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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Borderland Beat

Borderland Beat

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Bodies of Missing Americans May Have Been Discovered in Matamoros

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 06:06 PM PDT

Borderland Beat republished from Valley Central and AP

 The following is an update in connection with the 3 missing American post

A Mexico state official says four bodies have been found east of the border city of Matamaros, which is the area where three young Americans have been missing more than two weeks.

Tamaulipas state investigator Raul Galindo Vira will say only that the four bodies were found Wednesday morning.

A second state official says investigators are trying to determine if the dead include three siblings from Progreso, Texas, who went missing with a fourth person (on) Oct. 13. The official insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the press.


Alvarado family desperate for answers


The father of the three siblings lives in Tamaulipas, and it was him they were visiting.

Mexican authorities on Wednesday asked the siblings' father what they were wearing when they disappeared, mother Raquel Alvarado told The Associated Press.

According to the Alvarado, her daughter, is the mother of four children aged 3-9, and drove her black Jeep Cherokee across the border Oct. 12 and dropped it at her father's house in El Control. She visited her boyfriend there and the next morning called her brothers to ask them to bring the Cherokee to a roadside restaurant where the couple was eating. The three siblings planned to return to Progreso together from there.

When Alex and Jose Angel Alvarado arrived to pick up their sister, they saw men "pushing their sister and her boyfriend and hitting her," Raquel Alvarado said. The brothers tried to intervene, witnesses said, but were taken away with their sister and her boyfriend. Witnesses said the armed men identified themselves as Grupo Hercules, a police security unit for Matamoros city officials, and were traveling in military style trucks. She said witnesses also saw federal highway police, "but no one did anything."

Alvarado said she is trying to contact Mexican authorities to see if they are her children.

She said is she doesn't get a response, she plans to go to Mexico.

Search continues in the Tamaulipas disappearance of 3 Americans

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 04:18 PM PDT

Borderland Beat posted by  Computer JA

INVESTIGATION

The FBI opened an investigation for the disappearance of three U.S. citizens (all of them related) who were allegedly kidnapped in Control Ramírez, a rural community in the municipality of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Police in Progreso, Texas issued a formal complaint for the disappearance of Alex Alvarado Rivera (22), Erica Alvarado Rivera (26) and José Ángel Alvarado Rivera (21), three residents of that city, who were reportedly kidnapped from a restaurant by gunmen in uniforms of federal agents in the Control Ramírez at around 8PM on October 14, 2014.

The complaint was received by the Police Department under case number 14-10-577 by the officer Javier A. Sosa, who documented the identity of the two young men and a woman, and confirmed that they are residents of Progreso, Texas and had US citizenship.

POLICE ADBUCTION?

According to officials, all three of the brothers had plans to visit his father in Mexico, but they never reached their destination. Erica and her boyfriend crossed the international border from Progreso, Texas on October 13. The next day Erica and her boyfriend went to a taco stand to meet with her brothers. However, while she was there, she was reportedly beaten by a group of men who claimed to be from the police.

"They were beating her like she was a man and that is when my sons arrived in a Cherokee and tried to stop it and they also took them," Raquel Alvarado, mother of three Americans disappeared, said. Then they were supposedly taken in two vans.

She claimed that the group of men were part of the elite police force in Matamoros known as "Hércules". This police force was created by Leticia "Lety" Salazar, the mayor of Matamoros.

CARS LOCATED

Mrs. Raquel Alvarado, mother of the missing brothers, recounted her dramatic search, and said that authorities have no clues on the whereabouts of her children.

''I'm desperate and afraid for their lives. I was calling my daughter all Monday and lost all communication in the afternoon when she ran out of signal. Since then I haven't heard from her or know anything,'' she said.

A week after the disappearance of his three sons, Mrs. Alvarado remains in the quest to locate their children in Matamoros. She stated that the vehicle in which they traveling in was found in a customs agency known as "Apha", located on the street División del Norte in Matamoros. One of the vehicles was missing its license plates, and the car dealership owner did not comment how the vehicles got there.

According to the investigation, the brothers were using two vehicles: a black Grand Cherokee 2011 and sand-colored GMC Yukon. They admitted that it was possible that they were indeed arrested by federal agents. This information, however, has not been confirmed.



