AZMEX UPDATE 30 OCT 2012
Man wanted in Nevada arrested at Arizona border
By Associated Press
Originally published: Oct 30, 2012 - 2:00 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1585375/Man-wanted-in-Nevada-arrested-at-
Arizona-border
SAN LUIS, Ariz. -- A man wanted on a warrant for attempted murder in
Nevada has been arrested at the southern Arizona border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said Ever Geovany Vivar
Jr., 20, was taken into custody Monday to the San Luis Port of Entry.
CBP officers referred Vivar for additional questioning when he
attempted to enter Arizona through the pedestrian area.
After officers ran a routine records check and discovered an active
arrest warrant out of Reno, Vivar was turned over to the Yuma County
Sheriff's Office.
Authorities didn't immediately provide additional information on the
Nevada warrant Tuesday and they didn't know whether Vivar has a
lawyer yet.
Officers begin search after 2 flee traffic stop
By Martha Maurer
Originally published: Oct 30, 2012 - 1:00 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1585359/Officers-begin-search-after-2-flee-
traffic-stop
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is looking for two people who fled
after a traffic stop near Interstate 10 and Warner Road.
Sgt. Brandon Jones said when officers stopped the car, more than a
dozen people ran.
"We were able to get 13 people out of that vehicle in custody. We are
still searching for the driver and passenger of that vehicle," said
Jones.
Blog: Report suggest narcos have 'enslaved' engineers in Mexico
José Antonioi Robledo Fernández disappeared in 2009, and his parents
suspect he was put to work by organized crime in Coahuila state.
Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/senor-reporter/blog-report-suggest-
narcos-have-enslaved-engineers-in-mexico/
article_f85a25bc-22c9-11e2-9320-001a4bcf887a.html
Late on the night of June 19 2009, a group of armed men went to a
home in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and kidnapped nine men.
The nine were members of a team from Sinaloa in town to install
telephone towers.
Hours after the armed men took the technicians, the attackers
returned and took their equipment.
Nextel officials brought the case to the attention of President
Felipe Calderon, but it is still unresolved. The men are gone.
The case is one of several highlighted in a new investigative report
by Mexican news site Animal Politico and InSight Crime. The thrust of
the report is that over recent years, at least 36 professionals have
disappeared in Mexico under circumstances that suggest they may have
been forced to work for their captors.
Specifically, the piece argues, engineers, technicians and others may
have been put to work building communications networks. It notes that
in the last few years, authorities have dismantled more than 400
antennas and repeaters set up by organized-crime groups.
One network, operated by the Zetas in northeastern Mexico, consisted
of 167 antennas and 155 repeaters that linked 1,450 radios and 1,300
cell phones and 1,350 Nextel radioes, all controlled by 70 computers.
Have these kidnapped professionals been put to work building the
networks? The report doesn't prove that, but it poses an interesting
question: Why so many of the kidnapped professionals have disappeared
without a trace. That is, no bodies have been found, and no ransom
has been demanded.
The report gives the greatest attention to the case of engineer José
Antonio Robledo Fernández, who was kidnapped on Jan. 25, 2009 in
Monclava, Coahuila, while speaking to his girlfriend on the phone.
Robledo Fernández was working for construction firm ICA Flour Daniel,
had experience installing antennas and spoke perfect English.
Three days after he disappeared, his parents were in a hotel in
Monclova where they had gone to find their son. A knock came on the
door, and it was the company's the security chief, accompanied by two
members of the Zetas organized-crime group.
"They told us not to go to the police, that they were controling the
police in Monclova and in Saltillo, that they would help us and our
contact would be ICA's security chief," Robledo Fernández's mother,
Guadalupe, said.
The parents went to the police anyway. It turned out the firm had
been paying protection money to criminals, and the security chief was
involved with the Zetas, the report says. Several engineers and other
employees had been kidnapped anyway.
The young man's father, also named José, said: "Sometimes my wife and
I have slapped our foreheads thinking it would have been better to
negotiate with them, with the criminals, instead of wanting to do
things the legal way."
InSight Crime, Animal Político and others are putting out a series of
pieces on those "enslaved" by organized crime in Latin America.
Here's a piece in English on women enslaved by traffickers, and a
piece in Spanish on children.
Note: Have to wonder if el chapo's stuff or someone else's. Could
be indicator .
Published: 30/10/2012 9:46 by: Editorial ElImparcial
They seize 2 tons. of marijuana in Nogales
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
30102012/635056.aspx
NOGALES, Sonora (PH)
A total of 2 tons 260 kilos 700 grams of marijuana were seized by
military personnel conducted a raid on a ranch in Nogales, Sonora.
In coordination with the Public Safety State Police, soldiers spotted
the drug in a basement and made it available to federal authorities.
Were 273 packages of different sizes which were located in the basement.
The state police and military conducted ground surveys in the
Municipality.
Note: Among other things, several RPG rounds in photos.
Organización Editorial Mexicana
October 29, 2012
Jose Luna / El Sol de Mexico
http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldemexico/notas/n2751360.htm
City of Mexico-The Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) reported
assurance in Apatzingan, Michoacan, a ranch owned by Enrique
Plancarte Solis (a) "Kike Plancarte" and / or "Kiki", who is noted as
one of the main leaders of the criminal organization "The Knights
Templar" also seized several weapons, varying amounts of drugs, more
than $ 300,000 and one million 152 thousand pesos.
As part of the Comprehensive Strategy of the Mexican state against
Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime, dependence noted that personnel
assigned to the 43 / a. Military Zone, located the ranch called "The
Horse", in the town of Los Cuiniques, Apatzingán Township, which was
used by organized crime for various illegal purposes.
In a statement, he said that when they arrived the troops were
attacked with gunfire and grenades firearms by an indefinite number
of people, so repelled the attack and one of the attackers died at
the scene and the rest ran away.
Police disarmed by armed group in the heart of Mazatlan
The suspects fled in a white van headed for Xtrail Avenue German
Northwest
29.10.2012 | 24:10
MAZATLÁN._
http://www.noroeste.com.mx/publicaciones.php?id=822007
A group of criminals disarmed a policeman in the center of the city,
on the corner that make Belisario Dominguez and Constitution.
According to the police report, at 11:27 hours, the armed group took
from the agent a 9 mm pistol and an AR-15 rifle. a bank Banorte is
located in that corner.
Unofficially mentioned that offenders have assaulted an account
holder who would have been stripped of more than 100,000 pesos: at
the time under investigation.
The suspects fled in a white van headed for Xtrail Avenue German.
For the alleged assault and battery effected a strong municipal
police search operation with no results so far.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
AZMEX SPECIAL 29-10-12
AZMEX SPECIAL 29 OCT 2012
Note: Not quite that new, but interesting read.
Hijacked cargo new threat for firms in Mexico
October 28, 2012 12:00 am •
Dale Quinn For The Arizona Daily Star(
http://azstarnet.com/business/local/hijacked-cargo-new-threat-for-
firms-in-mexico/article_47b246c4-df31-5997-a15e-72cd81448ee7.html
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco - International companies that move goods from
Mexico into the United States have beefed up security measures in
response to increasingly organized, well-armed highway robbers.
These hijackers know what they want, which trucks are carrying it and
how to sell stolen products on the black market. As a result, some
companies that carry valuable merchandise - such as computers and
electronics - have gone so far as to use armed guards to escort their
loads through areas known to be particularly precarious.
"These criminals are now considered organized crime and they are more
prepared than in years past," Juan Carlos Aceves, who helps companies
secure their cargo as it travels through Mexico, said in Spanish.
Aceves works for a food company with operations in Central America,
Canada and Mexico.
At times, these organizations infiltrate companies and bribe
employees, Aceves said. Some hijackers are so well-informed they know
when a tractor-trailer is going to leave a location and what route it
will take, which allows them to plan the robbery in advance, Aceves
said.
Companies are tight-lipped about their security processes. A
representative from the computer company Hewlett-Packard, which has
manufacturing operations in Mexico, said its policy does not allow
for any discussion about its security process. Intel, Flextronics and
Jabil, other high-tech companies with operations in Mexico, didn't
respond to requests for comment.
Safe - with precautions
Those who work with international companies in Mexico stressed that
moving merchandise through the country is safe when the proper
precautions are taken. But the topic is clearly on the minds of those
who do business in a country with a reputation that's been tarnished
by violent drug smuggling organizations.
In May, warehouses and vehicle lots of the Mexican snack maker
Sabritas, a subsidiary of U.S. food giant PepsiCo., were hit by a
series of firebomb attacks. News reports said the company's
operations in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guanajuato had been
targeted for extortion by a drug cartel.
On Aug. 25, criminals set vehicles ablaze at major access points to
Guadalajara - the country's second-largest city - in brazen acts that
clogged traffic and alarmed residents. Drug-smuggling organizations
carry out these blockades, which locals call narcobloqueos, as
demonstrations of power when one of their leaders is captured or
killed. They are especially disconcerting for Guadalajara, as the
city, which has a cluster of high-tech manufacturing companies and is
often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of Mexico," had long been
considered immune from drug-trade violence.
The narcobloqueos do have an impact on the area's image and
demonstrate how important it is that companies use safety measures
and have insurance, said David Toscano, the general director of
SADESPE, a security consulting company in Guadalajara. But they also
show that the authorities are acting against those responsible for
much of the violence, said Toscano, who's also the chairman of the
American Chamber of Commerce's security committee in Guadalajara.
Maquilas not targeted
Nelson Balido, the president of the Border Trade Alliance, called the
attacks on the Sabritas factories an "isolated incident." Balido,
whose organization works to expedite trade between the United States,
Mexico and Canada, said maquilas, or factories where U.S. companies
manufacture their products in Mexico, have not been targeted.
"That's not a widespread issue. Maquilas are not under attack or
under siege," he said.
Even so, security and its impact on transporting goods is a frequent
topics of discussion. In August, it was the theme of a conference in
Mexico City hosted in part by the Border Trade Alliance. Before that,
in March, representatives from about 12 U.S. companies met with
officials in Guadalajara to discuss ways to cut down on cargo theft.
At that meeting, the top law enforcement officer in the western state
of Jalisco said there were 432 incidents of cargo theft in the state
in 2011.
That's more than one per day, with most in the area around Guadalajara.
"And while many of the tractor-trailers and other vehicles hijacked
were recovered, less than half of their cargos were," a news release
from the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara says.
Thefts up 72% in 1 state
In another indication of the prevalence of theft, the Mexican
newspaper Reforma, using statistics from the National Public Security
System, reported a 72 percent increase in theft against cargo
carriers in the central state of Aguascalientes in the first half of
2012 compared with the same period the previous year.
Esther Rodriguez Silva, a project manager at Texas A&M's global
supply chain laboratory, said studies have shown that while companies
feel secure within their own facilities, they don't feel secure
outside them. There's a sense of fear traveling to and from a
company's site, and law enforcement doesn't provide much reassurance.
Major concerns for companies include the threat of extortion, crimes
against employees, invasion and hijacking.
To deter those threats, companies that move merchandise through
Mexico use GPS to track their products, conduct extensive background
checks on employees connected to the shipping process and use escorts
to monitor valuable loads, Toscano said.
They also carefully plan shipping routes to avoid dangerous areas.
The added security can get expensive, and, while many international
companies still find doing business in Mexico worthwhile, it means
consumers can end up paying more.
"When it's costing the shipper more to ship," Balido said, "someone
has to make up that cost."
Goods moving from Sonora into Arizona haven't been affected. Page D6
LOCAL ANGLE
Piracy and highway robbery haven't plagued companies that move goods
from Sonora into Arizona.
Most exporters in the Mexican state directly south of Arizona
manufacture components for the aerospace, automotive and medical
industries. Those products don't have much value on the black market,
said Eduardo Saavedra, executive vice president of business
development for The Offshore Group, which owns a massive industrial
park in Guaymas, about 300 miles south of Tucson.
Still, those looking to do business in Guaymas raise the issue, he said.
"It's always part of the conversation with a new customer," Saavedra
said. "It's always about costs and benefits, and security - of course
- comes up very quickly."
Usually a visit to Sonora allays any concerns businesses might have,
Saavedra said. Federal officers regularly patrol major highways
there. And, as it's one of Mexico's northern states, cargo doesn't
spend more than a day on roads there.
Dale Quinn is a freelance reporter based in Guadalajara. Contact him
at dalehq@gmail.com
Note: Not quite that new, but interesting read.
Hijacked cargo new threat for firms in Mexico
October 28, 2012 12:00 am •
Dale Quinn For The Arizona Daily Star(
http://azstarnet.com/business/local/hijacked-cargo-new-threat-for-
firms-in-mexico/article_47b246c4-df31-5997-a15e-72cd81448ee7.html
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco - International companies that move goods from
Mexico into the United States have beefed up security measures in
response to increasingly organized, well-armed highway robbers.
