Flashback: Anatomy of a Drug Cartel

Armadillo: Below is a piece about the Gulf Cartel by Texas Monthly from 1998. It is lengthy but interesting, enjoy!

Drug Lord Juan Garcia Abrego

You won’t find drug trafficker Juan García Abrego at the Piedras Negras Restaurant in Matamoros anymore, but he used to hang around there all the time. These days you will find only his uncle Juan N. Guerra, who holds court in the back of the restaurant most mornings, beginning around ten. When I went there last June, the old man had not yet arrived, but people were already waiting to ask favors of him, as they have done for years. They looked like honest men, farmers with dirt under their fingernails, and they sat in respectful silence at the blue leather booths. They looked humble too, but in this place they were cloaked in an air of bloody machismo, thanks to the paintings of racehorses and cockfights that hung on the walls. Norteño music drifted through the room, periodically interrupted by crashes from the kitchen and the warbles of small green birds in a wire cage.

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Drone Footage Captures Explosive Attack Between Rival Gulf Cartel Factions

"Enojon" for Borderland Beat 

(Still image of drone attack against 'Los Metros' convoy)

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FGR Files New Indictment Against Osiel Cardenas

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted by RIODOCE 

Author | Editorial Staff

Date | December 19, 2024

Time | 12:38 pm

The Attorney General's Office (FGR) executed a second arrest warrant against Osiel Cardenas Guillen, former leader of the Gulf Cartel, who was extradited from the United States to Mexico, this time for the crime of aggravated homicide.

On Wednesday, Cardenas Guillen appeared at 12:00 noon before the Seventh District Judge for Criminal Matters in the state of Jalisco, to hear the FGR's accusation.

According to Proceso, judicial sources confirmed that during the hearing, the man also known as the “mata amigos” (friend killer) reserved his right to testify.

As happened in the first hearing he attended, for organized crime and crimes against health, his defense requested the doubling of the constitutional deadline to resolve his legal situation, so that the judge will have to decide whether or not to issue him a formal prison sentence no later than December 23 at 8:20 p.m.

The Attorney General's Office (FGR) accused him of the murder of six people in 2007, the year in which he was extradited to the United States.

Consequently, the Attorney General's Office has pending the execution of two other arrest warrants and the reactivation of seven criminal proceedings that have been held up since 2007.

The pending warrants are for organized crime and crimes against health.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

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Osiel Cárdenas Guillén Deported from US and Arrested in Mexico

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

The patron founder of Los Zetas and former leader of the Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén has been returned to Mexico after serving his US sentence and was quickly re-arrested by Mexican authorities.

Cárdenas Guillén once led the feared Gulf Cartel before he was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2007.

US Homeland Security Department confirmed in its social media accounts Monday that Cárdenas Guillén had been returned after serving 14 years in US custody, most of his 25-year US prison sentence.

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Los Chapitos Threaten FESC Officials Through Handwritten Banner In Mexicali, Baja California

 "Enojon" For Borderland Beat

Image By: Villalugo Informa (Image of banner hanging from pedestrian bridge)

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National Guard Captures El Lexus Or El Escorpión 17, Leader Of Two Important Armed Wings Of Gulf Cartel Matamoros Faction

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This article was translated and reposted from PROCESO 

JULY 17, 2024

The alleged drug lord was arrested in Miramar beach south of Tamaulipas and transferred to El Altiplano prison.

(Authorities in Mexico announced the arrest of Antonio Guadalupe Pérez Domínguez, known as “El Escorpión 17” and leader of two of the Gulf Cartel's main cells (Los Ciclones and Los Escorpiones) in the towns of Matamoros and Reynosa, who has already been handed over to the judicial system.

The Mexican government said in a statement published on its website that the arrest took place on July 16 in Ciudad Madero, in the state of Tamaulipas, as part of an operation by the Special Reaction and Intervention Force (FERI) of the National Guard (GN).

He indicated that the man was arrested in Miramar beach “as a result of inter-institutional coordination to strengthen the rule of law in the country and detect criminal organizations in that state,” before highlighting that he had an arrest warrant issued by a judge.

