AZMEX UPDATE 25 MAY 2012
Note: To the relief of everyone's mailbox, the AZMEX reports will
once again become more infrequent and sporadic for a couple months or
so. Internet and email contact will be intermittent, but can be
reached by cell, U.S. number, if something needs quick attention.
Thx
BP hauls in $3M in pot in eastern SCC
Posted: Friday, May 25, 2012 7:31 am
Nogales International
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/bp-hauls-in-m-in-pot-in-
eastern-scc/article_51f0ee10-a676-11e1-9aa5-001a4bcf887a.html
Border Patrol agents seized 6,153 pounds of marijuana worth more than
$3 million in eastern Santa Cruz County on Wednesday. Agents from
the Sonoita Station responded to a call of two suspicious vehicles
parked east of Patagonia, and once at the scene, discovered two
abandoned vehicles loaded with 604 bundles of pot, the Border Patrol
said in a news release.
The vehicles were seized and the Border Patrol was preparing to turn
over the marijuana to the DEA. "This seizure shows how elements of
our National Strategy work when resourceful agents use information
and relations to target and dismantle transnational criminal
organizations operating within our border communities," said Michael
Hyatt, patrol agent in charge at the Sonoita Station.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
AZMEX EXTRA 26-5-12
AZMEX EXTRA 26 MAY 2012
Note: "as a legal permanent resident, he could not legally buy a
weapon himself."
CBP officer charged with straw purchase of firearms
May 25, 2012 8:07 PM
Madeline Buckley
http://www.themonitor.com/news/pena-61125-agents-complaint.html
Federal agents arrested a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer
Thursday accused of illegally purchasing firearms for someone else,
according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
Manuel Eduardo Pena, 38, appeared Friday morning before a U.S.
magistrate judge.
Pena is on administrative leave pending adjudication of the charges,
CBP spokesman Eddie Perez said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Office of
Professional Responsibility observed Pena purchasing hunting rifles
from Academy Sports and Outdoors on two separate occasions in
December, the complaint states.
The agents then saw Pena sell the weapons to a man in the parking
lot, the complaint alleges.
After the first time, on Dec. 5, ICE and FBI agents tailed the buyer
to his home and asked him about the purchase, the complaint says.
The man admitted to buying the rifle from Pena because as a legal
permanent resident, he could not legally buy a weapon himself.
The agents took as evidence the receipt for the purchase and the rifle.
Several weeks later, on Dec. 19, agents surveying the Academy store
again witnessed Pena purchase a hunting rifle for reimbursement from
the same man.
The complaint states that upon purchasing the rifles, Pena wrote he
was buying them for his own use. Pena, who was released on $50,000
bond, is scheduled to appear in court again next week.
Note: "At least two of the weapons were Uzi-style submachine guns."
Duval County deputy arrested in alleged drug conspiracy
May 25, 2012 6:42 PM
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/county-61122-deputy-drug.html
Jared Taylor
McALLEN — Federal agents arrested a Duval County deputy sheriff
accused of setting up a fake traffic stop to allow cocaine smugglers
move a load past a Border Patrol checkpoint.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested Ruben Silva, 35, a
sheriff's deputy in Duval County, on one count of conspiracy to
distribute cocaine.
Also arrested were the alleged drug smugglers, brothers Jerry and
Jose Luis Tovar, both of rural Mission.
An informant met with Silva while at Jerry Tovar's home on the 6300
block of North Schuerbach Road, where Silva said he would conduct a
fake traffic stop, seize 10 kilograms of cocaine and drive it past
the Border Patrol checkpoint, a criminal complaint states.
Silva told the informant to have $5,000 in cash that he would collect
during the fake traffic stop, the complaint states. Silva would then
pick up the 10 kilos of coke from Jerry Tovar and smuggle it through
the Border Patrol checkpoint in a tire on his Duval County patrol
vehicle. Then, the informant would be able to pick up the drugs at
Silva's home in Freer.
Two undercover agents on Monday met with Tovar at Taqueria Don
Felipe, at the intersection of 5 Mile Line and La Homa Road, where
they provided photos of the vehicles to be used in the fake traffic
stop and sent them to Silva. The undercover agents and the informant
then drove to Hebbronville in two vehicles.
Silva and another unnamed man stopped the two vehicles along Highway
16, where Silva collected the $5,000.
Agents arrested Tovar and Mike Lara, who is accused of attempting to
collect 6 kilograms of cocaine, on Thursday near Mission.
Jerry and Jose Luis Tovar also face charges of selling six firearms
to an undercover federal agent, a U.S. Attorney's Office news release
states. At least two of the weapons were Uzi-style submachine guns.
Both Tovar brothers are convicted felons prohibited from possessing
firearms.
Silva faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to
$20 million, if convicted.
The Tovar brothers each face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000
fine on the firearms charges.
All three men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos on
Friday in federal court in McAllen. They remain in custody without bond.
Note: "as a legal permanent resident, he could not legally buy a
weapon himself."
CBP officer charged with straw purchase of firearms
May 25, 2012 8:07 PM
Madeline Buckley
http://www.themonitor.com/news/pena-61125-agents-complaint.html
Federal agents arrested a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer
Thursday accused of illegally purchasing firearms for someone else,
according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
Manuel Eduardo Pena, 38, appeared Friday morning before a U.S.
magistrate judge.
Pena is on administrative leave pending adjudication of the charges,
CBP spokesman Eddie Perez said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Office of
Professional Responsibility observed Pena purchasing hunting rifles
from Academy Sports and Outdoors on two separate occasions in
December, the complaint states.
The agents then saw Pena sell the weapons to a man in the parking
lot, the complaint alleges.
After the first time, on Dec. 5, ICE and FBI agents tailed the buyer
to his home and asked him about the purchase, the complaint says.
The man admitted to buying the rifle from Pena because as a legal
permanent resident, he could not legally buy a weapon himself.
The agents took as evidence the receipt for the purchase and the rifle.
Several weeks later, on Dec. 19, agents surveying the Academy store
again witnessed Pena purchase a hunting rifle for reimbursement from
the same man.
The complaint states that upon purchasing the rifles, Pena wrote he
was buying them for his own use. Pena, who was released on $50,000
bond, is scheduled to appear in court again next week.
Note: "At least two of the weapons were Uzi-style submachine guns."
Duval County deputy arrested in alleged drug conspiracy
May 25, 2012 6:42 PM
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/county-61122-deputy-drug.html
Jared Taylor
McALLEN — Federal agents arrested a Duval County deputy sheriff
accused of setting up a fake traffic stop to allow cocaine smugglers
move a load past a Border Patrol checkpoint.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested Ruben Silva, 35, a
sheriff's deputy in Duval County, on one count of conspiracy to
distribute cocaine.
Also arrested were the alleged drug smugglers, brothers Jerry and
Jose Luis Tovar, both of rural Mission.
An informant met with Silva while at Jerry Tovar's home on the 6300
block of North Schuerbach Road, where Silva said he would conduct a
fake traffic stop, seize 10 kilograms of cocaine and drive it past
the Border Patrol checkpoint, a criminal complaint states.
Silva told the informant to have $5,000 in cash that he would collect
during the fake traffic stop, the complaint states. Silva would then
pick up the 10 kilos of coke from Jerry Tovar and smuggle it through
the Border Patrol checkpoint in a tire on his Duval County patrol
vehicle. Then, the informant would be able to pick up the drugs at
Silva's home in Freer.
Two undercover agents on Monday met with Tovar at Taqueria Don
Felipe, at the intersection of 5 Mile Line and La Homa Road, where
they provided photos of the vehicles to be used in the fake traffic
stop and sent them to Silva. The undercover agents and the informant
then drove to Hebbronville in two vehicles.
Silva and another unnamed man stopped the two vehicles along Highway
16, where Silva collected the $5,000.
Agents arrested Tovar and Mike Lara, who is accused of attempting to
collect 6 kilograms of cocaine, on Thursday near Mission.
Jerry and Jose Luis Tovar also face charges of selling six firearms
to an undercover federal agent, a U.S. Attorney's Office news release
states. At least two of the weapons were Uzi-style submachine guns.
Both Tovar brothers are convicted felons prohibited from possessing
firearms.
Silva faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to
$20 million, if convicted.
The Tovar brothers each face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000
fine on the firearms charges.
All three men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos on
Friday in federal court in McAllen. They remain in custody without bond.
AZMEX UPDATE 26-5-12
AZMEX POLICY 26 MAY 2012
Note: "says his top security priority will not be arresting the
leaders of the organizations that move hundreds of millions of
dollars of narcotics each year into the United States." It will be
interesting if PRI regains presidency, who becomes the junior partner
this time. The drug cartels, or the PRI.
Mexico's presidential front-runner promises to cut violence
May 25, 2012 7:48 PM
http://www.themonitor.com/news/mexico-61123-pres-promises.html
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Shortly after sunrise last month in the border
city of Nuevo Laredo, police found 14 butchered bodies in a van
outside city hall, a salvo in a seesawing battle of horrors between
Mexico's two most powerful drug cartels.
Soon after, nine people were hanged from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo.
Fourteen heads were left in coolers outside city hall. Eighteen
mutilated bodies were dumped by a scenic lake in western Mexico. The
decapitated bodies of 49 people were dumped outside a small town 75
miles from the U.S. border.
The man who appears likely to become Mexico's next president says he
can ease the waves of violence consuming the country by changing the
focus of its six-year offensive against organized crime.
Mexico's current administration has targeted the top ranks of the
country's drug cartels, deploying thousands of troops to capture
crime kingpins and seize their drugs and weapons, often in close
coordination with the U.S. It is not uncommon for President Felipe
Calderon's administration to boast of its success in arresting many
of the country's most-wanted men.
Enrique Pena Nieto, who has a double-digit lead five weeks before the
July 1 election, says his top security priority will not be arresting
the leaders of the organizations that move hundreds of millions of
dollars of narcotics each year into the United States. Instead, he
and his advisers say, they will focus the government's resources on
reducing homicide, kidnapping and extortion — the crimes that do the
most damage to the greatest number of Mexicans — by flooding police
and troops into towns and cities with the highest rates of violent
crime.
"This doesn't mean that we don't pay attention to other crimes, or
that we don't fight drug trafficking, but the central theme at this
time is diminishing violence in the country," Pena Nieto told The
Associated Press in a recent interview.
Pena Nieto's campaign said drug cartels could still be attacked,
particularly if they carry out murders, kidnappings and extortion,
but arresting their leaders will no longer be the focus of government
efforts.
"Each administration chooses its operational objectives, and the
objective per se is not the extradition or capture of big bosses, or
the burning of seized drugs," Pena Nieto's campaign coordinator, Luis
Videgaray, told the AP.
Some observers say that a strategy to reduce violence above all else
could mean that drug dealers who conduct their businesses discreetly
will be quietly left alone.
"I think that it's very clear that he's moving in the direction of
concentrating the resources that the federal state has (toward)
fighting crime and violence that affect people in Mexico ... as
opposed to concentrating the resources on combating drug
trafficking," said Former Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda. ""If you
have scarce resources and you're focusing them on A, you're not
focusing them on B."
Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, known by its Spanish
initials as the PRI, ruled Mexico for 70 years until it lost the
presidency in 2000, and high-ranking party figures and their
relatives were often accused of striking deals with cartels in
exchange for political protection. Violence was far lower, in large
part because cartels maintained uncontested control of smuggling
routes in many parts of the country.
Opponents have been quick to say that Pena Nieto will go back to the
old PRI model of cutting a deal with cartels.
"They've shown themselves to be absolutely tolerant of organized
crime," said Josefina Vazquez Mota told Spanish newspaper El Pais in
a recent interview. Vazquez Mota is running on the presidential
ticket for the National Action Party.
With Mexicans expressing strong support in polls for a militarized
confrontation with crime, Pena Nieto is promising continuity in key
aspects of Mexico's U.S.-backed drug war.
He has rejected legalization, called for more cooperation with
Washington and praised Calderon's decision to confront the cartels
shortly after taking office. On the campaign trail, Pena Nieto has
been emphasizing his plans to maintain or increase the military
presence in violence-torn cities like Monterrey and Veracruz.
He has pledged an increase in the number of federal police officers
from 36,000 to 50,000, and is also proposing a new semi-military
police force composed of former soldiers and marines under civilian
command that would be deployed to the towns and cities suffering from
the highest violence and weakest policing.
But those pledges imply a subtle but potentially important change.
Pena Nieto's new approach "would not stop fighting the drug cartels
but it would shift from targeting the heads of the cartels," campaign
spokesman Diego Gomez said. "What Calderon has been doing is just
targeting a few main cartels and splitting them up and what you have
is chaos."
All three major Mexican presidential candidates have been criticized
for vagueness of their proposals on conducting the war against crime,
and many observers have remarked upon the absence of debate about the
direction of the country's security policy.
Vazquez Mota has been vocally supportive of her party's current
policy, pledging to expand the federal police to 150,000, a roughly
four-fold increase over current numbers. Fellow backers of the
current U.S. Mexican strategy argue that the attack on cartels is
showing results, with crime groups weakened by Calderon's six-year
offensive, and preliminary and unofficial statistics showing signs of
violent crimes beginning to wane in some parts of the country.
Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has placed more emphasis on
withdrawing back the military from the streets, fighting corruption
among government officials and reducing crime by reducing social
inequality.
A change in approach would align Pena Nieto with a new strain of
thinking in public-policy circles in Mexico and the United States
that calls for making violence the overwhelming focus of law-
enforcement activity in the drug war, deemphasizing narcotics
trafficking and other crimes.
"I and other people have been advocating for a strategy that focuses
on reduction in violence," said Eric Olson, who oversees studies of
U.S.-Mexico security cooperation and research on organized crime and
drug trafficking at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars in Washington.
Olson acknowledged that the focus on violence could mean relenting in
operations against cartels that use less violence than their rivals,
but he called that a necessary and temporary letup in order to get a
handle on Mexico's biggest problem, the violence that is terrorizing
the population and undermining the legitimacy of the state.
"Crime will always exist. The question is can you make it less
harmful and get it out of people's lives as much as possible," he
said. "It's not a de facto negotiation with them. It's a question of
what comes first."
Note: "says his top security priority will not be arresting the
leaders of the organizations that move hundreds of millions of
dollars of narcotics each year into the United States." It will be
interesting if PRI regains presidency, who becomes the junior partner
this time. The drug cartels, or the PRI.
Mexico's presidential front-runner promises to cut violence
May 25, 2012 7:48 PM
http://www.themonitor.com/news/mexico-61123-pres-promises.html
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Shortly after sunrise last month in the border
city of Nuevo Laredo, police found 14 butchered bodies in a van
outside city hall, a salvo in a seesawing battle of horrors between
Mexico's two most powerful drug cartels.
Soon after, nine people were hanged from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo.
Fourteen heads were left in coolers outside city hall. Eighteen
mutilated bodies were dumped by a scenic lake in western Mexico. The
decapitated bodies of 49 people were dumped outside a small town 75
miles from the U.S. border.
The man who appears likely to become Mexico's next president says he
can ease the waves of violence consuming the country by changing the
focus of its six-year offensive against organized crime.
Mexico's current administration has targeted the top ranks of the
country's drug cartels, deploying thousands of troops to capture
crime kingpins and seize their drugs and weapons, often in close
coordination with the U.S. It is not uncommon for President Felipe
Calderon's administration to boast of its success in arresting many
of the country's most-wanted men.
Enrique Pena Nieto, who has a double-digit lead five weeks before the
July 1 election, says his top security priority will not be arresting
the leaders of the organizations that move hundreds of millions of
dollars of narcotics each year into the United States. Instead, he
and his advisers say, they will focus the government's resources on
reducing homicide, kidnapping and extortion — the crimes that do the
most damage to the greatest number of Mexicans — by flooding police
and troops into towns and cities with the highest rates of violent
crime.
"This doesn't mean that we don't pay attention to other crimes, or
that we don't fight drug trafficking, but the central theme at this
time is diminishing violence in the country," Pena Nieto told The
Associated Press in a recent interview.
Pena Nieto's campaign said drug cartels could still be attacked,
particularly if they carry out murders, kidnappings and extortion,
but arresting their leaders will no longer be the focus of government
efforts.
"Each administration chooses its operational objectives, and the
objective per se is not the extradition or capture of big bosses, or
the burning of seized drugs," Pena Nieto's campaign coordinator, Luis
Videgaray, told the AP.
Some observers say that a strategy to reduce violence above all else
could mean that drug dealers who conduct their businesses discreetly
will be quietly left alone.
"I think that it's very clear that he's moving in the direction of
concentrating the resources that the federal state has (toward)
fighting crime and violence that affect people in Mexico ... as
opposed to concentrating the resources on combating drug
trafficking," said Former Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda. ""If you
have scarce resources and you're focusing them on A, you're not
focusing them on B."
Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, known by its Spanish
initials as the PRI, ruled Mexico for 70 years until it lost the
presidency in 2000, and high-ranking party figures and their
relatives were often accused of striking deals with cartels in
exchange for political protection. Violence was far lower, in large
part because cartels maintained uncontested control of smuggling
routes in many parts of the country.
Opponents have been quick to say that Pena Nieto will go back to the
old PRI model of cutting a deal with cartels.
"They've shown themselves to be absolutely tolerant of organized
crime," said Josefina Vazquez Mota told Spanish newspaper El Pais in
a recent interview. Vazquez Mota is running on the presidential
ticket for the National Action Party.
With Mexicans expressing strong support in polls for a militarized
confrontation with crime, Pena Nieto is promising continuity in key
aspects of Mexico's U.S.-backed drug war.
He has rejected legalization, called for more cooperation with
Washington and praised Calderon's decision to confront the cartels
shortly after taking office. On the campaign trail, Pena Nieto has
been emphasizing his plans to maintain or increase the military
presence in violence-torn cities like Monterrey and Veracruz.
He has pledged an increase in the number of federal police officers
from 36,000 to 50,000, and is also proposing a new semi-military
police force composed of former soldiers and marines under civilian
command that would be deployed to the towns and cities suffering from
the highest violence and weakest policing.
But those pledges imply a subtle but potentially important change.
Pena Nieto's new approach "would not stop fighting the drug cartels
but it would shift from targeting the heads of the cartels," campaign
spokesman Diego Gomez said. "What Calderon has been doing is just
targeting a few main cartels and splitting them up and what you have
is chaos."
