"Narcos" series renewed, coming up; Mexico including Sinaloa and CJNG cartels

Chivis for Borderland Beat

Neflix has confirmed “Narcos”, the popular original series, has been renewed for two additional seasons.  The series began with the recount of the life of Colombian narco capo, Pablo Escobar. 

Season 2 aired its 10 episodes beginning in September.   If you have not watched season 2, check out; 'Narcos' Binge-Watching Guide: The Best Way to Consume Season 2, by using this link.

Obviously,  in order for the series to continue, the series must  track real life events and changes in the narco world, with an eventual  focus on Mexico.  Producers report that the focus on Mexico will include highlighting El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel, but also Cartel Jalisco New Generation, (CJNG), the fast growing powerful cartel that once worked for Chapo ((enforcers), but now are at war to succeed Chapo as the world’s most powerful drug cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG  will take on the DEA’s “drug war”.  It is expected that “El Mayo” (Ismael Zambada García) will also be featured.

The Cali Cartel will be highlighted in season 3, as they climb to the Colombian trafficking top spot, subsequent to Escobar's death

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Forced Disappearance in Veracruz

Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

The state of Veracruz is one of the states of Mexico whose residents have suffered through the disappearances of their relatives.  Since December 2010, the local government has recorded more than 650 cases according to official figures from the National Public Security System [SNSP].  But in a state in which victims blame the authorities for their complicity, the testimonies of the bereaved women agree that the black figure of this terrible phenomenon, associated with organized crime, is very high.

The presence of Los Zetas and its rivals, such as The Knights Templar Cartel and The Jalisco New Generation Cartel have led to the murder of hundreds or thousands of people whose bodies have been hidden in at least 144 illegal graves recorded by the Attorney General of Mexico (PGR) between 2006 and 2013.  Because of this, the magnitude of the crisis that the state lives through could be worse than what we know so far.

Although the disappearances have been counted from years ago, it wasn’t until 2016 when the first public search brigades were organized in the state which soon found dozens of clandestine graves in several cities in Veracruz.

VICE News interviews the women who have been part of these committees to find out what their efforts are in finding their missing relatives.

On December 1, 2016, Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares (PAN) took office as the new governor of Veracruz, a state marked by the economic crisis and corruption left by his predecessor, Javier Duarte (PRI), who is currently a fugitive from the Mexican justice system.

Source: Vice

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Falcon Lake Gun attack: One killed, one injured while fishing on Texas/Mexico border

Republished from My San Antonio by Jason Burch

A fisherman from Texas was shot and killed Tuesday night on Falcon Lake, the international reservoir on the Rio Grande that six years ago was the site of a high-profile killing of an American tourist.

Oscar Garza, 26, died of gunshot wounds while fishing on the lake, said Zapata County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Raymundo Del Bosque. Javier Gonzalez, 21, jumped into the water to avoid the gunfire and was taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia, Del Bosque said. Both men are residents of Starr County.

The sheriff’s office received a call at 8:46 p.m. about the shooting, Del Bosque said.

“Two young guys were fishing out on the lake… over by Falcon State Park,” he said. “They were confronted by another boat … and it started escalating and the guys shot at Mr. Garza and Mr. Gonzalez. They fatally injured Mr. Garza, who died there in the boat. Mr. Gonzalez sped away and bullets were hitting the boat. He jumped off the boat to try to hide from the bullets and hide from the gunmen.”

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Sinaloa: SEMEFO "Patio of Horror"

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from El Debate

The patio of Horror 

Culiacan, Sinaloa.- There are corpses lying all, rolled and tied in white plastic. Some, atop aluminum stretchers; others on the ground below.  It is not the scene of a crime: it is the courtyard of the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo), where it seems that it has become a common issue for this office of the Attorney General of Justice, which is responsible for safeguarding victims who, by willful or accidental reasons, have lost their lives.

Wrapped in tarps, swollen and odor of decomposition, lay unidentified bodies. According to visits by El Debate journalists photographic documentation, the bodies, up to 21 lay in this manner for at least ten days.  The refrigerated storage failed over two month ago and no attempts to repair the system have been made, the situation complicated by the number of corpses exceeding storage capabilities.

click on image to enlarge

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Gunfights Leave Nine Dead in Mazatlan

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat EL Debate 12/5-7/2016

Hundreds of people lived firsthand through the terror of four shootouts yesterday evening, Monday Dec 5 and night in the Port city of Mazatlan. Nine men were left dead.

The First Attack

Authorities received the first report at 7:00pm about gunfire in the Colonia Francisco Villa; Ministerial agents were mobilized to the scene and confirmed shortly after the fact: there were three men wounded by bullets and they requested the support of the Veteran Firemen.

Minutes later, the volunteers arrived and reported that the victims were all deceased and they requested the presence of the Apollo Group.

One of the deceased was face up on Lazaro Cardenas Street, while the other two were on Tierra Blanca Street near the corner with Lazaro Cardenas.