“A tactical team from FERI, in support of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (Femdo) and the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), through intelligence work and field activities, located Antonio Guadalupe “N”, who allegedly formed part of the criminal structure of the Gulf Cartel (CDG), as the alleged leader of said criminal organization with presence in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, who had an arrest warrant issued by a federal judge”.

“El Escorpión 17” has already been transferred to El Altiplano prison in the state of Mexico, where he was ‘placed at the disposal of the competent authorities, who will determine his legal situation,’ according to the government, which stated that four other people have been arrested as a result of this arrest.

“With this arrest, we have contributed to weakening a criminal organization with a presence in the state of Tamaulipas, limiting its financial activities, trafficking of illegal immigrants and drugs to the United States, and the illegal introduction of firearms into national territory,” it said, before stressing that the operation was carried out ‘with strict adherence to the rule of law and with full respect for human rights’.

Finally, he said that the operation demonstrates that “the NG reaffirms the unwavering decision of the federal government to continue acting against organized crime, meeting the needs that society demands”, while “reaffirming its commitment to ensure and safeguard the welfare of citizens, guaranteeing the peace and security of the population”.

FOLLOW-UP         BY: CHAR

EL LEXUS 

EL TOÑITO

SC17

EL LEXUS, EL TOÑITO, or SC 17, was a high-ranking Gulf Cartel Matamoros faction, lieutenant of Group Scorpion. El Lexus was the mastermind of making incursions into the San Fernando Plaza in Tamaulipas, and was the leader of the armed wing called "Grupo Ranger."  El Lexus or SC 17 and Zetas Vieja Escuela-Group Metros Gulf Cartel faction of Reynosa were engaged in a war for control over the San Fernando plaza. 

SOURCE: PROCESO, Vivo En Marte 

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Osiel Cárdenas Guillén Incorrectly Reported as Being Released, the Former Gulf Cartel Leader is Still in US Prison

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

With Contributions from "Itzli" "Char" & "Enojon"

Recently, the news outlet Zeta Tijuana reported that the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and co-founder of the Los Zetas had already been released from USP Terra Haute Federal Prison in Indiana more than a month earlier than his scheduled release date of August 30, 2024.

However, Zeta Tijuana was accessing a Web 3 variation of the BOP Inmate Locator Registry, likely an outdated database on an internal or test server. That database showed his Release Date [future tense] as 07/01/2024. But his BOP Inmate Number 62604-079, still maintains his August release date on the official BOP website.

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Former Tamaulipas Governor Tomás Yarrington Released from US Prison After Plea Deal

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

From a Brownsville Herald Article by Mark Reagan

Former Tamaulipas governor and one-time Mexican presidential candidate Tómas Yarrington Ruvalcaba has been released from federal prison, records show.

Yarrington, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison on March 15, 2023, was released on July 3, 2024. He pleaded guilty to One count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments on March 25, 2021. Federal prosecutors have said he was responsible for laundering between $3.5 and $9.5 million over a period of 14 years.

As part of his plea deal, the federal government dismissed multiple charges that accused the former Mexican official of conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

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Heavy Clashes Are Being Reported For Weeks Between Zetas Vieja Escuela Against Group Scorpions In San German, Tamaulipas

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

These videos and information were posted by ALERTA CODIGO ROJO ON X 

ZETAS VIEJAS ESCUELA-GROUP METROS GULF CARTEL FACTION OF REYNOSA VERSUS GROUP SCORPIONS GULF CARTEL FACTION OF MATAMOROS 

In recent weeks heavy clashes have resumed in Tamaulipas as Group Scorpions seem to be pushing toward Reynosa city limits. This has provoked clashes to resume in territories under the control of ZVE-Zetas Vieja Escuela allies of Group Metros of Reynosa. 