These hijackers know what they want, which trucks are carrying it and
how to sell stolen products on the black market. As a result, some
companies that carry valuable merchandise - such as computers and
electronics - have gone so far as to use armed guards to escort their
loads through areas known to be particularly precarious.
"These criminals are now considered organized crime and they are more
prepared than in years past," Juan Carlos Aceves, who helps companies
secure their cargo as it travels through Mexico, said in Spanish.
Aceves works for a food company with operations in Central America,
Canada and Mexico.
At times, these organizations infiltrate companies and bribe
employees, Aceves said. Some hijackers are so well-informed they know
when a tractor-trailer is going to leave a location and what route it
will take, which allows them to plan the robbery in advance, Aceves
said.
Companies are tight-lipped about their security processes. A
representative from the computer company Hewlett-Packard, which has
manufacturing operations in Mexico, said its policy does not allow
for any discussion about its security process. Intel, Flextronics and
Jabil, other high-tech companies with operations in Mexico, didn't
respond to requests for comment.
Safe - with precautions
Those who work with international companies in Mexico stressed that
moving merchandise through the country is safe when the proper
precautions are taken. But the topic is clearly on the minds of those
who do business in a country with a reputation that's been tarnished
by violent drug smuggling organizations.
In May, warehouses and vehicle lots of the Mexican snack maker
Sabritas, a subsidiary of U.S. food giant PepsiCo., were hit by a
series of firebomb attacks. News reports said the company's
operations in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guanajuato had been
targeted for extortion by a drug cartel.
On Aug. 25, criminals set vehicles ablaze at major access points to
Guadalajara - the country's second-largest city - in brazen acts that
clogged traffic and alarmed residents. Drug-smuggling organizations
carry out these blockades, which locals call narcobloqueos, as
demonstrations of power when one of their leaders is captured or
killed. They are especially disconcerting for Guadalajara, as the
city, which has a cluster of high-tech manufacturing companies and is
often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of Mexico," had long been
considered immune from drug-trade violence.
The narcobloqueos do have an impact on the area's image and
demonstrate how important it is that companies use safety measures
and have insurance, said David Toscano, the general director of
SADESPE, a security consulting company in Guadalajara. But they also
show that the authorities are acting against those responsible for
much of the violence, said Toscano, who's also the chairman of the
American Chamber of Commerce's security committee in Guadalajara.
Maquilas not targeted
Nelson Balido, the president of the Border Trade Alliance, called the
attacks on the Sabritas factories an "isolated incident." Balido,
whose organization works to expedite trade between the United States,
Mexico and Canada, said maquilas, or factories where U.S. companies
manufacture their products in Mexico, have not been targeted.
"That's not a widespread issue. Maquilas are not under attack or
under siege," he said.
Even so, security and its impact on transporting goods is a frequent
topics of discussion. In August, it was the theme of a conference in
Mexico City hosted in part by the Border Trade Alliance. Before that,
in March, representatives from about 12 U.S. companies met with
officials in Guadalajara to discuss ways to cut down on cargo theft.
At that meeting, the top law enforcement officer in the western state
of Jalisco said there were 432 incidents of cargo theft in the state
in 2011.
That's more than one per day, with most in the area around Guadalajara.
"And while many of the tractor-trailers and other vehicles hijacked
were recovered, less than half of their cargos were," a news release
from the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara says.
Thefts up 72% in 1 state
In another indication of the prevalence of theft, the Mexican
newspaper Reforma, using statistics from the National Public Security
System, reported a 72 percent increase in theft against cargo
carriers in the central state of Aguascalientes in the first half of
2012 compared with the same period the previous year.
Esther Rodriguez Silva, a project manager at Texas A&M's global
supply chain laboratory, said studies have shown that while companies
feel secure within their own facilities, they don't feel secure
outside them. There's a sense of fear traveling to and from a
company's site, and law enforcement doesn't provide much reassurance.
Major concerns for companies include the threat of extortion, crimes
against employees, invasion and hijacking.
To deter those threats, companies that move merchandise through
Mexico use GPS to track their products, conduct extensive background
checks on employees connected to the shipping process and use escorts
to monitor valuable loads, Toscano said.
They also carefully plan shipping routes to avoid dangerous areas.
The added security can get expensive, and, while many international
companies still find doing business in Mexico worthwhile, it means
consumers can end up paying more.
"When it's costing the shipper more to ship," Balido said, "someone
has to make up that cost."
Goods moving from Sonora into Arizona haven't been affected. Page D6
LOCAL ANGLE
Piracy and highway robbery haven't plagued companies that move goods
from Sonora into Arizona.
Most exporters in the Mexican state directly south of Arizona
manufacture components for the aerospace, automotive and medical
industries. Those products don't have much value on the black market,
said Eduardo Saavedra, executive vice president of business
development for The Offshore Group, which owns a massive industrial
park in Guaymas, about 300 miles south of Tucson.
Still, those looking to do business in Guaymas raise the issue, he said.
"It's always part of the conversation with a new customer," Saavedra
said. "It's always about costs and benefits, and security - of course
- comes up very quickly."
Usually a visit to Sonora allays any concerns businesses might have,
Saavedra said. Federal officers regularly patrol major highways
there. And, as it's one of Mexico's northern states, cargo doesn't
spend more than a day on roads there.
Dale Quinn is a freelance reporter based in Guadalajara. Contact him
at dalehq@gmail.com
AZMEX I3 30-10-12
AZMEX I3 30 OCT 2012
Comment: This story pretty well covers it. But the hell doesn't
stop at the border. They are also raped, robbed and murdered on the
way to and in the drop house that infect our border states. The
people running these operations are truly the scum of the earth.
Aided and abetted by the "immigrant rights" people, who in actuality
are only about supporting illegal immigration. Who, with the media,
have been successful enough that law enforcement has very little
interest in following and prosecuting these people.
Know that it isn't possible, but visiting a drop house right after a
raid should be an eye opener for many.
Central American migrants: the Mexican hell on the way to the
American dream
Jenaro Villamil
OCTOBER 29, 2012 · 6 COMMENTS
FEATURED
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=323782
Caravan of Mothers of migrants reaches the DF. (Mexico City)
Photo: Xinhua / Rodrigo Oropeza
MEXICO CITY, (apro.com.mx.) - "Releasing the hope," read the banner
that announced the arrival at the Book Fair's of Zocalo of just over
40 mothers from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, with
a common goal: to find their missing migrant children (some for
more than 10 years) who reached Mexico.
From 2010 to date, organizers have registered 250 complaints of
disappearances in Mexico, not only Guatemalans, and 80% of cases
coincides with crimes. From the slaughter of more than 70 people in
San Fernando, Tamaulipas, 23 bodies have been repatriated of Central
American youths.
The search for the "American Dream" became the "Mexican hell" for
migrants, characterized by violence, human trafficking and extortion
by organized crime. Carmen Cuaresma, of Nicaragua, her son called
her in Costa Rica to tell her to send $ 2,000. She had no money.
she chose to come herself to find her son.
"In Mexico there is no government to stop a murderer as" sentence.
Clementina Murcia, a mother of a youth missing for 11 years and
another who also disappeared in the networks of migrant trafficking,
said that she was extorted four times.
"In my land it is negotiated with pigs, birds, but not with people,
how is this possible?" Dona Clementina's speech before an audience
electrified by the harshness of the testimonies that will accompany
the caravan organized by the Migrant Movement Mesoamericano.
Mercedes Moreno, Salvadoran mother based in Los Angeles, has no
doubt: the common problem is to fight corruption of the agents of the
Mexican National Migration Institute, of the police forces "here and
there", and the U.S. authorities who have waged a war on the poverty
exodus that has occurred from Central America.
In the main forum of the International Fair of Zocalo also break
dozens of Mexican mothers searching for their missing children. Most
are from the State of Mexico. During the administration of Enrique
Peña Nieto more than 700 people disappeared. And there is no
information or attention.
At the event, which consisted of an interview conducted by journalist
Blanche Petrich, of La Jornada, and a server, also the priest
Alejandro Solalinde, who has faced not only the beast, ("La Bestia")
but the networks of intimidation of the organized crime cartels who
threatened him in Oaxaca.
"We do not need to have a nationality. The pain is the same. We are
no longer willing to remain silent. This is the challenge of the next
government, "said Solalinde. The priest also said that in Veracruz,
State of Mexico and Celaya, Guanajuato, "they have begun to disappear
people."
There are civic heroes in this caravan, as Ruben Figueroa, who has
become a kind of citizen investigator to locate the missing. In
Tabasco, thanks to the testimonies of mothers, they found Sevelio.
Another case was that of Francisco Cordero, located in Veracruz.
"In Veracruz, journalists persecuted by the government have also
supported to find the missing women. We look under the rocks, "said
Ruben.
Proposals by the Caravan
Specifically, the convoy of Central American mothers in this journey
has raised a number of measures, including the creation of national
and regional mechanisms for the immediate search of all missing
persons, so that they no longer have to do it individually .
In addition, effective coordination between research bodies to ensure
effective investigation, according to the criteria established in the
Court of Human Rights, and the creation of a Special Prosecutor to
address crimes against migrants.
Also, the creation of a forensic database, regional and national
missing persons, and the creation of an international commission of
independent forensic experts for the case of the 72 migrants killed
and found in a mass grave in San Fernando, Tamaulipas.
Migrantes centroamericanos: del sueño americano al infierno mexicano
JENARO VILLAMIL
29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012 · 6 COMENTARIOS
DESTACADO
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=323782
Caravana de madres de migrantes llega al DF.
Foto: Xinhua / Rodrigo Oropeza
MÉXICO, D.F., (apro.com.mx).- "Liberando la esperanza", decía la
pancarta que anunció la llegada a la Feria del Libro del Zócalo de la
caravana de poco más de 40 madres provenientes de Honduras,
Nicaragua, El Salvador y Guatemala, con un objetivo común: buscar a
sus hijos e hijas migrantes desaparecidos (algunos desde hace más de
10 años) al llegar a territorio mexicano.
Desde 2010 a la fecha, los organizadores han registrado 250 denuncias
de desapariciones en territorio mexicano, tan sólo de guatemaltecos,
y 80% de los casos coincide con hechos delictivos. De la masacre de
más de 70 personas en San Fernando, Tamaulipas, se han repatriado 23
cuerpos de jóvenes centroamericanos.
La búsqueda del "sueño americano" se convirtió en el "infierno
mexicano" para los migrantes, caracterizado por la violencia, la
trata de personas y la extorsión del crimen organizado. A doña Carmen
Cuaresma, de Nicaragua, le llamó su hijo a Costa Rica para decirle
que le enviara 2 mil dólares. No tuvo el dinero. Prefirió venir ella
misma para encontrar a su hijo.
"En México no existe el gobierno que pare a tanto asesino", sentencia.
Clementina Murcia, madre de un joven desaparecido desde hace 11 años
y otro que también desapareció en las redes de la trata de migrantes,
afirmó que a ella la extorsionaron cuatro veces.
"En mi tierra se negocia con cerdos, con aves, pero no con personas,
¿cómo es esto posible?", arenga doña Clementina, ante un auditorio
electrizado por la crudeza de los testimonios que van acompañando a
la caravana organizada por el Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano.
Mercedes Moreno, madre salvadoreña radicada en Los Angeles, no tiene
ninguna duda: el problema común es luchar contra la corrupción de los
agentes del Instituto Nacional de Migración mexicano, de los cuerpos
policiacos "de aquí y de allá", así como de las autoridades
estadunidenses que han emprendido una guerra contra el éxodo de la
pobreza que se ha dado desde Centroamérica.
En el foro principal de la Feria Internacional del Zócalo también
irrumpen decenas de madres mexicanas que buscan a sus hijos e hijas
desaparecidos. La mayoría son del Estado de México. Durante la
administración de Enrique Peña Nieto desaparecieron más de 700
personas. Y no hay información ni atención.
En el evento, que consistió en una entrevista realizada por la
periodista Blanche Petrich, de La Jornada, y por un servidor, también
participó el sacerdote Alejandro Solalinde, quien se ha enfrentado no
sólo a La Bestia, sino a las redes de intimidación de los cárteles
del crimen organizado que lo amenazaron en Oaxaca.
"No necesitamos que tengan una nacionalidad. El dolor es el mismo. Ya
no estamos dispuestos a callarnos. Este es el reto del próximo
gobierno", advirtió Solalinde. El sacerdote también dijo que en
Veracruz, Estado de México y en Celaya, Guanajuato, "han comenzado a
desaparecer las personas".
Hay héroes cívicos en esta caravana, como Rubén Figueroa, quien se ha
convertido en una especie de investigador ciudadano para localizar a
los desaparecidos. En Tabasco, gracias a los testimonios de las
madres, encontraron a Sevelio. Otro caso fue el de Francisco Cordero,
localizado en Veracruz.
"En Veracruz, los periodistas perseguidos por el gobierno también han
apoyado para encontrar a las mujeres desaparecidas. Buscamos hasta
debajo de las piedras", relató Rubén.