NOTE FROM CHIVIS :  After becoming close to Ann Devert, and Ann Stacy, the mother of Harry Devert, and sister of James Stacy,(at left) I became familiar with the inter-workings in  the aftermath of kidnappings in Mexico.  I can say that all agencies of the United States have a remote role in the investigation.  Unless Mexico requests their assistance in some capacity, they have a non-functionary role.  They can place some measure of pressure on the government, but unless the family of missing persons takes a hands on role in the investigation, being present in Mexico and hounding Mexican authorities, little to nothing will occur.  All talk, often not based on truth.




I advised that Ann Devert, (with Harry above) who is fluent in Spanish, to go travel to Mexico and plaster posters and ads in the region.  She did so in such a tenacious manner that Harry's kidnappers gave up the body to make her go away. 

 In the Stacy case.  James Stacy disappeared in Tamaulipas.  He and Harry disappeared at the end of January.  James mother health was failing, the direct result of her grief. 

Tamaulipas is always dangerous but during those first months after the kidnapping,  there was an uptick in violence.  When Ann advised that her mother wanted to go to Tamaulipas, -James mother's  primary language is not English and speaks no Spanish-  I advised she should not  go.  I felt there would be nothing to gain without knowing the language, and Ann was very concerned about her mothers deteriorating health. 

She did not go.  And a few days after Harry's body was positively identified, the Stacy family informed me that they had decided to end their search, which included private investigators. 

 If it were my family member taken.  I would stay in Mexico.  I would take out full page ads, I would offer a reward, I would beg for interviews, I would plaster my child's face everywhere, billboards, posters whatever.  I would be the squeaky wheel.  And I would take a DNA profile of myself....in case.  Chances are almost nil that if a ransom was not asked for, almost immediately,  one would see their kidnapped loved one again.  It has happened.  But rarely.  Even having a body to bury is a remote possibility.  I never thought Ann Devert would have a body to bury.  Yet she did. 


Harry was cremated and had three memorials, one in Mexico City, one in New York and the last in France, where his ashes where scattered.

Written from these sources:  Milenio and El Manana 

Former Governor Aguirre's Connection to Guerreros Unidos Revealted

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 01:07 PM PDT


Sidronio Casarrubias Salgado, alias "El Chino", the leader of Guerreros Unidos who was arrested on October 17, is currently being questioned by the office of the Attorney General of Mexico and has already made a number of interesting allegations.

According to reports, "El Chino" claims that the campaign for governor of Guerrero by Ángel Aguirre Rivero, who stepped down from office on October 23, was financed by Guerreros Unidos.  At first this seems impossible, as said election took place on January 30, 2011, predating the emergence of Guerreros Unidos.

However, María de los Ángeles Pineda Villa, whom "El Chino" describes as a director of the organization, was actually the one who helped finance the campaign and has been much more heavily involved in organized crime than it initially appeared.  "El Chino" also claims that María de los Ángeles has maintained a sexual affair with Ángel Aguirre for years and planned to run for election as mayor of Iguala once the term of her husband, José Luis Abarca Velázquez, ended.

A personal note of clarification, it has previously been said that Marcos Arturo Beltrán Leyva, who was killed on December 16, 2009, was behind the financing of Ángel Aguirre's campaign for governor, which did not make sense chronologically.  It is evident that Ángel Aguirre was tied to the Beltrán Leyva Cartel for over five years.  With the new clarifications, it appears to me that the campaign was planned well in advance and was to occur under the direction of the Pineda Villa family.  I now assume that, following the death of Arturo, María de los Ángeles followed through with the plan as it suited her own interests.

Pena Nieto Keeps His Campaign Promises

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 12:31 PM PDT

Inauguration Day
By DD for Borderland Beat



"My promise and commitment is to carry Mexico to that place which it should occupy on the world stage" - Inauguration Day, Dec. 1, 2012

EPN had a good public relations team working for his campaign leading up to his election as President of Mexico.  Their campaign was based on "putting a new face" on PRI, the party that ruled Mexico for 70+ years through corruption and rigged elections to become known as "the perfect dictatorship" and the party and the state became one.

