Jan 2021: FGR Secures Tons and Tons of Hard Drugs in Northwest MX

 Yaqui for Borderland Beat 

The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), through the Federal Ministerial Police (PFM), of the Coordination of Investigation Methods in its Northwest region, carried out various searches during the month of January, where it managed to arrest people and securing approximately one ton of methamphetamine, as well as other substances. 

The elements of the PFM, in a coordinated manner and after constant research and field work, managed to execute about 30 searches during the month of January with warrants obtained from different Federal Judges.  Proceedings were completed in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora. 

In Tijuana, Baja California, the federal elements carried out six searches, where they arrested 16 people, approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 100 cartridges of different calibers, secured two buildings, synthetic cards, paper with the appearance of monetary bills, and more than one kilo of marijuana.

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US Border Agent Sentenced Last Month Believed He Helped Smuggle 'El Chapo' Into the US

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

The former US agent Jose Rosalio Fuentes said that he believed he helped smuggle Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Many of the people he helped smuggle into the US had outstanding drug charges.

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer from Nogales, Arizona, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for taking a US$6,000 bribery to allow a previously deported felon to enter the U.S. illegally through a port of entry. The officer, Jose Rosalio "Pollito" Fuentes, 58, was sentenced in Tucson last week and was ordered to serve three years of community supervision upon his release, and to pay penalties totaling US$6,100.

The investigation revealed that Fuentes had smuggled several people into the U.S. for US$4,000 per person. Some of these people were involved in drug trafficking. At one point, the pre-sentencing memo says, Fuentes grew concerned that one of the people he allowed in the country was the notorious drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, although he was assured it was not him.

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Zacatecas, Caught in a War Between the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel

 "BBFollower" for Borderland Beat

As explained in this article, Zacatecas is a strategic corridor for drug cartels. It has highways connecting to multiple parts of Mexico, making it a highly disputed territory (photo credit: Milenio)

Zacatecas is trapped in a vortex of violence and insecurity that seems to have no brake: in 2020 there were more than 1,200 executions. Authorities say the violence is driven by a dispute between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel.

Two weekends ago, soldiers and police were deployed by land and air in the municipalities of Jerez, Fresnillo and Villa de Cos in search of two members of the National Guard (GN) and one of the State Preventive Police (PEP) that were kidnapped by cartel members. No one seen the missing officials again.

A decade ago, at the end of the presidency of the Felipe Calderón (2006–2012), and during the term of former Zacatecas governor Miguel Alonso Reyes, a multimillion-dollar investment was made – with bank loans charged to the treasury – to build three military bases in the state: in Fresnillo, Jalpa and Juchipila. Critics say that what is currently happening is proof that the militarization in Zacatecas, as well as the deployment of more than 3,000 GN members in the state, has been a failure.

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Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Fentanyl and Heroin Traffickers

 By Buggs for Borderland Beat

Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Fentanyl and Heroin Traffickers Plead Guilty,

Sentenced in Operation Cookout

The mastermind behind an extensive drug trafficking ring entered a guilty plea this week, and four other defendants either entered pleas or were sentenced recently to substantial terms in prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina.

“Fentanyl and heroin have inflicted immeasurable amounts of pain and brought devastation to families across the United States and in EDVA,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Due to their tenacity and commitment, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners seized 24 illegal firearms, 30 kilograms of heroin, and enough fentanyl to kill over 14 million people, saving our communities from significant loss of life and destruction.”

According to court documents, Ramiro Ramirez-Barreto, 44, from the Mexican State of Morelos, operated a continuing criminal enterprise with ties to Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and California. Ramirez-Barreto was linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, as were his drug sources, and his operation supplied cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to numerous drug trafficking organizations in Newport News, Virginia and in Henderson and Greensboro, North Carolina. According to one of Ramirez-Barreto’s many North Carolina customers, Ramirez-Barreto supplied him with 60 kilograms of heroin from early 2018 to mid-2019. Another one of Ramirez-Barreto’s customers was an inmate in federal prison operating a drug trafficking organization in Henderson, NC using a bootleg mobile phone.

