Two High-Ranking Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel Members Arrested

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Juan "El Tecos" (left) and Juan Refugio "El Barbas", both from the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, were arrested yesterday in Mexico. 

Mexican security forces arrested two high-ranking Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) members yesterday. The first detainee, Juan Refugio "El Barbas", was the CSRL's head of assassins and prime suspect in the murder of five people in Acambaro, Guanajuato, in May 2019. The second detainee, Juan "El Tecos", is believed to have been involved in the club massacre in Parral del Progreso, Guanajuato, that left 11 dead in September 2020, as reported by Borderland Beat.

El Barbas was arrested in an upscale neighborhood in Morelia, Michoacán, after a judge issued an arrest warrant for his capture earlier this week. Investigators were able to track his whereabouts after a two-month investigation following the arrest of CSRL member Jose Ramon A. "El Mamer", arrested in November 2020. Moreover, Guanajuato Prosecutor's Office reported that investigations are underway to clarify if El Teco could be involved in other crimes in Guanajuato.

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Hipólito Mora: "Organized Crime Wants to put its Candidates in Michoacán"

Yaqui for Borderland Beat 

The former self-defense leader, who will be the PES candidate for state government, warns that there will be violence in the next election. In his proposals, he raises the penalties for offenders.

Hipólito Mora joins forces with PES ( Partido Encuentro Solidario) to compete for the governorship of Michoacán.

The former self-defense force said that the political route is the option to solve the problems of the state and "not the weapons, because with these there is a lot of pain."

Hipólito Mora expressed his intention to be considered, when electoral times allow, as one of the candidates for the governorship of the state of Michoacán and said that he joined the PES because it is not a party marked by scandals.

“Now I have the opportunity to participate in political life; I am completely sure that this is the way to solve the problems that exist in the state, and not with weapons, because with these there is a lot of pain," he said in his message at the press conference where he was presented this Wednesday.

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Los Viagras manipulates Michoacán residents and pays them to attack police officers, official says

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Los Viagras and its cell Los Blancos de Troya (pictured) are paying people in rural Michoacán to confront security forces. This form of "manipulation" is being investigated by authorities, who say Los Viagras is employing this tactic to gain ground against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The head of Michoacán's Public Security Department, Israel Patron Reyes, explained that the violence in the region of Tierra Caliente has nothing to do with the "resurgence" of self-defense groups. He said that the uptick in violence was linked to the recruiting and deceiving tactics of the local Los Viagras cartel, which seeks to establish control in the area over the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Residents from the communities of Pizandaro, Cenobio Moreno, Las Colonias and other surrounding areas have carried out attacks against security forces (both state and federal) because they are being "manipulated" by Los Viagras, who wants authorities to leave the region.

Patron Reyes said that these residents are paid between MXN$300 (about US$15) a day or up to MXN$2,000 (about US$98) per week to throw rocks, block roads, burn vehicles, and organize  anti-law enforcement protests.

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US Veterans Deported to Mexico Fear Cartels

 Yaqui for Borderland Beat

Deported US Marine Corps veteran at the US-Mexico border during a July 4th gathering on the beach at Playas de Tijuana, July 4, 2017.

US veterans deported to Mexico want to be let  'back into their country' before cartels get to them:

For thousands of US veterans who have been deported to Mexico, the strain of being separated from their home is compounded by threats from criminal groups that seek them out for their military training.

Some of those veterans have renewed hope that there will be a chance to return, but for others who have already restarted their lives, that hope comes too late.

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Thousands of US veterans deported to Mexico, some of whom have been forcibly recruited by cartels, are asking the Biden administration to let them "back into their country."

The Deported Veterans Support House, writing "on behalf of thousands of US deported veterans," asked President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to stop deportations of US veterans and to welcome back those who are already on foreign soil.

"We believe that there is not a more perfect time in our nation's history to bring these heroes home. President Biden is a military father and knows what it is like to be separated from a loved one overseas," states the letter, which was obtained by Insider.

"In Mexico, drug cartels prey on this desperation, coercing former service members to join criminal operations for their combat skills," the letter says.

Hector Barajas, founder of the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana and a US Army veteran, expected the letter to encourage thousands of veterans currently stuck in foreign countries.