Propuestas de la Caravana
En específico, la caravana de las madres centroamericanas ha
planteado en este periplo una serie de medidas, entre ellas la
creación de mecanismos nacionales y regionales para la búsqueda
inmediata de todas las personas desaparecidas, de tal forma que ya no
tengan que hacerlo de manera individual.
Asimismo, la coordinación efectiva entre los órganos de investigación
para garantizar una efectiva pesquisa, de acuerdo con los criterios
establecidos en la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, así como
la creación de una fiscalía especializada para atender delitos
perpetrados contra personas migrantes.
También, la creación de un banco de datos forenses, nacionales y
regionales de personas desaparecidas, y la creación de una comisión
internacional de expertos forenses independientes para el caso de los
72 migrantes asesinados y hallados en una fosa común en San Fernando,
Tamaulipas.
Comment: This story pretty well covers it. But the hell doesn't
stop at the border. They are also raped, robbed and murdered on the
way to and in the drop house that infect our border states. The
people running these operations are truly the scum of the earth.
Aided and abetted by the "immigrant rights" people, who in actuality
are only about supporting illegal immigration. Who, with the media,
have been successful enough that law enforcement has very little
interest in following and prosecuting these people.
Know that it isn't possible, but visiting a drop house right after a
raid should be an eye opener for many.
Central American migrants: the Mexican hell on the way to the
American dream
Jenaro Villamil
OCTOBER 29, 2012 · 6 COMMENTS
FEATURED
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=323782
Caravan of Mothers of migrants reaches the DF. (Mexico City)
Photo: Xinhua / Rodrigo Oropeza
MEXICO CITY, (apro.com.mx.) - "Releasing the hope," read the banner
that announced the arrival at the Book Fair's of Zocalo of just over
40 mothers from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, with
a common goal: to find their missing migrant children (some for
more than 10 years) who reached Mexico.
From 2010 to date, organizers have registered 250 complaints of
disappearances in Mexico, not only Guatemalans, and 80% of cases
coincides with crimes. From the slaughter of more than 70 people in
San Fernando, Tamaulipas, 23 bodies have been repatriated of Central
American youths.
The search for the "American Dream" became the "Mexican hell" for
migrants, characterized by violence, human trafficking and extortion
by organized crime. Carmen Cuaresma, of Nicaragua, her son called
her in Costa Rica to tell her to send $ 2,000. She had no money.
she chose to come herself to find her son.
"In Mexico there is no government to stop a murderer as" sentence.
Clementina Murcia, a mother of a youth missing for 11 years and
another who also disappeared in the networks of migrant trafficking,
said that she was extorted four times.
"In my land it is negotiated with pigs, birds, but not with people,
how is this possible?" Dona Clementina's speech before an audience
electrified by the harshness of the testimonies that will accompany
the caravan organized by the Migrant Movement Mesoamericano.
Mercedes Moreno, Salvadoran mother based in Los Angeles, has no
doubt: the common problem is to fight corruption of the agents of the
Mexican National Migration Institute, of the police forces "here and
there", and the U.S. authorities who have waged a war on the poverty
exodus that has occurred from Central America.
In the main forum of the International Fair of Zocalo also break
dozens of Mexican mothers searching for their missing children. Most
are from the State of Mexico. During the administration of Enrique
Peña Nieto more than 700 people disappeared. And there is no
information or attention.
At the event, which consisted of an interview conducted by journalist
Blanche Petrich, of La Jornada, and a server, also the priest
Alejandro Solalinde, who has faced not only the beast, ("La Bestia")
but the networks of intimidation of the organized crime cartels who
threatened him in Oaxaca.
"We do not need to have a nationality. The pain is the same. We are
no longer willing to remain silent. This is the challenge of the next
government, "said Solalinde. The priest also said that in Veracruz,
State of Mexico and Celaya, Guanajuato, "they have begun to disappear
people."
There are civic heroes in this caravan, as Ruben Figueroa, who has
become a kind of citizen investigator to locate the missing. In
Tabasco, thanks to the testimonies of mothers, they found Sevelio.
Another case was that of Francisco Cordero, located in Veracruz.
"In Veracruz, journalists persecuted by the government have also
supported to find the missing women. We look under the rocks, "said
Ruben.
Proposals by the Caravan
Specifically, the convoy of Central American mothers in this journey
has raised a number of measures, including the creation of national
and regional mechanisms for the immediate search of all missing
persons, so that they no longer have to do it individually .
In addition, effective coordination between research bodies to ensure
effective investigation, according to the criteria established in the
Court of Human Rights, and the creation of a Special Prosecutor to
address crimes against migrants.
Also, the creation of a forensic database, regional and national
missing persons, and the creation of an international commission of
independent forensic experts for the case of the 72 migrants killed
and found in a mass grave in San Fernando, Tamaulipas.
Migrantes centroamericanos: del sueño americano al infierno mexicano
JENARO VILLAMIL
29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012 · 6 COMENTARIOS
DESTACADO
http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=323782
Caravana de madres de migrantes llega al DF.
Foto: Xinhua / Rodrigo Oropeza
MÉXICO, D.F., (apro.com.mx).- "Liberando la esperanza", decía la
pancarta que anunció la llegada a la Feria del Libro del Zócalo de la
caravana de poco más de 40 madres provenientes de Honduras,
Nicaragua, El Salvador y Guatemala, con un objetivo común: buscar a
sus hijos e hijas migrantes desaparecidos (algunos desde hace más de
10 años) al llegar a territorio mexicano.
Desde 2010 a la fecha, los organizadores han registrado 250 denuncias
de desapariciones en territorio mexicano, tan sólo de guatemaltecos,
y 80% de los casos coincide con hechos delictivos. De la masacre de
más de 70 personas en San Fernando, Tamaulipas, se han repatriado 23
cuerpos de jóvenes centroamericanos.
La búsqueda del "sueño americano" se convirtió en el "infierno
mexicano" para los migrantes, caracterizado por la violencia, la
trata de personas y la extorsión del crimen organizado. A doña Carmen
Cuaresma, de Nicaragua, le llamó su hijo a Costa Rica para decirle
que le enviara 2 mil dólares. No tuvo el dinero. Prefirió venir ella
misma para encontrar a su hijo.
"En México no existe el gobierno que pare a tanto asesino", sentencia.
Clementina Murcia, madre de un joven desaparecido desde hace 11 años
y otro que también desapareció en las redes de la trata de migrantes,
afirmó que a ella la extorsionaron cuatro veces.
"En mi tierra se negocia con cerdos, con aves, pero no con personas,
¿cómo es esto posible?", arenga doña Clementina, ante un auditorio
electrizado por la crudeza de los testimonios que van acompañando a
la caravana organizada por el Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano.
Mercedes Moreno, madre salvadoreña radicada en Los Angeles, no tiene
ninguna duda: el problema común es luchar contra la corrupción de los
agentes del Instituto Nacional de Migración mexicano, de los cuerpos
policiacos "de aquí y de allá", así como de las autoridades
estadunidenses que han emprendido una guerra contra el éxodo de la
pobreza que se ha dado desde Centroamérica.
En el foro principal de la Feria Internacional del Zócalo también
irrumpen decenas de madres mexicanas que buscan a sus hijos e hijas
desaparecidos. La mayoría son del Estado de México. Durante la
administración de Enrique Peña Nieto desaparecieron más de 700
personas. Y no hay información ni atención.
En el evento, que consistió en una entrevista realizada por la
periodista Blanche Petrich, de La Jornada, y por un servidor, también
participó el sacerdote Alejandro Solalinde, quien se ha enfrentado no
sólo a La Bestia, sino a las redes de intimidación de los cárteles
del crimen organizado que lo amenazaron en Oaxaca.
"No necesitamos que tengan una nacionalidad. El dolor es el mismo. Ya
no estamos dispuestos a callarnos. Este es el reto del próximo
gobierno", advirtió Solalinde. El sacerdote también dijo que en
Veracruz, Estado de México y en Celaya, Guanajuato, "han comenzado a
desaparecer las personas".
Hay héroes cívicos en esta caravana, como Rubén Figueroa, quien se ha
convertido en una especie de investigador ciudadano para localizar a
los desaparecidos. En Tabasco, gracias a los testimonios de las
madres, encontraron a Sevelio. Otro caso fue el de Francisco Cordero,
localizado en Veracruz.
"En Veracruz, los periodistas perseguidos por el gobierno también han
apoyado para encontrar a las mujeres desaparecidas. Buscamos hasta
debajo de las piedras", relató Rubén.
Propuestas de la Caravana
En específico, la caravana de las madres centroamericanas ha
planteado en este periplo una serie de medidas, entre ellas la
creación de mecanismos nacionales y regionales para la búsqueda
inmediata de todas las personas desaparecidas, de tal forma que ya no
tengan que hacerlo de manera individual.
Asimismo, la coordinación efectiva entre los órganos de investigación
para garantizar una efectiva pesquisa, de acuerdo con los criterios
establecidos en la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, así como
la creación de una fiscalía especializada para atender delitos
perpetrados contra personas migrantes.
También, la creación de un banco de datos forenses, nacionales y
regionales de personas desaparecidas, y la creación de una comisión
internacional de expertos forenses independientes para el caso de los
72 migrantes asesinados y hallados en una fosa común en San Fernando,
Tamaulipas.
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 30-10-12
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 30 OCT 2012
Note: more on the staff report.
http://www.examiner.com/article/justice-officials-experienced-
collective-memory-loss-on-fast-furious?cid=db_articles
Note: "the weapons the bandit crew used had been hidden for them on
the U.S. side of the border."
Sinaloan admits guilt in murder of border agent Brian Terry
Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/sinaloan-admits-guilt-in-
murder-of-border-agent-brian-terry/
article_386c910c-22b7-11e2-8e01-001a4bcf887a.html
A confessed border bandit pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to murdering
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry almost two years ago.
In exchange for his guilty plea to first-degree murder, prosecutors
agreed not to pursue the death penalty against the defendant, Manuel
Osorio-Arellanes. They also dismissed the other charges he was facing.
Osorio-Arellanes, 36, admitted his guilt Tuesday morning in Tucson's
U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Bernardo Velasco. He is
scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 11, by U.S. District Judge David Bury
and faces up to life in prison.
As part of his plea agreement, Osorio-Arellanes admitted that he had
been part of a group of six people from Sinaloa who crossed the U.S.
border on Dec. 12, 2010 intending to rob marijuana smugglers in
Southern Arizona.
Osorio-Arellanes said he was recruited for the trip by two others
from his area.
In a key detail, Osorio-Arellanes said that the weapons the bandit
crew used had been hidden for them on the U.S. side of the border.
That's significant because at least two of the weapons they retrieved
had been sold in January 2010 to in Operation Fast and Furious. After
federal agents found the guns were sold to a target of the
investigation, and with the help of whistleblowers and a U.S.
senator, the controversial ATF investigation was revealed.
When the six bandits were going to retrieve the weapons on Dec. 12,
Manuel's brother, Rito Osorio-Arellanes, was arrested, but the other
five members of the group escaped, including Manuel, he admitted.
They retrieved the weapons and "were looking for drug smugglers to
rob" two days later when they encountered Terry and his group of
Border Patrol tactical-unit agents.
Members of Osorio-Arellanes' bandit group fired shots, but the plea
agreement does not establish who fired. "Agents shot Manuel Osorio-
Arellanes, and he was captured at the scene," the agreement says.
Rito Osorio-Arellanes is awaiting sentencing on lesser charges in the
case.
The four other defendants are fugitives, though Mexican police
captured one, Jesús Leonel Sánchez Meza, on Sept. 6 in Puerto
Peñasco, Sonora and have been holding him in a central-Mexico prison.
The FBI announced the identities of the fugitives in July. The other
three are Ivan Soto-Barraza, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga and
Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes.
Mexican national charged in killing of Border Patrol agent to change
plea
Published October 30, 2012
Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/30/mexican-national-to-change-
plea-in-death-border-patrol-agent-tied-to-furious/
U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry was fatally shot Dec. 14
north of the Arizona-Mexico border. (AP)
A man charged with killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a 2010
firefight near the Arizona-Mexico border is scheduled to change his
plea Tuesday in federal court.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, of El Fuerte in the Mexican state of
Sinaloa, had previously pleaded not guilty to murder, assault on a
federal officer and other charges in the December 2010 death of
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
Two rifles bought by a gun-smuggling ring that was being monitored by
the government's botched investigation known as "Operation Fast and
Furious" were found at the shooting scene. But authorities have
declined to say whether the murder weapon was linked to an Operation
Fast and Furious purchase.
Authorities say Terry and other agents came under attack in a canyon
north of the Arizona border city of Nogales by Osorio-Arellanes and
four other men who had come to the U.S. from Mexico in order to rob
marijuana smugglers.
