons magazines ammunition, tactical gear, two vehicles and communication equipment.
• Mexican naval infantry troops detained two individuals and seized quantities of drug and guns in Jalisico state August 30th.   José Javier Ramirez Chavez AKA El Bocho and Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes AKA El Mencho were arrested in Ciudad Guzman. Both detainees were said to be leaders in the Jalisco Nueva Generacion criminal cartel.  Marines seized a total of one kilogram of methamphetamine, two rifles, a grenade launcher attachment, two pistols, five grenades, weapons magazines and ammunition.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

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