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Veracruz; Weekend of violence greets new governor. 28 killed

Posted by DD republished from Mexico News Daily

Governor Yunez; "what did  I get myself into"

Miguel Ángel Yunes was sworn in as governor of the all but bankrupt state of Veracruz last Thursday, but another initiation followed on the weekend with gun battles that left as many as 28 people dead.

The violence was unleashed on Saturday in the southern municipality of Jesús Carranza, where early reports by locals and police warned of the presence of a group of some 30 heavily armed individuals aboard armored vehicles.

 

That night, a clash between Army personnel and the yet unidentified criminal group left two dead along with four injured, all allegedly criminals. The rest of the large group fled into the brush.

The Army reported that it had secured eight vehicles — one of them armored — and several weapons.  

Since then, the Army has mounted strict checkpoints at all road accesses to Suchilapan del Río, the largest town in the municipality.

A second shootout on Sunday, this time involving police officers and close to 20 individuals, left three dead and resulted in the seizure of AK-47 and R-15 assault rifles.

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Busted: The Micropower of Prisons in Narco-States

"Mica" for Borderland Beat republished from Small Wars Journal by Paul Rexton Kan

The 2015 prison escape of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman demonstrated the degree to which Mexican drug cartels have penetrated a key institution of state control.  A mile long tunnel was constructed beneath Mexico’s maximum-security prison compound; included in the tunnel was a motorcycle on a rail to hasten El Chapo’s escape.  Prison officials and corrections staff were complicit in his escape; they ignored the construction noise underneath El Chapo’s cell and refrained from watching his movements.  At the time of his escape, the prison guards responsible for monitoring El Chapo were playing computer solitaire while their other computer screens linked to the closed-circuit cameras were turned off.[1]  In his empty cell, investigators also found a dead sparrow; it was apparently used to test the air quality of the tunnel before El Chapo descended through its opening beneath his shower.

In another case from Mexico, members of Los Zetas drug cartel used Piedras Negras Prison in Coahuila as an execution center and mass grave for rivals.  From 2010-2012, the drug cartel dispatched approximately 150 victims on prison grounds by burning their bodies and dumping the remains in a nearby a river.  Astonishingly, the victims were not fellow prisoners who were incarcerated with Los Zetas.  Rather, they were either snatched from cities and towns, then brought to the prison to be killed or were killed outside the prison walls, and their bodies brought to the prison to be disposed of.[2]

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Tijuana: Gunmen storm Palenque, shoot 5

Gunmen storm Palenque in Rosarito

Early this morning in Rosarito, at least two gunmen stormed a clandestine 'Palenque', a cockfighting arena in Colonia Porticos De La Gloria.  5 people, including two minors were injured by gunfire, or other injuries.  They were transported by friends and relatives to hospitals in private vehicles.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSp4EQIIfqo

The shooting was partially captured on video, including footage of the entrance, where two men, young, dressed in dark clothing, one carrying an assault rifle rush into the arena, as the bystanders and security idly watch.  They exit moments later, and escape, by vehicle, to Playas De Rosarito ara. 

The gunmen were said to be in a 1998 Oldsmobile with tinted windows, and California license plates. 

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Kate Del Castillo denies a run for governor of Mexico State

For Borderland Beat

Still fears a return to Mexico

Mexican actress Kate del Castillo has denied Wednesday that she has an interest of the governorship in the State of Mexico. The denial comes following the presentation of a document, purportedly on behalf of the actress, in which the State requested a change in the rules. 

"It is false, " said the actress to the question of whether this newspaper is looking to run for the next election. "It was offered to me to, but I refused, " she added.

Mexican press began speculating Wednesday on a possible candidacy of actress when her lawyers reportedly presented an inquiry on her behalf,  before the Upper Chamber of the Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) about requirements for registration of an independent candidate. The challenge, according to this version, would like to pave the way for Del Castillo to a hypothetical candidacy in 2017. Del Castillo denies any link with the document.

"Someone did that without consulting me," she says.

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The most wanted CJNG sicarios in Baja California

Original article available at ZETA
Translated by El Wachito

For two years, State authorities denied the presence of CJNG in Baja California, today 8 of the 10 most wanted hit-man in Tijuana, are identified as members of the CJNG-AFO. More than 1900 assassinations have been registered in the last three years, and 1300 remain unpunished. Few hit-man are being detained.

Victor Hugo Mejia "El Griego" - Jesus Alonso Trapero Ibarra - Juan Jose Perez Vargas "El Piolon", "R7", "JP"

During the last two years, state authorities denied the presence of the CJNG in Tijuana, however their presence was detected by police forces when they became victims of armed attacks.

CJNG started with the control of the area of Sanchez Taboada, and they extended their presence by taking control of  La Presa, El Florido, Cañadas, Terrazas, Villas del Campo and the entrance to Tecate. Today, 8 of the 10 most wanted for murder, are CJNG recruits.

