May 26. The
Attorney General of the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, Carlos Zamarripa
Aguirre, has paraded before the press fifteen alleged cartel members
arrested in twelve raids.
The raids were conducted in León, Purisima,
Yuriria and San Francisco
del Rincón. The arrested are
allegedly members of two different cartels: ten from "Cártel de Jalisco
Nueva Generación " (Jalisco New
Generation, or CJNG), and five from "La Familia Michoacana"
(The Michoacan Family), possibly including also members of the rival off-shoot
"Los Caballeros Templarios" (The Knights Templar).
Zamarripa confirmed that the arrests related to a cartel
dispute over the León territory or “plaza”, and that they involved at least
twelve recent crimes, including several kidnappings.
The Attorney General further stated that members of the CJNG
are likely responsible for the murder of two members of Matehuala Rangel family
in the Villa
Insurgentes neighbourhood of León.
In the presentation to the media, the official showed off
the weapons, drugs, and vehicles confiscated from within the twelve safe houses
of the two criminal groups.
These included nine weapons – including pistols and
high-powered rifles – over 1,000 cartridges, cocaine, crystal and “rock”
methedrine, marijuana, scales for weighing drugs, tactical gear, police
uniforms, and radios and cell phones. The take also included six vehicles.
Zamarripa also explained that the arrests solved an un-named
crime committed by Roberto Alvizu Montaña, aged 50, which occurred in the Buenavista neighbourhood
in León.
The detainees, which came from Chiapas, Michoacán, Chihuahua
y Durango, are being held by authorities for a wide range of crimes, including
the kidnapping of two businessmen from the southern municipalities of
Guanajuato, both of whom were murdered.
Included among the fifteen detained are the cell leaders,
two women, and one minor under 16 years of age.
Zamarripa explained that officials were highly motivated to
make arrests after five youths were executed in a single night in the city of
León. Co-operating law enforcement agencies determined the identity of the
rival groups vying for control of the plaza.
During the raids one person was shot and killed: Teodoro
Reyes López, aged 62, originally from the southern state of Chiapas.
One of the detainees, Óscar Omar Ortiz Osornio, also known
as "El Bikur", was identified by authorities as an extortionist
implicated in four kidnappings and two deaths: a merchant and a woman found in
a shallow grave near Valle
de Santiago, Guanajuato.
(With Spanish language files from Milenio.com and
Proceso.com.mx)
(TE Wilson is the author of Mezcalero, a Detective Sánchez novel.)
(TE Wilson is the author of Mezcalero, a Detective Sánchez novel.)
Twitter: @TimothyEWilson
Email: lapoliticaeslapolitica [at] gmail [dot] com
N.B.: If you are having difficulty submitting to the e-mail feed at the top of this page, press "enter" on your keyboard instead of the "submit" button.
No comments:
Post a Comment