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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Reynosa explodes: 14 die

A total of 14 individuals, including two Policia Federal units were killed Tuesday in armed confrontations in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, according to Mexican official news accounts.

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

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Bloodbath in Tamaulipas: Death toll climbs to at least 24

By Chris Covert
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.

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5 die in southern Chihuahua

A total of seven individuals were shot to death or were found in since last Tuesday in southern Chihuahua state municipalities, according to Mexican news accounts.

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

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10 die in Tamaulipas

By Chris Covert
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

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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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6 die in Tamaulipas

A total of six unidentified armed suspects were killed in an armed  encounter with Mexican security forces in central Tamaulipas state, according to an official government news release.

A news release publishing on the government website of Tamaulipas said that a Mexican Naval Infantry road patrol encountered the suspects at a residence in San Fernando municipality Sunday.  The dead included three men and three women.

Three unidentified individuals were rescued from captivity by the military unit, plus marines seized a number of weapons  ammunition and drugs.

Meanwhile in Ciudad Victoria, the state capital of Tamaulipas, four unidentified individuals were freed from captivity by a Mexican Army unit last Thursday.

According to a news account posted on the website of Milenio news daily, the unit was dispatched to Sierra Ventana colony on a citizen's report of criminal activity, and found the victims, as well as two suspects who were detained at the scene.

Four rifles, two handguns, 47 weapons magazines and 840 rounds of ammunition,  as well as one vehicle and radio gear were seized in the aftermath.








Elsewhere, on the border municipality of Carmargo, Mexican Army units raided two location and seized a number of drugs, weapons and munitions last Friday.

According to a news released published on the Tamaulipas government website, the first raid took place in Cuauhtemoc colony where a Mexican Army unit located a residence where drugs were stored.

Marijuana wrapped in 347 packages totaling 1.5 metric tons were  seized by soldiers.   Weapons and munitions seized included five AK-47 rifles, 53 weapons magazines and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

A second raid took place at a residence in Nuevo Camargo colony where soldiers found nine AK-47 rifles, nine AR-15 rifles, five other rifles, two semiautomatic pistols, 266 weapons magazines and  5,907 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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2 die in Nuevo Laredo

A total of two unidentified armed suspects were killed in a confrontation with Mexican security forces in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas state Tuesday, according to official Mexican news accounts.

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

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4 die in Tamaulipas state

A total of four individuals, including one unidentified Mexican Army officer were killed in ongoing fighting in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, according to officials and Mexican press accounts.

Saturday two men were reportedly killed in an exchange of gunfire between armed suspects and an element of Tamulipas' Grupo de Coordinacion Tamaulipas (GCT) in Matamoros, according to a news release posted on the state government website.

The encounter took place near the intersection of calles Uniones and Las Torres in the Parque Industrial del Norte colony.  According to the report, a Mexican Army road patrol observed several armed suspects traveling aboard a Chevrolet Suburban SUV when the patrol was fired on.  Mexican Army counterfire killed two.  An undisclosed number of other armed suspects had apparently abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.

The report said that one of the dead was killed on the road, while the other died while still in the SUV.  The dead were men in their 20s and 30s.

Soldiers at the scene seized four rifles, one hand grenade, 36 weapons magazines, 1,019 rounds of ammunition and tactical gear.

Meanwhile in Miguel Aleman municipality, one armed suspect was killed and three were detained in an armed confrontation with Mexican security forces Friday.

A separate official news release reported that a Mexican Army road patrol encountered a group of armed suspects traveling about an SUV near the intersection of calles Tamaulipas and Salubridad in Nuevo Amanecer colony.  When the patrol attempted a traffic stop, they were fired on.

Mexican Army return fire killed one and wounded a second suspect.  Three men were detained at the scene including one of the suspects wounded in the encounter.

The dead suspect was identified in the news release as Edgar Eduardo Reyes Garcia, 23.  The three detainees were identified as Nestor Alberto Flores, 21, and Emilio Neftali Lopez Diaz, 20. The third detainee, Geronimo Alberto Ibarra Mejía, 27, a was wounded in the gunfight.

Soldiers at the scene seized five rifles, one hand grenade, an undisclosed quantity of weapons magazines and ammunition, and personal quantities of marijuana and rock cocaine.

Finally on Friday, one Mexican Army officer was killed and two other soldiers were wounded in a helicopter crash in Reynosa, according to Mexican news accounts.

A report which appeared on the online edition of Milenio news daily said that the crash took place inside a Mexican Army camp, identified as Camp 8B.  The Friday news report said that he crash is considered an accident.  None of the victims' names have been released. 