Their efforts at portraying the young handsome telegenic Pena Nieto (women at campaign rallies would shout "sweetheart, come to my bed), while maybe not the brightest bulb on the tree he was the future Mexico.

The campaign was good enough to win the election for him with 38% of the votes cast in a controversial election.  Considering that only roughly ½ of the eligible voters cast their vote in the election, he won with a little over 17%  of the voting population.  Not exactly a mandate.  But it was better than the "mandate" that Carlos Salinas (now considered by most of Mexico as the most corrupt President)  had when elected.   In his election, by midnight on election night the vote count showed Salinas trailing by a considerable margin before the computers that were doing the counting crashed.  The next morning when they came back up, they showed he won the election.

PRI (EPN) didn't consider the "mandate" big enough to accomplish the ambitious plans they had for the country and the "new PRI".  While most of the old guard of PRI (the dinosaurs) was still there, the "new PRI"  had people and economic interest they needed to accommodate. 


The old pie from the "good ol days" had already been sliced so thin by the dinosaurs that there wasn't much left to divide up among the "new PRI".  The only thing to do was to create a new pie.

Some of the best PR  people in the world, mostly from NYC were hired to attract new investors to Mexico.   They achieved some success during EPN's first year in office.. 


The "Aztec Tiger" and  "Mexico's Moment"  quickly became buzz words.  EPN's photo was on the cover of Time Magazine with the caption "Mexico's Savior".   
That got some attention from business and investment journals, but it really didn't put him on the world stage. It didn't get the attention of the people of the world. 



Pesky little doses of reality kept creeping into the news –violence, corruption, poverty, lack of jobs that paid a living wage and a lack of opportunities for children due to an abysmal education system.

 "You will listen to him say everything is wonderful and fantastic, but on the other hand we still have terrible problems with security," said Guadalupe Loaeza, an author and columnist for the Reforma newspaper. "He's much more popular outside than in Mexico because we don't trust him. We don't believe him"

The violence, kidnapping, extortion, and "forced disappearances" not only did not go down but increased after he took office.  By the middle of EPN's second year in office news of corrupt politicians at all levels of government and human rights atrocities involving police and military killing civilians was starting to get more attention primarily through social media and internet blogs.   Foreign Investors (needed to make a new pie) were keeping their money in their pockets.


Even before Iguala, nearly all media stopped using the term "Aztec Tiger" in describing Mexico and some had started using the term  "Barbarous Mexico".  Not good for attracting foreign investors.

Up to that point, the PR machine had managed fairly well to keep the focus of the media on economic issues and just ignore the problems in Mexico.   

They had mostly kept EPN on a leash and only allowed him press access when he was talking from a script.  They had learned a lesson when EPN made a fool of himself at a Guadalajara book fair during the campaign.

To offset the increasing news of the problems in Mexico, around the first of Sept. EPN embarked on a series of op-ed pieces in the foreign press and speeches in foreign capitals extolling the virtues of investing in Mexico.   Though direct contact with reporters was kept at a minimum to keep EPN on script,  some reporters were insistent on  asking questions on corruption and violence.
When asked about the widespread corruption embed in all the levels of government in Mexico, EPN responded that "corruption is a cultural thing in Mexico.  It is just part of our culture."  When he said that the room went silent, the reporters not believing that he just said corruption is not the fault of the government, it was because Mexicans were corrupt by nature.

At another interview in early September (barely 3 weeks before Iguala exploded into the world news), he was asked about his security policy regarding the violence in the southern states, specifically Guerrero.  He refused to talk about it by saying "that is a local problem and not the responsibility of the federal government."


On Sept 26 Pena Nieto fulfilled his campaign promise to "carry Mexico to the world stage where it belongs".  Municipal police, acting on orders from the Mayor, or the Mayors wife, attacked students from  a teachers school who had come to Iguala from a nearby town to raise funds for a trip to Mexico City to participate in a annual protest on the anniversary of the massacre at the Plaza of the Three Cultures in 1968.    Also attacked by the police was a bus carrying a youth soccer team.  In all, six were known killed and 43 were kidnapped and have not been found, dead or alive.  
  Shortly after that fateful day and as the facts started to come out, (of the murders and kidnapping, not from the seemingly Keystone Cops investigation), protests broke out across Mexico in more than 60 cities and 27 states.  Seemingly spontaneously and without any world wide organizing, protests soon broke out across the US and at least 15 other countries.  All demanding answers and the return of the students.  Some demanding the resignation of EPN.