Ramirez-Barreto entered his guilty plea on January 25, 2021, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2021, by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak. Ramirez-Barreto’s residence—where law enforcement found 19 kilograms of heroin and over $600,000 in cash—is being forfeited in connection with this case. In addition, he faces a mandatory minimum term of 20 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison.

Russel Patrick Johnson, James Noyes and Keith Brownson.
No mugshot available for Tangynika Johnson.

In addition to Ramirez-Barreto, four additional defendants either entered guilty pleas or were sentenced this week by Judge Novak for their role in the drug trafficking conspiracy described above:

• Tangynika Johnson, 44, of Henderson, NC, assisted co-defendant Cory Bullock, an inmate in a West Virginia federal prison, in getting drug proceeds delivered to Ramirez-Barreto. Johnson pleaded guilty on January 29, 2021, to using a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
• James Noyes, 55, of Newport News, was a mid-level heroin distributor within co-conspirator Damarcus Mackie’s drug trafficking organization. Noyes was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 29, 2021.
• Keith A. Brownson, 42, of Henderson, NC, was a cocaine and heroin dealer who arranged drop-offs of drugs and drug proceeds with Ramirez-Barreto. Brownson pleaded guilty on January 29, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2021, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
• Russell P. Johnson, 50, of Suffolk, VA, was sentenced to 140 months in prison on January 25, 2021, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

 Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Source: Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia

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Jalisco Merchant Has Been Missing for 14 Days; He Was Reportedly 'Taken' by State Police Officers

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Oscar India Acevedo, a 22-year-old merchant from Jalisco, is still missing. His family believes the Jalisco State Police could be involved

Fourteen days ago, alleged members of Jalisco State Police took Oscar Inda Acevedo when he was at his home. He has not been seen again. Oscar's father filed a complaint with the state agency, but his entire family has not seen any progress in the investigation and they are desperate for answers.

The kidnapping occurred on January 14, at around 9:40 p.m., when Oscar, a 22-year-old merchant from Jalisco, was "taken into custody" by armed individuals wearing ski-masks. They were reportedly driving vehicles from the Jalisco State Police. They took him from his home in Zapopan, Jalisco, in front of his wife Alejandra and two children.

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Fake GoFundMe Account

 By Buggs for Borderland Beat

Sending greetings to our Borderland Beat community. As many of you have already noticed, we are back to posting information and sharing content of Mexican drug cartels. Thank you all for the support you give us that motivate us to continue forward. Remember, we all do this for free without any compensation, our only interest is to share light of cartel activity.

We recently learned that there was a GoFundMe page created, purportedly to raise money for BB. It is not genuine, and we have requested from the organizer, Chris Holder, to remove it immediately. We have also contacted GoFundMe to report it. This account is claiming to be the official Borderland Beat Legal Fund, but we were never contacted, nor do we know who this Chris Holder is. It appears, at this point, to be a scammer, so be careful out there.

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Tijuana BC: January's Bloody Death Toll Plus the Arrest of 3 CJNG Members

Yaqui for Borderland Beat 

Mayra's Murderers Arrested: Salvador N., Antonio N., and Cristopher Antony N.

3 CJNG Cartel Members were Arrested for the Murder of a Woman in Tijuana:

The State Attorney General's Office detained three subjects, who had an arrest warrant for the murder of a woman, through uniformed members of the State Security and Investigation Guard, for events that occurred on October 27, 2020.

Derived from the investigations of the Public Ministry of the Special Prosecutor's Office in Crimes Against Life,  the necessary evidence was presented, so that the Control Judge presented the arrest warrants against Antonio N., Salvador N., and Cristopher Antony N., for the crime of qualified homicide with advantage.

On the day of the events in late October, around 6:30 p.m., in the private dwelling in El Porvenir, of the Natura subdivision of Tijuana, the victim Mayra Alejandra Jiménez Reta was in the company of a friend, who stated that those named Salvador N., Antonio N., and Cristopher Antony N.,  approached Mayra, and one of the subjects took out a firearm and began to shoot at the victim , who ran into the dwelling, where she succumbed to the gunshot wounds. Her friend reported that the subjects left the place at full speed aboard a black Jeep Cherokee brand truck. 