The helicopter was identified as a Bell 212, known in the US as a "Huey" utility helicopter.  A number of other soldiers were aboard the bird when it went down, but were not reported hurt in the crash.

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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Jalisco state mass grave death total rises to 42 -- UPDATED

Excelsior now says that the total is 42.  Also updated with corrected count of detainees
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Another four bodies were found in the La Barca, Jalisco mass grave Friday bringing the death toll to 37, according to Mexican news reports.

As of Sunday evening, according to Excelsior news daily, the death toll in La Barca is at 42.

According to an El Universal wire service report featured on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily, all but two of the dead were men.  Mexican Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) or attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam, was quoted saying that 31 bodies have been examined, but none of them are the two PGR ministerial agents who went missing two weeks ago.

The grave was found after police detained 20 individuals of a kidnapping ring, including local police agents almost two weeks ago.  Information from the raid led investigators to the La Barca site.  Apparently the gravesite extends over an area which straddles the Michoacan and Jalisco state borders, and include Villa Hermosa municipality in Michoacan, as well as La Barca municipality.

Michoacan is currently one of Mexico's most violent states, as drug cartels have reacted with violence to indigenous self defense groups, which were formed stop encroachment on Indian land considered sacred.

Meanwhile in Tancitaro municipality, a Mexican Army road patrol exchanged gunfire with suspected members of Los Caballeros Templarios drug cartel Friday.  The Proceso wire service report did not detail casualties in this latest encounter.

Armed suspects were caught at around 1600 hrs.  According to the wire report, the encounter was the third in Tancitaro municipality since November 16th, when self defense groups, colloquially known as autodefensa took control of Tepalcatepec and Buenavista Tomatlan municipalities.

The report also mentions a separate shooting involving drug cartel shooters taking place in November 19th in Tancitaro municipality near the village of Zirimbo.  In that incident, cartel shooters fired their weapons on a residence.  Casualties in that shooting were not detailed in the wire report.

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 with corrected death toll
A total of seven individuals were killed in Tamaulipas, including six prisoners in a prison brawl in Reynosa, according to Mexican news and official reports.

A news release published by the Tamaulipas state  Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) said that six inmates at the Centro de Ejecucion de Sanciones (CEDES) prison in Reynosa were killed in a prison brawl Sunday evening.

The dead were identified as José Guadalupe Marín Rocha, 41, Lauro Treviño, 31, Humberto Hernández Gonzalez, 36, José Santos Gonzalez Villarreal, 41, Carlos Mario Grajales Garza, 31 and Rafiel Lopez Calzado, 30.

The news release said only that the victims had all been stabbed to death in the observation area of the prison at around 1900 hrs.

The news release said that three inmates, identified as Agapito Arredondo, 28,  Humberto Gámez, 26 and Juan Manuel Bautista Cruz, 36, were identified as being responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile Monday, also in Reynosa, one unidentified armed suspect was killed and another was captured in an exchange of gunfire and pursuit with a Mexican Army road patrol.

According to a news account in El Diario de Coahuila news daily, several armed suspects were traveling aboard two vehicles in  Juarez 5 colony when the drivers were signaled to stop.  Instead, a pursuit ensued across two other colonies in the city ending in  Lopez Portillo colony, where one of the vehicles crashed by overturning.

The other passengers in the crashed vehicle made their escape aboard the second vehicle.  Indications in news account are that an undisclosed number of suspects had been wounded in the encounter, but had escaped and that weapons had been seized by security forces.

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

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13 die in Coahuila state

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

A total of 13 individuals were killed or were found dead in drug and gang related violence in the northern Mexican border state of Coahuila, according to various Mexican news accounts.

Four unidentified individuals were shot to death an an armed encounter with Mexican security forces Monday night near Monclova.

According to a news report which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily, a group of state police agents traveling aboard a Dodge ram were fired on by a group of armed suspects who were traveling aboard a Lincoln Navigator SUV.

The incident took place on Kilometer 23 of Mexico Federal Highway 57.  According to the report towards the end of the encounter the armed suspects abandoned their vehicle and continued firing on the police agents.

The incident took place as state and local police agents flooded the highways around Monclova attempting to catch suspects who earlier in the day had attempted to kill the local Monclova municipal police chief, General Victorino Resendiz Cortez Monday afternoon.

According to a separate news report which appeared in the website of El Diario de Coahuila newa dailt, in that confrontation, General  Resendiz Cortez had been investigating carjackings in the region when he was fired on.  The shooters then fled north, but were eventually found that evening.