"This is the first time we write a letter to the President of the United States. I really hope they understand the problems and the risks we take by being deported to a place we don't really belong," said Barajas, who was granted US citizenship in 2018 after 14 years of waiting.

One of those risks is forcible recruitment by Mexican cartels.

"The recruiting by Mexican cartels is real. They are looking for professionals with training on the use of arms," Barajas said.

He believes his advocacy on behalf of deported veterans is the reason he has never been approached by cartels. But not everyone is that lucky.

"Mike," a deported US veteran, is currently facing more than 50 years in Mexican prison after being accused of several murders related to his work for a cartel.

"I was deported back in 2010 after serving the US Army and deploy[ing] two times. Since then I'm working with a criminal organization," said Mike, using a pseudonym to avoid retaliation.

Mike said he was recruited specifically to assassinate rival gangs and to train young sicarios as soon as he was deported to Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.

"I was totally scared when I got deported. They reached out to me on the streets, and they knew I had a kid and threatened me with harming him if I didn't cooperate. So I started training them on how to shoot and clean guns," he told Insider.

Mike said he didn't know of any other US veterans working for the Juarez cartel, but Jose Camacho, a 65-year-old US Army veteran deported to Mexico, said many more like him and Mike are working with Mexican criminal groups.

"There are many more. I know of a few working for the same organization, but it wouldn't be news to find many, many more even working with other organizations throughout Mexico," he said.

                                       "Mexico Deported Veterans Memorial Day"

Veterans deported from the US at a tribute for fallen comrades on Memorial Day at the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana, May 27, 2019. 

Camacho was deported around the same time as Mike, after being arrested for drug trafficking in Texas. After that, he started collaborating with the Juarez cartel.

"They would pay me to teach members on how to use weapons and to teach them on ambush and tactics I learned in the Army," Camacho said. Camacho says he is no longer involved in any criminal activity.

The number of US veterans who have been deported, let alone those working for criminal organizations, is currently unknown, but deportations have been going on for some time.

"Through the Deported Veterans Support House I've helped around 400 people since 2003, but deportations for veterans started back in 1996," Barajas told Insider.

A 2017 report from the National Immigration Forum said about 40,000 immigrants serve in the US military and about 5,000 non-citizens enlist each year.

President Biden addressed the deportation of US veterans several times during his campaign 2019, Biden promised "to bring them back."

"That's why we're who we are, the country we are. We are a country of immigrants, and they serve, and they should be treated the same way," Biden said.

President Biden echoed that sentiment in an official campaign statement on veterans:

"Joe Biden will not target the men and women who served in uniform, or their families, for deportation. He will also direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a parole process for veterans deported by the Trump Administration, to reunite them with their families and military colleagues in the US."

                                    Mexico's  deported  US Veterans get a little Consolation

US Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Joaquin Castro, Nanette Diaz Barragn, Juan Vargas, and Raul Grijalva visit the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana, June 3 2017. 

But those promises don't give much hope to veterans stuck south of the border.

Michael Evans, a 32-year-old US veteran deported in 2009, said he has put down roots in Mexico and even if there is an opportunity to return to the US, he is not sure he will take it.

"I just submitted papers to become a US citizen and see what happens. I want to be a US citizen and to have that option, but honestly, I'm not sure if I want to start a new life over again," Evans told Insider.

"I've heard President Biden saying he will fight for deported veterans, and I hope he will, but I'm skeptical because of the system overall," he said.

Evans, currently living in Ciudad Juarez, said he has never been approached by criminal organizations but is aware of how they operate in Mexico.

"I don't think they will get to you if you are not close to them. You have to be around them to receive an offer or a threat," Evans said.

Evans might get a second chance to become a US citizen and return to the country he served. But for others, the hope of getting home comes too late.

"I don't even think about it. This is the life I'm living today. If some of them , the deported veterans, are getting back to the "mainland", well, good for them, but as for me, it's too late now," Mike said.

Source: Business Insider

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DEA investigation of el "Azulito": they will investigate if the son of El Azul narco died of COVID

 Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat TY Gus.... from Infobae.....

The death of Juan José Esparragoza Monzón, alias el "Azulito" and/or el "Negro" was as discreet as his criminal life.

The son of the capo Juan José Esparragoza, aka el "Azul", who was one of the most important leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, apparently died last month due to the coronavirus and was buried in the narco famous Jardines del Humaya pantheon in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

El “Azulito", one of the pillars on which the powerful Sinaloa organization was based, was fired by great bosses such as Rafael Caro Quintero and the Arzate García brothers, operators in Baja California.

