Monday 19 December 2011

Arrests offer further links between Los Zetas and Milenio


Three Milenio cartel enforcers have been arrested in connection with last month’s massacre of 26 people in Guadalajara.

The 26 victims were discovered on Nov. 24. They were inside two pickup trucks and a car abandoned near the Arcos del Milenio monument in Mexico’s second largest city.

State Attorney General Tomas Coronado told a press conference that the enforcers made statements confirming their membership in the Milenio Cartel, or “Cártel de los Valencia”.

The Milenio cartel, which broke from the Juárez Cartel back in 1999, then operated as a branch of the La Familia Michoacana, “La Familia”, which was severely weakened last summer after the arrest of leader José de Jesús Méndez Vargas.

However, it looks like Los Zetas may have now teamed up with Milenio. The Zetas began as special forces deserters working for Gulf drug cartel. They have since developed their own criminal organization, and are active in the Guadalajara “plaza”, attempting to take control from the Sinaloa cartel.

Jalisco has been witnessing a vicious turf battle between Los Zetas and the Sinaloa cartel. The Sinaloa cartel is ruled by Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin “El Chapo” (Shorty) Guzman, and operates in Jalisco via the Nueva Generacion (New Generation) gang.

These confessions are further evidence of the alliance between the Milenio cartel and the Zetas. When the bodies were initially found “Z Milenio” was present alongside some of the bodies.

The three suspects arrested this week have confessed to killing seven of the 26. Further arrests are planned. Coronado has said that the killers may have murdered one of their accomplices to silence him.

To date, authorities have positively identified 22 of the 26 victims. The case is under joint investigation by Coronado’s team and the federal Attorney General’s Office.


Twitter: @TimothyEWilson
Email: lapoliticaeslapolitica [at] gmail [dot] com

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