All three major Mexican presidential candidates have been criticized
for vagueness of their proposals on conducting the war against crime,
and many observers have remarked upon the absence of debate about the
direction of the country's security policy.
Vazquez Mota has been vocally supportive of her party's current
policy, pledging to expand the federal police to 150,000, a roughly
four-fold increase over current numbers. Fellow backers of the
current U.S. Mexican strategy argue that the attack on cartels is
showing results, with crime groups weakened by Calderon's six-year
offensive, and preliminary and unofficial statistics showing signs of
violent crimes beginning to wane in some parts of the country.
Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has placed more emphasis on
withdrawing back the military from the streets, fighting corruption
among government officials and reducing crime by reducing social
inequality.
A change in approach would align Pena Nieto with a new strain of
thinking in public-policy circles in Mexico and the United States
that calls for making violence the overwhelming focus of law-
enforcement activity in the drug war, deemphasizing narcotics
trafficking and other crimes.
"I and other people have been advocating for a strategy that focuses
on reduction in violence," said Eric Olson, who oversees studies of
U.S.-Mexico security cooperation and research on organized crime and
drug trafficking at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars in Washington.
Olson acknowledged that the focus on violence could mean relenting in
operations against cartels that use less violence than their rivals,
but he called that a necessary and temporary letup in order to get a
handle on Mexico's biggest problem, the violence that is terrorizing
the population and undermining the legitimacy of the state.
"Crime will always exist. The question is can you make it less
harmful and get it out of people's lives as much as possible," he
said. "It's not a de facto negotiation with them. It's a question of
what comes first."
Friday, May 25, 2012
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 25-5-12
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 25 MAY 2012
Note: govt. officials at work once again. Have to wonder if the
feds in F&F will ever be held responsible?
Chaparral gun-store owner headed to prison
By Diana Alba Soular \ Las Cruces Sun-News
Posted: 05/25/2012 12:31:48 AM MDT
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20707116/gun-store-owner-headed-
prison?source=rss_viewed
LAS CRUCES -- Despite an emotional appeal by the Chaparral gun-store
owner who admitted selling nearly 200 weapons in a gun-smuggling
operation, a federal judge on Thursday sentenced Ian Garland to five
years in prison.
Garland, 52, is the third of more than a dozen defendants in the case
to be sentenced. He faced up to 35 years in prison for the seven
charges against him.
Garland admitted guilt last July in a plea deal, which shaved off an
additional charge of gun trafficking that carried a possible 10-year
sentence.
Before the sentenced was imposed, Garland addressed U.S. District
Judge Robert Brack and said he admitted responsibility for his
"actions and inactions." But Garland maintained he wasn't aware that
village of Columbus officials, including former Mayor Eddie Espinoza
and ex-Police Chief Angelo Vega, were shuffling weapons he sold to
them to Mexico. He said he put stock in the fact that they were
public authorities.
"I do have a certain amount of trust in officials," he said. "It
wasn't just someone coming up out of the blue."
Garland also cast some blame on federal gun agents for being unclear
about how they wanted him to proceed after approaching him about
suspicious clientele during the month before his arrest.
Garland told Brack that he was worried for his family and that he
entered into the plea deal because "I thought that was the best way
to go home."
Federal officials alleged that Garland supplied about 200 firearms
favored by Mexican drug
cartels to officials of the village of Columbus, including former
Trustee Blas "Woody" Gutierrez, and straw purchasers between July
2010 and February 2011. Some of the weapons were allegedly found at
the scenes of a homicide, a kidnapping and a drug bust in Mexican
border towns.
Brack, after 20 minutes of deliberation, returned to the courtroom
and said he'd been "struggling" with the decision. He said he thought
Garland was "otherwise kindhearted and perhaps gullible." But Brack
said he couldn't overlook evidence that Garland had sold weapons to
stand-in buyers, who Garland knew would deliver them to Gutierrez.
Brack told Garland the weapons in the case were "fuel" for an
"ongoing war in Mexico" --Êsomething he couldn't ignore in the
sentencing.
"Ultimately, what made the decision for me was this terrible supply
chain that had you as a critical link," Brack said.
Garland's attorney, Francisco Mario Ortiz of Las Cruces, attempted to
play down his client's involvement and said Garland wasn't in the
thick of the conspiracy and didn't know what the Columbus officials
were doing with the guns.
The best argument prosecutors had was that Garland "should have known
something," Ortiz said.
Still, federal prosecutor Nathan Lichvarcik pointed out that Garland,
in his plea, admitted assisting straw purchasers of weapons.
Lichvarcik said Garland was "kind of a choke point for this whole
conspiracy" and "not just a peripheral player."
"He was essentially a bottomless fountain of firearms for this
conspiracy," he said. "They would drive two and a half hours from
Columbus because they'd found a dealer willing to sell them guns," he
said.
Columbus is about 25 miles south of Deming on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chaparral is on the Doña Ana County-Otero County line, just north of
El Paso.
Diana Alba Soular can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com;
575-541-5443; follow her on Twitter @AlbaSoular
Note: govt. officials at work once again. Have to wonder if the
feds in F&F will ever be held responsible?
Chaparral gun-store owner headed to prison
By Diana Alba Soular \ Las Cruces Sun-News
Posted: 05/25/2012 12:31:48 AM MDT
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20707116/gun-store-owner-headed-
prison?source=rss_viewed
LAS CRUCES -- Despite an emotional appeal by the Chaparral gun-store
owner who admitted selling nearly 200 weapons in a gun-smuggling
operation, a federal judge on Thursday sentenced Ian Garland to five
years in prison.
Garland, 52, is the third of more than a dozen defendants in the case
to be sentenced. He faced up to 35 years in prison for the seven
charges against him.
Garland admitted guilt last July in a plea deal, which shaved off an
additional charge of gun trafficking that carried a possible 10-year
sentence.
Before the sentenced was imposed, Garland addressed U.S. District
Judge Robert Brack and said he admitted responsibility for his
"actions and inactions." But Garland maintained he wasn't aware that
village of Columbus officials, including former Mayor Eddie Espinoza
and ex-Police Chief Angelo Vega, were shuffling weapons he sold to
them to Mexico. He said he put stock in the fact that they were
public authorities.
"I do have a certain amount of trust in officials," he said. "It
wasn't just someone coming up out of the blue."
Garland also cast some blame on federal gun agents for being unclear
about how they wanted him to proceed after approaching him about
suspicious clientele during the month before his arrest.
Garland told Brack that he was worried for his family and that he
entered into the plea deal because "I thought that was the best way
to go home."
Federal officials alleged that Garland supplied about 200 firearms
favored by Mexican drug
cartels to officials of the village of Columbus, including former
Trustee Blas "Woody" Gutierrez, and straw purchasers between July
2010 and February 2011. Some of the weapons were allegedly found at
the scenes of a homicide, a kidnapping and a drug bust in Mexican
border towns.
Brack, after 20 minutes of deliberation, returned to the courtroom
and said he'd been "struggling" with the decision. He said he thought
Garland was "otherwise kindhearted and perhaps gullible." But Brack
said he couldn't overlook evidence that Garland had sold weapons to
stand-in buyers, who Garland knew would deliver them to Gutierrez.
Brack told Garland the weapons in the case were "fuel" for an
"ongoing war in Mexico" --Êsomething he couldn't ignore in the
sentencing.
"Ultimately, what made the decision for me was this terrible supply
chain that had you as a critical link," Brack said.
Garland's attorney, Francisco Mario Ortiz of Las Cruces, attempted to
play down his client's involvement and said Garland wasn't in the
thick of the conspiracy and didn't know what the Columbus officials
were doing with the guns.
The best argument prosecutors had was that Garland "should have known
something," Ortiz said.
Still, federal prosecutor Nathan Lichvarcik pointed out that Garland,
in his plea, admitted assisting straw purchasers of weapons.
Lichvarcik said Garland was "kind of a choke point for this whole
conspiracy" and "not just a peripheral player."
"He was essentially a bottomless fountain of firearms for this
conspiracy," he said. "They would drive two and a half hours from
Columbus because they'd found a dealer willing to sell them guns," he
said.
Columbus is about 25 miles south of Deming on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chaparral is on the Doña Ana County-Otero County line, just north of
El Paso.
Diana Alba Soular can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com;
575-541-5443; follow her on Twitter @AlbaSoular
AZMEX UPDATE 24-5-12
AZMEX UPDATE 24 MAY 2012
Note: first big bust in this area for awhile. Unsanctioned?
Published: 05/24/2012 10:08 By: Agencies
driver with 93 kilos of meth in SLRC
The 85 packages containing 93 kilograms of methamphetamine or crystal.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
24052012/594682.aspx
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Sonora (AP)
The Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) reported 93 kilograms
seized of the drug known as crystal and the arrest of a person in
federal highway Sonoyta-San Luis Rio Colorado.
In one report, commanders of the Military Zone 45 indicated that
their items reviewed a Kenworth trailer, yellow-registered 180AF3
Federal Public Service.
They noted that this unit on the trailer carrying a cargo of chayote,
but were found 85 packages containing the 93 kilograms of
methamphetamine or crystal.
They explained that the tractor driver was arrested, who said he had
41 years of age and come from Guadalajara, Jalisco, bound for the
city of Tijuana, Baja California.
The seizure was yesterday in the Cucapá military checkpoint located
at kilometer 176.5 of the federal highway Sonoyta-San Luis Rio
Colorado, they said.
They added that the civil parked vehicle and the drugs seized were
made available to the competent authorities to be responsible
for continuing the investigation.
Note: AZrep discovers SLRC. Been a significant uptick in smuggling
activities and killings along AZMEX border in past few weeks. El
Chapo's control of AZMEX border doesn't seem to be that total.
Killing of Sonora police chief stirs alarm
Cartel violence appears to be edging close to Arizona
by Daniel Gonzalez - May. 24, 2012 11:22 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
The killing of the police chief in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora,
last weekend has alarmed officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican
border and raised fears that the vicious drug-cartel violence that
has plagued other regions may be spreading to an area that, for the
most part, has been spared the bloodshed.
Luis Fredy Rodriguez Soqui, 40, a former federal prosecutor who
became director of public safety two years ago, was killed days
before the city was scheduled to be recognized as one of the safest
in Sonora, the state south of Arizona.
He is the first police chief killed in Sonora in recent memory,
Mexican officials said.
"Obviously, this is some violence that hits pretty close to home,"
Yuma Police Chief John Lekan said. Until now, drug-cartel violence
"seems to have avoided our neck of the woods, so it's a cause of
concern."
San Luis Rio Colorado is just across the border from San Luis, Ariz.,
and about 26 miles south of Yuma.
The fourth-largest city in Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado is home to
about two dozen maquiladoras, foreign-owned plants that take
advantage of cheaper Mexican labor to assemble products for export,
including a plant for Bose speakers.
The city is also the gateway for tourists from Arizona and California
who travel to beaches along the Golfo de Santa Clara. The city's
downtown, located just steps from the border, is lined with
pharmacies and dental offices. Many Americans shop, buy prescription
drugs and have dental work done there.
Rodriguez Soqui was credited by Mexican officials with reducing crime
in San Luis and keeping the city safe from cartel violence.
He was driving from his home Saturday night when two gunman in a
Dodge Durango SUV opened fire with high-powered assault-style rifles,
according to Mexican authorities. Rodriguez Soqui was hit 18 times in
the face and other parts of his body. He was killed instantly,
authorities said.
As of Thursday, no one had been arrested.
"Safety has a price, and I believe (the police chief) has paid the
price for turning San Luis into the safest city in Sonora," Mayor
Joel Ricardo Aguirre Yescas said in a written statement.
Vow to maintain peace
According to news accounts, the killing of the police chief prompted
more than 100 residents to take to the streets Monday evening,
calling on government officials to prevent the city of 160,000 from
turning into another Juarez or Nuevo Laredo, two cities along the
Texas border where thousands have been killed in cartel-related
violence.
Such killings are rare in Sonora compared with other border states.
There were 320 cartel-related homicides in Sonora in 2011, compared
with 2,925 in neighboring Chihuahua the same year, according to a
March report by the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute.
San Luis also has a low homicide rate compared with other cities in
Sonora, according to the Sonora Attorney General's Office. In 2011,
the city had a homicide rate of 3.9 per 100,000 compared with 4.3 in
Hermosillo, the capital, 9.8 in Obregon, the second-largest city, and
20.9 in Nogales, the third-largest. Rocky Point, a popular beach
resort, had a homicide rate of 8.9 last year.
On Tuesday, San Luis' mayor promised to maintain peace after meeting
with state and federal prosecutors and members of the Mexican military.
Santiago Barroso, the city's director of social communications,
called the police chief's killing an "isolated incident." He said
city officials want to assure investors and U.S. tourists that the
city remains safe. "What happened was really awful, but until now,
this has been a very safe city," Barroso said. "It's been many years
since anything like this happened."
Concerns rekindled
Police officials in Arizona said the killing of the police chief in
San Luis Rio Colorado rekindled concerns of cartel violence spilling
across the border.
Within an hour of the chief's death, Mexican authorities forwarded a
description of the suspects' vehicle to law-enforcement agencies in
Arizona, Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden said.
"One of our biggest concerns was that the suspect would enter the
U.S.," he said.
Ogden said several recent heroin seizures suggest that tighter border
security in the Nogales and western-desert areas is pushing drug
trafficking into the Yuma area following years of declines there in
both drug and human smuggling. "We have had indications that the
drugs have been moving this way," he said.
Lekan, the Yuma police chief, said crime in the city has fallen in
recent years or remained stable. Yuma, which has a population of
about 88,000, had three murders in 2010, up from two in 2009,
according to the most recent FBI crime statistics. Yuma had a total
of 550 violent crimes in 2010, down from 570 the year before.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in cartel-related violence
in Mexico since President Felipe Calder�n launched a crackdown in
2006. Most of the violence is related to cartels battling with the
government or with other cartels over control of smuggling routes
into the U.S.
In Sonora, drug trafficking is controlled by the Sinaloa cartel,
which is headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, said Elizabeth
Kempshall, director of the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area, a federal program that coordinates drug-control efforts among
local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
Kempshall speculated that Rodriguez Soqui was killed because he
refused to cooperate with the cartel or "didn't do something that he
promised he would do."
Police killings rise
Rodriguez Soqui is the latest victim in a string of high-ranking
police officials killed in Mexico in recent months.
In January, gunmen killed the director of public safety in Zacatepec,
in the central state of Morelos.
In February, the director of police investigations in Culiacan,
Sinaloa, and his brother were gunned down in a parking lot.
In March, the bullet-riddled body of the police chief of the city of
Juan Aldama in Zacatecas was found in the neighboring state of Durango.
Officers have been targeted in Sonora, as well.
In 2011, the deputy police chief in Nogales and a Sonoran state
police officer were killed. In 2010, the police chief in Rocky Point
and his bodyguard were shot in an ambush but survived.
Ernesto Munro Palacio, Sonora's secretary for public safety, said
several officers have been killed in Sonora in the past few years.
But he said this was the first time in recent memory a police chief
has been killed.
Munro Palacio said he had seen Rodriguez Soqui five days before he
was killed, at a meeting in Hermosillo. He characterized Rodriguez
Soqui, a father of three, as a dedicated police officer and credited
him with making San Luis one of the safest cities in Sonora. He
speculated that the police chief may have been targeted for his anti-
drug smuggling work.
"We have bad eggs and good eggs, and this was one of the good ones,"
Munro Palacio said. "Probably he was trying to stop the drugs from
going to the U.S., and they killed him."
Carlos Navarro, attorney general of Sonora, declined to speculate on
a motive.
"There are many ideas floating around at the moment," Navarro said.
Mexican and U.S. news outlets reported that the attack was captured
by video-surveillance cameras mounted in the neighborhood where the
police chief lived, but Navarro could not confirm that. At the scene,
investigators found more than fifty 7.62x39mm shell casings fired
from an AK-47-style assault rifle, he said.
The number of police officers killed by drug-cartel violence in
Mexico has escalated in recent years, according to the Trans-Border
Institute report. Since 2008, the year the newspaper Reforma began
tallying police deaths, 2,147 officers have been killed in clashes
with organized criminals, the report said. Last year, 572 officers
were killed, down from 718 the year before but up from 475 killed in
2009 and 385 killed in 2008, the report said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the San Luis City Council unanimously
approved a replacement for the slain Rodriguez Soqui.
During a special meeting, Ramon Armando Leon Feliz, 45, a San Luis
native, was sworn in as the new police chief. Leon Feliz has been a
member of the city's Police Department since 1997 and most recently
served as commander.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/
2012/05/23/20120523sonora-police-chief-killing-stirs-
alarm.html#ixzz1vtClLJD7
Pinal County crackdown nets more than $830,000 in drugs
by Patrick Ryan - May. 24, 2012 02:53 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team
More than 1,500 pounds of marijuana was found in a stolen pickup
Thursday morning as part of a three-day crackdown in Pinal County in
which authorities seized more than $830,000 in drugs, Pinal County
Sheriff's Office said.
Pinal County deputies working with the West Desert Task Force located
the pickup at about 8 a.m. traveling east on Interstate 8. The truck
turned north at mile marker 150, and the driver attempted to conceal
the vehicle in heavy brush, Sheriff's Office public information
officer Elias Johnson said.
Task force members tracked the truck from the air but have been
unable to find the two passengers that were in it, Johnson said.
Another bust occurred Wednesday when a 13-year-old boy brought
marijuana to school in Florence. The boy told police he got the drugs
from his father, 36-year-old Jason Kendrick, Johnson said.
Kendrick had $28,000 worth of marijuana stashed in a plastic box in
his home, and told police he got the marijuana from family members
out of state, according to Johnson.
In another incident, Joshua Beets, 23, who had been arrested on
charges of marijuana possession in late March, was arrested again
Tuesday on suspicion of methamphetamine possession and manufacturing,
Johnson said.
Beets and Clerissa Guanajuato, 26, are Casa Grande residents who are
accused of dealing drugs out of a Toltec residential home.