"Shootout in San German, Tamaulipas, between Los Zetas Vieja Escuela vs Grupo Escorpion/ Matamoros, in the first video it is mentioned that a monster of Los Escorpion stepped on a mine and caught fire, this area has more than a week of shootings between antagonistic groups."-ALERTAS CODIGO ROJO

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Gulf Cartel Matamoros Faction Group Scorpion Destroyed Rivals 'Grupo Operativo Toros' Armed wing Of Group Metros Of Reynosa Armored Monster Vehicle In Reynosa: Tamaulipas. GRAPHIC COMBAT FOOTAGE VIDEO

 "Char" and "Enojon" for Borderland Beat 

This video was published by bélicos de Matamoros 

As we predicted in a previous post, a source from Reynosa confirmed that Group Scorpion of Matamoros is pushing and getting closer to Reynosa city limits. Reportedly there is a strong discontent with the current leadership of El Primito and his brother R8, but Los Metros members do not say it openly because it would be putting themselves on a silver platter to get killed.

MESSAGE FROM BÉLICOS DE MATAMOROS 

" Here is the Group Operative TOROS who are the special forces of Los Metros are pure fucking filth. You already know fuckers we got inside Rincon De Las Flores we have people inside there in Reynosa you guys do not even know when the blows will come in" 

VIDEO DESCRIPTION 

The video of approximately 1:17 minutes shows Group Scorpions destroying a monster armored vehicle belonging to Grupo Operativo Toros an armed wing of Reynosa Gulf Cartel. The hitmen are using high-caliber weapons to destroy their rival's vehicles, and one hitman can be heard screaming full of adrenaline. This specific hitman screaming loudly is told by his fellow troops to calm the hell down and that this stuff is to be done calmly. 

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SOURCE: BORDERLAND BEAT 

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Gulf Cartel Threatens CJNG with Two Bodies and Narco Message in Tamuín, San Luis Potosi

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Two plastic wrapped bodies and a narco message were found early this morning in front of the municipal palace of Tamuín, San Luis Potosi. In the message, the Gulf Cartel threatens rivals the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

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Counter-Offensive: Zetas In The Northeast

After losing several urban cells to the Gulf Cartel, the new leadership of Los Zetas rushed in to fill the gaps in order to organize a counteroffensive around all of northeastern México.  They turned to hiring very young hitmen, sending them from San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas to Nuevo León and Coahuila as reinforcements.  Nevertheless, governors Rodrigo Medina and Rubén Moreira announced that they have managed to reduce crime.

Reynosa, Tamaulipas.- Los Zetas are distributing dozens of hitmen throughout plazas all over the northeast, either to strengthen their control or to recover lost territory.  This is the case for some municipalities in the metropolitan area of Monterrey seized by the Gulf Cartel.

“In recent days they arrived in Nuevo León, coming from San Luis Potosí, around 40 trucks with armed men.  They traveled through dirt roads in order to not be detected”, a federal agent who requested anonymity reported to the magazine Proceso.

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"El Wicho" and other Gulf Cartel figures appear in court

Borderland Beat

Court unveils more details on the men arrested along with Juan Roberto Rincón-Rincón as they prepare for trial

Mark Reagan | The Brownsville Herald

An alleged enforcer for a Gulf Cartel plaza boss was indicted  late September, along with his boss and another high-ranking cartel member, federal court documents show.

The men who were arrested along with Juan Roberto -Rincón made an appearance in federal court Thursday morning for a procedural motion hearings in preparation of trial.

A partially unsealed indictment charges Luis Ivan Nino-Duenes, also known as “Machin” and “XW-13,” along with Jose Luis Zuñiga-Hernandez, also known as “Comandante Wicho” and “XW,” and Armando Arizmendi-Hernandez, also known as “Comandante Mando” and “XW-2,” with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and conspiracy to import the drugs into the United States, according to the indictment, which alleges the conspiracy began in 2002. 

The indictment lists three more names that have been blacked out. The men were arrested along with Juan Roberto Rincón-Rincón, also known as “Comandante X,” on Oct. 26, 2011, after fleeing a gun battle in Rio Bravo, Mexico, where Gulf Cartel rivals were trying to kill the men because of a conflict within the transnational criminal organization, court testimony revealed. 