General Resendiz Cortez was wounded in the encounter, and no indications were reported the wound was life threatening.

According to another report which also appeared in El Diario de Coahuila car thefts including carjackings are down, now averaging 10 per day as opposed to 13 per day from the same period January to August in 2013.  The decline is reportedly 22 percent year over year.

Meanwhiile four individuals were found shot to death Saturday night in two separate locations in Coahuila, according to a news report in El Diario de Coahuila.

Two of the victims were identified as Armando Padilla Gaona, 68, and Norberto Carlos Dominguez Trejo, 33.  One other victim had been identified, but the name was not disclosed.

Two victims, including Sr. Armando Padilla Gaona,  were found in the bed of a pickup truck in Ramos Arippe in Manantiales del Valle colony , while the other two were found on Bulevar Venustiano Carranza in Saltillo.

According to a news account, ransom had been paid for the release of the victims by family, but the victims were killed anyway.

Finally in Monclova, four unidentified victims were found in a grave Monday, according to a news account which appeared in Milenio.

The victims were found in Posada del Sol in a partial state of decomposition.  Reports are the victims were killed only days before the discovery of their 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

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4 more die in Chihuahua state

A total of four unidentified individuals were killed or were found dead in southern Chihuahua since Sunday, according to Mexican news accounts.

• Two unidentified armed suspects were killed in an armed encounter with Mexican state police in the remote southern municipality of Maguarichi Sunday. Rifles and pistols were seized in the aftermath.
• An unidentified man in his 20s were found shot to death in Jimenez municipality Sunday.  The victim was found dressed only in boxer shorts in the village of Almoloya on the road leading to Jimenez.
• A man was found tortured and decapitated in Hidalgo de Parral municipality Sunday.  The victim was found on a road between the villages of Bufalo and Allende.  The victim's head was not found at the scene.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. His latest work of non-fiction, The Wounded Eagle: Volume 2 went on sale September 1st at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com

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Armed suspects torch 30 homes in Choix, Sinaloa

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Two men were killed and as many as 30 homes have been torched by armed suspects in Sinaloa state Wednesday, according to several Mexican news accounts.

AN APRO wire dispatch published on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said that homes in Choix municipality, specifically in ejido El Corral Quemado were attacked by an unknown number of local gunmen, said by Sinaloa state authorities to be members of local organized crime groups.

A separate account published on the website of Milenio news daily said that a total of 14 homes, all of them abandoned, were destroyed by fire set by local criminals.  The homes had been abandoned in reaction of threats by organized crime groups in the area, or were unoccupied as residents went to work in the fields.  Some residents were out tending to livestock when they watched their homes destroyed first by small arms fire then by deliberately being set afire.

A separate news report posted on the website of El Debate news daily said that the number of residences destroyed was 15.  However, a police source quoted by the newspaper said that 13 homes were torched and two vehicles were destroyed by fire.

At least one unarmed civilian, a farmer was shot to death in Choix municipality, according to another news report posted on El Debate.

José Juan Berrelleza Renteria, 20, was shot by armed suspects Wednesday while on his way to begin work in the fields.

Armed suspects traveling in the area aboard vehicle have been attacking civilians from the east, or Chihuahua side of Choix municipality.  The armed suspects who killed Berrelleza Renteria drove on the the villages Saucillo and Las Punta, firing into homes in which women and children has taken refuge.  The news report did not say if anyone was hurt in the subsequent incident.

Yet another news account in El Debate said that Mexican Army units near Urique in far western Chihuahua had exchanged gunfire with armed suspects, who were presumably moving into Chihuahua state from Choix. One unidentified armed suspect was killed by army counterfire.    The article does not specify a date, but the news report was posted early Saturday morning meaning the incident possibly took place some time on Friday.

Thursday, a total of 13 security patrols were dispatched to the area to including 50 Sinaloa state police agents, presumably mixed federal and Sinaloa state elements.  If those patrols penetrated into Choix, attempts by armed suspects to filter back into Chihuahua would explain Mexican Army units fighting them in Urique.

Photographs posted on El Debate would indicate that Mexican Army units are included in those patrols.

Choix municipality was the focal point of some of the worst intergang fighting between groups sympathetic to the Sinaloa cartel, and groups aligned with the Beltran-Leyva Organization, including Los Zetas and Juarez Cartels in the summer of 2012.  At that time, Choix was considered to be Beltran-Leyva territory, but now the area is in some dispute.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. His latest work of non-fiction, The Wounded Eagle: Volume 2 went on sale September 1st at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

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