The two were arrested during a traffic stop, where $4,000 worth of
meth was being transported in a plastic bag, Johnson said.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/
2012/05/24/20120524pinal-county-bust-nets-marijuana-stolen-truck-
abrk.html#ixzz1vpsKX3t5
Publicada: 24/05/2012 10:08 Por: Agencias
Cae chofer con 93 kilos de 'cristal' en SLRC
Los 85 paquetes contenían los 93 kilogramos de metanfetamina o cristal.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
24052012/594682.aspx
SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Sonora(Agencias)
La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena) informó del
aseguramiento de 93 kilogramos de la droga conocida como cristal y la
detención de una persona, en la carretera federal Sonoyta-San Luis
Río Colorado.
En un reporte, mandos de la 45 Zona Militar indicaron que sus
elementos revisaron un tráiler marca Kenworth, color amarillo con
matrícula 180AF3 del Servicio Público Federal.
Señalaron que esa unidad en el remolque transportaba un cargamento de
chayotes, pero fueron localizados 85 paquetes que contenían los 93
kilogramos de metanfetamina o cristal.
Explicaron que el chofer del tractocamión fue detenido, quien dijo
tener 41 años de edad y venir procedente de Guadalajara, Jalisco, con
destino la ciudad de Tijuana, Baja California.
El aseguramiento se dio la víspera en el puesto de revisión militar
Cucapá, localizado en el kilómetro 176.5 de la carretera federal
Sonoyta-San Luis Río Colorado, precisaron.
Agregaron que el civil detenido, el vehículo y la droga incautada
fueron puestos a disposición de las autoridades competentes que se
encargarán de continuar con la indagatoria.
Note: first big bust in this area for awhile. Unsanctioned?
Published: 05/24/2012 10:08 By: Agencies
driver with 93 kilos of meth in SLRC
The 85 packages containing 93 kilograms of methamphetamine or crystal.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
24052012/594682.aspx
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Sonora (AP)
The Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) reported 93 kilograms
seized of the drug known as crystal and the arrest of a person in
federal highway Sonoyta-San Luis Rio Colorado.
In one report, commanders of the Military Zone 45 indicated that
their items reviewed a Kenworth trailer, yellow-registered 180AF3
Federal Public Service.
They noted that this unit on the trailer carrying a cargo of chayote,
but were found 85 packages containing the 93 kilograms of
methamphetamine or crystal.
They explained that the tractor driver was arrested, who said he had
41 years of age and come from Guadalajara, Jalisco, bound for the
city of Tijuana, Baja California.
The seizure was yesterday in the Cucapá military checkpoint located
at kilometer 176.5 of the federal highway Sonoyta-San Luis Rio
Colorado, they said.
They added that the civil parked vehicle and the drugs seized were
made available to the competent authorities to be responsible
for continuing the investigation.
Note: AZrep discovers SLRC. Been a significant uptick in smuggling
activities and killings along AZMEX border in past few weeks. El
Chapo's control of AZMEX border doesn't seem to be that total.
Killing of Sonora police chief stirs alarm
Cartel violence appears to be edging close to Arizona
by Daniel Gonzalez - May. 24, 2012 11:22 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
The killing of the police chief in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora,
last weekend has alarmed officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican
border and raised fears that the vicious drug-cartel violence that
has plagued other regions may be spreading to an area that, for the
most part, has been spared the bloodshed.
Luis Fredy Rodriguez Soqui, 40, a former federal prosecutor who
became director of public safety two years ago, was killed days
before the city was scheduled to be recognized as one of the safest
in Sonora, the state south of Arizona.
He is the first police chief killed in Sonora in recent memory,
Mexican officials said.
"Obviously, this is some violence that hits pretty close to home,"
Yuma Police Chief John Lekan said. Until now, drug-cartel violence
"seems to have avoided our neck of the woods, so it's a cause of
concern."
San Luis Rio Colorado is just across the border from San Luis, Ariz.,
and about 26 miles south of Yuma.
The fourth-largest city in Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado is home to
about two dozen maquiladoras, foreign-owned plants that take
advantage of cheaper Mexican labor to assemble products for export,
including a plant for Bose speakers.
The city is also the gateway for tourists from Arizona and California
who travel to beaches along the Golfo de Santa Clara. The city's
downtown, located just steps from the border, is lined with
pharmacies and dental offices. Many Americans shop, buy prescription
drugs and have dental work done there.
Rodriguez Soqui was credited by Mexican officials with reducing crime
in San Luis and keeping the city safe from cartel violence.
He was driving from his home Saturday night when two gunman in a
Dodge Durango SUV opened fire with high-powered assault-style rifles,
according to Mexican authorities. Rodriguez Soqui was hit 18 times in
the face and other parts of his body. He was killed instantly,
authorities said.
As of Thursday, no one had been arrested.
"Safety has a price, and I believe (the police chief) has paid the
price for turning San Luis into the safest city in Sonora," Mayor
Joel Ricardo Aguirre Yescas said in a written statement.
Vow to maintain peace
According to news accounts, the killing of the police chief prompted
more than 100 residents to take to the streets Monday evening,
calling on government officials to prevent the city of 160,000 from
turning into another Juarez or Nuevo Laredo, two cities along the
Texas border where thousands have been killed in cartel-related
violence.
Such killings are rare in Sonora compared with other border states.
There were 320 cartel-related homicides in Sonora in 2011, compared
with 2,925 in neighboring Chihuahua the same year, according to a
March report by the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute.
San Luis also has a low homicide rate compared with other cities in
Sonora, according to the Sonora Attorney General's Office. In 2011,
the city had a homicide rate of 3.9 per 100,000 compared with 4.3 in
Hermosillo, the capital, 9.8 in Obregon, the second-largest city, and
20.9 in Nogales, the third-largest. Rocky Point, a popular beach
resort, had a homicide rate of 8.9 last year.
On Tuesday, San Luis' mayor promised to maintain peace after meeting
with state and federal prosecutors and members of the Mexican military.
Santiago Barroso, the city's director of social communications,
called the police chief's killing an "isolated incident." He said
city officials want to assure investors and U.S. tourists that the
city remains safe. "What happened was really awful, but until now,
this has been a very safe city," Barroso said. "It's been many years
since anything like this happened."
Concerns rekindled
Police officials in Arizona said the killing of the police chief in
San Luis Rio Colorado rekindled concerns of cartel violence spilling
across the border.
Within an hour of the chief's death, Mexican authorities forwarded a
description of the suspects' vehicle to law-enforcement agencies in
Arizona, Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden said.
"One of our biggest concerns was that the suspect would enter the
U.S.," he said.
Ogden said several recent heroin seizures suggest that tighter border
security in the Nogales and western-desert areas is pushing drug
trafficking into the Yuma area following years of declines there in
both drug and human smuggling. "We have had indications that the
drugs have been moving this way," he said.
Lekan, the Yuma police chief, said crime in the city has fallen in
recent years or remained stable. Yuma, which has a population of
about 88,000, had three murders in 2010, up from two in 2009,
according to the most recent FBI crime statistics. Yuma had a total
of 550 violent crimes in 2010, down from 570 the year before.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in cartel-related violence
in Mexico since President Felipe Calder�n launched a crackdown in
2006. Most of the violence is related to cartels battling with the
government or with other cartels over control of smuggling routes
into the U.S.
In Sonora, drug trafficking is controlled by the Sinaloa cartel,
which is headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, said Elizabeth
Kempshall, director of the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area, a federal program that coordinates drug-control efforts among
local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
Kempshall speculated that Rodriguez Soqui was killed because he
refused to cooperate with the cartel or "didn't do something that he
promised he would do."
Police killings rise
Rodriguez Soqui is the latest victim in a string of high-ranking
police officials killed in Mexico in recent months.
In January, gunmen killed the director of public safety in Zacatepec,
in the central state of Morelos.
In February, the director of police investigations in Culiacan,
Sinaloa, and his brother were gunned down in a parking lot.
In March, the bullet-riddled body of the police chief of the city of
Juan Aldama in Zacatecas was found in the neighboring state of Durango.
Officers have been targeted in Sonora, as well.
In 2011, the deputy police chief in Nogales and a Sonoran state
police officer were killed. In 2010, the police chief in Rocky Point
and his bodyguard were shot in an ambush but survived.
Ernesto Munro Palacio, Sonora's secretary for public safety, said
several officers have been killed in Sonora in the past few years.
But he said this was the first time in recent memory a police chief
has been killed.
Munro Palacio said he had seen Rodriguez Soqui five days before he
was killed, at a meeting in Hermosillo. He characterized Rodriguez
Soqui, a father of three, as a dedicated police officer and credited
him with making San Luis one of the safest cities in Sonora. He
speculated that the police chief may have been targeted for his anti-
drug smuggling work.
"We have bad eggs and good eggs, and this was one of the good ones,"
Munro Palacio said. "Probably he was trying to stop the drugs from
going to the U.S., and they killed him."
Carlos Navarro, attorney general of Sonora, declined to speculate on
a motive.
"There are many ideas floating around at the moment," Navarro said.
Mexican and U.S. news outlets reported that the attack was captured
by video-surveillance cameras mounted in the neighborhood where the
police chief lived, but Navarro could not confirm that. At the scene,
investigators found more than fifty 7.62x39mm shell casings fired
from an AK-47-style assault rifle, he said.
The number of police officers killed by drug-cartel violence in
Mexico has escalated in recent years, according to the Trans-Border
Institute report. Since 2008, the year the newspaper Reforma began
tallying police deaths, 2,147 officers have been killed in clashes
with organized criminals, the report said. Last year, 572 officers
were killed, down from 718 the year before but up from 475 killed in
2009 and 385 killed in 2008, the report said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the San Luis City Council unanimously
approved a replacement for the slain Rodriguez Soqui.
During a special meeting, Ramon Armando Leon Feliz, 45, a San Luis
native, was sworn in as the new police chief. Leon Feliz has been a
member of the city's Police Department since 1997 and most recently
served as commander.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/
2012/05/23/20120523sonora-police-chief-killing-stirs-
alarm.html#ixzz1vtClLJD7
Pinal County crackdown nets more than $830,000 in drugs
by Patrick Ryan - May. 24, 2012 02:53 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team
More than 1,500 pounds of marijuana was found in a stolen pickup
Thursday morning as part of a three-day crackdown in Pinal County in
which authorities seized more than $830,000 in drugs, Pinal County
Sheriff's Office said.
Pinal County deputies working with the West Desert Task Force located
the pickup at about 8 a.m. traveling east on Interstate 8. The truck
turned north at mile marker 150, and the driver attempted to conceal
the vehicle in heavy brush, Sheriff's Office public information
officer Elias Johnson said.
Task force members tracked the truck from the air but have been
unable to find the two passengers that were in it, Johnson said.
Another bust occurred Wednesday when a 13-year-old boy brought
marijuana to school in Florence. The boy told police he got the drugs
from his father, 36-year-old Jason Kendrick, Johnson said.
Kendrick had $28,000 worth of marijuana stashed in a plastic box in
his home, and told police he got the marijuana from family members
out of state, according to Johnson.
In another incident, Joshua Beets, 23, who had been arrested on
charges of marijuana possession in late March, was arrested again
Tuesday on suspicion of methamphetamine possession and manufacturing,
Johnson said.
Beets and Clerissa Guanajuato, 26, are Casa Grande residents who are
accused of dealing drugs out of a Toltec residential home.
The two were arrested during a traffic stop, where $4,000 worth of
meth was being transported in a plastic bag, Johnson said.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/
2012/05/24/20120524pinal-county-bust-nets-marijuana-stolen-truck-
abrk.html#ixzz1vpsKX3t5
Publicada: 24/05/2012 10:08 Por: Agencias
Cae chofer con 93 kilos de 'cristal' en SLRC
Los 85 paquetes contenían los 93 kilogramos de metanfetamina o cristal.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
24052012/594682.aspx
SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Sonora(Agencias)
La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena) informó del
aseguramiento de 93 kilogramos de la droga conocida como cristal y la
detención de una persona, en la carretera federal Sonoyta-San Luis
Río Colorado.
En un reporte, mandos de la 45 Zona Militar indicaron que sus
elementos revisaron un tráiler marca Kenworth, color amarillo con
matrícula 180AF3 del Servicio Público Federal.
Señalaron que esa unidad en el remolque transportaba un cargamento de
chayotes, pero fueron localizados 85 paquetes que contenían los 93
kilogramos de metanfetamina o cristal.
Explicaron que el chofer del tractocamión fue detenido, quien dijo
tener 41 años de edad y venir procedente de Guadalajara, Jalisco, con
destino la ciudad de Tijuana, Baja California.
El aseguramiento se dio la víspera en el puesto de revisión militar
Cucapá, localizado en el kilómetro 176.5 de la carretera federal
Sonoyta-San Luis Río Colorado, precisaron.
Agregaron que el civil detenido, el vehículo y la droga incautada
fueron puestos a disposición de las autoridades competentes que se
encargarán de continuar con la indagatoria.
AZMEX EXTRA 24-5-12
AZMEX EXTRA 24 MAY 2012
Note: Could never get ATF to discuss these gun shop thefts in AZ.
Have to wonder how many of the Mexico "traces" were on stolen
firearms. Probably take congressional action to get that info.
Burglars setting sights on gun stores in area
By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 05/24/2012 01:33:35 AM MDT
Reporter
Daniel Borunda
Burglars have been hitting gun stores in early morning burglaries in
El Paso and Las Cruces.
The latest break-in occurred Saturday, when two men wearing hooded
sweatshirts stole firearms from a military surplus store in Las
Cruces. The case is the third such burglary, including one
unsuccessful attempt, this month in the El Paso-Las Cruces area.
About 2 a.m. Saturday, two men broke into Strykers Command Bunker at
415 S. Valley in Las Cruces, police said. Police said the burglars
took several firearms and might have left in a black two-door sports
car.
The number and types of firearms stolen in each burglary were not
disclosed. No arrests have been made.
El Paso police spokesman Officer Javier Sambrano said burglars on May
7 struck two gun shops in West El Paso in cases that detectives think
are linked.
At 1:40 a.m., a rock was used to break a window at Country Wide
Shooters, but, because of security bars, the thieves were unable to
enter the shop at 3950 Doniphan, police said. Because there was no
entry, the incident was labeled criminal mischief, Sambrano said.
Seventeen minutes later, a hunting supply store three miles away was
burglarized.
At 1:57 a.m., burglars broke a glass front door, entered and stole
several firearms from Sportsman's Elite, 7500 N. Mesa, police said.
"Detectives do believe they probably were trying to do a burglary (at
Country Wide Shooters) due to the time of occurrence, its similarity
to the other (burglary) and the location," Sambrano
said.
Investigations are trying to determine whether the burglaries in both
cities are linked. Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000
reward for information that leads to an arrest and solves the firearm
burglary. Tipsters may call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
Anyone with information on the El Paso burglaries may call El Paso
police at 832-4400 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 566-8477.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@el
Note: Could never get ATF to discuss these gun shop thefts in AZ.
Have to wonder how many of the Mexico "traces" were on stolen
firearms. Probably take congressional action to get that info.
Burglars setting sights on gun stores in area
By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 05/24/2012 01:33:35 AM MDT
Reporter
Daniel Borunda
Burglars have been hitting gun stores in early morning burglaries in
El Paso and Las Cruces.
The latest break-in occurred Saturday, when two men wearing hooded
sweatshirts stole firearms from a military surplus store in Las
Cruces. The case is the third such burglary, including one
unsuccessful attempt, this month in the El Paso-Las Cruces area.
About 2 a.m. Saturday, two men broke into Strykers Command Bunker at
415 S. Valley in Las Cruces, police said. Police said the burglars
took several firearms and might have left in a black two-door sports
car.
The number and types of firearms stolen in each burglary were not
disclosed. No arrests have been made.
El Paso police spokesman Officer Javier Sambrano said burglars on May
7 struck two gun shops in West El Paso in cases that detectives think
are linked.
At 1:40 a.m., a rock was used to break a window at Country Wide
Shooters, but, because of security bars, the thieves were unable to
enter the shop at 3950 Doniphan, police said. Because there was no
entry, the incident was labeled criminal mischief, Sambrano said.
Seventeen minutes later, a hunting supply store three miles away was
burglarized.
At 1:57 a.m., burglars broke a glass front door, entered and stole
several firearms from Sportsman's Elite, 7500 N. Mesa, police said.
"Detectives do believe they probably were trying to do a burglary (at
Country Wide Shooters) due to the time of occurrence, its similarity
to the other (burglary) and the location," Sambrano
said.
Investigations are trying to determine whether the burglaries in both
cities are linked. Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000
reward for information that leads to an arrest and solves the firearm
burglary. Tipsters may call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
Anyone with information on the El Paso burglaries may call El Paso
police at 832-4400 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 566-8477.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@el
AZMEX POLICY 23-5-12
AZMEX POLICY 23 MAY 2012
Note: Driver's license still primary ID for buying firearms.
Colorado May Vote on Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Migrants
Published May 23, 2012
EFE
A coalition of immigrants' defense organizations has launched a
campaign in favor of Initiative 52, which - if approved in November -
would give driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in Colorado.
For Initiative 52 to be included on the ballot in November, the
campaign must collect slightly more than 86,000 signatures from
registered voters before Aug. 6.
Driver's Licenses for All asks that "all residents of Colorado,
although they may not be able to prove legal residence in the state,
be able to obtain a driver's license or an identity card," if they
fulfill certain conditions, said Jose Sanchez, the press coordinator
for the campaign.
Those requirements, Sanchez said, include "proving that they have
contributed to Colorado," that is, by having paid taxes, as well as
having valid identity documents and being able to prove that the
person seeking the license lives in the state by, for example,
presenting utility bills in their name.
At a minimum, undocumented people who want to get a driver's license
will have to obtain their taxpayer identification number, known as
ITIN, to have paid taxes in Colorado for at least one year and to
have a passport, birth certificate or other document issued by the
immigrant's country of origin.
It is necessary for undocumented people to receive the licenses,
Sanchez said, because "they are driving anyway," and so "it would be
better for the public for those drivers to have licenses and to be
able to buy insurance for their cars."
"We estimate that up to 150,000 residents of Colorado would qualify
for the state ID or the driver's license if Initiative 52 is
approved," the spokesman said.
Up until 1999, all Colorado residents could obtain driver's licenses
or ID cards without regard for their immigration status. But starting
in that year, people requesting those documents had to prove that
they were in the country legally.
The laws changed again in 2006, when - as part of the so-called
"state immigration reform" - new restrictions and requirements were
implemented for obtaining the licenses, including, for example,
presenting an original birth certificate.