El Wicho Spills and claims he was coerced to give information:

An article from Dec 12, 2011 about El Wicho from Valley Central:  
Federal court records say a high-ranking member of the Mexican Gulf cartel was fleeing "certain death" when caught by Border Patrol agents with a gold-plated handgun, cocaine and about $20,000.

The documents filed Monday reveal that Jose Luis Zuniga-Hernandez -- also known as "Comandante Wicho" -- admitted to his role in the cartel's marijuana trafficking operations.

Zuniga also spilled important information about the cartel to federal agents in the course of four lengthy interviews.

But Zuniga's attorney argued in a motion that those interviews were coerced.

The interviews took place in October after the Border Patrol apprehended Zuniga and four other men near the Rio Grande.

Zuniga is charged with illegal re-entry to the U.S. and possession of a firearm by a felon. He has pleaded not guilty.

Plead guilty to drug charges

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Open for business: Gulf Cartel keeps moving marijuana, despite decimated leadership

Borderland Beat

Ildefonso Ortiz 

McALLEN — Despite more than three years of top bosses getting arrested or killed, the Gulf Cartel continues to be a major drug smuggling group that seeks to fill the appetites of drug users nationwide.

Like arteries to a heart, Interstate 69C/Expressway 281 and I-69E/U.S. 77, which connect the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio, are the main roads that the organization uses to pump a steady flow of marijuana into mainstream America.

The plant — which is grown illegally in Mexico, packaged and then smuggled across the Rio Grande — fetches about $200 per pound wholesale in South Texas. But that pricetag can double when the drug passes the Border Patrol’s Falfurrias and Sarita checkpoints, and it can go for up to $1,000 per pound when it reaches metropolitan areas across the nation. That price is further increased when the drug is sold at street level.

In an effort to curb the drug smuggling through the highways, U.S. authorities have set up permanent checkpoints along the two main arteries leading to San Antonio.

TARGET OF INVESTIGATIONS

For years, the Gulf Cartel has been the target of investigations aimed at impairing its operations, said Will Glaspy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s assistant special agent in charge in McAllen.

Through their work with Mexican military and law enforcement agencies, the DEA has played a key role in the arrests of numerous key members of the Mexican drug trade, including kingpins of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, Glaspy said.

While the takedown of a kingpin hurts the organization’s operations, by design the criminal entity will shift power to a new boss quickly, thus continuing the cat and mouse game.

“We will continue to put pressure on the Gulf Cartel throughout investigations, making seizures of drugs coming into our country and currency heading into Mexico to deprive them of their proceeds,” Glaspy said. “We will continue targeting and making arrest on those individuals who are in the command and control structure within the cartel.”

 THE GULF CARTEL

The majority of the drugs trafficked in northern Tamaulipas and South Texas are under the control of one criminal organization: the Matamoros-based Gulf Cartel, which traces its roots to the 1930s, when it primarily dealt with local rackets in Tamaulipas and liquor and tobacco smuggling. As part of its rackets, the organization found a way to make money from smuggling poultry, grains and other goods when a profit could be made by skimping on customs tariffs.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Gulf Cartel began shifting its operations into the profitable smuggling of marijuana and cocaine making South Texas a major player in the illicit drug trade.

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Mexico's First Openly Gay Mayor says Fighting Cartels is a Priority

The first openly gay mayor in Mexico's history has been sworn in at a ceremony in city of Fresnillo.

Benjamin Medrano said his sexuality only became an issue in the electoral campaign when the opposition tried to use it against him in conservative Zacatecas state.

The city has been caught up in a turf war between drug cartels operating in central and northern Mexico.

Mr Medrano says he hopes to make a difference for the people of Fresnillo.He posted a message on his Twitter account soon after the ceremony: "The time has come to listen to your demands and address your problems. I have a commitment with you."

 Two of Mexico's biggest criminal organizations - Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel - have been fighting for control of drug trafficking routes leading north towards the American border.