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Oaxaca Mayor Gunned Down....

 Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  From Reforma

Leobardo Ramos, Municipal mayor of Chahuites, Oaxaca, was shot to death this morning.

The attack occurred in Colonia San Antonio in that community in the Isthmus region, when the Mayor was traveling aboard his truck.

The crime scene was guarded by elements of the State Prosecutor's Office and police agents.

The mayor (Municipal President) of Chahuites has been surrounded by controversy in his two administrations.

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Tamaulipas Police Had Multiple Kidnapping Complaints Prior to Recent Massacre

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

The Tamaulipas State Police and its elite unit, the Special Operations Group (Grupo de Operaciones Especiales, GOPES), have been accused of terrorizing civilians in Tamaulipas by taking people from their homes without due process and handing them over to cartel members.

It is not the first time that the Tamaulipas State Police has been involved in another disappearance or arbitrary detention scandal like the recent one in Camargo, Tamaulipas, where 19 people were killed. According to the Human Rights Commission in Tamaulipas (CODHET), the state agency received 91 complaints of such nature in 2019. The figures for 2020 were not released but are expected to be just as high.

One of the most recent cases that did not recent enough public attention occurred last month. State police officers kidnapped four people in Mier municipality following a routine traffic inspection. The victims were taken by the state police officers to the neighboring Miguel Aleman municipality and handed over to suspected Gulf Cartel (CDG) members.

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Judge Orders End of Alleged Mistreatment Against 'El Marro'

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

El Marro was once one of Mexico's most-wanted criminals. He was arrested in August 2020.

A federal judge ordered authorities at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 ("Altiplano"), Mexico's maximum-security prison, to end the alleged mistreatment against Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz ("El Marro)", former leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL). El Marro is currently segregated from the rest of the prison population and has complained of ill treatment.

In a legal motion, El Marro said that authorities have refused to supply him with the medication he needs to treat his hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol) and that he is not allowed to have authorized visitors like the rest of the inmates. Federal judge Adrian Rivera-Lopez reviewed his motion and issued an order to protect him from the alleged violations.

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US CPB: TCO's Human Smugglers Using Dangerous Methods of Transport

Yaqui for Borderland Beat

Transnational Criminal Organization's Smugglers Employ Dangerous Tactics:

February 1, 2021

Marfa, Texas: Smugglers are elevating dangers faced by illegal immigrants by transporting their human cargo in dangerous ways throughout Big Bend Sector.

Three major smuggling events have been thwarted by Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents and local law-enforcement partners in recent days. The events show the dangerous and potentially deadly risks transnational criminal organizations will take with their human cargo as they exploit those seeking to enter the United States illegally.

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Sinaloa Doctor Who Was Kidnapped and Beaten Has Been Released

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Luis Guillermo Corrales Morales (pictured) is a Bariatric physician. He specializes in helping patients with obesity and high cholesterol. 

Doctor Luis Guillermo Corrales Morales, of approximately 40 years old, was kidnapped about two days ago in Culiacan, Sinaloa. Cartel members took him at gunpoint while Corrales was at his clinic in front of multiple eye-witnesses.

He was released yesterday, but investigators said he was beaten all over his body. None of the wounds are life-threatening, however. The motive for his kidnapping and release have not been establish, and it is unknown if Corrales paid a ransom to his captors.

Doctors have been targeted by drug cartels for years. In the past, some of them have been targeted for treating rival gangsters or for failing/refusing to save wounded comrades after a shootout.

In addition, cartels have targeted doctors because they make more money than the average Mexican citizen. Many doctors are viewed as wealthy residents and are well-known in their communities. Their work addresses are oftentimes searchable online, which makes them an easy target for kidnappers.

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Mexican Steel Executive Extradited From Spain to Mexico

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Mexican steel tycoon Alonso Ancira was imprisoned in Spain for nearly two years. He is now on his way to Mexico to face trial for corruption and money laundering.

Spanish authorities announced that they extradited Alonso Ancira, former chairman of Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), the largest integrated steel plant in Mexico. Ancira faces corruption and money laundering charges after he was implicated in the fraudulent sale-purchase of Agros Nitrogenados, a plant fertilizer firm and subsidiary of AHMSA.