New Mexico and Washington are the only two states that provide
driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. In Utah, undocumented
people can receive Driving Privilege Cards, but not licenses. EFE
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/05/22/colorado-
may-vote-on-driver-licenses-for-undocumented-migrants/?
test=latestnews#ixzz1vhpIVDOr
Note: Driver's license still primary ID for buying firearms.
Colorado May Vote on Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Migrants
Published May 23, 2012
EFE
A coalition of immigrants' defense organizations has launched a
campaign in favor of Initiative 52, which - if approved in November -
would give driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in Colorado.
For Initiative 52 to be included on the ballot in November, the
campaign must collect slightly more than 86,000 signatures from
registered voters before Aug. 6.
Driver's Licenses for All asks that "all residents of Colorado,
although they may not be able to prove legal residence in the state,
be able to obtain a driver's license or an identity card," if they
fulfill certain conditions, said Jose Sanchez, the press coordinator
for the campaign.
Those requirements, Sanchez said, include "proving that they have
contributed to Colorado," that is, by having paid taxes, as well as
having valid identity documents and being able to prove that the
person seeking the license lives in the state by, for example,
presenting utility bills in their name.
At a minimum, undocumented people who want to get a driver's license
will have to obtain their taxpayer identification number, known as
ITIN, to have paid taxes in Colorado for at least one year and to
have a passport, birth certificate or other document issued by the
immigrant's country of origin.
It is necessary for undocumented people to receive the licenses,
Sanchez said, because "they are driving anyway," and so "it would be
better for the public for those drivers to have licenses and to be
able to buy insurance for their cars."
"We estimate that up to 150,000 residents of Colorado would qualify
for the state ID or the driver's license if Initiative 52 is
approved," the spokesman said.
Up until 1999, all Colorado residents could obtain driver's licenses
or ID cards without regard for their immigration status. But starting
in that year, people requesting those documents had to prove that
they were in the country legally.
The laws changed again in 2006, when - as part of the so-called
"state immigration reform" - new restrictions and requirements were
implemented for obtaining the licenses, including, for example,
presenting an original birth certificate.
New Mexico and Washington are the only two states that provide
driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. In Utah, undocumented
people can receive Driving Privilege Cards, but not licenses. EFE
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/05/22/colorado-
may-vote-on-driver-licenses-for-undocumented-migrants/?
test=latestnews#ixzz1vhpIVDOr
AZMEX SPECIAL 23-5-12
AZMEX SPECIAL 23 MAY 2012
Note: A regular scan of much U.S. based border media would suggest
there nothing at all happening with Mexico and drug war. No problema.
Headlines or headstones: Mexico journalists face dire choice
May 22, 2012 11:04 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
REYNOSA — Constant threats and reprisals have created a self-imposed
muzzle on Mexican news outlets when it comes to stories about
organized crime in the northern Mexican cities.
The constant threats of retaliation, attacks and manipulation of the
media by organized crime have created an environment similar to
working in a designated war zone, said Celeste Gonzalez, an assistant
professor at the School of Journalism and Center for Latin American
Studies at the University of Arizona.
Gonzalez said the only difference between reporting in Mexico and a
designated war zone is the lack of rules of engagement and
operational procedures.
"Journalists and newsroom editors are making up the rules as they go
along in order to stay alive," said Gonzalez, who is researching the
current conditions of journalists in Mexico. "Journalists in Mexico
are experiencing unprecedented levels of violence and repression, and
it appears that in the run-up to the presidential election, the
violence in various parts of the country and the repression against
journalists and human rights workers has intensified."
DEATHS
In the past month, two Tamaulipas newspapers were strafed by gunfire,
while three Veracruz journalists were executed — presumably for their
work.
One of the shootings, May 7 in Reynosa, targeted the offices of Hora
Cero. No injuries were reported, but just four days later, El Mañana
de Nuevo Laredo was shot at by another group of unknown gunmen.
Soon after the attack, El Mañana ran an editorial stating it would
stop publishing stories about organized crime.
El Mañana is run by Ninfa Deandar, while Hora Cero is run by her
relative, Heriberto Deandar Robinson. It remains unclear if the
attack at both publications was targeted at a specific news article,
the newspapers or the Deandar family.
On May 18, Mexican authorities in the state of Sonora found the body
of Marco Antonio Avila Garcia, a crime reporter for El Regional de
Sonora. The find comes just one day after the journalist had been
kidnapped by gunmen at a local carwash in Ciudad Obregón, according
to a news release.
In the state of Veracruz, Proceso magazine correspondent Regina
Martinez was strangled to death April 28 inside her home in the state
capital of Xalapa. Just days later, three other journalists — Gabriel
Huge, Guillermo Luna Varela and Esteban Rodriguez — were tortured and
killed in the Boca del Rio area.
Since 2006, 30 journalists have been killed in Mexico, according to
Reporters Without Borders.
INTIMIDATION
It has become commonplace for journalists to receive threatening
calls or worse from presumed members of organized crime who tell
journalists what to report, what not to report and sometimes how to
report it, Gonzalez said.
The pressure from members of organized crime, which could include
cartel members as much as corrupt government officials, seriously
impedes the ability of journalists to inform the public, she said.
"Obviously this has created a horrible situation in which journalists
are working and, in some cases, risking their lives," the professor
said. "All journalists in Mexico work under a presumed threat,
although those who are brave enough to cover organized crime are the
most at risk."
The quality of investigative journalism especially on the local level
has declined sharply over the past six years. In some cases,
newspapers have made the decision to not cover organized crime at
all. In other cases, news organizations publish only stories with
official (government) sources, which leads to information from one
perspective only — the government's.
One of the exceptions is El Diaro de Juarez, which continues to press
public officials. But the newspaper has paid a heavy price. Two of
its staff have been slain in the past four years.
Because of the increasing level of violence and repression against
primarily local journalists working in Mexico, there are now numerous
cases of journalists seeking asylum in other countries, Gonzalez said.
"Two years ago, the head of one of Mexico's leading news
organizations — Grupo Reforma — Alejandro Junco de la Vega moved
members of his family out of the country because of the level of
intimidation" they were subjected to.
The risk was very true for Matamoros reporter Cecilio Cortez, who was
kidnapped, beaten and robbed of his equipment on the morning of Nov.
2, 2011, as he walked home from work. He was released later that day,
but the journalist says he still doesn't know the exact reasons for
the kidnapping.
"This is the type of situation where if it isn't talked about, no one
is going to known about it," Cortez said in Spanish.
After the ordeal, Cortez sought political asylum in the U.S. and is
in the middle of that process.
"In some areas of Mexico, such as Nuevo Laredo and what is known as
the 'Frontera Chica' south of the Texas-Tamaulipas, border, it is
almost impossible for journalists to cover daily news," Gonzalez said.
--
Note: A regular scan of much U.S. based border media would suggest
there nothing at all happening with Mexico and drug war. No problema.
Headlines or headstones: Mexico journalists face dire choice
May 22, 2012 11:04 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
REYNOSA — Constant threats and reprisals have created a self-imposed
muzzle on Mexican news outlets when it comes to stories about
organized crime in the northern Mexican cities.
The constant threats of retaliation, attacks and manipulation of the
media by organized crime have created an environment similar to
working in a designated war zone, said Celeste Gonzalez, an assistant
professor at the School of Journalism and Center for Latin American
Studies at the University of Arizona.
Gonzalez said the only difference between reporting in Mexico and a
designated war zone is the lack of rules of engagement and
operational procedures.
"Journalists and newsroom editors are making up the rules as they go
along in order to stay alive," said Gonzalez, who is researching the
current conditions of journalists in Mexico. "Journalists in Mexico
are experiencing unprecedented levels of violence and repression, and
it appears that in the run-up to the presidential election, the
violence in various parts of the country and the repression against
journalists and human rights workers has intensified."
DEATHS
In the past month, two Tamaulipas newspapers were strafed by gunfire,
while three Veracruz journalists were executed — presumably for their
work.
One of the shootings, May 7 in Reynosa, targeted the offices of Hora
Cero. No injuries were reported, but just four days later, El Mañana
de Nuevo Laredo was shot at by another group of unknown gunmen.
Soon after the attack, El Mañana ran an editorial stating it would
stop publishing stories about organized crime.
El Mañana is run by Ninfa Deandar, while Hora Cero is run by her
relative, Heriberto Deandar Robinson. It remains unclear if the
attack at both publications was targeted at a specific news article,
the newspapers or the Deandar family.
On May 18, Mexican authorities in the state of Sonora found the body
of Marco Antonio Avila Garcia, a crime reporter for El Regional de
Sonora. The find comes just one day after the journalist had been
kidnapped by gunmen at a local carwash in Ciudad Obregón, according
to a news release.
In the state of Veracruz, Proceso magazine correspondent Regina
Martinez was strangled to death April 28 inside her home in the state
capital of Xalapa. Just days later, three other journalists — Gabriel
Huge, Guillermo Luna Varela and Esteban Rodriguez — were tortured and
killed in the Boca del Rio area.
Since 2006, 30 journalists have been killed in Mexico, according to
Reporters Without Borders.
INTIMIDATION
It has become commonplace for journalists to receive threatening
calls or worse from presumed members of organized crime who tell
journalists what to report, what not to report and sometimes how to
report it, Gonzalez said.
The pressure from members of organized crime, which could include
cartel members as much as corrupt government officials, seriously
impedes the ability of journalists to inform the public, she said.
"Obviously this has created a horrible situation in which journalists
are working and, in some cases, risking their lives," the professor
said. "All journalists in Mexico work under a presumed threat,
although those who are brave enough to cover organized crime are the
most at risk."
The quality of investigative journalism especially on the local level
has declined sharply over the past six years. In some cases,
newspapers have made the decision to not cover organized crime at
all. In other cases, news organizations publish only stories with
official (government) sources, which leads to information from one
perspective only — the government's.
One of the exceptions is El Diaro de Juarez, which continues to press
public officials. But the newspaper has paid a heavy price. Two of
its staff have been slain in the past four years.
Because of the increasing level of violence and repression against
primarily local journalists working in Mexico, there are now numerous
cases of journalists seeking asylum in other countries, Gonzalez said.
"Two years ago, the head of one of Mexico's leading news
organizations — Grupo Reforma — Alejandro Junco de la Vega moved
members of his family out of the country because of the level of
intimidation" they were subjected to.
The risk was very true for Matamoros reporter Cecilio Cortez, who was
kidnapped, beaten and robbed of his equipment on the morning of Nov.
2, 2011, as he walked home from work. He was released later that day,
but the journalist says he still doesn't know the exact reasons for
the kidnapping.
"This is the type of situation where if it isn't talked about, no one
is going to known about it," Cortez said in Spanish.
After the ordeal, Cortez sought political asylum in the U.S. and is
in the middle of that process.
"In some areas of Mexico, such as Nuevo Laredo and what is known as
the 'Frontera Chica' south of the Texas-Tamaulipas, border, it is
almost impossible for journalists to cover daily news," Gonzalez said.
--
AZMEX I3 23-5-12
AZMEX I3 23 MAY 2012
ICE: 131 immigrants found in Alton stash house
May 22, 2012 9:59 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
TWITTER:
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter: @IldefonsoOrtiz
ALTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working to arrest
a human trafficking group that had 131 illegal immigrants stuffed
inside a house Tuesday afternoon.
The immigrants were found at an unmarked house near the intersection
of Rhode Island and St. Jude streets.
Two houses down, 52-year-old Salvador Hernandez was sitting under a
tree, surprised at all the activity.
"I have been living here for 28 years and have never seen anything
like that happen," he said.
Hernandez had stepped out to run some errands with his elderly
parents and was surprised to see his quiet neighborhood surrounded by
ICE agents.
The detention of the immigrants was part of an ongoing investigation
by ICE, said spokeswoman Nina Pruneda.
ICE "Homeland Security Investigation will be interviewing everyone to
determine who is responsible for the transportation and harboring of
these individuals," Pruneda said.
Preliminary information revealed that the immigrants were primarily
from Central America and didn't require medical attention. The house
had food and electricity at the time of the search, Pruneda said,
adding that the investigation is ongoing and several arrests are
expected soon.
ICE: 131 immigrants found in Alton stash house
May 22, 2012 9:59 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
TWITTER:
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter: @IldefonsoOrtiz
ALTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working to arrest
a human trafficking group that had 131 illegal immigrants stuffed
inside a house Tuesday afternoon.
The immigrants were found at an unmarked house near the intersection
of Rhode Island and St. Jude streets.
Two houses down, 52-year-old Salvador Hernandez was sitting under a
tree, surprised at all the activity.
"I have been living here for 28 years and have never seen anything
like that happen," he said.
Hernandez had stepped out to run some errands with his elderly
parents and was surprised to see his quiet neighborhood surrounded by
ICE agents.
The detention of the immigrants was part of an ongoing investigation
by ICE, said spokeswoman Nina Pruneda.
ICE "Homeland Security Investigation will be interviewing everyone to
determine who is responsible for the transportation and harboring of
these individuals," Pruneda said.
Preliminary information revealed that the immigrants were primarily
from Central America and didn't require medical attention. The house
had food and electricity at the time of the search, Pruneda said,
adding that the investigation is ongoing and several arrests are
expected soon.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
AZMEX UPDATE 23-5-12
AZMEX UPDATE 23 MAY 2012
Today's Milenio poll;
DPN 47%, AMLO 24%, JVM 24%, GQT 5%
Note: It has to be asked, where and how do all these state prison
inmates get the money for the drugs?
Chandler mother, sons lead police to major drug ring
Clues emerge from investigation of family
by Laurie Merrill - May. 23, 2012 06:16 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/20120521chandler-mother-
sons-lead-police-major-drug-ring
What ended as the multi-agency smashup of an international conspiracy
to sell millions of dollars of Mexican narcotics to Arizona prisoners
began as the simple probe of a Chandler mom and her sons, police say.
Ultimately, the investigation was called "Operation Family Tradition"
and the mother and her sons the "Lara-Valencia Syndicate."
At least 44 suspects were arrested on more than 300 drug- and gang-
related charges during two different sweeps, one of which was Friday.
Multiple indictments were handed down by the Arizona Attorney
General's Office.
In all, 32 pounds of heroin and 5 pounds of cocaine were seized with
a combined estimated street value of $1.7 million.
The drugs wound up on the streets of the East Valley as well as
Arizona prisons, Chandler police Detective Seth Tyler said. "It was
available to anyone with an appetite for it," he said Monday.
It all started more than a year ago, in early 2011, when the Chandler
police Narcotics Unit began investigating Grace Valencia and two of
her nine sons, Ricky and Jonathan, who resided on the 200 block of
South Dakota Street, Tyler said.
"Eight of the boys are involved" in the drug trade, Tyler said.
"Six are already in the state Department of Corrections."
Three of Valencia's sons -- Vincent Lara, 38; Angel Lara, 35; and
Daniel Lara, 31 -- are serving sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years
for a kidnapping conviction, according to reports.
Chandler police soon suspected that Valencia and her sons were part
of a larger organization with gang and possibly international ties.
First, they called in the Chandler police Gang Unit.
Next, they called Arizona Department of Public Safety State Gang Task
Force came on board.
DPS and Chandler investigators then learned the family and associates
bought drugs directly from Mexico, smuggled them into prison and sold
them to East Valley residents.
One prison visitor was apprehended trying to smuggle black tar heroin
inside a sock, officials said.
Street and prison gang members and illegal-drug trade criminals
comprised the organization, Tyler said.
As the enormity of what they were investigating was revealed, the
investigators decided they required help from organizations with more
resources.
They called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Gang
Investigations Group, the DPS Highway Patrol, the Arizona Department
of Corrections Security Threat Group Unit and the state Attorney
General's Office to help with the investigation.
"The family was definitely part of the distribution of drugs," Tyler
said. "They were not small time. They were better organized. They
were getting the drugs from Mexico."
The Attorney General's Office has named Ricky Valencia as one of the
kingpins of the organization. He was charged with a total of 107
counts.
Today's Milenio poll;
DPN 47%, AMLO 24%, JVM 24%, GQT 5%
Note: It has to be asked, where and how do all these state prison
inmates get the money for the drugs?
Chandler mother, sons lead police to major drug ring
Clues emerge from investigation of family
by Laurie Merrill - May. 23, 2012 06:16 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/20120521chandler-mother-
sons-lead-police-major-drug-ring
What ended as the multi-agency smashup of an international conspiracy
to sell millions of dollars of Mexican narcotics to Arizona prisoners
began as the simple probe of a Chandler mom and her sons, police say.
Ultimately, the investigation was called "Operation Family Tradition"
and the mother and her sons the "Lara-Valencia Syndicate."
At least 44 suspects were arrested on more than 300 drug- and gang-
related charges during two different sweeps, one of which was Friday.
Multiple indictments were handed down by the Arizona Attorney
General's Office.
In all, 32 pounds of heroin and 5 pounds of cocaine were seized with
a combined estimated street value of $1.7 million.
The drugs wound up on the streets of the East Valley as well as
Arizona prisons, Chandler police Detective Seth Tyler said. "It was
available to anyone with an appetite for it," he said Monday.
It all started more than a year ago, in early 2011, when the Chandler
police Narcotics Unit began investigating Grace Valencia and two of
her nine sons, Ricky and Jonathan, who resided on the 200 block of
South Dakota Street, Tyler said.
"Eight of the boys are involved" in the drug trade, Tyler said.
"Six are already in the state Department of Corrections."
Three of Valencia's sons -- Vincent Lara, 38; Angel Lara, 35; and
Daniel Lara, 31 -- are serving sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years
for a kidnapping conviction, according to reports.
Chandler police soon suspected that Valencia and her sons were part
of a larger organization with gang and possibly international ties.
First, they called in the Chandler police Gang Unit.
Next, they called Arizona Department of Public Safety State Gang Task
Force came on board.
DPS and Chandler investigators then learned the family and associates
bought drugs directly from Mexico, smuggled them into prison and sold
them to East Valley residents.
One prison visitor was apprehended trying to smuggle black tar heroin
inside a sock, officials said.
Street and prison gang members and illegal-drug trade criminals
comprised the organization, Tyler said.
As the enormity of what they were investigating was revealed, the
investigators decided they required help from organizations with more
resources.