  When the story broke it was carried seemingly by every major news media in the world.   

This can't be happening to me.  (looking like a deer caught in headlights)

After the new of violence in Guerrero started coming out President Pena Nieto told the press, " I am deeply disturbed about this information coming out".  Note he did not say he was disturbed by the events that were taking place, but "by the information coming out".  Maybe a very telling choice of words – more concerned about tarnishing his image than a concern for the people.


I don't think this was the stage he had envisioned on Dec. 1, 2010, but he did get Mexico front and center on the world stage as he promised.   Now that he is there he doesn't seem to like being in the spotlight



His avoidance of the spotlight is very well expressed in a column yesterday by Denise Dresser  of REFORMA.

Reforma: Denise Dresser*
Translated by Ruby Izar-Shea

Disappeared. Absent. Dead or presumed dead. Forty-three students that are neither angels nor devils, but rather Mexican citizens with rights that the State trampled on. Probably tortured, killed, burned. According to Father Alejandro Solalinde, thrown onto a pyre of wood.

Before the Ayotzinapa tragedy, another disappearance in addition to the 43 we know about. The disappearance of Enrique Peña Nieto's government. As Leo Zuckermann has correctly stated, the President looks stunned, paralyzed, trapped. Without leadership, answers, strategy, government positions to defend or forceful actions to orchestrate. Without cabinet members who can explain what happened in Guerrero and how to face it. Without a team that understands how to operate efficiently, act quickly, react appropriately and intelligently. A government that knows how to sell its image, but not defend it. A government that knows how to "save Mexico" when negotiating reforms, but not to prevent deaths.

There is a prosecutor who, one month later, still doesn't have information on the whereabouts of the missing students. There is the paradox that there are more detainees than disappeared. In addition to all the signals ignored, as Esteban Illades explains in "Iguala: el polvorín que nadie olió," ["The Powder Keg That Nobody Smelled"] published in Nexosmagazine. The candidate who ran against the Iguala mayor, was murdered. The PRD municipal president [José Luis Abarca] owns nineteen properties and governs with a total lack of transparency. With eleven family members on the payroll, receiving 300,000 pesos [US$22,000] a month from public funds, 1.15% of the municipality's expenditures. With a wife whose two brothers were on a PGR [Attorney General] most wanted list, published in 2009, for their ties to the Beltran Leyva cartel. With a history of vis-a-visconfrontations with leaders of popular organizations in Guerrero, like the one with Arturo Hernández Cardona, who was murdered after protesting on the Iguala-Acapulco highway. Shootings, kidnappings, mass graves, scattered bodies. A reality created by some governments and ignored by others.

In the face of this, a disturbing state of shock. An alarming incompetence. A President who says "there will be no impunity", but does not act to fulfill his promise. A leader who doesn't know how to be one, inaugurating events instead of supervising investigations. Boasting about the achievements of his government instead of ensuring it works the way it should. No one knows what evidence was used to put most of the detainees in jail, or if they have been remanded before a judge, or if there will be a judicial proceeding against them. In the case of the burned bodies, that doesn't prevent DNA testing, but Murillo Karam admits there were errors in extraction of the remains. In the case of the Argentine forensic doctors, they say results will be ready in two weeks. In light of this information, it's hard to understand what the prosecutor used as a basis for saying the bodies found were not those of the students.

Mexico simply does not have a justice system capable of investigating, identifying, protecting the chain of custody of the bodies, properly processing evidence, using genetic markers, conducting DNA tests using, for example, the CODIS system, developed by the FBI and Interpol. Rapes, homicides, murders cannot be solved like that. Nothing can be solved like that. This conveniently helps the government. It is better for Peña Nieto to have 43 students who "disappeared" than to find the bodies of 43 students murdered. It is better to have doubt, hope, uncertainty, than to know with certainty that the State committed a crime. A crime perpetrated by colluding police officers and murderous mayors and purposefully ignorant governors and stunned presidents.