The defendants belong to the criminal group Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. No details were given about the investigation and subsequent capture of these three individuals.

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5 Mine Workers Killed in Zacatecas as Cartel War Intensifies

"MX" for Borderland Beat

Police officers arrive at the scene where the 5 mine workers were killed. They were sitting in their vehicles when the cartel hitmen arrived and opened fire at them.

In an armed attack on Sunday night, five mine workers were shot to death in the municipality of Fresnillo, Zacatecas. The victims were three women and two men; they were shot while they were sitting inside two vehicles. So far authorities have not given a public announcement about this incident. Local media reports say that three other people were injured. The assassins managed to flee and are currently at large.

The month of January 2021 was particularly violent in Zacatecas with 57 registered homicides and three mass murder incidents. In the first incident, authorities discovered six bodies inside a mine shaft. In the second one, eight people were killed in a single morning, including two minors. Authorities say there is an ongoing turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS).

Since last September, the Mexican government launched a special guard force to protect local mining companies because they have been preyed by drug cartels. Mining companies, many of them foreign, have been forced to pay extortion to local cartels. In the past, cartels have also stolen minerals or semi-refined metals directly from mines.

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4 of the 19 Charred Bodies in Tamaulipas Are Identified

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

For the original story about the incident, please click the hyperlink.

The Guatemalan press states that one of the victims was Marvin Alberto Tomas, nicknamed Lefty, a 22-year-old association football player. Team officials say that poverty forced him to flee Guatemala.

Tamaulipas state authorities confirmed that 4 of the 19 charred bodies found in two burnt vehicles in the municipality of Camargo on January 22 have been identified. Two were Guatemalan and two were Mexican. Investigators say that the current anthropological results determined that 16 of the victims were male and at least one was female. Two more are pending confirmation since their state of decomposition was higher and this has complicated the investigation's accuracy.

The Prosecutor's Office in Tamaulipas confirmed that they cannot reveal the names of the victims who have been identified so far, and thereby refrained to comment if one of the Guatemalan victims was the third-division association footballer Marvin Alberto Tomas, nicknamed El Zurdo (Lefty). The Guatemalan press indicated that the one of the victims was indeed El Zurdo based on accounts from his relatives.

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Gunmen Kill 7 Party Attendees in Ojuelos, Jalisco

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

National Guard members arriving at the scene once emergency calls where made

Authorities confirmed over the weekend that at least seven people were killed by gunmen while they were at a party in Ojuelos, Jalisco. Reports indicate that the gunmen arrived at a party and stripped the guests of their belongings and then fled the scene. However, they returned minutes later and open fire at the guests, killing seven of them (six men and one woman). The gunmen then fled the scene again in two motorcycles.

The National Guard and state and municipal police officers were the first to arrive at the scene. Personnel from the Prosecutor's Office in Jalisco arrived later and secured the evidence with the support of forensic experts. Authorities confirmed that they had not identified or arrested the assailants involved in the attack.

Ojuelos is on the northeastern tip of Jalisco and borders the state of Zacatecas. This municipality and its surrounding areas are reportedly under the control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Ojuelos is a strategic point for the CJNG because it has highways leading to the states of Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, and Guanajuato in less than an hour drive.

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Mexican Military Detains 4 Burros Transporting 400 Kilos of Marijuana

Yaqui for Borderland Beat 

                             Old School Transportation Technique Minus Humans

San Quintín Baja Ca Jan 28, 2021:

Four donkeys were intercepted by elements of the Mexican Army after they were found carrying 400 kilograms of marijuana on their backs, which were confiscated and made available to the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) in Ensenada.

The animals were found in the vicinity of the "Arroyo Fusiques" in the El Rosario Delegation, where the military from the 67th Infantry Battalion carried out a surveillance tour, as well as reconnaissance of the area, since it has been detected as a transit area of suspected criminals.

Each burro carried 46 packages of marijuana made with cinnamon-colored adhesive tape on its back, giving a total weight of 400 kilos and with an approximate market value of 649,920 Mexican Pesos. The bricks were wrapped in the usual canela tape. The beasts of burden appeared to be abandoned with their cargo.