Investigators have declined to say which of the five men fired the
shot that killed Terry.
Osorio-Arellanes was shot during the gunfight and has been in custody
since the night of the shooting. The FBI said Osorio-Arellanes told
investigators that he raised his weapon toward the agents during the
shootout but didn't open fire.
Of the four other men charged in Terry's death, one is in custody,
while three others remain fugitives. Authorities have offered a $1
million reward for information leading to their capture.
Operation Fast and Furious was launched in 2009 to catch trafficking
kingpins, but federal agents lost track of about 1,400 of the more
than 2,000 weapons — including AK-47s and other high-powered assault
rifles.
Some of the guns purchased illegally with the government's knowledge
were later found at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.
Critics have hammered federal authorities for allowing informants to
walk away from Phoenix-area gun shops with weapons, rather than
immediately arresting suspects and seizing firearms.
Investigators say the two guns found at the scene of the Terry
shooting were bought by a straw buyer for a smuggling ring suspected
of purchasing guns for the brutal Sinaloa cartel.
Jaime Avila, 25, has admitted in court to buying the two guns and has
pleaded guilty to gun charges in a smuggling case that's separate
from the prosecution into Terry's death.
Avila, who isn't charged in Terry's death, faces up to 10 years in
prison when he's sentenced on Dec. 12.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/30/mexican-national-
to-change-plea-in-death-border-patrol-agent-tied-to-furious/
#ixzz2An9m8Jfr
Revelan que con 'Rápido y Furioso' se buscó atrapar a 'El Chapo'
J. JESÚS ESQUIVEL
29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012 ·
DESTACADO
Darrell Issa, legislador republicano por California.
Foto: AP
WASHINGTON (apro).- Líderes republicanos en el Congreso federal
acusaron al gobierno de Barack Obama de permitir el tráfico ilegal de
armas a México, en el marco de la operación Rápido y Furioso, con el
pretexto de querer atrapar a capos del narcotráfico como Joaquín El
Chapo Guzmán, líder del cártel de Sinaloa.
En un segundo reporte sobre Rápido y Furioso que dieron a conocer
Darrell Issa, legislador republicano por California y presidente del
Comité de Supervisión y Reforma Gubernamental, y el senador Chuck
Grassley, republicano por Iowa, integrante del Comité Judicial, se
acusa directamente a Eric Holder, procurador general de Justicia, de
haberse dedicado a tratar de eliminar a El Chapo sin que le importara
el trasiego ilegal de armas a México.
"La operación Rápido y Furioso no fue estrictamente una estrategia
concebida localmente por la oficina del ATF (Buró de Alcohol, Tabaco,
Armas de Fuego y Explosivos) de la ciudad de Phoenix (Arizona), sino
el producto de un plan deliberado a los más altos niveles del
Departamento de Justicia, enfocado a identificar a los líderes de una
red grande de tráfico de armas", señala el reporte.
Las conclusiones de los congresistas, que se dan a conocer justo a
una semana de las elecciones presidenciales del próximo martes 6 de
noviembre, aseguran que la estrategia de identificar a los capos del
narco mexicano, aunada a la inercia institucional, fue el génesis de
la puesta en marcha y fracaso de Rápido y Furioso.
"Poco después de que asumiera el puesto como procurador general,
Holder pronunció una serie de discursos sobre el combate a la
violencia a lo largo de la frontera sur", se indica en el reporte.
Enseguida, en el informe se matiza que Holder, "en el otoño de 2009,
se concentró específicamente en combatir al cártel de Sinaloa y
luego, en el otoño de 2009, el Departamento de Justicia dio a conocer
un documento titulado La estrategia del Departamento de Justicia para
combatir a los cárteles mexicanos, que cristalizó la visión del
procurador general".
En este contexto, los dos legisladores republicanos reiteraron sus
acusaciones de negligencia contra Holder, sosteniendo que aun cuando
en la dependencia a su cargo se dio cuenta de lo que pasaba con
Rápido y Furioso, él prefirió usar esto para intentar desmantelar al
cártel de Sinaloa comandando por El Chapo, en lugar de parar la
operación que facilitó el trasiego ilegal de armas a México, que al
final terminaron en manos criminales.
De acuerdo con las conclusiones de los dos legisladores, pese a que
Holder y el Departamento de Justicia ya fueron exonerados por el
inspector general de la dependencia, quien en un reporte aseguró que
el procurador general nunca permitió de manera deliberada que por
medio de Rápido y Furioso se traficaran armas a México, sí son
responsables de omisión a causa de su interés por El Chapo.
"El Departamento de Justicia tomó una decisión táctica al cambiar el
objetivo (de la Operación) y, en lugar de arrestar a compradores
intermediarios de armas, se concentró en la identificación de las
redes del tráfico", puntualiza el reporte.
A través de Rápido y Furioso, operación creada por la oficina de ATF
en Phoenix, se permitió que conocidos traficantes de armas usaran a
intermediarios para meter más de 2 mil 500 armas de todo tipo a
México, con el supuesto objetivo de rastrear al arsenal y con ello
anular las redes del trasiego.
Sin embargo, los agentes de ATF no sólo perdieron el control de
Rápido y Furioso, también el rastro de las armas, y éstas terminaron
en manos de narcotraficantes mexicanos, sobre todo del cártel de
Sinaloa.
"Este reporte revela un amplio fracaso en la toma de decisiones
dentro de la jerarquía del Departamento de Justicia", aseguró el
congresista Issa, quien sostuvo que sus críticas al gobierno de Obama
carecen de interés político-electoral.
Note: more on the staff report.
http://www.examiner.com/article/justice-officials-experienced-
collective-memory-loss-on-fast-furious?cid=db_articles
Note: "the weapons the bandit crew used had been hidden for them on
the U.S. side of the border."
Sinaloan admits guilt in murder of border agent Brian Terry
Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/sinaloan-admits-guilt-in-
murder-of-border-agent-brian-terry/
article_386c910c-22b7-11e2-8e01-001a4bcf887a.html
A confessed border bandit pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to murdering
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry almost two years ago.
In exchange for his guilty plea to first-degree murder, prosecutors
agreed not to pursue the death penalty against the defendant, Manuel
Osorio-Arellanes. They also dismissed the other charges he was facing.
Osorio-Arellanes, 36, admitted his guilt Tuesday morning in Tucson's
U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Bernardo Velasco. He is
scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 11, by U.S. District Judge David Bury
and faces up to life in prison.
As part of his plea agreement, Osorio-Arellanes admitted that he had
been part of a group of six people from Sinaloa who crossed the U.S.
border on Dec. 12, 2010 intending to rob marijuana smugglers in
Southern Arizona.
Osorio-Arellanes said he was recruited for the trip by two others
from his area.
In a key detail, Osorio-Arellanes said that the weapons the bandit
crew used had been hidden for them on the U.S. side of the border.
That's significant because at least two of the weapons they retrieved
had been sold in January 2010 to in Operation Fast and Furious. After
federal agents found the guns were sold to a target of the
investigation, and with the help of whistleblowers and a U.S.
senator, the controversial ATF investigation was revealed.
When the six bandits were going to retrieve the weapons on Dec. 12,
Manuel's brother, Rito Osorio-Arellanes, was arrested, but the other
five members of the group escaped, including Manuel, he admitted.
They retrieved the weapons and "were looking for drug smugglers to
rob" two days later when they encountered Terry and his group of
Border Patrol tactical-unit agents.
Members of Osorio-Arellanes' bandit group fired shots, but the plea
agreement does not establish who fired. "Agents shot Manuel Osorio-
Arellanes, and he was captured at the scene," the agreement says.
Rito Osorio-Arellanes is awaiting sentencing on lesser charges in the
case.
The four other defendants are fugitives, though Mexican police
captured one, Jesús Leonel Sánchez Meza, on Sept. 6 in Puerto
Peñasco, Sonora and have been holding him in a central-Mexico prison.
The FBI announced the identities of the fugitives in July. The other
three are Ivan Soto-Barraza, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga and
Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes.
Mexican national charged in killing of Border Patrol agent to change
plea
Published October 30, 2012
Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/30/mexican-national-to-change-
plea-in-death-border-patrol-agent-tied-to-furious/
U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry was fatally shot Dec. 14
north of the Arizona-Mexico border. (AP)
A man charged with killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a 2010
firefight near the Arizona-Mexico border is scheduled to change his
plea Tuesday in federal court.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, of El Fuerte in the Mexican state of
Sinaloa, had previously pleaded not guilty to murder, assault on a
federal officer and other charges in the December 2010 death of
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
Two rifles bought by a gun-smuggling ring that was being monitored by
the government's botched investigation known as "Operation Fast and
Furious" were found at the shooting scene. But authorities have
declined to say whether the murder weapon was linked to an Operation
Fast and Furious purchase.
Authorities say Terry and other agents came under attack in a canyon
north of the Arizona border city of Nogales by Osorio-Arellanes and
four other men who had come to the U.S. from Mexico in order to rob
marijuana smugglers.
Investigators have declined to say which of the five men fired the
shot that killed Terry.
Osorio-Arellanes was shot during the gunfight and has been in custody
since the night of the shooting. The FBI said Osorio-Arellanes told
investigators that he raised his weapon toward the agents during the
shootout but didn't open fire.
Of the four other men charged in Terry's death, one is in custody,
while three others remain fugitives. Authorities have offered a $1
million reward for information leading to their capture.
Operation Fast and Furious was launched in 2009 to catch trafficking
kingpins, but federal agents lost track of about 1,400 of the more
than 2,000 weapons — including AK-47s and other high-powered assault
rifles.
Some of the guns purchased illegally with the government's knowledge
were later found at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.
Critics have hammered federal authorities for allowing informants to
walk away from Phoenix-area gun shops with weapons, rather than
immediately arresting suspects and seizing firearms.
Investigators say the two guns found at the scene of the Terry
shooting were bought by a straw buyer for a smuggling ring suspected
of purchasing guns for the brutal Sinaloa cartel.
Jaime Avila, 25, has admitted in court to buying the two guns and has
pleaded guilty to gun charges in a smuggling case that's separate
from the prosecution into Terry's death.
Avila, who isn't charged in Terry's death, faces up to 10 years in
prison when he's sentenced on Dec. 12.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/30/mexican-national-
to-change-plea-in-death-border-patrol-agent-tied-to-furious/
#ixzz2An9m8Jfr
Revelan que con 'Rápido y Furioso' se buscó atrapar a 'El Chapo'
J. JESÚS ESQUIVEL
29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012 ·
DESTACADO
Darrell Issa, legislador republicano por California.
Foto: AP
WASHINGTON (apro).- Líderes republicanos en el Congreso federal
acusaron al gobierno de Barack Obama de permitir el tráfico ilegal de
armas a México, en el marco de la operación Rápido y Furioso, con el
pretexto de querer atrapar a capos del narcotráfico como Joaquín El
Chapo Guzmán, líder del cártel de Sinaloa.
En un segundo reporte sobre Rápido y Furioso que dieron a conocer
Darrell Issa, legislador republicano por California y presidente del
Comité de Supervisión y Reforma Gubernamental, y el senador Chuck
Grassley, republicano por Iowa, integrante del Comité Judicial, se
acusa directamente a Eric Holder, procurador general de Justicia, de
haberse dedicado a tratar de eliminar a El Chapo sin que le importara
el trasiego ilegal de armas a México.
"La operación Rápido y Furioso no fue estrictamente una estrategia
concebida localmente por la oficina del ATF (Buró de Alcohol, Tabaco,
Armas de Fuego y Explosivos) de la ciudad de Phoenix (Arizona), sino
el producto de un plan deliberado a los más altos niveles del
Departamento de Justicia, enfocado a identificar a los líderes de una
red grande de tráfico de armas", señala el reporte.
Las conclusiones de los congresistas, que se dan a conocer justo a
una semana de las elecciones presidenciales del próximo martes 6 de
noviembre, aseguran que la estrategia de identificar a los capos del
narco mexicano, aunada a la inercia institucional, fue el génesis de
la puesta en marcha y fracaso de Rápido y Furioso.
"Poco después de que asumiera el puesto como procurador general,
Holder pronunció una serie de discursos sobre el combate a la
violencia a lo largo de la frontera sur", se indica en el reporte.
Enseguida, en el informe se matiza que Holder, "en el otoño de 2009,
se concentró específicamente en combatir al cártel de Sinaloa y
luego, en el otoño de 2009, el Departamento de Justicia dio a conocer
un documento titulado La estrategia del Departamento de Justicia para
combatir a los cárteles mexicanos, que cristalizó la visión del
procurador general".
En este contexto, los dos legisladores republicanos reiteraron sus
acusaciones de negligencia contra Holder, sosteniendo que aun cuando
en la dependencia a su cargo se dio cuenta de lo que pasaba con
Rápido y Furioso, él prefirió usar esto para intentar desmantelar al
cártel de Sinaloa comandando por El Chapo, en lugar de parar la
operación que facilitó el trasiego ilegal de armas a México, que al
final terminaron en manos criminales.