Mr Medrano said the fact that he has no involvement with criminal organisations would enable him to do a good job for the people of Fresnillo.

"What matters the least for the people is who you may sleep with, what you do in your private life. What they want is good results from their politicians," he told BBC Mundo.

Gay marriage
Mr Medrano comes from a very poor background in Zacatecas state. He went to the United States aged six, as part of an "artistic caravan."

He returned to Mexico after many years to finish school and to read law at university.  He began a professional career as a singer and opened Fresnillo's first gay nightclub.

A Roman Catholic in a very conservative part of Mexico, he says he has no intention of getting married.

He denied being against gay marriage, but hinted that what is acceptable in the capital, Mexico City, and other regions of the country may not be acceptable in Zacatecas.

"My agenda is based on achieving human and social development for all of us who live in Fresnillo, regardless of sexual orientation," he told BBC Mundo. Security is the main concern of the population of Fresnillo, a city of some 200,000 inhabitants.

Security is the main concern of the population of Fresnillo, a city of some 200,000 inhabitants. "First, we need to get our police better equipped and better trained, so they don't become accomplices of the criminal gangs," said Mr Medrano.

He was elected mayor for the centre-right Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI) of President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in December promising to review the "war on drugs" policy of his predecessor.

BBC

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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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Mexican Marines rescue 12, bust 10 in Nuevo Laredo

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A Mexican Naval Infantry unit raided a location in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Monday rescuing 12 unidentified individuals and detaining 10 others, according to a news release by the Mexican Secretaria  de Marina (SEMAR) or Mexican Navy posted on the official website.

The marine unit had been dispatched to the location based on an anonymous complaint, had been patrolling the general area and found a residence where 11 men and one women were being held hostage.  The victims has been kidnapped from various areas in Nuevo Laredo.

The 10 detainees are reportedly members of the Gulf Cartel criminal group.

At the location marines also seized a large cache of munitions including  two grenade launchers, 17 AK-47 rifles, one machine gun, six handguns, five explosive charges, 18 40mm grenades, 25 hand grenades, 241 weapons magazines, 16,500 rounds of ammunition, two vehicles and communications gear.

Nuevo Laredo is in the grip of a bloody battle between the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa alliance, and Los Zetas.  Nuevo Laredo is considered to be Los Zetas' home territory, but their rivals have been conducting a competition which include kidnapping innocent victims, butchering them and displaying them as rival gang members.

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

© Copyright 2012 by Chris Covert
You must obtain permission to reprint this article.

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Mexican Army detains 8 for Cadereyta massacre

You can read the Borderlandbeat.com report on the Cadereyta massacre by click here
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A unit with the Mexican 7th Military Zone detained eight unidentified individuals they said were Gulf Cartel operatives and who may be involved in the murder of at least 49 people in Cadereyta municipality in Nuevo Leon state, according to web reports.

The detentions took place following a raid in China municipality, where solders also seized four rifles, one handgun three hand grenades, 34 weapons magazines, 881 rounds of ammunition, one kilogram of powder cocaine, tactical and communications gear and two vehicles.

This writer reported late Sunday that a possible connection existed between the Jalisco massacre where a total of 18 individuals were kidnapped, tortured to death and butchered in a purported Mothers Day massacre.  Those dead were found May 9th, the day before the traditional Mexican Mothers Day.
You can read the Borderlandbeat.com report on the Jalisco massacre by clicking here
News reports at the time said a number of unidentified kidnap victims of the same Los Zetas/Milenio group escaped a safe house.  Anonymous reports said that the plan was for a spectacular  Mothers Day massacre using innocents kidnapped at random.  This writer speculated that those escapees may have sprung the plan for a larger massacre,and possibly led to the Cadereyta massacre the following Sunday.