Both the animals and the drug were made available to the FGR, where the case is already being investigated in order to determine its origin and find those responsible; authorities viewed this seizure as a significant blow to the organized crime economy.

It is in my humble opinion that although we can only see three animals in this photo , they are Mules not burros.

Source: AFN/TJ http://www.afntijuana.info/seguridad/114493_burros_transportaban_400_kilos_de_marihuana#ver_nota

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Body of Missing LA, Ca Fire Fighter Found Burned near Tijuana, Baja Ca, Mexico

Yaqui for Borderland Beat

LAFD firefighter and paramedic Francisco Aguilar, who went missing in August 2020 in Baja, CA

Thanks to the Commenter for the lead on this story.

Published by the LA Times as well as many other sources both US and Mexican in November. 

Francisco Aguilar, the 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department who went missing in Mexico in August, was killed in Rosarito by kidnappers, Mexican authorities said Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities in Baja California said two people have been arrested in connection with his death, a couple they identified only as Fanny and Santos.

According to the Fiscalia General del Estado de Baja California, Aguilar met with the woman, Fanny, on Aug. 20 for a sexual encounter in Rosarito. She identified herself to him as "Monserrat". Instead, she and Santos attempted to kidnap him, officials said.

“Things didn’t turn out like they thought they would,” Hiram Sanchez Zamora, an official with the Fiscalia General del Estado de Baja California, said during a Wednesday media briefing in Mexico.

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Another American Ex-Pat Missing in Baja, Ca

Yaqui for Borderland Beat

              Mary Ann Humfreville didn't appear for a breakfast meeting on December 17, 2020.

The Baja California woman has been missing for 42 days. The Bahía de los Ángeles resident was last heard from December 16, 2020

Originally Published on Friday, December 25, 2020  Baja Nomad Forum

Authorities in Baja California have been unable to determine what happened to a Bahía de los Ángeles woman who has been missing since December 17.

There has been no contact with Mary Ann Humfreville, 74, since she spoke by phone with her son on December 16.

On the following day she didn’t turn up for a breakfast meeting. Friends later found her home empty apart from a dog and a cat inside the house. Also missing was her red 1998 Ford F-150 pickup bearing California plates.

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Ex-Convict Killed Outside of a Supermarket in Nuevo León Was a Major Local Zetas Drug Dealer

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

The drug dealer was killed while he was parked outside of the supermarket in northern Monterrey

When he was parked in his truck outside a supermarket, a man was attacked by gunmen and died minutes later at a nearby hospital in Monterrey, Nuevo León. The deceased as Alberto Ernesto Lazarin Balderas, 30, who had at least six gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen.

According to witnesses, a lone gunman surprised the victim when he was inside his truck and shot him several times. The assassin then got into another car where an accomplice was waiting for him. They escaped from the scene and are currently at large. 

Members of the Nuevo Leon Civil Force arrived at the scene of the attack and immediately cordoned the area. Investigators say that the gunman used a .40 caliber firearm to kill Lazarin. Although an official motive has not been established, investigators say that the evidence points to a drug-related murder since Lazarin was a drug dealer in northern Monterrey

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Three Police Officers and One Bystander Killed in Cartel Ambush in Nuevo Casas Grande, Chihuahua

 "Morogris" for Borderland Beat (formerly "MX")

The police officers were attacked while driving in this white pick-up truck. All of the perpetrators are at large.

Members of the municipal police force in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, were ambushed by at least eight cartel hitmen in the heart of city's downtown. At least four police officers were killed in the attack. Investigators say the intended target of the attack was Julio Cesar Ramirez Valdez, the local police chief. He survived the attack with minor injuries.

The attack was carried out at around 10:00 a.m. after the police officers left a restaurant located between Benito Juarez and Del Prado streets in downtown Nuevo Casas Grandes. The officers killed were Pedro Perez Rascon, Maria Muro Montoya, and Juan Lagunas Rojo. The civilian killed was Larisa Beltran; she was caught in the crossfire while leaving a nearby gym.

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