De acuerdo con las conclusiones de los dos legisladores, pese a que
Holder y el Departamento de Justicia ya fueron exonerados por el
inspector general de la dependencia, quien en un reporte aseguró que
el procurador general nunca permitió de manera deliberada que por
medio de Rápido y Furioso se traficaran armas a México, sí son
responsables de omisión a causa de su interés por El Chapo.
"El Departamento de Justicia tomó una decisión táctica al cambiar el
objetivo (de la Operación) y, en lugar de arrestar a compradores
intermediarios de armas, se concentró en la identificación de las
redes del tráfico", puntualiza el reporte.
A través de Rápido y Furioso, operación creada por la oficina de ATF
en Phoenix, se permitió que conocidos traficantes de armas usaran a
intermediarios para meter más de 2 mil 500 armas de todo tipo a
México, con el supuesto objetivo de rastrear al arsenal y con ello
anular las redes del trasiego.
Sin embargo, los agentes de ATF no sólo perdieron el control de
Rápido y Furioso, también el rastro de las armas, y éstas terminaron
en manos de narcotraficantes mexicanos, sobre todo del cártel de
Sinaloa.
"Este reporte revela un amplio fracaso en la toma de decisiones
dentro de la jerarquía del Departamento de Justicia", aseguró el
congresista Issa, quien sostuvo que sus críticas al gobierno de Obama
carecen de interés político-electoral.
Monday, October 29, 2012
AZMEX UPDATE 29-10-12
AZMEX UPDATE 29 OCT 2012
Note: Following from AZ DPS, still waiting for word on possible
firearms recovered, if any. Expect the 5 will be given a bag of
candy and a ride home.
On Sunday October 28, 2012 at approximately 8:28 a.m. a DPS Highway
Patrol Officer was northbound on State Route 347 when he attempted to
stop a Ford F-150 pickup truck for speeding. At that time a Nissan
pickup truck came up quickly behind the DPS Patrol vehicle and
attempted to ram it. The officer took evasive action and avoided the
collision. In the meantime, the Nissan pickup pulled over and several
people ran from the vehicle into the desert. Two other vehicles
including the Ford 150 and a Cadillac Escalade pickup truck that was
loaded with marijuana sped away. Those two vehicles were eventually
stopped in the Phoenix metro freeway system. In total eight people
were taken into custody from all three vehicles. The driver of the
Nissan pickup that tried to ram our patrol vehicle is still at large.
A search of the Cadillac resulted in the seizure of 215 pounds of
marijuana with a street value of $100-thousand dollars. Detectives
also seized 11.5 grams of methamphetamine in one of the vehicles.
Three suspects were booked into Maricopa County Jail on charges of
participating in a criminal enterprise, transportation of marijuana
for sale and possession of dangerous drugs. Five suspects were
turned over to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.
This investigation is ongoing so we are unable to release names or
any more information at this time.
Note: Çd. Juarez, Chih. also has a significant segment of population
of middle east origin.
Lawmaker urges feds to monitor Hezbollah in Mexico
By Joseph Kolb
Published October 29, 2012
FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/29/lawmaker-urges-feds-to-
monitor-hezbollah-in-mexico/
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrollah. (AP)
The presidential campaign has featured plenty of talk about terrorism
in the Middle East, but one lawmaker is warning that the federal
government is ignoring a growing Hezbollah presence in Mexico, with
the Lebanese terror group increasingly joining forces with drug cartels.
One report shows hundreds of thousands of Middle Easterners living in
Mexico, and a small percentage of them may be radicals using routes
established by drug networks to sneak into the U.S.
The ties linking Mexico to Islamic terrorism were underscored earlier
this year when an alleged Iranian operative plotted to assassinate a
Saudi diplomat in Washington using a hired gun on loan from a Mexican
drug cartel. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) says the mounting evidence of a
Hezbollah presence in Mexico is being ignored by the Department of
Homeland Security.
"I don't have a lot of faith in the Department of Homeland Security,"
said Myrick. "They should be looking at these groups in Mexico much
more closely."
"I don't have a lot of faith in the Department of Homeland Security.
They should be looking at these groups in Mexico much more closely."
- Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.)
The incidents fueling Myrick's frustration include the Oct. 17 guilty
plea in Manhattan Federal Court of a suspect plotting to pay $1.5
million to a suspected hitman for the Los Zetas Cartel, who was
actually a DEA informant, to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador
to the U.S. by bombing a busy Washington, D.C., restaurant the
ambassador frequents.
Mansour Arbabsiar, 58, a naturalized U.S. citizen holding both
Iranian and U.S. passports, was arrested on Sept. 29, 2011, at New
York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He faces a maximum
potential sentence of 25 years in prison.
"A little more than a year after his arrest, Mansour Arbabsiar has
admitted to his role in a deadly plot approved by members of the
Iranian military to assassinate a sitting foreign ambassador on U.S.
soil," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a press release.
Holder said the plot was hatched by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps and their covert operation group, the Qods. The Qods
Force conducts sensitive covert operations, including terrorist
attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to have
sponsored attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq. In October 2007,
the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Qods Force under
Executive Order 13224 for providing material support to the Taliban
and other terrorist organizations.
"The dangerous connection between drug trafficking and terrorism
cannot be overstated, and this case is yet another example of DEA's
unique role in identifying potentially deadly networks that wish to
harm innocent Americans and our allies worldwide," said DEA
Administrator Michele M. Leonhart following Arbabsiar's court
appearance. "Using DEA's elaborate and sophisticated investigative
expertise to infiltrate violent drug and terror organizations
globally, we successfully identified this threat and worked closely
with the FBI to prevent a potentially deadly outcome."
Speculation of these groups operating in Mexico eventually became
more tangible in the fall of 2010, when the Tucson Police Department
published an International Terrorism Situational Awareness for
Hezbollah in Mexico citing the arrest of Jameel Nasar in Tijuana in
July 2010, who attempted to establish a Hezbollah network in Mexico
and South America.
The previous year, Jamal Yousef was arrested in New York City, where
it was learned that 100 M16 rifles, 100 AR15 rifles, 200 hand
grenades, C4 explosive and anti-tank ammunition were stolen from Iraq
by his cousin, an alleged Hezbollah member, and stored in Mexico.
The Diario de Quinatana Roo newspaper said it has uncovered
information from Wikileaks that, as far back as 2009, Hezbollah cells
were using drug trafficking routes to reach the U.S.
Myrick fired off a letter to Secretary of Department of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano, requesting DHS create a task force solely
to watch Islamic extremist groups in Mexico. Napolitano said there
was no need, saying current intelligence resources were adequate.
Napolitano did admit to Myrick that Hezbollah has a decades-long
presence in the tri-border region between Argentina, Brazil and
Paraguay, and, "ties to individuals involved in illicit activities in
the region." Taking care not to specifically say Mexican drug cartels.
On Sept. 8, the Yucatan Times reported three individuals, one with
dual American-Lebanese citizenship, with alleged ties to Hezbollah,
were arrested in the Yucatan Peninsula city of Merida in an alleged
effort to raise funds to release Hezbollah agents in U.S. custody.
U.S. officials have yet to identify the suspects as Hezbollah
sympathizers or members.
Merida, Mexico, has had a large Lebanese population for generations,
which the suspects hoped to blend into. There are more than 200,000
people of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Mexico, according to
a study by Georgetown University that was referenced in the Tucson
Police Department report.
These incidents leave little ambiguity said a spokesman for Arizona
Gov. Jan Brewer.
"The Arizona Department of Homeland Security has indicated there are
elements of Middle Eastern Islamic extremist groups operating in
Mexico," said Matthew Benson, Director of Communications for Gov.
Brewer. "From the governor's standpoint, it is critical to have a
secure border for criminal elements who would take advantage of a
porous border, especially like the one we have in Arizona."
Myrick said she is concerned about the hyperbole of the candidates
and even the mainstream media solely discussing what is occurring in
the Middle East without mentioning potential threats that may be as
close as Mexico.
Marsha Catron, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security,
continued to echo the department's two-year position that they have
no credible intelligence identifying Hezbollah as operating in
Mexico. She did not respond to queries after the Merida arrests.
"Given the evidence available, it only makes sense that DHS should,
at the very least, investigate the presence of Hezbollah along our
Southern border, regardless of who is in office," Myrick said.
Joseph J. Kolb is a freelance journalist in New Mexico.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/29/lawmaker-urges-
feds-to-monitor-hezbollah-in-mexico/#ixzz2AjCARZFi
Note: re; AZMEX UPDATE 27-10-12 The link is:
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_10b0039c-1fe7-11e2-
a555-001a4bcf6878.html
Link to the other story is:
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_db567d9c-1f01-11e2-9e9f-001a4bcf6878.html
Immigrants identified in Texas chopper shooting
http://www.themonitor.com/news/state/article_9290b7bc-a810-51dd-90a8-
e9e86f7da867.html
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2012 10:23 am
Associated Press |
A Guatemalan diplomat has released the identities of two immigrants
killed last week when a state police helicopter fired on their
smuggler's truck near the Texas-Mexico border.
Alba Caceres (KAH'-sehr-es), Guatemala's consul in McAllen, says the
victims were Marco Antonio Castro and Jose Leonardo Coj Cumar (KOH
koo-MAHR'), of San Martin (mar-TEEN') Jilotepeque (hee-LOH'-tuh-pek),
about an hour outside the capital.
Caceres expressed her government's indignation and made a formal
request for a thorough investigation to the Texas Rangers on Friday.
She was trying to interview survivors. She didn't know when the
bodies would be released to the families, but said it could be
delayed by the investigation.
A trooper fired from a Department of Public Safety helicopter
Thursday afternoon in an attempt to stop a fleeing smuggler's truck
that was suspected of carrying drugs.
Note: Following from AZ DPS, still waiting for word on possible
firearms recovered, if any. Expect the 5 will be given a bag of
candy and a ride home.
On Sunday October 28, 2012 at approximately 8:28 a.m. a DPS Highway
Patrol Officer was northbound on State Route 347 when he attempted to
stop a Ford F-150 pickup truck for speeding. At that time a Nissan
pickup truck came up quickly behind the DPS Patrol vehicle and
attempted to ram it. The officer took evasive action and avoided the
collision. In the meantime, the Nissan pickup pulled over and several
people ran from the vehicle into the desert. Two other vehicles
including the Ford 150 and a Cadillac Escalade pickup truck that was
loaded with marijuana sped away. Those two vehicles were eventually
stopped in the Phoenix metro freeway system. In total eight people
were taken into custody from all three vehicles. The driver of the
Nissan pickup that tried to ram our patrol vehicle is still at large.
A search of the Cadillac resulted in the seizure of 215 pounds of
marijuana with a street value of $100-thousand dollars. Detectives
also seized 11.5 grams of methamphetamine in one of the vehicles.
Three suspects were booked into Maricopa County Jail on charges of
participating in a criminal enterprise, transportation of marijuana
for sale and possession of dangerous drugs. Five suspects were
turned over to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.
This investigation is ongoing so we are unable to release names or
any more information at this time.
Note: Çd. Juarez, Chih. also has a significant segment of population
of middle east origin.
Lawmaker urges feds to monitor Hezbollah in Mexico
By Joseph Kolb
Published October 29, 2012
FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/29/lawmaker-urges-feds-to-
monitor-hezbollah-in-mexico/
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrollah. (AP)
The presidential campaign has featured plenty of talk about terrorism
in the Middle East, but one lawmaker is warning that the federal
government is ignoring a growing Hezbollah presence in Mexico, with
the Lebanese terror group increasingly joining forces with drug cartels.
One report shows hundreds of thousands of Middle Easterners living in
Mexico, and a small percentage of them may be radicals using routes
established by drug networks to sneak into the U.S.
The ties linking Mexico to Islamic terrorism were underscored earlier
this year when an alleged Iranian operative plotted to assassinate a
Saudi diplomat in Washington using a hired gun on loan from a Mexican
drug cartel. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) says the mounting evidence of a
Hezbollah presence in Mexico is being ignored by the Department of
Homeland Security.
"I don't have a lot of faith in the Department of Homeland Security,"
said Myrick. "They should be looking at these groups in Mexico much
more closely."
"I don't have a lot of faith in the Department of Homeland Security.
They should be looking at these groups in Mexico much more closely."
- Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.)
The incidents fueling Myrick's frustration include the Oct. 17 guilty
plea in Manhattan Federal Court of a suspect plotting to pay $1.5
million to a suspected hitman for the Los Zetas Cartel, who was
actually a DEA informant, to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador
to the U.S. by bombing a busy Washington, D.C., restaurant the
ambassador frequents.
Mansour Arbabsiar, 58, a naturalized U.S. citizen holding both
Iranian and U.S. passports, was arrested on Sept. 29, 2011, at New
York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He faces a maximum
potential sentence of 25 years in prison.