In the extraordinary photo taken by Genaro Lozano a few days ago of the 50,000 people protesting the Ayotzinapa disappearances [in Mexico City], there is a huge sign on the Zócalo pavement that reads "It Was the State". And that's correct. You can add one more disappearance to the 43 disappeared in Ayotzinapa. The one of a State that doesn't know how to protect. Defend. Care. Investigate. Prosecute. Punish. Fulfill its mission. Instead, we have elusive, contradictory authorities. Or authorities missing, just like the students they claim to be searching for: 43 + 1. And that additional "1" is the country's President himself who, faced with this crisis, has failed to pass the basic test of leadership defined by John Kenneth Galbraith: the willingness to confront unequivocally the people's biggest anxiety. Pena Nieto does not confront that anxiety. He only adds himself to it
 

"La Tuta's" daughter arrested

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 02:12 PM PDT

Borderland Beat Posted by Pepe

Arrested: Sayonara Gómez, legitimate daughter of La Tuta
According to information obtained by Noticias MVS, Sayonara Gómez was captured in the state of Mexico on October 22.

Officials with the State of Mexico arrested in recent days Alejandra Sayonara Gómez Patiño, daughter of  Servando Gómez Martínez, "La Tuta," leader of the "Knights Templar".

According to information obtained by MVS News, Sayonara Gómez was captured in the state of Mexico on October 22, as part of a coordinated investigation with the Attorney General of Michoacan and Mexico State authorities.

Sayonara Gómez's arrest was what led later that same day in the afternoon to the arrest of the ex-wife of "La Tuta," Ana Patiño Lopez, on the toll road near the Morelia airport.

Alejandra Sayonara studied at the Regional Center of Education Normal (CREN) in Arteaga, as did her father.  She obtained a place in the public education system of Michoacán, assigned to the region of Lazaro Cardenas in the Pacific coast.

A source with Section XVIII of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) reported that Alejandra Sayonara participated in various teacher demonstrations, during which she arrived aboard a luxury Hummer, accompanied by a small escort of bodyguards.

The daughter of "La Tuta" earlier this year fled to the United States, after the onslaught of the federal government against the "Knights Templar."

Ana Patiño Lopez and "La Tuta" fathered three children named Luis Servando, Alejandra Sayonara and Huber Gomez Patiño.  Luis Servando was arrested in 2009 in an operation by the Federal Police in the town of Arteaga, while Huber (below in blue) was captured in the same village on June 21 this year.

Huber was studying the third year at the Regional Centre Normal Education (CREN) in Arteaga, where "La Tuta" graduated in 1985 as a primary school teacher.

Note from Chivis: I do not know who Luis Servando is, but Luis Alfredo Aguilera, was arrested in Arteaga this year, and is the son of La Tuta, born out of wedlock.  His photo is below wearing a black leather jacket.

Huber and Sayonara are the children of La Tuta and Ana Patiño Lopez,  the former wife of Tuta, who was arrested earlier last week.

UPDATE
The Attorney General confirmed that Sayonara Michoacan Patiño Gómez, daughter of Servando Gomez, La Tuta, was wanted required by the agency.  Through their social media accounts The PJE reported that the daughter of Michoacán capo had an order of location and presentation, which was brought before the Public Ministry.   She was released.

Meaning she was wanted by the agency for her statement and or questioning.  She complied with that, and according to MVS information from that statement resulted in the arrest of her mother.  Often a person will give  statement and then be charged with a crime.  In this case that is unclear if it will happen.

The Attorney General said she was wanted in conjunction with "an investigation".  No other information was provided.


Police agents kidnapped rivals for CAF, received 30% share.

Posted: 28 Oct 2014 03:13 PM PDT

Borderland Beat

This is a story from a month ago, I wasn´t able to post it back then but figured it would still be relevant giving all what is happening in Iguala and now in Guanajuato with the local police force.