According to court documents, Ancira sold the firm at an inflated price to Emilio Lozoya, former chief of the state-owned oil company Pemex. Lozoya bought Agro Nitrogenados for US$475 million when the property was only worth US$50 million. This corruption case unfolded during the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012–2018).

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12 State Police Officers Arrested Over Massacre of 19 in Tamaulipas

 "MX" for Borderland Beat; TY "Redlogarythm"

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

A judge issued 12 arrests warrants against these police officers. All are in custody.

The Attorney General's Office in Tamaulipas has arrested 12 state police officers who could be involved in the massacre that left 19 dead in Tamaulipas on 22 January 2021. All the officers are being charged with homicide, abuse of authority, abuse of administrative duties, and for providing false information to authorities.

Investigators arrived at the conclusion that authorities were involved in the massacre after one of the vehicles found in the Tamaulipas crime scene had already been seized on 6 December 2020 at another crime in Nuevo Leon. During that incident, 66 migrants were rescued by security forces after they were abducted and kept by cartel members in a safe house. The vehicle was seized but it ended up in the cartel's hands the following month.

The police officers involved "manipulated" the crime scene where the 19 people were killed by cleaning up the bullet shells left behind. When interviewed about what happened, several of them gave conflicting reports, raising questions about their possible involvement. Federal investigators are also considering the possibility that immigration officials could be involved in this massacre.

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5 Residents From Uruachi, Chihuahua, Killed by Cartel Members

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

The shooting occurred on a rural highway leading to Santisimo de Abajo, a village in Uruachi municipality. All of the perpetrators at large.

Violence in the state of Chihuahua is not only high but often merciless. Five residents from the indigenous  community of Santisimo de Abajo in the municipality of Uruachi, Chihuahua, were ambushed and killed by cartel members yesterday afternoon. They were driving home through a mountainous road when gunmen fired at them for unknown reasons. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the corpses with bullet wounds and their Toyota truck on fire.

Three of the victims, Misael Elmer, Genaro Alex, and Mario Huber R. R., died at the scene before paramedics arrived. The last two were siblings. The driver and owner of the vehicle, Alan P. M., was gravely wounded and was taken a hospital in Cuauhtémoc municipality. However, he died before he was able to receive medical attention.

Uruachi is a small municipality in western Chihuahua, located on the heart of the Sierra Madre mountain. It has a population close to 2,000, most of them indigenous Tarahumara people. Since the start of Mexico’s drug war, Uruachi has been affected by cartel violence and illegal mining and logging. This convergence has added another layer to the cartel war in the region.

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11 People Sentenced for the Murder of Jalisco Ex-Governor Aristóteles Sandoval

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Security footage showed that several bar employees "manipulated" the crime scene by cleaning up the blood in a coordinated way and by tampering with the security cameras.

In a short and swift trial, 11 people were sentenced for the homicide of Jalisco ex-governor Aristoteles Sandoval. The Prosecutor's Office in Jalisco was able to provide evidences to a judge that proved that 11 employees from the bar where Sandoval was murdered had helped covered up the crime. All of the defendants pleaded guilty and agreed that they had tapered the crime scene by cleaning up the blood and removing security cameras.

Per Mexico's National Code of Criminal Procedures, all of the defendants were able to get a reduced sentence for pleading guilty. They will face the rest of their sentence in prison but are eligible to pay a penalty fee and fulfil it as a free person.

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SEMAR Busts Narco-Sub w 4 Colombians on Board

Yaqui for Borderland Beat

The Navy seized a narco-submarine in Oaxaca with 106 packages of cocaine and four Colombians on board.

Some cartels subcontract specialized networks in the construction of semi-submersibles, as if they were taxi companies to transport narcotics from Colombia.

From a King Air type aircraft , the Mexican Navy detected a semi-submersible off the coast of Huatulco , Oaxaca; After conducting an inspection, they found that it was a narco-submarine that was transporting 106 packages of cocaine , with four men of Colombian nationality on board.

“A suspicious semi-submersible type vessel with four outboard motors was sighted , so with the support of two surface units of this Institution, an inspection of said vessel was carried out, achieving the arrest of four alleged offenders of the law, of Colombian nationality ”, reported the Naval Sector of Huatulco.

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