"A little more than a year after his arrest, Mansour Arbabsiar has
admitted to his role in a deadly plot approved by members of the
Iranian military to assassinate a sitting foreign ambassador on U.S.
soil," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a press release.
Holder said the plot was hatched by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps and their covert operation group, the Qods. The Qods
Force conducts sensitive covert operations, including terrorist
attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to have
sponsored attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq. In October 2007,
the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Qods Force under
Executive Order 13224 for providing material support to the Taliban
and other terrorist organizations.
"The dangerous connection between drug trafficking and terrorism
cannot be overstated, and this case is yet another example of DEA's
unique role in identifying potentially deadly networks that wish to
harm innocent Americans and our allies worldwide," said DEA
Administrator Michele M. Leonhart following Arbabsiar's court
appearance. "Using DEA's elaborate and sophisticated investigative
expertise to infiltrate violent drug and terror organizations
globally, we successfully identified this threat and worked closely
with the FBI to prevent a potentially deadly outcome."
Speculation of these groups operating in Mexico eventually became
more tangible in the fall of 2010, when the Tucson Police Department
published an International Terrorism Situational Awareness for
Hezbollah in Mexico citing the arrest of Jameel Nasar in Tijuana in
July 2010, who attempted to establish a Hezbollah network in Mexico
and South America.
The previous year, Jamal Yousef was arrested in New York City, where
it was learned that 100 M16 rifles, 100 AR15 rifles, 200 hand
grenades, C4 explosive and anti-tank ammunition were stolen from Iraq
by his cousin, an alleged Hezbollah member, and stored in Mexico.
The Diario de Quinatana Roo newspaper said it has uncovered
information from Wikileaks that, as far back as 2009, Hezbollah cells
were using drug trafficking routes to reach the U.S.
Myrick fired off a letter to Secretary of Department of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano, requesting DHS create a task force solely
to watch Islamic extremist groups in Mexico. Napolitano said there
was no need, saying current intelligence resources were adequate.
Napolitano did admit to Myrick that Hezbollah has a decades-long
presence in the tri-border region between Argentina, Brazil and
Paraguay, and, "ties to individuals involved in illicit activities in
the region." Taking care not to specifically say Mexican drug cartels.
On Sept. 8, the Yucatan Times reported three individuals, one with
dual American-Lebanese citizenship, with alleged ties to Hezbollah,
were arrested in the Yucatan Peninsula city of Merida in an alleged
effort to raise funds to release Hezbollah agents in U.S. custody.
U.S. officials have yet to identify the suspects as Hezbollah
sympathizers or members.
Merida, Mexico, has had a large Lebanese population for generations,
which the suspects hoped to blend into. There are more than 200,000
people of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Mexico, according to
a study by Georgetown University that was referenced in the Tucson
Police Department report.
These incidents leave little ambiguity said a spokesman for Arizona
Gov. Jan Brewer.
"The Arizona Department of Homeland Security has indicated there are
elements of Middle Eastern Islamic extremist groups operating in
Mexico," said Matthew Benson, Director of Communications for Gov.
Brewer. "From the governor's standpoint, it is critical to have a
secure border for criminal elements who would take advantage of a
porous border, especially like the one we have in Arizona."
Myrick said she is concerned about the hyperbole of the candidates
and even the mainstream media solely discussing what is occurring in
the Middle East without mentioning potential threats that may be as
close as Mexico.
Marsha Catron, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security,
continued to echo the department's two-year position that they have
no credible intelligence identifying Hezbollah as operating in
Mexico. She did not respond to queries after the Merida arrests.
"Given the evidence available, it only makes sense that DHS should,
at the very least, investigate the presence of Hezbollah along our
Southern border, regardless of who is in office," Myrick said.
Joseph J. Kolb is a freelance journalist in New Mexico.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/29/lawmaker-urges-
feds-to-monitor-hezbollah-in-mexico/#ixzz2AjCARZFi
Note: re; AZMEX UPDATE 27-10-12 The link is:
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_10b0039c-1fe7-11e2-
a555-001a4bcf6878.html
Link to the other story is:
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_db567d9c-1f01-11e2-9e9f-001a4bcf6878.html
Immigrants identified in Texas chopper shooting
http://www.themonitor.com/news/state/article_9290b7bc-a810-51dd-90a8-
e9e86f7da867.html
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2012 10:23 am
Associated Press |
A Guatemalan diplomat has released the identities of two immigrants
killed last week when a state police helicopter fired on their
smuggler's truck near the Texas-Mexico border.
Alba Caceres (KAH'-sehr-es), Guatemala's consul in McAllen, says the
victims were Marco Antonio Castro and Jose Leonardo Coj Cumar (KOH
koo-MAHR'), of San Martin (mar-TEEN') Jilotepeque (hee-LOH'-tuh-pek),
about an hour outside the capital.
Caceres expressed her government's indignation and made a formal
request for a thorough investigation to the Texas Rangers on Friday.
She was trying to interview survivors. She didn't know when the
bodies would be released to the families, but said it could be
delayed by the investigation.
A trooper fired from a Department of Public Safety helicopter
Thursday afternoon in an attempt to stop a fleeing smuggler's truck
that was suspected of carrying drugs.
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 29-10-12
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 29 OCT 2012
Note: have to go to webpage to get the links. Don't forget the
direct connection to the deaths of hundreds of Mexican citizens.
BATFE, DOJ, DHS and WH.
Many of us out in the West believe that ATF, given their record over
the years, should become a regulatory agency only, and be removed
from law enforcement.
Second joint Fast & Furious report cites 'management failures'
OPERATION FAST AND FURIOUS
OCTOBER 29, 2012
BY: DAVE WORKMAN
http://www.examiner.com/article/second-joint-fast-furious-report-
cites-management-failures?cid=db_articles
Congressman Darrell Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley issued part two of
their joint report on Operation Fast and Furious Monday, with
assertions of widespread management failures.
Credits: House Oversight Committee
Operation Fast and FuriousCampaign 2012Charles GrassleyDarrell Issa
A second installment of the joint report on Operation Fast and
Furious asserting "widespread management failures" by senior Justice
Department officials was released today despite a virtual government
shutdown due to Hurricane Sandy.
That the report was released just over a week before the presidential
election may have little bearing on the election outcome. The more
recent scandal over Benghazi is being downplayed by everyone besides
Fox News, adding even more credence to assertions that press bias in
favor of the Obama administration is giving cover to the president.
The report, released by Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles
Grassley, ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also
singles out William Newell, former special agent in charge of the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' field office in
Phoenix.
Newell, the report says, "had a history of using reckless tactics
during his investigations." But the report adds that Newell "believed
he had the full support of senior Justice Department officials in
creating and executing Fast and Furious."
( Links )
The 104-page document may be read here. Exhibits may be read here.
The report also tends to affirm what former Acting ATF Director
Kenneth Melson told congressional investigators on July 4, 2011. The
entre prologue is devoted to Melson's perspective.
"My view is that the whole matter of the Department's response in
this case was a disaster," Melson told investigators. "That as a
result, it came to fruition that the committee staff had to be more
aggressive and assertive in attempting to get information from the
Department, and as a result, there was more adverse publicity towards
ATF than was warranted if we had cooperated from the very beginning.
And a lot of what they did was damage control after a while. Their
position on things changed weekly and it was hard for us to catch up
on it, but it was very clear that they were running the show."
And he also said this: "I think there could have been accommodations
made between the Hill and ATF and DOJ as to how information was
shared. It was very frustrating to all of us, and it appears
thoroughly to us that the Department is really trying to figure out a
way to push the information away from their political appointees at
the Department."
The prologue ends with this observation from the authors: "In the
intervening fourteen months since Ken Melson made that statement, the
Justice Department has cried foul about the politicization of the
congressional inquiry into Fast and Furious. Yet, Melson's words ring
even truer today than they did on Independence Day 2011. The
Department's actions in steering the sinking ship away from political
appointees continue to give credence to Melson's testimony, as the
Department has, at all costs, deflected blame away from these
political appointees.
"Instead of owning up to its own shortcomings, the Department sought
to put the blame on Ken Melson," the prologue concludes.
Deep in the report, beginning on Page 91, is a dispute over whether
Attorney General Eric Holder might have been invited to a press
conference announcing the takedown of suspects involved in the Fast
and Furious operation.
"The connection between the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry
and Fast and Furious had drastic effects inside the Department of
Justice," the report reveals. "For the first time since the
investigation began over a year earlier, a Fast and Furious straw
purchaser was finally arrested. ATF rushed a memorandum to Acting
Deputy Attorney General Grindler notifying him of the connection.
Perhaps most significantly, Justice Department headquarters abandoned
plans to have various Department officials appear at the Fast and
Furious take-down press conference in Phoenix, including Attorney
General Holder."
Indictments did not come until after Terry's slaying.
The report lists several recommendations
When the Justice Department promulgates a broad new strategy and
implements it throughout its components, the Department must create
procedures to ensure that implementation of the strategy is
monitored, overseen, and supervised adequately.
Congress vested in senior Department officials the authority to
authorize applications for intrusive wire intercepts. These senior
officials must review each application thoroughly to ensure such an
intrusion is necessary and appropriate. Delegating this authority to
subordinates introduces the risk that a careful review will not take
place.
The Justice Department needs to institute clear, written guidelines
to outline the appropriate use of cooperating gun dealers during law
enforcement investigations. The Department must scrutinize
investigations that involve cooperating gun dealers much more closely.
The official within the Office of the Deputy Attorney General
responsible for the ATF portfolio should have ATF-specific experience
and training, and must be more than just a liaison. That official
should ensure that the Deputy Attorney General is able to provide
meaningful supervision of ATF operations.
The Deputy Attorney General must closely supervise ATF, an agency
with a long and troubled history.
Leadership within the Justice Department must start at the top.
Senior managers should foster a culture of accountability within the
Department by taking responsibility and accepting consequences for
their own lack of initiative and failures.
Justice Department components look to senior Department officials for
leadership and guidance. It is critically important that these senior
leaders provide such leadership and guidance. Justice Department
officials also must take responsibility for supervising and managing
the Department's component agencies.
The Justice Department must provide the Terry family with a complete
accounting of how it learned about the connection of their son's
death to Operation Fast and Furious. The Department should also
apologize for not personally informing the Terry family or publicly
admitting the connection sooner.
Issa and Grassley released a joint statement to the press today.
"The report discloses widespread management failures within the
hierarchy of the Justice Department," said Issa. "The Justice
Department has yet to evaluate these management issues and implement
structural changes to prevent another disaster like Operation Fast
and Furious from occurring. Furthermore, the Justice Department has
taken limited action against these negligent managers."
"Officials in the Justice Department saw any number of warnings and
some even had the gunwalking information right in front of them, yet
nothing was done to stop it. Countless people may be murdered with
these weapons, yet the Attorney General appears to be letting his
employees slide by with little to no accountability. The Attorney
General needs to make changes to ensure that department leadership
provides oversight of the agencies they are tasked with supervising,
instead of pointing fingers at somebody else," Grassley observed.
Note: have to go to webpage to get the links. Don't forget the
direct connection to the deaths of hundreds of Mexican citizens.
BATFE, DOJ, DHS and WH.
Many of us out in the West believe that ATF, given their record over
the years, should become a regulatory agency only, and be removed
from law enforcement.
Second joint Fast & Furious report cites 'management failures'
OPERATION FAST AND FURIOUS
OCTOBER 29, 2012
BY: DAVE WORKMAN
http://www.examiner.com/article/second-joint-fast-furious-report-
cites-management-failures?cid=db_articles
Congressman Darrell Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley issued part two of
their joint report on Operation Fast and Furious Monday, with
assertions of widespread management failures.
Credits: House Oversight Committee
Operation Fast and FuriousCampaign 2012Charles GrassleyDarrell Issa
A second installment of the joint report on Operation Fast and
Furious asserting "widespread management failures" by senior Justice
Department officials was released today despite a virtual government
shutdown due to Hurricane Sandy.
That the report was released just over a week before the presidential
election may have little bearing on the election outcome. The more
recent scandal over Benghazi is being downplayed by everyone besides
Fox News, adding even more credence to assertions that press bias in
favor of the Obama administration is giving cover to the president.
The report, released by Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles
Grassley, ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also
singles out William Newell, former special agent in charge of the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' field office in
Phoenix.
Newell, the report says, "had a history of using reckless tactics
during his investigations." But the report adds that Newell "believed
he had the full support of senior Justice Department officials in
creating and executing Fast and Furious."
( Links )
The 104-page document may be read here. Exhibits may be read here.
The report also tends to affirm what former Acting ATF Director
Kenneth Melson told congressional investigators on July 4, 2011. The
entre prologue is devoted to Melson's perspective.