They called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Gang
Investigations Group, the DPS Highway Patrol, the Arizona Department
of Corrections Security Threat Group Unit and the state Attorney
General's Office to help with the investigation.
"The family was definitely part of the distribution of drugs," Tyler
said. "They were not small time. They were better organized. They
were getting the drugs from Mexico."
The Attorney General's Office has named Ricky Valencia as one of the
kingpins of the organization. He was charged with a total of 107
counts.
AZMEX UPDATE 22-5-12
AZMEX UPDATE 22 MAY 2012
Note: a unpleasant report from BBC on human trafficking from Mexico
to the US.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18144333
Note: of interest mostly to us locals.
San Luis Rio Colo., Son., residents protest border violence
May 21, 2012 9:48 PM
BY CESAR NEYOY - BAJO EL SOL
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. — Two days after the slaying of this
city's police chief, more than 100 residents gathered Monday night in
a march along the border in what they intended as a public appeal to
the authorities to stop further bloodshed.
The march, which started at about 7:45 p.m. at International Avenue
and 22nd Street on the northeast corner of the city, brought together
residents of all ages with a unified message.
"Don't let San Luis become another Nuevo Laredo or Ciudad Juarez,"
they said as they carried banners with the same message.
The reference was to two Mexicans cities along the Texas border where
tens of thousands have been killed in fighting between rival drug-
smuggling organizations and between the cartels and Mexico's military
and police.
But participants in Monday's march who were interviewed by Bajo El
Sol declined to speculate as to what led to the slaying of Luis
Rodriguez Soqui.
Rodriguez, the city's director of public safety, was fatally shot by
gunmen in another vehicle as he was driving away from his home on
east side of the city shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.
Mexican media have reported he was hit by no fewer than 30 rounds
from high-powered weapons.
Police have released little information about Rodriguez's slaying,
but some details emerged Sunday and Monday.
Police theorize that after the shooting, the gunmen, traveling in a
sport utility vehicle, fled to Sonoyta, a Mexican border town across
from Lukeville, Ariz., and then into the interior of Sonora.
Mexican news media have reported that Rodriguez, the city's police
chief for about two years, did not typically travel around the city
with a bodyguard.
Media outlets south of the border also have been very careful not to
speculate on any motives in the killing.
But the city's mayor, Joel Aguirre Yescas, said the police chief's
slaying had been prompted by his success as a crimefighter in the
border city of more than 200,000.
The march had been expected to bring out hundreds of marchers, but
estimates at the scene placed the number closer to 150. Some
participants said that perhaps Monday's heat had discouraged some
would-be marchers from joining the event.
The marchers walked west on International Avenue, alongside the fence
separating San Luis Rio Colorado and San Luis, Ariz., before ending
up at Benito Juarez Park, next to City Hall.
One of the organizers of the march was Luis Alberto Larios, a
longtime San Luis Rio Colorado resident who has seen his city escape
much of the violence that has touched other Mexican border towns and
spread into the interior of the nation.
"The intention (of the march)," he said, "is to appeal to the
authorities to prevent San Luis from becoming another Juarez or Nuevo
Laredo."
Also helping organize the march was Humberto Melgoza, a San Luis-
based newspaper editor, who said journalists are concerned about
violence in Mexico, given that much of it has been directed at those
in the media.
Last week, he noted, a reporter in Ciudad Obregon, Son., who covered
crime news was abducted and is presumed to have been murdered. That
killing, he added, has served to have a chilling effect on other
reporters.
Also taking part were about 30 people wearing T-shirts with the logo
of Mexico's left-leaning Democratic Revolutionary Party, which will
be fielding candidates in the San Luis mayoral race and other
elections in July, including the presidential election.
"This has nothing to do with politics," said Concepcion Sandoval, a
party supporter who took part in the march. "We are here because we
are worried that what has happened elsewhere can happen here."
Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/son-79175-luis-
rio.html#ixzz1vcBqrlT3
Duarte leads inauguration of new Brigadier General of Military Zone 42
David Ortega | May 22, 2012 | 15:18 pm
http://eldiariodechihuahua.mx/notas.php?
f=2012/05/22&id=5c3268e03b60a3ccdad67749a8239bfc
Hidalgo del Parral. - The guest of honor the Governor of the State of
Chihuahua led the inauguration of the new head of the military zone
that was conducted on the premises of 76 Infantry Battalion.
State where the president recognized and emphasized the work of the
Mexican Army for our society in the rescue of values, work with
humanitarian and security especially as the main pillar of institutions.
The new Brigadier General Certificate of Staff Miguel Andrade
Cisneros, comes from the town of Valladolid in the Yucatan, where he
has established the 32 military zone to which was attached, who
assumes this important position in this state, which also relieved
from office General Jesus Pedroza Ayala.
After the inauguration, held a breakfast in which were various
officials and authorities of different orders of government.
Note: a unpleasant report from BBC on human trafficking from Mexico
to the US.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18144333
Note: of interest mostly to us locals.
San Luis Rio Colo., Son., residents protest border violence
May 21, 2012 9:48 PM
BY CESAR NEYOY - BAJO EL SOL
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. — Two days after the slaying of this
city's police chief, more than 100 residents gathered Monday night in
a march along the border in what they intended as a public appeal to
the authorities to stop further bloodshed.
The march, which started at about 7:45 p.m. at International Avenue
and 22nd Street on the northeast corner of the city, brought together
residents of all ages with a unified message.
"Don't let San Luis become another Nuevo Laredo or Ciudad Juarez,"
they said as they carried banners with the same message.
The reference was to two Mexicans cities along the Texas border where
tens of thousands have been killed in fighting between rival drug-
smuggling organizations and between the cartels and Mexico's military
and police.
But participants in Monday's march who were interviewed by Bajo El
Sol declined to speculate as to what led to the slaying of Luis
Rodriguez Soqui.
Rodriguez, the city's director of public safety, was fatally shot by
gunmen in another vehicle as he was driving away from his home on
east side of the city shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.
Mexican media have reported he was hit by no fewer than 30 rounds
from high-powered weapons.
Police have released little information about Rodriguez's slaying,
but some details emerged Sunday and Monday.
Police theorize that after the shooting, the gunmen, traveling in a
sport utility vehicle, fled to Sonoyta, a Mexican border town across
from Lukeville, Ariz., and then into the interior of Sonora.
Mexican news media have reported that Rodriguez, the city's police
chief for about two years, did not typically travel around the city
with a bodyguard.
Media outlets south of the border also have been very careful not to
speculate on any motives in the killing.
But the city's mayor, Joel Aguirre Yescas, said the police chief's
slaying had been prompted by his success as a crimefighter in the
border city of more than 200,000.
The march had been expected to bring out hundreds of marchers, but
estimates at the scene placed the number closer to 150. Some
participants said that perhaps Monday's heat had discouraged some
would-be marchers from joining the event.
The marchers walked west on International Avenue, alongside the fence
separating San Luis Rio Colorado and San Luis, Ariz., before ending
up at Benito Juarez Park, next to City Hall.
One of the organizers of the march was Luis Alberto Larios, a
longtime San Luis Rio Colorado resident who has seen his city escape
much of the violence that has touched other Mexican border towns and
spread into the interior of the nation.
"The intention (of the march)," he said, "is to appeal to the
authorities to prevent San Luis from becoming another Juarez or Nuevo
Laredo."
Also helping organize the march was Humberto Melgoza, a San Luis-
based newspaper editor, who said journalists are concerned about
violence in Mexico, given that much of it has been directed at those
in the media.
Last week, he noted, a reporter in Ciudad Obregon, Son., who covered
crime news was abducted and is presumed to have been murdered. That
killing, he added, has served to have a chilling effect on other
reporters.
Also taking part were about 30 people wearing T-shirts with the logo
of Mexico's left-leaning Democratic Revolutionary Party, which will
be fielding candidates in the San Luis mayoral race and other
elections in July, including the presidential election.
"This has nothing to do with politics," said Concepcion Sandoval, a
party supporter who took part in the march. "We are here because we
are worried that what has happened elsewhere can happen here."
Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/son-79175-luis-
rio.html#ixzz1vcBqrlT3
Duarte leads inauguration of new Brigadier General of Military Zone 42
David Ortega | May 22, 2012 | 15:18 pm
http://eldiariodechihuahua.mx/notas.php?
f=2012/05/22&id=5c3268e03b60a3ccdad67749a8239bfc
Hidalgo del Parral. - The guest of honor the Governor of the State of
Chihuahua led the inauguration of the new head of the military zone
that was conducted on the premises of 76 Infantry Battalion.
State where the president recognized and emphasized the work of the
Mexican Army for our society in the rescue of values, work with
humanitarian and security especially as the main pillar of institutions.
The new Brigadier General Certificate of Staff Miguel Andrade
Cisneros, comes from the town of Valladolid in the Yucatan, where he
has established the 32 military zone to which was attached, who
assumes this important position in this state, which also relieved
from office General Jesus Pedroza Ayala.
After the inauguration, held a breakfast in which were various
officials and authorities of different orders of government.
AZMEX UPDATE 21-5-12
AZMEX UPDATE 21 MAY 2012
Today's Milenio poll;
EPN 48%, JVM 26%, AMLO 21% GQT 5%
Note: Today's Eagle Pass Daily has some interesting stats from
Sheriff Tomas S.Herrera who is running for re-election. ( in
english) Don't know how to copy it to this format.
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
Note: for the locals, an important hit. The drug gangs have taken
quite a few losses over the last few months in this area. Have also
heard that couple of the local army commanders have been re-
assigned. No big busts in the area for several weeks now. Higher
ups betting on PRI regaining the presidency?
Published: 05/21/2012 10:58 By: Agencies
Commander was killed for doing his job: Mayor
Luis Rodriguez Soqui was killed last Sat.
http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
21052012/593901.aspx
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Sonoa (AP)
Mayor Joel Yescas Aguirre said the local police commander, Luis
Rodriguez Soqui, paid the price for making this the safest city
border of Sonora.
The mayor made the remarks after meeting with staff of prosecutors
General of the State (PGJE), General of the Republic (PGR) and local
commanders of the Mexican Army.
'All agencies responsible for the promotion of justice will use all
resources at its disposal to clarify the attack and apprehend those
responsible, "he said.
Last Saturday Soqui Rodriguez died after being shot as he left the
Diana Residencial subdivision where he lived aboard his vehicle,
subjects arrived in a white color van.
"The tranquility is priceless and I think Mr. Rodriguez Soqui has
paid the price for turning San Luis Rio Colorado in Sonora safest
city ', said the mayor.
Aguirre Yescas said there is peace living in the city compared to
other regions, 'so there is full coordination between all spheres of
government to keep the peace'.
On Monday, the body of the late police chief was taken in a hearse to
the city of Hermosillo, he came from is also a former federal
prosecutor.
So far, prosecutors said Common Law prefers to maintain the
confidentiality of preliminary investigation, but is expected in the
next few hours to make themselves known early gains, citing the mayor.
Note: yet another case for the restoration of the RKBA, for the
Mexican people. And just like here, not reported, didn't happen.
Published: 05/21/2012 2:23 By: Editorial ElImparcial
Crime down 11%, but up in violent home robberies.
According to figures from the National Public Security System from
March to April there were 333 fewer crimes.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
21052012/593807.aspx
Hermosillo, Sonora (PH)
Although March and April offenses were generally reduced about 11% in
Sonora, is illegal and violent robbery in houses and stolen vehicles
reported an increase, revealing the Executive Secretariat of the
National System of Public Security.
The latest statistics published by the federal agency on their
website state that in April, they investigated 2,860 crimes against
the 3,193, a month earlier, ie, 333 less.
On high impact illegal as murder with a firearm, it was down so no it
was committed with a knife that went from 3 to 12 in April.
The theft was generally a reduction of 7%, but when the details are
taken up shows that the burglary to dwellings and auto theft
increased between March and April.
The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security last month
stated that the Public Ministry received 97 complaints of housing
violent robbery against the 73 recorded in March, ie 24% more.
Vehicle theft rose from 323 in March to 336 in April, up 4.02% over
the period, the violation is another crime that showed a variation of
0.7% to 40 inquiries recorded in the fourth month, 17 more than in
March.
The offense of grievous bodily harm increased from 260 to 290 cases
in the same period, 11% more.
The rustling, kidnapping, abuse of confidence, damage to property,
extortion, fraud and robbery were illegal were down in March and
April, cites the Executive Secretariat of the National System of
Public Security.
Research PGJE the 5 weekend killings
Details Posted on Monday, May 21, 2012 8:38
Written by Editorial / El Diario
AVILA MARCO THE REPORTER WAS FOUND DEAD ON FRIDAY TO SIDE OF THE ROAD
IN THE SECTION GUAYMAS-EMPALME
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/index.php/justicia/justicia-
general/estatal/2954-investiga-pgje-los-5-asesinatos-del-fin-de-semana
HERMOSILLO. -
The spokesman for the Attorney General in the State, Jose Larrinaga
Talamantes, reported Sunday that investigations are conducted five
murders apparently committed by members of organized crime, this
weekend.
Those killed are the reporter Marco Antonio Avila Garcia, the chief
of public safety of San Luis, Luis Fredy Rodriguez Soqui and the
grave with three bodies of unidentified persons who were located in
the town of Empalme, in the south of the state .
He noted that in the case of journalist Marco Avila, are yet to
declare co-workers of the communicator, but his relatives have begun
to do so.
"There are several open lines, of course including the action of
organized crime, are expected to attend Monday's other co-workers of
Marco Antonio Avila to testify," he said Sunday Larrinaga Talamantes,
who until next May 30 occupy the position at the State Office of
Justice because as announced two weeks ago resigned.
On the other hand on the case of the execution of the director of the
Preventive Police and Traffic San Luis Rio Colorado, Fredy Rodriguez
Soqui said that he was killed Saturday night by the crew of two
vehicles, who have not been identified and units in which they
traveled have not been located.
He confirmed that three and not two bodies that were found on
Saturday evening at kilometer 11 of the International Highway in the
town of Empalme. He noted that until Sunday the bodies were not yet
identified, but that they were extracted by personnel of the agency.
Former sheriff's deputy gets prison in drug conspiracy
May 21, 2012 6:10 PM
ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story
Jared Taylor
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/gets-61024-mcallen-conspiracy.html
McALLEN — As he stood in federal court facing judgment Monday
morning, Omar Salazar had only one word to describe what drove him to
toss his law enforcement career away:
"Greed."
The former Hidalgo County sheriff's deputy admitted to a marijuana
trafficking conspiracy and testified against his onetime partner in
burglary investigations — and selling drugs.
Flipping on Heriberto Diaz, 43, a former investigator himself serving
an 11-year sentence for the crime, led Chief U.S. District Judge
Ricardo Hinojosa to sentence Salazar to two-and-a-half years in
prison — less than half the typical minimum sentence for a marijuana
conspiracy case.
"You are paying the price for your decision — you admitted it,"
Hinojosa told Salazar, 44, at a sentencing hearing Monday morning in
U.S. District Court. "So after the price is paid, you can go back and
serve your community once again."
For Salazar, that service won't be in law enforcement. He told the
judge he has learned a new trade — cutting hair — that he said he has
performed on other inmates while awaiting sentencing.
Monday's sentencing hearing marked the latest high-profile case
involving Rio Grande Valley law enforcement officers betraying fellow
officers and the communities they serve.
"It was a real tragedy all the way around — a tragedy in that they
betrayed the public and the badge and now his kids are going to be
without a father for a while," Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño
said Monday. "The guy messed up, the guy got adjudicated and now he
got sentenced so he can go pay for it.
"It's a done deal."
The case traces back to late 2009, when a Mission police officer
responded to radio traffic and found Diaz and Salazar inside a
residence with 354 pounds of marijuana inside. Loading the bundles
into a pickup truck were Joel and Jorge Duncan, father and son drug
smugglers who tipped off the deputies to the drug load and stood to
benefit from the scheme.
Hinojosa sentenced Joel Duncan to 98 months in prison Monday afternoon.
Unlike Salazar, Diaz maintained his innocence through a jury trial
that ended with a guilty verdict and a sentencing hearing in March
that gave him more than a decade behind bars. Agents said Monday that
unlike Diaz, Salazar did not fail any lie detector tests administered
when investigators unraveled their drug trafficking scheme.
Clad in a powder-blue, collared shirt with trim black hair, Salazar
learned his sentence Monday without any family members present in the
courtroom. His body occasionally shook as he looked at the floor
awaiting his turn to go before the judge.
Salazar's apparent nervousness showed before Hinojosa, whose incisive
questioning left the former deputy to respond with fragmented, quiet
responses barely audible in the courtroom.
"Were you ever tempted to say anything to stop or not do this?"
Hinojosa asked.
"I never wanted to do it until it happened," Salazar responded. "I
didn't want to do it."
"But you did," Hinojosa said. "How much did you get paid for this?"
"I don't know," Salazar responded.
"So you were greedy, but you don't know how greedy?" Hinojosa fired
back.
"No," Salazar said.
Salazar claimed the decision to act on the Duncans' tip that
marijuana could be found at the Mission residence happened on a
moment's notice, so much that it turned him into "a different person
for 20 minutes."
"This wasn't just a 20-minute thing," Hinojosa said. "Let's face it,
right?"
"No, sir," Salazar mumbled.
After about half an hour answering the judge's questions, Salazar
learned his cooperation with prosecutors and FBI agents would prove
beneficial, with a prison sentence less than half the recommended
amount under federal guidelines.
"There is no doubt that during the time you did this, you stepped on
what you did in public service your whole life," Hinojosa said.
"There is nothing that will change that day. There is nothing that
will change your prison sentence."
Ejecutan a director de la policía de municipio tarahumara
LA REDACCIÓN
21 DE MAYO DE 2012 · SIN COMENTARIOS
DESTACADO
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=308286
CHIHUAHUA, Chih. (APRO).- En una emboscada, el director de seguridad
pública del municipio Guadalupe y Calvo, Eleazar Salas Martínez, fue
asesinado. En su cuerpo se contabilizaron 15 impactos de bala,
informó la Fiscalía General del Estado.
De acuerdo con el vocero, Carlos González Estrada, junto con Salas
Martínez viajaba un agente policiaco que quedó con vida y quien narró
que cuando viajaban en una camioneta fueron interceptados por un
grupo de hombres armados y encapuchados, quienes los bajaron,
esposaron y vendaron los ojos.