"El Ramses", Armando Angulo and Cesar Garcia. Photo taken from AFNTijuana.info


Last month, a cell of kidnappers allegedly working under Fernando Sanchez Arellano aka "El Ingeniero" were arrested in Tijuana, former PGJE employee Jose Daniel Canales Rodriguez aka "Ramses" or "Ram" was arrested on September 24th after a series of investigations by local authorities who were following a lead on a recent kidnapping.

Canales Rodriguez noticed there was a group of men following him and in fear drove straight to the PGJE offices, believing he was about to be executed by a rival group, Canales offered his full cooperation as a "protected witness" in exchange for protection, little did he know at the time those following him were in fact PGJE agents belonging to the Anti-Kidnapping unit. 

"El Ramses" gave up information to the PGJE agents which led them to Cesar Garcia Chavez and Armando Angulo Jr. Garcia Chavez was identified by Municipal agents as a former bodyguard for Melvin Gutierrez Quiroz aka "El Melvin", the former leader of the Barrio Logan hitmen group under CAF.

Cesar Garcia Chavez is believed to be Cesar Ayala Torres, a long time member of the Barrio Logan gang previously jailed in San Diego back in 1994 and arrested in Tijuana in 2002 after a shootout with the Mexican Army.

Back in those days, the cell which Ayala Torres worked for used to move large quantities of Methamphetamine and used to provide their "services" as hitmen to both CAF and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Juan Jose Esparragoza aka "El Azul" from CDS, all this under the assistance and protection of Federal, State and Municipal police agents.

Old CAF members

12 years after the arrest of Ayala Torres in Tijuana, this cell operated in a similar fashion, it is believed they worked under direct orders from Fernando Sanchez Arellano until his capture a few months ago but now they answer to Jose Lorenzo Hernandez Garcia aka "El Viejon", Hernandez Garcia was identified by local police agents as one of those who in 2004 received official badges of the PGJE in exchange for 70 thousand USD.

"El Viejon" appears to be a long time CAF member and, according to PGJE he has under his supervision both "El Ramses" and a former Municipal agents known as "El Lic" or "El Licenciado". "El Ramses" also pointed out a guy only known by the nicknames "El Lopez", "El L" and/or "El Blue" who is believed to be a brother of Melvin Gutierrez Quiroz(some say he is his cousin rather than brother, it is unclear).

Modus Operandi

According to statements given by "El Ramses" the cell committed a kidnapping each week, when investigating this facts, PGJE found out 3 things about the target victims;

*They had relations with criminal activities
*Committed crimes themselves
*Or were related to current or previous criminals

With that in common, PGJE agents believe they were targetting former CAF members who either abandoned their activities or went independent.

Given that Jose Lorenzo Hernandez is a long time CAF member and being 50 years old, he must have known several of his victims. His cell acted on 3 different ways::

*His cell would receive a call from a member of another cell giving the order to take out someone who owe money, they would go ahead and kidnap them then ask their relatives for a ransom and kill them anyways.

*They would organize their own kidnappings against former CAF members, on their own.

*They would kidnap small business men who had some kind of relationship with members of their own crew.

POLICE COOPERATION

The band received help from police agents in 2 ways:

*Agents in civilian vehicles: They would intercept their victims in civilian vehicles fitted with strobe lights, then would then take them away and give them up to their criminal partners 2 or 3 streets ahead. According to statements, in most of the cases it was help provided by Federal and State agents, both victims and witnesses claimed they heard a "Defeño" accent(Mexico City accent) or "southern". Other victims openly claimed they were taken away in PGJE official vehicles.

*Municipal Agents: They patrol the area where the would be victim is located and inform the cell leaders of their location, then they would clear the area and either take a long time to respond to the emergency call or simply not arrive.

30% SHARE

In his legal statement, "El Ramses" claimed he received protection from Federal, State and Municipal police, he claimed they did so in exchange for 30% of the money his cell received as ransom for their victims.

According to "El Ramses", his band committed kidnappings obtaining ransoms ranging from 10 thousand USD to 3 million pesos, and at all times 30% went straight to the agents who helped him and his partners.


THE KIDNAPPING

The case which alerted state authorities and made the arrest of this cell possible took place on September 18th, the victim is a member of a family which owns fruit transport businesses and which had already been targeted in 2007 or 2008 when one of its members had already been kidnapped.