"My view is that the whole matter of the Department's response in
this case was a disaster," Melson told investigators. "That as a
result, it came to fruition that the committee staff had to be more
aggressive and assertive in attempting to get information from the
Department, and as a result, there was more adverse publicity towards
ATF than was warranted if we had cooperated from the very beginning.
And a lot of what they did was damage control after a while. Their
position on things changed weekly and it was hard for us to catch up
on it, but it was very clear that they were running the show."
And he also said this: "I think there could have been accommodations
made between the Hill and ATF and DOJ as to how information was
shared. It was very frustrating to all of us, and it appears
thoroughly to us that the Department is really trying to figure out a
way to push the information away from their political appointees at
the Department."
The prologue ends with this observation from the authors: "In the
intervening fourteen months since Ken Melson made that statement, the
Justice Department has cried foul about the politicization of the
congressional inquiry into Fast and Furious. Yet, Melson's words ring
even truer today than they did on Independence Day 2011. The
Department's actions in steering the sinking ship away from political
appointees continue to give credence to Melson's testimony, as the
Department has, at all costs, deflected blame away from these
political appointees.
"Instead of owning up to its own shortcomings, the Department sought
to put the blame on Ken Melson," the prologue concludes.
Deep in the report, beginning on Page 91, is a dispute over whether
Attorney General Eric Holder might have been invited to a press
conference announcing the takedown of suspects involved in the Fast
and Furious operation.
"The connection between the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry
and Fast and Furious had drastic effects inside the Department of
Justice," the report reveals. "For the first time since the
investigation began over a year earlier, a Fast and Furious straw
purchaser was finally arrested. ATF rushed a memorandum to Acting
Deputy Attorney General Grindler notifying him of the connection.
Perhaps most significantly, Justice Department headquarters abandoned
plans to have various Department officials appear at the Fast and
Furious take-down press conference in Phoenix, including Attorney
General Holder."
Indictments did not come until after Terry's slaying.
The report lists several recommendations
When the Justice Department promulgates a broad new strategy and
implements it throughout its components, the Department must create
procedures to ensure that implementation of the strategy is
monitored, overseen, and supervised adequately.
Congress vested in senior Department officials the authority to
authorize applications for intrusive wire intercepts. These senior
officials must review each application thoroughly to ensure such an
intrusion is necessary and appropriate. Delegating this authority to
subordinates introduces the risk that a careful review will not take
place.
The Justice Department needs to institute clear, written guidelines
to outline the appropriate use of cooperating gun dealers during law
enforcement investigations. The Department must scrutinize
investigations that involve cooperating gun dealers much more closely.
The official within the Office of the Deputy Attorney General
responsible for the ATF portfolio should have ATF-specific experience
and training, and must be more than just a liaison. That official
should ensure that the Deputy Attorney General is able to provide
meaningful supervision of ATF operations.
The Deputy Attorney General must closely supervise ATF, an agency
with a long and troubled history.
Leadership within the Justice Department must start at the top.
Senior managers should foster a culture of accountability within the
Department by taking responsibility and accepting consequences for
their own lack of initiative and failures.
Justice Department components look to senior Department officials for
leadership and guidance. It is critically important that these senior
leaders provide such leadership and guidance. Justice Department
officials also must take responsibility for supervising and managing
the Department's component agencies.
The Justice Department must provide the Terry family with a complete
accounting of how it learned about the connection of their son's
death to Operation Fast and Furious. The Department should also
apologize for not personally informing the Terry family or publicly
admitting the connection sooner.
Issa and Grassley released a joint statement to the press today.
"The report discloses widespread management failures within the
hierarchy of the Justice Department," said Issa. "The Justice
Department has yet to evaluate these management issues and implement
structural changes to prevent another disaster like Operation Fast
and Furious from occurring. Furthermore, the Justice Department has
taken limited action against these negligent managers."
"Officials in the Justice Department saw any number of warnings and
some even had the gunwalking information right in front of them, yet
nothing was done to stop it. Countless people may be murdered with
these weapons, yet the Attorney General appears to be letting his
employees slide by with little to no accountability. The Attorney
General needs to make changes to ensure that department leadership
provides oversight of the agencies they are tasked with supervising,
instead of pointing fingers at somebody else," Grassley observed.
AZMEX UPDATE 28-10-12
AZMEX UPDATE 28 OCT 2012
Note: This story disappeared pretty quickly from local media. We
checked with DPS this morning, about the unusual development, that
the vehicles do not appear to be stolen. Quite unusual.
7 detained, over $100K of marijuana seized in vehicle stop
By Laurie Merrill
The Republic | azcentral.com
Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:15 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20121028marijuana-seized-
arrests-stop.html
Seven people were apprehended and more than $100,000 of marijuana was
seized early Sunday after an Arizona Department of Public Safety
officer stopped a vehicle near Maricopa and evaded a truck that tried
to ram him, a spokesman says.
The attempted police car ramming by the driver of a Nissan pick-up
truck appears to be a tactic in the drug war, said DPS spokesman Bart
Graves. The Nissan and a second truck seemed to be trying to distract
the officer from discovering a half dozen bales of marijuana in a
third car, a Cadillac Escalade, Graves said.
Officers were still searching for the Nissan truck driver, who fled
the scene with others, Graves said.
The incident began unfolding at 8:30 a.m. Sunday when a DPS officer
headed north on State Route 347 attempted to pull over a Ford F150
pick-up truck, said Graves.
As he was stopping the Ford, he looked in his rear-view mirror and
saw that the Nissan pick-up truck accelerating and about to ram the
rear of his Chevrolet Tahoe, Graves said.
"The Nissan pick-up truck tried to strike our officer's car,"
said Graves.
The driver had apparently interrupted a caravan of three cars, a
Cadillac Escalade truck in the lead, followed by the Ford and the
Nissan, Graves said.
The officer evaded the collision by pulling swiftly onto the
shoulder, Graves said.
"He has patrolled that area for years, he has seen about every thing
there is to see," Graves said of the K9 officer.
The Nissan driver pulled over and the occupants fled into the
dessert, Graves said.
Meanwhile, it appeared that the Escalade driver was also accelerating
in an attempt to ram the officer's car, but instead headed north on
the highway, Graves said.
After the Escalade was stopped, DPS seized about six bales of
marijuana, about $100,000 worth, from the truck bed, Graves said. He
said the marijuana hadn't been weighed as of Sunday afternoon.
It appeared that the Nissan and Ford had been deployed to keep police
from finding the marijuana, Graves said.
"What is significant here is these distracting vehicles," Graves
said. "That is how desperate these guys have become. They will do
anything to prevent authorities from seizing their drugs."
It appears that the occupants of the Nissan tossed weapons into the
desert as they ran, Graves said, which officers were seeking.
DPS officers were interviewing the seven suspects and had not made
arrests late Sunday afternoon, Graves said.
The United States Border Patrol, Chandler police and a Phoenix police
helicopter joined the search for the occupants of the Nissan, most of
whom tried to flee on foot, Graves said. "We couldn't have done
it without them," Graves said.
Officer caught in middle of drug run
Posted: Oct 28, 2012 6:30 PM MST
Updated: Oct 28, 2012 7:21 PM MST
By Jadiann Thompson - bio |
http://www.kpho.com/story/19938284/officer-caught-in-middle-of-drug-
run
MARICOPA, AZ (CBS5) -
Several people were arrested and nearly $100,000 in pot was seized
near Maricopa Sunday morning after a suspect tried to ram into a
patrol car, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Police said a DPS officer noticed the driver of a Cadillac Escalade
speeding on State Route 347 near Maricopa. Before the officer could
turn on the lights in his patrol car, "He looked in his rearview
mirror and saw a vehicle behind him trying to ram him," said DPS
spokesperson Bart Graves.
Three vehicles total were involved, the Escalade and two other Nissan
pickup trucks, carrying nine people, according to DPS.
Police said the two Nissan trucks were there to distract police from
the drugs in the Cadillac.
"The heat vehicle is trying to do something to distract the officer
from going after what we call the load vehicle," said Graves, "This
is unusual to try to run our patrol vehicle off the road at a high
rate of speed."
Nearly $100,000 in marijuana was seized from the Escalade.
Graves said, "347 is become one of the options for drug smugglers to
try to get their load up to the Valley."
Border Patrol and the Chandler Police Department were called for backup.
The driver of the truck who tried to ram the officer stopped and six
people armed with guns ran into the desert, according to police. Five
of them were arrested. The driver is on the loose and armed with a
handgun. Border Patrol agents are searching for that suspect.
The two other vehicles escaped, but were later stopped on a freeway
in Phoenix and the occupants were arrested.
Police said the vehicles used were not stolen and that those involved
are suspected undocumented immigrants.
Note: more of same story. Fun quote: "It seems SR 347 is commonly
used for criminal activity"
Police: Drug smugglers intended to run officer off road
Posted: Oct 28, 2012 8:15 PM MST
Updated: Oct 28, 2012 9:54 PM MST
By Kristen Keogh, FOX 10 News - bio
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/19938539/2012/10/28/police-group-of-
vehicles-intended-to-run-officer-off-road
CHANDLER, Ariz. -
A police officer was nearly forced off the road during a routine
traffic stop because officers say the driver's car was filled with
marijuana.
"He looked in his rear view mirror and saw a vehicle trying to ram
him," said Bart Graves, with the Department of Public Safety.
When a lone officer tried to pull over a white Escalade Sunday, he
was nearly forced off of State Route 347 through Chandler.
"I've seen this tactic before, where the heat vehicle is doing
something to distract the officer from going after the load vehicle,"
said Graves.
The heat vehicle was a Nissan Titan truck with a male driver going
about 80 mph. The driver was trying to prevent the officer from
stopping the Escalade; the SUV was hauling about $1 million worth of
marijuana.
"This is unusual, to try to run a patrol vehicle off the road,
endangering the officer. Thank goodness our officers are okay," said
Graves.
Officers believe this was a rehearsed tactic intended to be more
dangerous, but the female driver of the load vehicle panicked.
"The female tries to turn her car to try to ram our officer but she
changed her mind and got back on the road and starts going," said
Graves.
It seems SR 347 is commonly used for criminal activity but DPS said
smugglers won't be able to sneak through just because they're staying
off the interstate.
"They'd be incorrect because with our partners with Border Patrol and
Chandler Police, we are there on the highways and we're looking for
them," said Graves.
Note: From Sonora.
Posted October 28, 2012, 1:49 AM
Another arsenal seized for second day
Military raids intensify
In the Caborca region, elements of Army seized two "goat horns",
a submachine gun and several magazines in a van.
High-powered rifles, handguns, grenades, cartridges and accessories
were seized in Nogales
Nogales, Sonora. - Nuevo Dia
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/intensifican-militares-cateos/
A total of ten assault rifles, AK-47, were secured by military
personnel in the two seizures recorded in this border in vehicles
that had been reported as stolen and an additional finding in the
Caborca region, verified Friday.
According to reports from the Ministry of National Defense, was
reported by the Commander of the 45 / a. Military Zone, informs the
public that within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategy of the
Mexican state against Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime, troops of
the territorial command, said the following ":
"On the 26th, at two different events, military troops, to conduct
ground surveys in the urban area of Nogales, Sonora, claimed that:
Four rifles, a grenade, two smoke grenades, 646 cartridges of
different calibers, 36 magazines for various weapons, a vehicle
reported as stolen (SUV Nissan Murano), and various tactical
equipment. "
In the second event, verified in another colony, were "four rifles, a
handgun, two smoke grenades, a vehicle reported as stolen (Mistubishi
van), 72 magazines for various weapons, 430 rounds of different
calibers and different tactical equipment ".
They also reported that on October 25, military troops, while
conducting ground surveys in the Caborca area, , seized "two
rifles, a handgun, 14 magazines for various weapons, 314 rounds of
different calibers , a package containing marijuana and a vehicle
(Ford, extended cab, dark gray).
"The insured was made available to the relevant authorities," he
said, detainees were not reported.
The Army said: "Through these actions, the National Defense
Secretariat contributes to the safety of the country confirming its
commitment to combat drug trafficking and frontally organized crime
undermining its operational capacity in the interest of safety of
Mexican society, emphasizing that all activities undertaken by
military personnel are attached to right, always respecting human
rights. "
Note: This story disappeared pretty quickly from local media. We
checked with DPS this morning, about the unusual development, that
the vehicles do not appear to be stolen. Quite unusual.
7 detained, over $100K of marijuana seized in vehicle stop
By Laurie Merrill
The Republic | azcentral.com
Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:15 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20121028marijuana-seized-
arrests-stop.html
Seven people were apprehended and more than $100,000 of marijuana was
seized early Sunday after an Arizona Department of Public Safety
officer stopped a vehicle near Maricopa and evaded a truck that tried
to ram him, a spokesman says.
The attempted police car ramming by the driver of a Nissan pick-up
truck appears to be a tactic in the drug war, said DPS spokesman Bart
Graves. The Nissan and a second truck seemed to be trying to distract
the officer from discovering a half dozen bales of marijuana in a
third car, a Cadillac Escalade, Graves said.