Cuando el agente ya no escuchó voces, se destapó y vio una señora que
le prestó ayuda.
La zona de Guadalupe y Calvo, enclavada en la Sierra Tarahumara,
históricamente ha registrado hechos delictivos relacionados con el
narcotráfico.
Today's Milenio poll;
EPN 48%, JVM 26%, AMLO 21% GQT 5%
Note: Today's Eagle Pass Daily has some interesting stats from
Sheriff Tomas S.Herrera who is running for re-election. ( in
english) Don't know how to copy it to this format.
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
Note: for the locals, an important hit. The drug gangs have taken
quite a few losses over the last few months in this area. Have also
heard that couple of the local army commanders have been re-
assigned. No big busts in the area for several weeks now. Higher
ups betting on PRI regaining the presidency?
Published: 05/21/2012 10:58 By: Agencies
Commander was killed for doing his job: Mayor
Luis Rodriguez Soqui was killed last Sat.
http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
21052012/593901.aspx
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Sonoa (AP)
Mayor Joel Yescas Aguirre said the local police commander, Luis
Rodriguez Soqui, paid the price for making this the safest city
border of Sonora.
The mayor made the remarks after meeting with staff of prosecutors
General of the State (PGJE), General of the Republic (PGR) and local
commanders of the Mexican Army.
'All agencies responsible for the promotion of justice will use all
resources at its disposal to clarify the attack and apprehend those
responsible, "he said.
Last Saturday Soqui Rodriguez died after being shot as he left the
Diana Residencial subdivision where he lived aboard his vehicle,
subjects arrived in a white color van.
"The tranquility is priceless and I think Mr. Rodriguez Soqui has
paid the price for turning San Luis Rio Colorado in Sonora safest
city ', said the mayor.
Aguirre Yescas said there is peace living in the city compared to
other regions, 'so there is full coordination between all spheres of
government to keep the peace'.
On Monday, the body of the late police chief was taken in a hearse to
the city of Hermosillo, he came from is also a former federal
prosecutor.
So far, prosecutors said Common Law prefers to maintain the
confidentiality of preliminary investigation, but is expected in the
next few hours to make themselves known early gains, citing the mayor.
Note: yet another case for the restoration of the RKBA, for the
Mexican people. And just like here, not reported, didn't happen.
Published: 05/21/2012 2:23 By: Editorial ElImparcial
Crime down 11%, but up in violent home robberies.
According to figures from the National Public Security System from
March to April there were 333 fewer crimes.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
21052012/593807.aspx
Hermosillo, Sonora (PH)
Although March and April offenses were generally reduced about 11% in
Sonora, is illegal and violent robbery in houses and stolen vehicles
reported an increase, revealing the Executive Secretariat of the
National System of Public Security.
The latest statistics published by the federal agency on their
website state that in April, they investigated 2,860 crimes against
the 3,193, a month earlier, ie, 333 less.
On high impact illegal as murder with a firearm, it was down so no it
was committed with a knife that went from 3 to 12 in April.
The theft was generally a reduction of 7%, but when the details are
taken up shows that the burglary to dwellings and auto theft
increased between March and April.
The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security last month
stated that the Public Ministry received 97 complaints of housing
violent robbery against the 73 recorded in March, ie 24% more.
Vehicle theft rose from 323 in March to 336 in April, up 4.02% over
the period, the violation is another crime that showed a variation of
0.7% to 40 inquiries recorded in the fourth month, 17 more than in
March.
The offense of grievous bodily harm increased from 260 to 290 cases
in the same period, 11% more.
The rustling, kidnapping, abuse of confidence, damage to property,
extortion, fraud and robbery were illegal were down in March and
April, cites the Executive Secretariat of the National System of
Public Security.
Research PGJE the 5 weekend killings
Details Posted on Monday, May 21, 2012 8:38
Written by Editorial / El Diario
AVILA MARCO THE REPORTER WAS FOUND DEAD ON FRIDAY TO SIDE OF THE ROAD
IN THE SECTION GUAYMAS-EMPALME
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/index.php/justicia/justicia-
general/estatal/2954-investiga-pgje-los-5-asesinatos-del-fin-de-semana
HERMOSILLO. -
The spokesman for the Attorney General in the State, Jose Larrinaga
Talamantes, reported Sunday that investigations are conducted five
murders apparently committed by members of organized crime, this
weekend.
Those killed are the reporter Marco Antonio Avila Garcia, the chief
of public safety of San Luis, Luis Fredy Rodriguez Soqui and the
grave with three bodies of unidentified persons who were located in
the town of Empalme, in the south of the state .
He noted that in the case of journalist Marco Avila, are yet to
declare co-workers of the communicator, but his relatives have begun
to do so.
"There are several open lines, of course including the action of
organized crime, are expected to attend Monday's other co-workers of
Marco Antonio Avila to testify," he said Sunday Larrinaga Talamantes,
who until next May 30 occupy the position at the State Office of
Justice because as announced two weeks ago resigned.
On the other hand on the case of the execution of the director of the
Preventive Police and Traffic San Luis Rio Colorado, Fredy Rodriguez
Soqui said that he was killed Saturday night by the crew of two
vehicles, who have not been identified and units in which they
traveled have not been located.
He confirmed that three and not two bodies that were found on
Saturday evening at kilometer 11 of the International Highway in the
town of Empalme. He noted that until Sunday the bodies were not yet
identified, but that they were extracted by personnel of the agency.
Former sheriff's deputy gets prison in drug conspiracy
May 21, 2012 6:10 PM
ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story
Jared Taylor
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/gets-61024-mcallen-conspiracy.html
McALLEN — As he stood in federal court facing judgment Monday
morning, Omar Salazar had only one word to describe what drove him to
toss his law enforcement career away:
"Greed."
The former Hidalgo County sheriff's deputy admitted to a marijuana
trafficking conspiracy and testified against his onetime partner in
burglary investigations — and selling drugs.
Flipping on Heriberto Diaz, 43, a former investigator himself serving
an 11-year sentence for the crime, led Chief U.S. District Judge
Ricardo Hinojosa to sentence Salazar to two-and-a-half years in
prison — less than half the typical minimum sentence for a marijuana
conspiracy case.
"You are paying the price for your decision — you admitted it,"
Hinojosa told Salazar, 44, at a sentencing hearing Monday morning in
U.S. District Court. "So after the price is paid, you can go back and
serve your community once again."
For Salazar, that service won't be in law enforcement. He told the
judge he has learned a new trade — cutting hair — that he said he has
performed on other inmates while awaiting sentencing.
Monday's sentencing hearing marked the latest high-profile case
involving Rio Grande Valley law enforcement officers betraying fellow
officers and the communities they serve.
"It was a real tragedy all the way around — a tragedy in that they
betrayed the public and the badge and now his kids are going to be
without a father for a while," Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño
said Monday. "The guy messed up, the guy got adjudicated and now he
got sentenced so he can go pay for it.
"It's a done deal."
The case traces back to late 2009, when a Mission police officer
responded to radio traffic and found Diaz and Salazar inside a
residence with 354 pounds of marijuana inside. Loading the bundles
into a pickup truck were Joel and Jorge Duncan, father and son drug
smugglers who tipped off the deputies to the drug load and stood to
benefit from the scheme.
Hinojosa sentenced Joel Duncan to 98 months in prison Monday afternoon.
Unlike Salazar, Diaz maintained his innocence through a jury trial
that ended with a guilty verdict and a sentencing hearing in March
that gave him more than a decade behind bars. Agents said Monday that
unlike Diaz, Salazar did not fail any lie detector tests administered
when investigators unraveled their drug trafficking scheme.
Clad in a powder-blue, collared shirt with trim black hair, Salazar
learned his sentence Monday without any family members present in the
courtroom. His body occasionally shook as he looked at the floor
awaiting his turn to go before the judge.
Salazar's apparent nervousness showed before Hinojosa, whose incisive
questioning left the former deputy to respond with fragmented, quiet
responses barely audible in the courtroom.
"Were you ever tempted to say anything to stop or not do this?"
Hinojosa asked.
"I never wanted to do it until it happened," Salazar responded. "I
didn't want to do it."
"But you did," Hinojosa said. "How much did you get paid for this?"
"I don't know," Salazar responded.
"So you were greedy, but you don't know how greedy?" Hinojosa fired
back.
"No," Salazar said.
Salazar claimed the decision to act on the Duncans' tip that
marijuana could be found at the Mission residence happened on a
moment's notice, so much that it turned him into "a different person
for 20 minutes."
"This wasn't just a 20-minute thing," Hinojosa said. "Let's face it,
right?"
"No, sir," Salazar mumbled.
After about half an hour answering the judge's questions, Salazar
learned his cooperation with prosecutors and FBI agents would prove
beneficial, with a prison sentence less than half the recommended
amount under federal guidelines.
"There is no doubt that during the time you did this, you stepped on
what you did in public service your whole life," Hinojosa said.
"There is nothing that will change that day. There is nothing that
will change your prison sentence."
Ejecutan a director de la policía de municipio tarahumara
LA REDACCIÓN
21 DE MAYO DE 2012 · SIN COMENTARIOS
DESTACADO
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=308286
CHIHUAHUA, Chih. (APRO).- En una emboscada, el director de seguridad
pública del municipio Guadalupe y Calvo, Eleazar Salas Martínez, fue
asesinado. En su cuerpo se contabilizaron 15 impactos de bala,
informó la Fiscalía General del Estado.
De acuerdo con el vocero, Carlos González Estrada, junto con Salas
Martínez viajaba un agente policiaco que quedó con vida y quien narró
que cuando viajaban en una camioneta fueron interceptados por un
grupo de hombres armados y encapuchados, quienes los bajaron,
esposaron y vendaron los ojos.
Cuando el agente ya no escuchó voces, se destapó y vio una señora que
le prestó ayuda.
La zona de Guadalupe y Calvo, enclavada en la Sierra Tarahumara,
históricamente ha registrado hechos delictivos relacionados con el
narcotráfico.
AZMEX SHOOTERS SPECIAL 23-5-12
AZMEX SHOOTER SPECIAL 23 MAY 2012
Note: Despite all the problems, our friends in Mexico still want to
compete. The shooting sports are still alive, not that well, but
still alive in Mexico. Following couple stories about kids from
Sonora and Jalisco competing in the ISSF, Olympic shooting
competitions in Mexico over the next few days. Mostly air guns. But
there is also some .22 rimfire and for adults centerfire events.
Some of them hope to make it the the summer olympics. Run by the
Mexican shooting organization FEMETI. Some good photos of some of
the juniors in Nuevo Dia, in Sonora and El Informador in Jalisco.
Some of us still remember the good old days when we could go there to
compete or hunt, and our Mexican friends could come here. Let's work
to make that happen again.
BTW, much better media coverage than in the U.S.
Thx
Sports
Posted May 22 2012, 10:27 PM
Sonora points to the Nationals
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/deportes/sonora-apunta-al-nacional-de-tiro/
Sonoran will feature 33 athletes in this discipline to be held in the
capital of Jalisco.
Hermosillo, Sonora - Nueva Dia
A total of 33 competitors shooting (rifle and pistol) will be those
who will see action by the Force Sonora at the National Olympiad in
2012 in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Cuban coach of Force Sonora, Aurelio Perez Andreu, announced that 25
will do so in the form of pistol and eight in the rifle, in the
categories Pre-Juvenile Juvenile Minor, Major and Junior Elite.
A group of all the team and left for the Perla Tapatia, while the
other will do the selective Monday at 7 pm.
"It will be tough competition, it will be hard and tight, so we
prepared hard for this event is the highlight of the year," said
Perez Andreu.
The native of Cuba strategist is confident that their pupils have
good results as those obtained in previous years, highlighting the 13
National Olympic golds in the past.
Jalisco starts the day with three golds in shooting
National Olympics
The State won the victory in the men's singles category PreJuvenil,
10 meter Rifle 3-Position Match. FILE
http://www.informador.com.mx/deportes/2012/378199/6/jalisco-arranca-
el-dia-con-tres-oros-en-tiro.htm
The State won three gold medals and two silvers at the start of the
third day of activities of the National Olympiad
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco (23/MAY/2012.) - At the start of the third day
of activities of the National Olympics, shooting, Jalisco began with
good step to achieve three gold medals and two silver.
The category PreJuvenil female team, specializing in 10 meters Match
Rifle 3 positions, Jalisco won the gold medal.
In the men's singles category PreJuvenil, 10 meter Rifle 3-Position
Match, the Guadalajara Sebastian Gonzalez won the victory in
accounting for 491.3 points, leaving Alfonso Marique of Tamaulipas in
second place with 490.2 points, third place went to Daniel Martin
Coahuila with 489.2 units.
With respect to the category PreJuvenil single female in 10 meters
Match Rifle 3 positions, Jalisco did one two with Jennifer Baltazar
who had 495.9 and 478.8 with Erendira Barba points, respectively, so
that the third place went to Fernanda Ortega State of Mexico, who
finished with 477.9 units.
The other silver medal for Jalisco, the team won the men's category
at 10 meters PreJuvenil Match Rifle 3 positions, ending below Coahuila.
EL INFORMADOR / Rodrigo Velazquez
Jalisco does not fail in shooting
The shooting remains one of the strongest teams of Jalisco in the
National Olympiad. MEXSPORT
The blue and gold team keeps pace in the National Olympiad
http://www.informador.com.mx/deportes/2012/378025/6/jalisco-no-falla-
en-tiro-deportivo.htm
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco (22/MAY/2012.) - Jalisco continues with good
results, so far is two gold medals, with respect to the team event
shooting a 10-meter rifle three positions (rifle match) manly, and
the same weapon, but in the junior men's singles minor, Carlos Zepeda
took the golden medal.
In the team event with 2615 points exceeded Jalisco to Nuevo Leon,
which totaled 2593, and Chihuahua, which ended in 2541. Shooters
Carlos Zepeda, Erick Cruz and Geovanni Eagle, were responsible for
leading his team to the top.
With respect to the individual test, Jalisco won 1-2, thanks to the
top of Carlos Zepeda, who scored 855.63 points in his shots, and
second in Erick Cruz, who finished with 883.63 units. The third place
went to Joseph Santos of Coahuila, with 883.61 units.
At the moment it does the rounds of the Major Junior Men's category
of rifle three positions at 10 meters.
Inauguration of National Olympiad Shooting
The activities for each category started from 10 am and end at 19:30.
FILE
A total of 288 shooters will be participating in the youth event
Four Mexican shooters have their ticket to London 2012
The specialty tournament began today at the Sports CODE Whereabouts
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco (21/MAY/2012.) - As a sub site of the 2012
edition of the National Olympiad, Jalisco receives Shooting Complex
and specialty, located in the Sports CODE Whereabouts was the setting
for the ceremony ceremonial opening, which occurred this morning.
Carlos Prado, president of the board of Jalisco Code and Soberanis
Jorge Peña, president of the Mexican Shooting and Hunting,
authorities were present at the event and those responsible for the
speeches.
"The shooting is more widespread every day, institutes of sport of
the various states have made a very good job, making things that are
bearing fruit in our country and an example of that is we have four
shooters who earned their right to participate in the Olympic Games
of London 2012; of these four, three came precisely from the National
Olympiad, which is why the importance of events like this, "said Peña
Soberanis.
A total of 288 shooters representing 23 states of the Mexican
Republic, are those who will be participating in the largest sporting
youth event in the country, it being recalled that participates as a
sub Guadalajara headquarters of the National Olympiad, which this
year is hosted in the states Puebla and Guanajuato.
The powers of this day began from 10 am, with the category prejuvenil
female and male prejuvenil rifle shooting Olympic break, it will have
its final point 13:00. Later, at 14:30 the junior junior and senior
women's rifle match will have their participation, and its end after
16:30. Later the junior men's minor and major, also match rifle,
start shooting at 17:30, and its end at 19:30 hours.
EL INFORMADOR / Rodrigo Velazquez
Note: Despite all the problems, our friends in Mexico still want to
compete. The shooting sports are still alive, not that well, but
still alive in Mexico. Following couple stories about kids from
Sonora and Jalisco competing in the ISSF, Olympic shooting
competitions in Mexico over the next few days. Mostly air guns. But
there is also some .22 rimfire and for adults centerfire events.
Some of them hope to make it the the summer olympics. Run by the
Mexican shooting organization FEMETI. Some good photos of some of
the juniors in Nuevo Dia, in Sonora and El Informador in Jalisco.
Some of us still remember the good old days when we could go there to
compete or hunt, and our Mexican friends could come here. Let's work
to make that happen again.
BTW, much better media coverage than in the U.S.
Thx
Sports
Posted May 22 2012, 10:27 PM
Sonora points to the Nationals
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/deportes/sonora-apunta-al-nacional-de-tiro/
Sonoran will feature 33 athletes in this discipline to be held in the
capital of Jalisco.
Hermosillo, Sonora - Nueva Dia
A total of 33 competitors shooting (rifle and pistol) will be those
who will see action by the Force Sonora at the National Olympiad in
2012 in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Cuban coach of Force Sonora, Aurelio Perez Andreu, announced that 25
will do so in the form of pistol and eight in the rifle, in the
categories Pre-Juvenile Juvenile Minor, Major and Junior Elite.
A group of all the team and left for the Perla Tapatia, while the
other will do the selective Monday at 7 pm.
"It will be tough competition, it will be hard and tight, so we
prepared hard for this event is the highlight of the year," said
Perez Andreu.
The native of Cuba strategist is confident that their pupils have
good results as those obtained in previous years, highlighting the 13
National Olympic golds in the past.
Jalisco starts the day with three golds in shooting
National Olympics
The State won the victory in the men's singles category PreJuvenil,
10 meter Rifle 3-Position Match. FILE
http://www.informador.com.mx/deportes/2012/378199/6/jalisco-arranca-
el-dia-con-tres-oros-en-tiro.htm
The State won three gold medals and two silvers at the start of the
third day of activities of the National Olympiad
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco (23/MAY/2012.) - At the start of the third day
of activities of the National Olympics, shooting, Jalisco began with
good step to achieve three gold medals and two silver.
The category PreJuvenil female team, specializing in 10 meters Match
Rifle 3 positions, Jalisco won the gold medal.