Employees of the victim called police immediately but the Municipal police had a rather slow response, the district supervisors were removed because of this, after all this, family members asked the agents to stay away since they were going to pay the ransom.

According to security video recordings, Municipal police agents have been patroling the area the day before, in fact, minutes prior to the kidnapping, a Municipal agent arrived at the business telling the employees he needed to access the area because "someone denounced you have a truck with drugs here", employees allowed him in and he saw the victim was there.

Moments later a group of white trucks with strobe lights(similar to PGJE police trucks) arrived at the business and took away the victim. An emergency call was made and since a reunion between State and Municipal authorities was taking place, both of them were informed.

According to a witness a group of police vehicles were called by radio but took a long time to arrive, every few minutes the directors would call the district´s commander where they were and she would reply "close" and give her location, but at the same time would call all units by radio ordering them to stay away until all of them could arrive at the same time.

When the agents arrived the family had already received a call asking for ransom, they asked the agents to leave and told them they would pay the ransom, the State investigators arrived late and only provide help with negotiating the ransom.

The district commander, along with a deputy and a supervisor were removed from their commanding position under orders of Alejandro Lares, Municipal Safety Director.

Even thou it was evident, no legal action was taken against them since there were not enough proofs of their involvement.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATION

According to sources, there is a Federal Investigation taking place in Mexico City right now trying to arrest those agents who cooperated or keep cooperating with CAF in Tijuana. "El Ramses" apparently has a list of names of said agents and it is believed the Federal Government will try to use it to make a massive arrest. (Tijuano´s note: Since this happened about a month ago I have my doubts any agents will be arrested since none has been even remove yet)


SOURCE: ZETA Tijuana

Federal Agents attack journalists covering Cocula fosa story

Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:19 AM PDT

Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

Valor posted this video after publishing his post, I wanted to assure readers do not miss it so I am posting here as well.

Valor's post covers the narco fosa (grave) discovered in Cocula, link to that story here. 

The video is that of journalists approaching the site of the discovery, and the tactics used by PGR federal agents to stop their travel.

The heavily armed agents were dressed in civilian clothing riding in a gray sedan without plates.

Immediately after blocking the reporters, the occupants of the sedan bolted from the vehicle and drew their weapons and at least one pointed his weapon at the vehicle with the journalists.

Agents yelled for the occupants to exit the vehicle, then using  his weapon at least one banged on the window causing the glass to break,  but the reporters remained inside the vehicle, recording the aggression of the feds.  The armed men whistle and motion for men in trucks marked federal police, at least two arrived within seconds before the video goes black.

Although the aggressors are referred to as federal agents, it is not reported how this is known, they could be mistaken for armed cartel members.

It is unknown who posted the video on youtube yesterday, but it could have been the Televisa reporters in the vehicle or one of the watch dog agencies they reported the incident to, such as Article 19. 

A reader found this video having additional footage of two incidents

High Ranking La Familia Member "El 01" Found Dead

Posted: 28 Oct 2014 03:59 PM PDT


Leobardo Villegas Flores, who used the aliases of "El 01" and "El Sirreño", was found dead before dawn on Saturday, October 25 on the side of the highway to El Rosario, located in the municipality of Tlatlaya, which is in the south of the state of México.  He was shot twice in his body and once in his head.  State officials confirmed his identity on Monday, October 27, following DNA testing.

"El 01" was described as one of the principal operators of La Familia Michoacana operating in the state of México for the past three year.  His base of operations were in the municipalities of Tlatlaya and Amatepec, which border the state of Guerrero.  Among his tasks were preventing rival organizations entering the state of México from Guerrero, such as Guerreros Unidos and Los Caballeros Templarios.   

On July 21 of this year, governor Eruviel Ávila presented a list of 16 most wanted criminals sought by state officials, on which "El 01" appeared.  A reward of 300,000 pesos was offered for information leading to his arrest.  It is presumed that he was killed due to an internal dispute within La Familia Michoacana.

It is worth noting that a month ago, 22 alleged members of La Familia Michoacana were killed in the same municipality, at least some of which appear to have been executed by the military.