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BLO-Sinaloa Cartel: Manuel Fernandez Valencia "La Puerca" sentenced in Chicago to 27 years

by Borderland Beat staff

A former top operative of Sinaloa and Beltran Leyva Cartels, was sentenced on Wednesday to 27 years in prison.  Manuel Fernandez-Valencia alias La Puerca or “El Animal”,  now 48 year old man was arrested in Mexico in 2010.

A Chicago federal judge sentenced a Mexican national, accused of being a top drug trafficker for the Sinaloa and Beltran-Leyva cartels, to 27 years in prison.

Federal District Court Judge Ronald Guzman sentenced the former narco on Wednesday, Zachary T. Fardon, the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.

Fernandez-Valencia was charged in a 2010 drug trafficking indictment along with 20 other co-conspirators

The plea deal, Fernandez-Valencia, whose operation centers were in Los Angeles, and Chicago,  pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. And admitted to operating a cocaine pipeline along with The infamous Flores twins who betrayed Chapo, Pedro and Margarito Flores. also read 'The Twins who betrayed Chapo" using this link)

The Flores brothers became cooperating informants and each received 14-year prison sentences after pleading guilty in 2012. (link to post of "Hollywood" the twins biggest customer")

The drug trafficking operation, involved using the support of the Beltran Leyva Organization and the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic vast amounts of narcotics into the U.S.

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Mexican Mafia ‘cold-blooded,’hitman gets five life terms

Borderland Beat from San Antonio Express by Guillermo Contreras

A former enforcer for the Texas Mexican Mafia drew five consecutive life prison terms without parole Wednesday for his role in the killings of five people, including Balcones Heights Police Officer Julian Pesina.

Ruben “Menace” Reyes, 37, was deemed a threat to society by Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra, who took the unusual step of recommending that he serve his sentence at a Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ Administrative Maximum Facility houses or has housed many of the country’s most infamous criminals and terrorists. Heriberto Huerta, the San Antonio native who founded the Texas Mexican Mafia in prison in the 1980s, is serving life terms at that lockup, where inmates are isolated for most of their stay.

“I have looked for the good in this defendant and I have found very little,” Ezra said of Reyes. “Unfortunately, there is little to no hope in rehabilitation of this defendant. He has no conscience. … He poses a danger because of his propensity to murder.”

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$11 Million Worth Of Heroin Seized In The Victor Valley

A tractor-trailer hauling $11 million dollars worth of heroin through the Victor Valley was busted by the California Highway Patrol Thursday morning.

CHP officer Robert Mendenhall told Victor Valley News he stopped the tractor-trailer for speeding on the northbound 15 freeway, north of Highway 395 in Hesperia at about 8am.

“Subsequently, I pulled out my k9 sniffed the exterior of the tractor-trailer, the dog alerted, the dog also then alerted inside the trailer. We then located a large quantity of narcotics inside the rear of the trailer mixed in with the load.,” Officer Mendenhall stated.

According to Mendenhall, they estimate the truck was transporting 100 kilograms of suspected heroin to the country of Canada before it was intercepted. The drug has an estimated street value of $11 million dollars.

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Mexican police warns Zeta Magazine of a CJNG ordered attack

Mica for Borderland Beat material from   Zeta 

Israel Alejandro Vazquez Vazquez "El 50", was upset his photo appeared in Zeta

In 1988, Zeta co-founder Héctor Félix Miranda was killed. Co-founder Jesús Blancornelas survived a 1997 assassination attempt in which a bodyguard was killed. In 2004, editor Francisco Javier Ortiz was murdered…….

Mexican police told the staff of the Tijuana news weekly "Zeta" that a cartel member had ordered the paper's office be shot up in retaliation for publishing photographs of wanted  drug cartel members on its front page.

Zeta printed the photos of 10 wanted men on Friday. The paper, which has seen several staffers murdered by cartels, reported the threatened attack on Monday.

The threat came from one of the eight members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation that appeared on the cover of ZETA,  in alliance with the Arellano Felix Cartel, waging war against the Sinaloa Cartel who have hijacked this northern border by their criminal actions. 

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BCS: Violence Intensifies in Cabos

Yaqui for Borderland Beat Material from Octavio Dia, El Sudcaliforniano and Colectivo Pericue

Thirteen people have been executed and three others wounded in the last few days. The murders were

carried out by hitmen in Los Cabos and the city of La Paz.

The first shootout was on Friday afternoon on the federal highway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, near the Guaymitas gas station resulting in the deaths of two men and the wounding of one woman. According to the first reports, the gunmen arrived and opened fire on the occupants of a white vehicle.

Personnel from The Urgent Services arrived and transported the victims. PGR confirmed that another man died at the hospital. That person was also in possession of spent cartridges from a 9 mm handgun. The location was cordoned off and the Detective Services began their initial investigation.

The night before two men were assassinated in a taqueria located in the neighborhood of Primero de Mayo in San Jose del Cabo. The victims were eating dinner when the gunmen burst in and shot them. The situation generated chaos

in the restaurant and the two men were on the floor. However, it is possible that the two victims were employed at the taqueria and another man who was wounded at the scene was transported for Urgent Care medical attention according to the PGR.

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