In the men's singles category PreJuvenil, 10 meter Rifle 3-Position
Match, the Guadalajara Sebastian Gonzalez won the victory in
accounting for 491.3 points, leaving Alfonso Marique of Tamaulipas in
second place with 490.2 points, third place went to Daniel Martin
Coahuila with 489.2 units.
With respect to the category PreJuvenil single female in 10 meters
Match Rifle 3 positions, Jalisco did one two with Jennifer Baltazar
who had 495.9 and 478.8 with Erendira Barba points, respectively, so
that the third place went to Fernanda Ortega State of Mexico, who
finished with 477.9 units.
The other silver medal for Jalisco, the team won the men's category
at 10 meters PreJuvenil Match Rifle 3 positions, ending below Coahuila.
EL INFORMADOR / Rodrigo Velazquez
Jalisco does not fail in shooting
The shooting remains one of the strongest teams of Jalisco in the
National Olympiad. MEXSPORT
The blue and gold team keeps pace in the National Olympiad
http://www.informador.com.mx/deportes/2012/378025/6/jalisco-no-falla-
en-tiro-deportivo.htm
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco (22/MAY/2012.) - Jalisco continues with good
results, so far is two gold medals, with respect to the team event
shooting a 10-meter rifle three positions (rifle match) manly, and
the same weapon, but in the junior men's singles minor, Carlos Zepeda
took the golden medal.
In the team event with 2615 points exceeded Jalisco to Nuevo Leon,
which totaled 2593, and Chihuahua, which ended in 2541. Shooters
Carlos Zepeda, Erick Cruz and Geovanni Eagle, were responsible for
leading his team to the top.
With respect to the individual test, Jalisco won 1-2, thanks to the
top of Carlos Zepeda, who scored 855.63 points in his shots, and
second in Erick Cruz, who finished with 883.63 units. The third place
went to Joseph Santos of Coahuila, with 883.61 units.
At the moment it does the rounds of the Major Junior Men's category
of rifle three positions at 10 meters.
Inauguration of National Olympiad Shooting
The activities for each category started from 10 am and end at 19:30.
FILE
A total of 288 shooters will be participating in the youth event
Four Mexican shooters have their ticket to London 2012
The specialty tournament began today at the Sports CODE Whereabouts
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco (21/MAY/2012.) - As a sub site of the 2012
edition of the National Olympiad, Jalisco receives Shooting Complex
and specialty, located in the Sports CODE Whereabouts was the setting
for the ceremony ceremonial opening, which occurred this morning.
Carlos Prado, president of the board of Jalisco Code and Soberanis
Jorge Peña, president of the Mexican Shooting and Hunting,
authorities were present at the event and those responsible for the
speeches.
"The shooting is more widespread every day, institutes of sport of
the various states have made a very good job, making things that are
bearing fruit in our country and an example of that is we have four
shooters who earned their right to participate in the Olympic Games
of London 2012; of these four, three came precisely from the National
Olympiad, which is why the importance of events like this, "said Peña
Soberanis.
A total of 288 shooters representing 23 states of the Mexican
Republic, are those who will be participating in the largest sporting
youth event in the country, it being recalled that participates as a
sub Guadalajara headquarters of the National Olympiad, which this
year is hosted in the states Puebla and Guanajuato.
The powers of this day began from 10 am, with the category prejuvenil
female and male prejuvenil rifle shooting Olympic break, it will have
its final point 13:00. Later, at 14:30 the junior junior and senior
women's rifle match will have their participation, and its end after
16:30. Later the junior men's minor and major, also match rifle,
start shooting at 17:30, and its end at 19:30 hours.
EL INFORMADOR / Rodrigo Velazquez
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
AZMEX POLICY 22-5-12
AZMEX POLICY 22 MAY 2012
Note: Oped; Until something is done about the doper, nothing
improves. If, besides destroying lives, there is no penalty, why
should they stop? Legalization? Free dope? Free meals, housing,
etc? Where would it stop? Maybe there was a reason that these drugs
were made illegal so many years ago? How many parasites can a
society support?
Officials: Drug fight must focus on demand
by Daniel González - May. 21, 2012 11:11 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Federal and state law-enforcement officials told a congressional
panel in Arizona on Monday that efforts to combat drug trafficking
from Mexico to the United States must include reducing the demand for
illegal drugs in this country, not just more enforcement.
The officials cited numerous examples in which increased
collaboration between law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. and
Mexico, especially when it comes to sharing intelligence, has been
effective in combating international drug organizations that use
Arizona as a major corridor to smuggle marijuana, methamphetamine and
heroin into the country.
But they said more emphasis needs to be placed on reducing the demand
for drugs.
"When I first started, I thought I was going to arrest my way out of
the problem," said Elizabeth Kempshall, a former head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration's Arizona office who is now executive
director of the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a
federal program that coordinates drug-control efforts among local,
state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
"I was going to arrest every bad guy, and we were going to eliminate
the drug-abuse problem," Kempshall said. "But I've learned through
experience and hard knocks that it has to be a coordinated approach
between law enforcement, demand reduction and treatment."
Kempshall's comment came in response to a question from U.S. Rep.
Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., during a bipartisan field hearing in Phoenix to
look at ways to improve collaboration among law-enforcement agencies
in combating international drug-smuggling organizations during a time
of budget cuts. "We need to keep teaching our children about the
dangers of drug abuse," Kempshall said.
Gosar had asked what could be done to stop the rise in superlabs in
Mexico that produce methamphetamine to be smuggled into the U.S.
Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Phoenix, told Gosar, "You might find this surprising
coming from someone in law enforcement," but addressing the demand
for illegal drugs in the U.S. is as important as cracking down on
drug-smuggling organizations.
"It wouldn't get produced and it wouldn't come here if we didn't use
it," Allen said.
The comments reflect a divide among some policy makers and law-
enforcement officials over the nation's strategy in its war on drugs.
Critics have noted that demand for illegal drugs has been largely
untouched over the decades by billions of dollars spent attempting to
halt their flow into the United States. But others have been
reluctant to let up on the fight against suppliers in favor of more
demand-oriented policies, calling it a soft-on-crime stance.
Brig. Gen. Jose Salinas, director of the Joint Staff of the Arizona
National Guard, said a drug-prevention program run by the Guard at
elementary schools is being eliminated because of military budget
cuts. He praised the drug-prevention program as an important part of
the Guard's counter-drug strategy, which includes providing
intelligence analysis and other support to the Border Patrol and
other federal agencies.
But the program's effectiveness "is very hard to quantify" and, as a
result, is being cut, he said.
The hearing, held at the Guard's headquarters in Phoenix, was hosted
by Reps. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz.; Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; and Gosar.
Lee said "one of the strongest messages I will take back to
Washington" from the hearing is the need to do more about reducing
the demand for drugs.
Quayle told The Arizona Republic after the hearing that he agreed.
"We have to work on the demand side as well as the supply side,"
Quayle said.
In 2011, anti-drug-smuggling initiatives in Arizona disrupted or
dismantled 37 drug-smuggling organizations, Kempshall said. The
initiatives resulted in the seizure of more than 1.1 million pounds
of marijuana last year, up 118 percent from the year before, she said.
Law-enforcement agencies also seized 1,600 pounds of meth and 560
pounds of heroin last year in Arizona, up 88 percent and 1,017
percent respectively, she said.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/
2012/05/21/20120521drug-fight-arizona-mexico.html#ixzz1vbnuWbnT
Note: Oped; Until something is done about the doper, nothing
improves. If, besides destroying lives, there is no penalty, why
should they stop? Legalization? Free dope? Free meals, housing,
etc? Where would it stop? Maybe there was a reason that these drugs
were made illegal so many years ago? How many parasites can a
society support?
Officials: Drug fight must focus on demand
by Daniel González - May. 21, 2012 11:11 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Federal and state law-enforcement officials told a congressional
panel in Arizona on Monday that efforts to combat drug trafficking
from Mexico to the United States must include reducing the demand for
illegal drugs in this country, not just more enforcement.
The officials cited numerous examples in which increased
collaboration between law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. and
Mexico, especially when it comes to sharing intelligence, has been
effective in combating international drug organizations that use
Arizona as a major corridor to smuggle marijuana, methamphetamine and
heroin into the country.
But they said more emphasis needs to be placed on reducing the demand
for drugs.
"When I first started, I thought I was going to arrest my way out of
the problem," said Elizabeth Kempshall, a former head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration's Arizona office who is now executive
director of the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a
federal program that coordinates drug-control efforts among local,
state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
"I was going to arrest every bad guy, and we were going to eliminate
the drug-abuse problem," Kempshall said. "But I've learned through
experience and hard knocks that it has to be a coordinated approach
between law enforcement, demand reduction and treatment."
Kempshall's comment came in response to a question from U.S. Rep.
Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., during a bipartisan field hearing in Phoenix to
look at ways to improve collaboration among law-enforcement agencies
in combating international drug-smuggling organizations during a time
of budget cuts. "We need to keep teaching our children about the
dangers of drug abuse," Kempshall said.
Gosar had asked what could be done to stop the rise in superlabs in
Mexico that produce methamphetamine to be smuggled into the U.S.
Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Phoenix, told Gosar, "You might find this surprising
coming from someone in law enforcement," but addressing the demand
for illegal drugs in the U.S. is as important as cracking down on
drug-smuggling organizations.
"It wouldn't get produced and it wouldn't come here if we didn't use
it," Allen said.
The comments reflect a divide among some policy makers and law-
enforcement officials over the nation's strategy in its war on drugs.
Critics have noted that demand for illegal drugs has been largely
untouched over the decades by billions of dollars spent attempting to
halt their flow into the United States. But others have been
reluctant to let up on the fight against suppliers in favor of more
demand-oriented policies, calling it a soft-on-crime stance.
Brig. Gen. Jose Salinas, director of the Joint Staff of the Arizona
National Guard, said a drug-prevention program run by the Guard at
elementary schools is being eliminated because of military budget
cuts. He praised the drug-prevention program as an important part of
the Guard's counter-drug strategy, which includes providing
intelligence analysis and other support to the Border Patrol and
other federal agencies.
But the program's effectiveness "is very hard to quantify" and, as a
result, is being cut, he said.
The hearing, held at the Guard's headquarters in Phoenix, was hosted
by Reps. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz.; Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; and Gosar.
Lee said "one of the strongest messages I will take back to
Washington" from the hearing is the need to do more about reducing
the demand for drugs.
Quayle told The Arizona Republic after the hearing that he agreed.
"We have to work on the demand side as well as the supply side,"
Quayle said.
In 2011, anti-drug-smuggling initiatives in Arizona disrupted or
dismantled 37 drug-smuggling organizations, Kempshall said. The
initiatives resulted in the seizure of more than 1.1 million pounds
of marijuana last year, up 118 percent from the year before, she said.
Law-enforcement agencies also seized 1,600 pounds of meth and 560
pounds of heroin last year in Arizona, up 88 percent and 1,017
percent respectively, she said.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/
2012/05/21/20120521drug-fight-arizona-mexico.html#ixzz1vbnuWbnT
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 22-5-12
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 22 MAY 2012
Trial date delayed for pair accused in BP agent's death
Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/trial-date-delayed-for-pair-
accused-in-bp-agent-s/article_4155d126-8274-5e93-902b-cc8b7266aa4f.html
A judge has postponed the trial for two men accused in the December
2010 death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
In a closed hearing last week, U.S. District Judge David C. Bury
decided that the current June 12 trial date will not work, newly
released minutes of the hearing say. He did not set a new trial date.
"The Court and counsel confer as to the current trial date," the
minutes say. "All parties agree the current date is not feasible.
Based on defendant's waiver of speedy trial and at the request of
both parties the trial date of June 12, 2012 will be reset."
The case against Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and co-defendant Rito Osorio-
Arellanes has been sealed by Bury, but a coalition of news
organizations is in litigation to open up the court case, and the
minutes were released as part of that process. Manuel is charged with
second-degree murder in the case, but it is unclear what charge Rito
faces.
Bury set a new status hearing for Aug. 20.
Terry, an agent in the patrol's elite Bortac unit, was killed in a
gunfight with a group of suspected border bandits west of Rio Rico.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes was wounded in the gunfire, but prosecutors
have not alleged he was the shooter who killed Terry.
Court documents released May 11 show that Manuel Osorio-Arellanes'
attorney thought last year that a plea agreement was close in the
case. In a Sept. 19 status conference before then-U.S. Magistrate
Jennifer Zipps, attorney Clay Hernandez said that was before the U.S.
Attorney's Office in San Diego took over the case from Tucson
prosecutors.
Before that, he said, "We were extremely close, days away actually
from probably setting a change of plea."
On Jan. 12, Bury ordered that prosecutors unseal and release certain
types of documents in the case - indictments as well as orders and
minute entries issued by the court - but he declined to unseal the
entire case file, as requested by the Arizona Daily Star and five
other news outlets. Prosecutors want the case remain sealed until all
those indicted have been arrested, Bury said.
Trial date delayed for pair accused in BP agent's death
Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/trial-date-delayed-for-pair-
accused-in-bp-agent-s/article_4155d126-8274-5e93-902b-cc8b7266aa4f.html
A judge has postponed the trial for two men accused in the December
2010 death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
In a closed hearing last week, U.S. District Judge David C. Bury
decided that the current June 12 trial date will not work, newly
released minutes of the hearing say. He did not set a new trial date.
"The Court and counsel confer as to the current trial date," the
minutes say. "All parties agree the current date is not feasible.
Based on defendant's waiver of speedy trial and at the request of
both parties the trial date of June 12, 2012 will be reset."
The case against Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and co-defendant Rito Osorio-
Arellanes has been sealed by Bury, but a coalition of news
organizations is in litigation to open up the court case, and the
minutes were released as part of that process. Manuel is charged with
second-degree murder in the case, but it is unclear what charge Rito
faces.
Bury set a new status hearing for Aug. 20.
Terry, an agent in the patrol's elite Bortac unit, was killed in a
gunfight with a group of suspected border bandits west of Rio Rico.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes was wounded in the gunfire, but prosecutors
have not alleged he was the shooter who killed Terry.
Court documents released May 11 show that Manuel Osorio-Arellanes'
attorney thought last year that a plea agreement was close in the
case. In a Sept. 19 status conference before then-U.S. Magistrate
Jennifer Zipps, attorney Clay Hernandez said that was before the U.S.
Attorney's Office in San Diego took over the case from Tucson
prosecutors.
Before that, he said, "We were extremely close, days away actually
from probably setting a change of plea."
On Jan. 12, Bury ordered that prosecutors unseal and release certain
types of documents in the case - indictments as well as orders and
minute entries issued by the court - but he declined to unseal the
entire case file, as requested by the Arizona Daily Star and five
other news outlets. Prosecutors want the case remain sealed until all
those indicted have been arrested, Bury said.
AZMEX SPECIAL 17-5-12
AZMEX SPECIAL 17 MAY 2012
Note: The people have few options, having lost the right to self
defense and to keep and bear arms.
As we have seen repeatedly, the Mexican people will fight back if
they have something to do it with. Polls in past have shown 80%
support for being armed.
Report spotlights refugees of Mexico's drug war
May 16, 2012 8:14 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/carlos-60927-spotlights-
international.html
Apprehension gripped Carlos Acosta as he crossed the Hidalgo
international bridge into Reynosa.
Just a few years ago, he wouldn't have sweated the trip: a few quick
errands in a midsize sedan.
But rising border violence has changed the picture. Today Acosta
makes these trips less often — and only during the day.
It was the volatility of the drug war in northern Mexico that led
Acosta, who was born and raised in the coastal city of Tampico,
Tamps., to move his family to the United States in 2010. They had
been targeted by kidnapping threats. One attempted abduction was
foiled by the Mexican military.
"It just became too much," he said in Spanish. "It got to the point
where not only did you have regular shootouts, but every week you
found out someone you knew had been picked up and his family had to
pay ransom money, or someone else had been extorted.
"That's not the way an honest family should live."
Acosta is just one of the thousands of Mexican nationals who have
packed up their belongings and relocated to another Mexican city or
to the U.S.
Some 140,000 people have been internally displaced by drug cartel
violence since 2007, with the Mexican government still failing to
acknowledge the displacement of people, according to the Global
Overview 2011 report, released in late April by the Internal
Displacement Monitoring Center and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Perhaps dismissive of the report, Mexican Secretary of State
Alejandro Poire noted the United Nations did not compile it, and he
said his office was not familiar with the information on which the
IDMC and Norwegian Refugee Council based their work.
CARTEL CATALYST
Internal displacement in Mexico and other Latin American countries —
like Colombia and Peru — differs from that seen in other parts of the
world in that it stems from organized crime rather than political- or
religious-rooted conflicts, according to the report.
"People fleeing threats to their physical security by drug cartels
have not necessarily found the safety they sought and have continued
in some cases to face criminal violence," the report states.
The head of the IDMC, Kate Halff, said her organization has been
tracking human displacement for more than 14 years, and 2011 was an
unsafe time for millions of people worldwide — not just in Mexico.
"From criminal violence including attacks by armed groups in sub-
Saharan Africa or by drug cartels in Latin America, to armed clashes
such as those associated with the conflict in (Ivory Coast) or the
uprisings across the Arab world: Such events caused hundreds of
thousands of people to flee their homes," she said. "Many risked
their lives as they sought refuge in unfamiliar environments while
facing a constant struggle to meet their basic needs."
According to 2010 from the IDMC and Norwegian Refugee Council, some
of the increase in violence can be attributed to the violent clashes
between highly armed criminals and the Mexican military.
"In 2006 the Mexican government of (President) Felipe Calderón
launched a military offensive against the country's drug cartels,"
the 2010 report states. "The intervention of the armed forces in
cornering rival groups reportedly sparked vicious turf wars over
previously agreed trafficking routes … some refer to the situation as
one of armed conflict or insurgency."
The Global Overview 2011 report talks about the more than 400
refugees who fled in November 2010 from the small town of Ciudad Mier
to the neighboring city of Miguel Alemán. According to news articles
published by The Monitor at the time, the exodus had to do with the
sudden increase in violence between the Gulf Cartel and their
estranged allies, the Zetas.
At the time, city officials and the Mexican military set up a shelter
at a gymnasium and at the Lions Club hall in Miguel Alemán, across
the Rio Grande from Roma, to house the refugees.
By January 2011, most of the refugees had returned home, the IDMC
report states.
"It is only through effective government action," Halff said, "that
responses can be developed which improve the long-term prospects of
internally displaced people and allow them to make their own
decisions concerning their future."