Narco Blogger Killings

Posted: 28 Oct 2014 02:47 AM PDT

Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

BBC's just released video, featuring Ioan Grillo, stems from the reported murder of  Tamaulipas SDR Tweeter, Dr. Maria del Rosario Fuentes.

Maria was the 5th person killed, for  her  blogging of narco news and SDR (situations of Risk) reports.

#ReynosaFollow, was the first group to use twitter and other social media pages to send security information to citizens.

In the narco news blackout state of Tamaulipas, tweeting or posting information on network pages, was the only way to get warnings out in the state known for great violence. 

The first two boggers killed, were a young couple,  hanged off a pedestrian bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
A message was left with the bodies on September 11, 2011.  According to Zetas, the couple's murder, was the end result of their using anonymous sites, to post narco news and SDR warnings.  

However, no connection was ever found linking the couple, and social networking or blog posting.  This gave rise to the suspicion the young couple was kidnapped randomly and killed, to be used as props,  to send a message.

Apparently, that supposition did not sit well with Los Zetas, and they alluded to it in the message left  with the body of  blogger victim number 3. 


The cartel wanted there to be no doubt who she was and what site she reported for,  such information  was missing in the message left with the victims in the first two killings.

The third victim was, a woman identified by her "Nuevo Laredo en Vivo" cyber name; "La Nena D Laredo", was found decapitated on September 24th of 2011. Her head was left on top of a computer keyboard with a message warning others against using social media sites to report cartel activity.

The blog was a threat to Los Zetas.  Residents do not trust authority, the blog,  is a place, that is used to safely and anonymously, report organized crime activity to federal agencies.

Nena's last post, celebrated the death of a Zeta.

The message left with her body:
OK Nuevo Laredo en Vivo and social media sites. I am Nena de Laredo and I'm here because of my (online) reports and yours.....(this information is) for those who don't believe this happened to me, because of my (online) actions,  and  for trusting in the Army and Marines...

Thank you for your attention,
La Nena de Laredo
ZZZZ
The last blogger to be killed in 2011 happened on November 9th.  A male using the name "Rascatripas".  His  decapitated body was left at the same monument in Nuevo Laredo, as Nena's.

The message :

Hello! I'm Rascatripas and this happened to me for failing to understand that I should not report things on social media websites. I am a ..... (text covered by body) just like La Nena from Laredo...With this last report I bid farewell to Nuevo Laredo en Vivo.. Always remember ... Never Forget

Your moderator,  RASCATRIPAS

Then the killings ceased, until the recent killing of Dr. Maria del Rosario Fuentes, user name "Felina".

Five blogger murders have occurred in Mexico, all in the State of Tamaulipas.

Cocula: Another Clandestine Grave Found

Posted: 28 Oct 2014 12:07 PM PDT



A member of the ministerial police force in Cocula, Guerrero

By: Ezequiel Flores Contreras | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

Cocula, Guerrero— Agents of the Attorney General's Office (PGR) found a clandestine grave located in the landfill of the municipal seat of Cocula, located in northern Guerrero.

Jesús Murillo Karam and the head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), Tomás Zerón, arrived at the location via helicopter to verify the finding which may be where the bodies of the missing Ayotzinapa normalistastudents may be.

The site is cordoned off by PGR agents and Navy personnel.

PGR specialists are currently working the area, which is difficult to access, and it was observed that people are going down into the area aided by ropes.

Authorities maintain secrecy and the municipal seat of Cocula is reinforced by elements of the PGR and the Navy.

Since this afternoon, federal agents, military personnel, and navy forces were deployed in the vicinity of the landfill.

Navy helicopters and trucks carry out patrols on rural roads near the landfill.  Members of the Gendarmerie are also involved with ATV's and horses.

 In addition, there were reports of federal and military mobilization in central Cocula.

I found this video below showing PGR agents attacking journalists who were on their way to the landfill where the clandestine grave was found.




I found this other video showing the same agents blocking a road to prevent journalists from reaching the site where the clandestine grave was found.  The video description says that the men forced a driver out of his truck in order to block the road.
Source: Proceso

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