Nuevo Leon attorney general Adrian de la Garza said that some of the victims were from southern areas of Mexico.  A Secretaria Seguridad Publica spokesman reportedly said that many of the victims were killed two days before their discovery.  The report posted on Borderlandbeat.com and Rantburg.com attempted to link the two mass murders from the same criminal group, Los Zetas.
You can read the BorderlandBeat.com report on the possible link between Los Zetas criminal group and the Cadereyta massacre by clicking here
However, early Tuesday morning several narcopintas or painted messages appeared in Zacatecas state and later in Nuevo Leon which disclaimed Los Zetas responsibility for the butchery at Caderayta, hinting that Gulf Cartel members had committed the much larger Cadereyta massacre.
You can read the BorderlandBeat.com report on Los Zetas narcopintas disclaiming responsibility for the Cadereyta massacre by clicking here
Since March, the Los Zetas and Gulf Cartels have been engaged in a bloody game of oneupmanship as the Gulf and Sinaloa cartel alliance vowed to remove Los Zetas from their home turf in Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas state.  The Jalisco state murders, similar to the Cadereyta murders, were meant to send a message to the Gulf/Sinaloa alliance, and similarly, innocents such as migrants had been captured, tortured and and then butchered in those grisly displays.

It is de riguer in the Mexican Drug War that narcopintas mean nothing, until they mean something, so the end result of the massacre and the actions taken by Mexican security forces are far from over.

The story of the 49 dead at Cadereyta is also far from over

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

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8 bad guys die in Zacatecas

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of eight armed suspects died in an armed encounter in Jerez municipality in Zacatecas state early Saturday morning, according to Mexican news sources.

The pursuit and gunfire began at around 0130 hrs, according to a news item posted on the website at El Sol de Mexico news daily, in Fovissste and Niños Heroes colonies with stray rounds hitting in Francisco García Salinas colony.

Additionally, individuals aboard an SUV fired weapons, and a grenade was detonated which resulted in a burned vehicle.  NTR Zacatecas in a report posted on its website, said the vehicle brand was a Nissan Tiilda.  A separate report posted by Zacatecas en Linea said that two of the dead were immolated when the vehicle was struck by a grenade.

In the aftermath, undisclosed numbers of weapons and one grenade was found at the scene by Mexican Army road patrols dispatched to the area.  Spent shell casings numbering into the hundreds were reportedly found in the area where the gunfight ended.

The Zacatecas en Linea report also said that the confrontation was probably between Los Zetas and Gulf cartel shooters.

According to a news item posted on its website on El Sol de Zacatecas news daily, an earlier attack in Jerez took place on the afternoon of April 29th when a group of armed suspects fired their weapons in a residence in Las Huertas colony near Zona Centro of the municipality.

Damaged residence in Jerez

In that incident, the homeowner returned fire.  No reports had been received about injuries from the gunfire and the homeowner had reportedly fled the city with his family, abandoning the two story building.

A separate report from the website of Zacatecas en Linea said that an earlier exchange of gunfire took place nearby where the residence was attacked.  Reports were  of gunfire that had spread to other parts of the colony.  That report also said that rival criminal gangs had exchanged gunfire in the area.

Gunfire was also heard in Jerez last April 28th in Alameda colony, which is east of Federal Highway 23. 

Jerez, which the official name is Jerez de Garcia Salina sits astride Mexico Federal Highway 23 roughly 40 kilometers south of Fresnillo and 25 kilometers southwest of Zacatceas, the capital of Zacatecas state.

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

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Mexican authorities find 14 dead in Nuevo Laredo

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of 14 unidentified individuals were found dead stuffed into a minivan in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Tuesday morning, according to Mexican news accounts.

The find was made around 0730 hrs when officials were given information about three dead bodies left inside a Chrysler Voyager minivan near the intersection Calle Maclovio Herrera and Avenida Guerrero.  When police arrived it was realized 14 dead were inside the vehicle.

The dead were all male in their 30s, ten of them stuffed inside black plastic bags.

The drug gang affiliation of the dead was not disclosed although Nuevo Laredo is considered to be Los Zetas territory,

The latest information on Nuevo Laredo is that operatives associated with the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels are attempting to move into Nuevo Laredo in a bid to oust Los Zetas from their main river crossing into the US.
To read the Border land story about the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels' latest encounter in Nuevo Laredo, click here and here
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

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