Note: The people have few options, having lost the right to self
defense and to keep and bear arms.
As we have seen repeatedly, the Mexican people will fight back if
they have something to do it with. Polls in past have shown 80%
support for being armed.
Report spotlights refugees of Mexico's drug war
May 16, 2012 8:14 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/carlos-60927-spotlights-
international.html
Apprehension gripped Carlos Acosta as he crossed the Hidalgo
international bridge into Reynosa.
Just a few years ago, he wouldn't have sweated the trip: a few quick
errands in a midsize sedan.
But rising border violence has changed the picture. Today Acosta
makes these trips less often — and only during the day.
It was the volatility of the drug war in northern Mexico that led
Acosta, who was born and raised in the coastal city of Tampico,
Tamps., to move his family to the United States in 2010. They had
been targeted by kidnapping threats. One attempted abduction was
foiled by the Mexican military.
"It just became too much," he said in Spanish. "It got to the point
where not only did you have regular shootouts, but every week you
found out someone you knew had been picked up and his family had to
pay ransom money, or someone else had been extorted.
"That's not the way an honest family should live."
Acosta is just one of the thousands of Mexican nationals who have
packed up their belongings and relocated to another Mexican city or
to the U.S.
Some 140,000 people have been internally displaced by drug cartel
violence since 2007, with the Mexican government still failing to
acknowledge the displacement of people, according to the Global
Overview 2011 report, released in late April by the Internal
Displacement Monitoring Center and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Perhaps dismissive of the report, Mexican Secretary of State
Alejandro Poire noted the United Nations did not compile it, and he
said his office was not familiar with the information on which the
IDMC and Norwegian Refugee Council based their work.
CARTEL CATALYST
Internal displacement in Mexico and other Latin American countries —
like Colombia and Peru — differs from that seen in other parts of the
world in that it stems from organized crime rather than political- or
religious-rooted conflicts, according to the report.
"People fleeing threats to their physical security by drug cartels
have not necessarily found the safety they sought and have continued
in some cases to face criminal violence," the report states.
The head of the IDMC, Kate Halff, said her organization has been
tracking human displacement for more than 14 years, and 2011 was an
unsafe time for millions of people worldwide — not just in Mexico.
"From criminal violence including attacks by armed groups in sub-
Saharan Africa or by drug cartels in Latin America, to armed clashes
such as those associated with the conflict in (Ivory Coast) or the
uprisings across the Arab world: Such events caused hundreds of
thousands of people to flee their homes," she said. "Many risked
their lives as they sought refuge in unfamiliar environments while
facing a constant struggle to meet their basic needs."
According to 2010 from the IDMC and Norwegian Refugee Council, some
of the increase in violence can be attributed to the violent clashes
between highly armed criminals and the Mexican military.
"In 2006 the Mexican government of (President) Felipe Calderón
launched a military offensive against the country's drug cartels,"
the 2010 report states. "The intervention of the armed forces in
cornering rival groups reportedly sparked vicious turf wars over
previously agreed trafficking routes … some refer to the situation as
one of armed conflict or insurgency."
The Global Overview 2011 report talks about the more than 400
refugees who fled in November 2010 from the small town of Ciudad Mier
to the neighboring city of Miguel Alemán. According to news articles
published by The Monitor at the time, the exodus had to do with the
sudden increase in violence between the Gulf Cartel and their
estranged allies, the Zetas.
At the time, city officials and the Mexican military set up a shelter
at a gymnasium and at the Lions Club hall in Miguel Alemán, across
the Rio Grande from Roma, to house the refugees.
By January 2011, most of the refugees had returned home, the IDMC
report states.
"It is only through effective government action," Halff said, "that
responses can be developed which improve the long-term prospects of
internally displaced people and allow them to make their own
decisions concerning their future."
AZMEX POLICY 17-5-12
AZMEX POLICY 17 MAY 2012
Note: As pointed out before, groups like Los Zetas, FARC, Chicago
democrats and the United Russia party have realized that government
can be the most profitable criminal enterprise.
Drug trafficking and organized crime seek to be an alternative to
power: OAS
[Drug]
By Notimex
17/05/2012 - 12:42 p.m.
http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/narcotrafico-y-crimen-
organizado-buscan-ser-alternativa-de-poder-oea
Lima. - Drug trafficking and organized crime, which seek to operate
under their own "laws" and contradict the norms of democratic
cohabitation, seeking to become an alternative power, warned the
secretary general of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza.
Both in association constitute a threat to democracy in the region,
said the former Chilean foreign minister told the government agency
Andina.
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS)
highlighted the importance of addressing this problem regionally, at
venues such as the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, and anti-drug
meeting, which will be held in Lima in June.
"No doubt that drug trafficking is a threat to the region and, above
all, organized crime, which, unlike common crime seeks to become an
alternative power," he said, indicating that they seek to abide by
their own "laws".
These "laws", he said, contradict the rules of democratic life and
recalled that during the Summit of the Americas held last April in
Cartagena de Indias, the region agreed to strengthen the fight
against organized crime.
Insulza said that it was available for the creation of a security
system that seeks to strengthen coordination among countries of the
continent to attack each of the links in the drug trade.
He said the report on drug situation in the region as part of the
international anti-drug meeting to be held in Peru. "We need to
strengthen the reduction of drug demand, and not focus only on the
interdiction of supply, as part of the war on drugs," he said.
West Texas Congressional Race Could Yield Surprises
By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/may/14/west-texas-
congressional-race-could-yield-surprise/#.T7XA64twJnQ
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Beto O'Rourke is a 39-year-old former El Paso City Councilman
campaigning to become the next U.S. Congressman for the 16th District
of Texas.
EL PASO — A U.S. congressman from El Paso is fighting to save his
seat for the first time in 16 years. His main challenger in the
upcoming Texas primary is young, well-liked and could alter the U.S.
role in Mexico's drug war.
The challenger's name is Robert Francis O'Rourke, a former city
councilman better known around El Paso as "Beto".
"My parents started calling me 'Beto' from the beginning," O'Rourke
said. "I think it's a function of my families both being from El
Paso. So even though ethnically I'm Anglo, culturally I'm an El Pasoan."
O'Rourke is tall and lean with the boyish charm of a teen pop star,
only older. A classic product of the border, he not only has a
Spanish moniker, he's also fluent in the language. He went to
Columbia University and now owns a web design company. His
grandmother opened a local furniture store that is a favorite among
clients in northern Mexico. On the first date with his future wife,
he took her to a popular restaurant across the border in Ciudad Juárez.
In an effort to introduce himself to voters, O'Rourke has knocked on
some 15,000 doors across town. One of his stops on a recent Sunday
was the at the home of Dorothy Kimball, who stepped out in a pink
house dress.
Kimball is retired and a Republican. Her barefoot husband answered
the door, but when she heard O'Rourke's voice she rushed out to greet
him.
Kimball said she likes that O'Rourke represents a change in
leadership. This primary she'll pick up a Democratic ballot so she
can vote for him.
"Really I mean it just all the luck in the world," Kimball said.
"I'll be cheering when you win!"
O'Rourke is the first serious challenger to eight term incumbent
Silvestre Reyes, also a lifelong border resident. Reyes grew up on a
family farm outside El Paso as the oldest of ten children. As a kid
Reyes was a lookout, warning illegal crossers when the border patrol
was around.
Silvestre Reyes, seen meeting with voters at a community meeting, is
fighting to save his seat in U.S. Congress for the first time in 16
years.
"My job was to blow an air horn on a truck if I saw the border patrol
jeep," Reyes said. "It was part of growing up here on the border."
Later Reyes went on to become a chief for the border patrol, where he
implemented the ground-breaking Operation Hold the Line. That
initiative boosted agent visibility at the border, resulting in fewer
illegal crossings in urban centers like El Paso and San Diego, but
created much higher traffic places like rural Arizona.
"We've done an outstanding job of building up the Border Patrol,"
Reyes said. "When I retired in December of 1995 to run for congress
we had 5,600 agents around the country. Today there are almost 22,000."
If Reyes is defeated, things could change along the border he
patrolled for 26 years. Reyes is a strong supporter of the Merida
Initiative, a $1.4 billion aide package from the U.S government to
help Mexico fight organized crime. The money pays for police and
military equipment as well as training for judicial officials.
"I would argue that we need to spend more money," Reyes said. "We are
working with Mexico to help them reconstitute themselves, helping
them to vet their police and military, vet the legal system."
Challenger O'Rourke would freeze funding of the Merida Initiative
until Mexico demonstrates a drop in human rights abuses. He also is
in favor of discussing marijuana legalization as a way to weaken
Mexican drug cartels.
"If you were to lift the prohibition of marijuana … if you were to
tax regulate and control the sale in the U.S. you would do a far
better job of keeping marijuana away from young children," O'Rourke
said, "And you'd do a better job of controlling the cartel violence
in Mexico."
Reyes opposes marijuana legalization.
A poll reported by the local newspaper at the very beginning of the
race showed O'Rourke trailing Reyes by seven points. About 30 percent
of voters were undecided.
Early voting in Texas began Monday and election day is May 29. Since
El Paso is largely a Democratic district, the winner of this primary
will very likely be the next congressman.
Narcotráfico y crimen organizado buscan ser alternativa de poder: OEA
[Narcotráfico]
Por Notimex
17/05/2012 - 12:42 PM
Tags: organización de estados americanos, oea, narcotráfico, josé
miguel insulza, crimen organizado
http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/narcotrafico-y-crimen-
organizado-buscan-ser-alternativa-de-poder-oea
Lima.- El narcotráfico y el crimen organizado, que pretenden regirse
por sus propias "leyes" y contradicen las normas de convivencia
democrática, buscan convertirse en una alternativa de poder, alertó
el secretario general de la OEA, José Miguel Insulza.
Ambos, de manera asociada, constituyen una amenaza para la democracia
de la región, afirmó el ex canciller chileno en declaraciones a la
gubernamental agencia Andina.
El secretario general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA)
resaltó la importancia de abordar esa problemática regionalmente, en
espacios como la Cumbre de las Américas, realizada en Colombia, y la
reunión antidrogas, que se llevará a cabo en Lima en junio próximo.
"Sin duda que el narcotráfico es una amenaza para la región y, sobre
todo, el crimen organizado, que a diferencia del crimen común busca
convertirse en una alternativa de poder", señaló al indicar que estos
buscan regirse por sus propias "leyes".
Esas "leyes", precisó, contradicen las normas de convivencia
democrática y recordó que durante la Cumbre de las Américas efectuada
en abril pasado en Cartagena de Indias, la región acordó reforzar la
lucha contra el crimen organizado.
Insulza dijo que para ello se dispuso de la creación de un sistema de
seguridad que busca fortalecer la coordinación entre los países del
continente para atacar cada uno de los eslabones del narcotráfico.
Comentó que presentará un informe sobre la situación de las drogas en
la región en el marco de la reunión internacional antidrogas que se
realizará en Perú.
"Es necesario reforzar la reducción de la demanda de estupefacientes,
y no centrarse solo en la interdicción de la oferta, como parte de la
lucha antidrogas", aclaró.
Note: As pointed out before, groups like Los Zetas, FARC, Chicago
democrats and the United Russia party have realized that government
can be the most profitable criminal enterprise.
Drug trafficking and organized crime seek to be an alternative to
power: OAS
[Drug]
By Notimex
17/05/2012 - 12:42 p.m.
http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/narcotrafico-y-crimen-
organizado-buscan-ser-alternativa-de-poder-oea
Lima. - Drug trafficking and organized crime, which seek to operate
under their own "laws" and contradict the norms of democratic
cohabitation, seeking to become an alternative power, warned the
secretary general of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza.
Both in association constitute a threat to democracy in the region,
said the former Chilean foreign minister told the government agency
Andina.
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS)
highlighted the importance of addressing this problem regionally, at
venues such as the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, and anti-drug
meeting, which will be held in Lima in June.
"No doubt that drug trafficking is a threat to the region and, above
all, organized crime, which, unlike common crime seeks to become an
alternative power," he said, indicating that they seek to abide by
their own "laws".
These "laws", he said, contradict the rules of democratic life and
recalled that during the Summit of the Americas held last April in
Cartagena de Indias, the region agreed to strengthen the fight
against organized crime.
Insulza said that it was available for the creation of a security
system that seeks to strengthen coordination among countries of the
continent to attack each of the links in the drug trade.
He said the report on drug situation in the region as part of the
international anti-drug meeting to be held in Peru. "We need to
strengthen the reduction of drug demand, and not focus only on the
interdiction of supply, as part of the war on drugs," he said.
West Texas Congressional Race Could Yield Surprises
By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/may/14/west-texas-
congressional-race-could-yield-surprise/#.T7XA64twJnQ
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Beto O'Rourke is a 39-year-old former El Paso City Councilman
campaigning to become the next U.S. Congressman for the 16th District
of Texas.
EL PASO — A U.S. congressman from El Paso is fighting to save his
seat for the first time in 16 years. His main challenger in the
upcoming Texas primary is young, well-liked and could alter the U.S.
role in Mexico's drug war.
The challenger's name is Robert Francis O'Rourke, a former city
councilman better known around El Paso as "Beto".
"My parents started calling me 'Beto' from the beginning," O'Rourke
said. "I think it's a function of my families both being from El
Paso. So even though ethnically I'm Anglo, culturally I'm an El Pasoan."
O'Rourke is tall and lean with the boyish charm of a teen pop star,
only older. A classic product of the border, he not only has a
Spanish moniker, he's also fluent in the language. He went to
Columbia University and now owns a web design company. His
grandmother opened a local furniture store that is a favorite among
clients in northern Mexico. On the first date with his future wife,
he took her to a popular restaurant across the border in Ciudad Juárez.
In an effort to introduce himself to voters, O'Rourke has knocked on
some 15,000 doors across town. One of his stops on a recent Sunday
was the at the home of Dorothy Kimball, who stepped out in a pink
house dress.
Kimball is retired and a Republican. Her barefoot husband answered
the door, but when she heard O'Rourke's voice she rushed out to greet
him.
Kimball said she likes that O'Rourke represents a change in
leadership. This primary she'll pick up a Democratic ballot so she
can vote for him.
"Really I mean it just all the luck in the world," Kimball said.
"I'll be cheering when you win!"
O'Rourke is the first serious challenger to eight term incumbent
Silvestre Reyes, also a lifelong border resident. Reyes grew up on a
family farm outside El Paso as the oldest of ten children. As a kid
Reyes was a lookout, warning illegal crossers when the border patrol
was around.
Silvestre Reyes, seen meeting with voters at a community meeting, is
fighting to save his seat in U.S. Congress for the first time in 16
years.
"My job was to blow an air horn on a truck if I saw the border patrol
jeep," Reyes said. "It was part of growing up here on the border."
Later Reyes went on to become a chief for the border patrol, where he
implemented the ground-breaking Operation Hold the Line. That
initiative boosted agent visibility at the border, resulting in fewer
illegal crossings in urban centers like El Paso and San Diego, but
created much higher traffic places like rural Arizona.
"We've done an outstanding job of building up the Border Patrol,"
Reyes said. "When I retired in December of 1995 to run for congress
we had 5,600 agents around the country. Today there are almost 22,000."
If Reyes is defeated, things could change along the border he
patrolled for 26 years. Reyes is a strong supporter of the Merida
Initiative, a $1.4 billion aide package from the U.S government to
help Mexico fight organized crime. The money pays for police and
military equipment as well as training for judicial officials.
"I would argue that we need to spend more money," Reyes said. "We are
working with Mexico to help them reconstitute themselves, helping
them to vet their police and military, vet the legal system."
Challenger O'Rourke would freeze funding of the Merida Initiative
until Mexico demonstrates a drop in human rights abuses. He also is
in favor of discussing marijuana legalization as a way to weaken
Mexican drug cartels.
"If you were to lift the prohibition of marijuana … if you were to
tax regulate and control the sale in the U.S. you would do a far
better job of keeping marijuana away from young children," O'Rourke
said, "And you'd do a better job of controlling the cartel violence
in Mexico."
Reyes opposes marijuana legalization.
A poll reported by the local newspaper at the very beginning of the
race showed O'Rourke trailing Reyes by seven points. About 30 percent
of voters were undecided.
Early voting in Texas began Monday and election day is May 29. Since
El Paso is largely a Democratic district, the winner of this primary
will very likely be the next congressman.
Narcotráfico y crimen organizado buscan ser alternativa de poder: OEA
[Narcotráfico]
Por Notimex
17/05/2012 - 12:42 PM
Tags: organización de estados americanos, oea, narcotráfico, josé
miguel insulza, crimen organizado
http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/narcotrafico-y-crimen-
organizado-buscan-ser-alternativa-de-poder-oea
Lima.- El narcotráfico y el crimen organizado, que pretenden regirse
por sus propias "leyes" y contradicen las normas de convivencia
democrática, buscan convertirse en una alternativa de poder, alertó
el secretario general de la OEA, José Miguel Insulza.
Ambos, de manera asociada, constituyen una amenaza para la democracia
de la región, afirmó el ex canciller chileno en declaraciones a la
gubernamental agencia Andina.
El secretario general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA)
resaltó la importancia de abordar esa problemática regionalmente, en
espacios como la Cumbre de las Américas, realizada en Colombia, y la
reunión antidrogas, que se llevará a cabo en Lima en junio próximo.
"Sin duda que el narcotráfico es una amenaza para la región y, sobre
todo, el crimen organizado, que a diferencia del crimen común busca
convertirse en una alternativa de poder", señaló al indicar que estos
buscan regirse por sus propias "leyes".
Esas "leyes", precisó, contradicen las normas de convivencia
democrática y recordó que durante la Cumbre de las Américas efectuada
en abril pasado en Cartagena de Indias, la región acordó reforzar la
lucha contra el crimen organizado.
Insulza dijo que para ello se dispuso de la creación de un sistema de
seguridad que busca fortalecer la coordinación entre los países del
continente para atacar cada uno de los eslabones del narcotráfico.
Comentó que presentará un informe sobre la situación de las drogas en
la región en el marco de la reunión internacional antidrogas que se
realizará en Perú.
"Es necesario reforzar la reducción de la demanda de estupefacientes,
y no centrarse solo en la interdicción de la oferta, como parte de la
lucha antidrogas", aclaró.
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