Officers were still searching for the Nissan truck driver, who fled
the scene with others, Graves said.
The incident began unfolding at 8:30 a.m. Sunday when a DPS officer
headed north on State Route 347 attempted to pull over a Ford F150
pick-up truck, said Graves.
As he was stopping the Ford, he looked in his rear-view mirror and
saw that the Nissan pick-up truck accelerating and about to ram the
rear of his Chevrolet Tahoe, Graves said.
"The Nissan pick-up truck tried to strike our officer's car,"
said Graves.
The driver had apparently interrupted a caravan of three cars, a
Cadillac Escalade truck in the lead, followed by the Ford and the
Nissan, Graves said.
The officer evaded the collision by pulling swiftly onto the
shoulder, Graves said.
"He has patrolled that area for years, he has seen about every thing
there is to see," Graves said of the K9 officer.
The Nissan driver pulled over and the occupants fled into the
dessert, Graves said.
Meanwhile, it appeared that the Escalade driver was also accelerating
in an attempt to ram the officer's car, but instead headed north on
the highway, Graves said.
After the Escalade was stopped, DPS seized about six bales of
marijuana, about $100,000 worth, from the truck bed, Graves said. He
said the marijuana hadn't been weighed as of Sunday afternoon.
It appeared that the Nissan and Ford had been deployed to keep police
from finding the marijuana, Graves said.
"What is significant here is these distracting vehicles," Graves
said. "That is how desperate these guys have become. They will do
anything to prevent authorities from seizing their drugs."
It appears that the occupants of the Nissan tossed weapons into the
desert as they ran, Graves said, which officers were seeking.
DPS officers were interviewing the seven suspects and had not made
arrests late Sunday afternoon, Graves said.
The United States Border Patrol, Chandler police and a Phoenix police
helicopter joined the search for the occupants of the Nissan, most of
whom tried to flee on foot, Graves said. "We couldn't have done
it without them," Graves said.
Officer caught in middle of drug run
Posted: Oct 28, 2012 6:30 PM MST
Updated: Oct 28, 2012 7:21 PM MST
By Jadiann Thompson - bio |
http://www.kpho.com/story/19938284/officer-caught-in-middle-of-drug-
run
MARICOPA, AZ (CBS5) -
Several people were arrested and nearly $100,000 in pot was seized
near Maricopa Sunday morning after a suspect tried to ram into a
patrol car, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Police said a DPS officer noticed the driver of a Cadillac Escalade
speeding on State Route 347 near Maricopa. Before the officer could
turn on the lights in his patrol car, "He looked in his rearview
mirror and saw a vehicle behind him trying to ram him," said DPS
spokesperson Bart Graves.
Three vehicles total were involved, the Escalade and two other Nissan
pickup trucks, carrying nine people, according to DPS.
Police said the two Nissan trucks were there to distract police from
the drugs in the Cadillac.
"The heat vehicle is trying to do something to distract the officer
from going after what we call the load vehicle," said Graves, "This
is unusual to try to run our patrol vehicle off the road at a high
rate of speed."
Nearly $100,000 in marijuana was seized from the Escalade.
Graves said, "347 is become one of the options for drug smugglers to
try to get their load up to the Valley."
Border Patrol and the Chandler Police Department were called for backup.
The driver of the truck who tried to ram the officer stopped and six
people armed with guns ran into the desert, according to police. Five
of them were arrested. The driver is on the loose and armed with a
handgun. Border Patrol agents are searching for that suspect.
The two other vehicles escaped, but were later stopped on a freeway
in Phoenix and the occupants were arrested.
Police said the vehicles used were not stolen and that those involved
are suspected undocumented immigrants.
Note: more of same story. Fun quote: "It seems SR 347 is commonly
used for criminal activity"
Police: Drug smugglers intended to run officer off road
Posted: Oct 28, 2012 8:15 PM MST
Updated: Oct 28, 2012 9:54 PM MST
By Kristen Keogh, FOX 10 News - bio
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/19938539/2012/10/28/police-group-of-
vehicles-intended-to-run-officer-off-road
CHANDLER, Ariz. -
A police officer was nearly forced off the road during a routine
traffic stop because officers say the driver's car was filled with
marijuana.
"He looked in his rear view mirror and saw a vehicle trying to ram
him," said Bart Graves, with the Department of Public Safety.
When a lone officer tried to pull over a white Escalade Sunday, he
was nearly forced off of State Route 347 through Chandler.
"I've seen this tactic before, where the heat vehicle is doing
something to distract the officer from going after the load vehicle,"
said Graves.
The heat vehicle was a Nissan Titan truck with a male driver going
about 80 mph. The driver was trying to prevent the officer from
stopping the Escalade; the SUV was hauling about $1 million worth of
marijuana.
"This is unusual, to try to run a patrol vehicle off the road,
endangering the officer. Thank goodness our officers are okay," said
Graves.
Officers believe this was a rehearsed tactic intended to be more
dangerous, but the female driver of the load vehicle panicked.
"The female tries to turn her car to try to ram our officer but she
changed her mind and got back on the road and starts going," said
Graves.
It seems SR 347 is commonly used for criminal activity but DPS said
smugglers won't be able to sneak through just because they're staying
off the interstate.
"They'd be incorrect because with our partners with Border Patrol and
Chandler Police, we are there on the highways and we're looking for
them," said Graves.
Note: From Sonora.
Posted October 28, 2012, 1:49 AM
Another arsenal seized for second day
Military raids intensify
In the Caborca region, elements of Army seized two "goat horns",
a submachine gun and several magazines in a van.
High-powered rifles, handguns, grenades, cartridges and accessories
were seized in Nogales
Nogales, Sonora. - Nuevo Dia
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/intensifican-militares-cateos/
A total of ten assault rifles, AK-47, were secured by military
personnel in the two seizures recorded in this border in vehicles
that had been reported as stolen and an additional finding in the
Caborca region, verified Friday.
According to reports from the Ministry of National Defense, was
reported by the Commander of the 45 / a. Military Zone, informs the
public that within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategy of the
Mexican state against Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime, troops of
the territorial command, said the following ":
"On the 26th, at two different events, military troops, to conduct
ground surveys in the urban area of Nogales, Sonora, claimed that:
Four rifles, a grenade, two smoke grenades, 646 cartridges of
different calibers, 36 magazines for various weapons, a vehicle
reported as stolen (SUV Nissan Murano), and various tactical
equipment. "
In the second event, verified in another colony, were "four rifles, a
handgun, two smoke grenades, a vehicle reported as stolen (Mistubishi
van), 72 magazines for various weapons, 430 rounds of different
calibers and different tactical equipment ".
They also reported that on October 25, military troops, while
conducting ground surveys in the Caborca area, , seized "two
rifles, a handgun, 14 magazines for various weapons, 314 rounds of
different calibers , a package containing marijuana and a vehicle
(Ford, extended cab, dark gray).
"The insured was made available to the relevant authorities," he
said, detainees were not reported.
The Army said: "Through these actions, the National Defense
Secretariat contributes to the safety of the country confirming its
commitment to combat drug trafficking and frontally organized crime
undermining its operational capacity in the interest of safety of
Mexican society, emphasizing that all activities undertaken by
military personnel are attached to right, always respecting human
rights. "
AZMEX UPDATE 27-10-12
AZMEX UPDATE 27 OCT 2012
Note: Local will enjoy. From the Dir. of Public Security in Naco.
"Naco is safe . . . . . "
http://elperiodicodeap.com.mx/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=4620:naco-es-frontera-segura-
gustavo-lopez-lopez&catid=34:noticias&Itemid=78
Note: Yet another reason the the debate on if lethal force should
be used to stop chases continues. They, the smugglers, continually
endanger, injure or sometimes kill or cause the death of others.
With no regard for lives of anyone.
But maybe a stiff probation sentence for these two?
Police arrest 2, seize 240 pounds of marijuana
Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2012 10:21 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/
police-arrest-seize-pounds-of-marijuana/
article_d07714e0-205a-11e2-9fed-001a4bcf887a.html
Two men were arrested and 240 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated
value of $180,000, was seized after a Friday morning vehicle pursuit
south of Casa Grande.
According to a written release from the Pinal County Sheriff's
Office, Daniel Alvarado, 27, of Eloy and Jose Juan Cantu Millanes,
19, of Mexico were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for
sale, transporting marijuana and possession of the drugs and
paraphernalia. Alvarado also is accused of leaving the scene of an
accident and fleeing police.
Around 8:35 a.m., Border Patrol agents used stop sticks to stop
Alvarado, who was driving a Ford Thunderbird northbound on Indian
Route 15.
In spite of losing a tire and driving on a rim only, Alvarado
reportedly continued driving into the city limits and then hit
another auto before driving off.
Alvarado stopped the car about 30 minutes later near Alsdorf Road and
Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Eloy and the two men ran off. A Sheriff's
Office helicopter led deputies to the men, in a carport in the 400
block of West Hinton Street.
Note: For Pima county folks, it election time.
Probation for man busted with 100 pounds of pot
October 25, 2012 4:43 pm •
Kim Smith, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/probation-for-man-busted-with-
pounds-of-pot/article_b759756a-1efd-11e2-b8f7-001a4bcf887a.html
A 21-year-old man who was caught with nearly 100 pounds of marijuana
following a high speed chase in July has been placed on two years
probation.
On July 6, a Pima County sheriff's deputy pulled over a pickup truck
for a traffic violation near Twin Peaks Road, but the driver took off
as the deputy walked up, according to court documents.
The deputy gave chase and the suspect reached 70 miles an hour as he
drove up and down Silverbell Road. Eventually, the driver stopped at
a restaurant and he and five or six other people ran off.
The driver, later identified as Zenas Uriah-Lanair Johnson, got
caught when he jumped back in the truck to put it in park as it
started to roll, according to court documents.
Johnson told deputies people affiliated with his cousin offered him
$800 to pick up a truck filled with people and marijuana, court
documents state. He was given a cell phone and told to follow the
instructions given to him by the person on the other end of the phone.
Johnson, who has no prior criminal convictions, pleaded guilty to
solicitation to possess marijuana for sale. He could have received
between 1 and 3.75 years in prison.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini imposed the sentence.
Note: updated. It should be noted that they deliberately chose to
put themselves in that position, situation and danger.
Trooper fatally shot Guatemalan immigrants from helicopter: DPS
A red pick up truck is moved from the scene of a incident after a
chase between law enforcement and suspected human smugglers on 7 mile
road north of La Joya, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Texas
Department of Public Safety sharpshooter opened fire on an evading
vehicle loaded with suspected illegal immigrants, leaving at least
two people dead, sources familiar with the investigation said. (AP
Photo/The Monitor, Joel Martinez)
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:33 pm | Updated: 11:21 pm, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
Ildefonso Ortiz and Jacqueline Armendariz Twitter: @ildefonsoortiz
LA JOYA — A flying state trooper who fired shots from a rifle at a
truck fleeing authorities Thursday afternoon believed the smugglers
were carrying a drug load.
Instead, they were transporting illegal immigrants.
A preliminary investigation indicates two Guatemalan nationals were
shot to death and another was injured in the gunfire, Texas
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told The Monitor.
The confirmation from DPS came late Friday evening — hours after
Guatemalan officials chastised state troopers, calling the incident a
"senseless murder."
"I know my people are in the wrong crossing illegally and I know
that the government of this country has to protect their border, but
to shoot at unarmed humans is beyond me," said Alva Caceres, the
Guatemalan Consul General in McAllen. "I am very concerned; we have
not received any information from them," referring to DPS.
THE CHASE
State game wardens chased after a red pickup truck Thursday afternoon
along Farm-to-Market Road 2221 before calling in a DPS helicopter to
assist in the pursuit, the state agency said in a statement.
The pickup was transporting nine Guatemalan nationals who had entered
the country illegally and an unidentified driver.
A DPS sharpshooter opened fire on the fleeing truck — believing it
contained drugs, not people — before the chase ended with a flat tire
along Mile 7 near La Joya, west of the expansive Pueblo de Palmas
colonia.
Two occupants died and a third was injured.
DPS waited until Friday evening to confirm the preliminary
investigation shows the troopers' bullets killed the Guatemalan
nationals. Other area law enforcement officials familiar with the
case confirmed to The Monitor the fatal mistake Thursday evening.
Caceres said the surviving immigrants told her office the tarp
covering them flew off the truck during the chase, exposing the
people in the bed of the truck.
No drugs were found in the vehicle. A photograph of the pickup shows
what appear to be several bullet-holes on the left rear side of the
truck, with a shredded rear tire.
"These statements taken from the survivors leave me outraged," she
said. "I can't conceive how a police officer fires at unarmed humans.
These are people from humble origins that even at first glance do not
look like hardened criminals."
The Guatemalans left their home country 19 days ago near Guatemala
City and had planned on meeting friends and relatives in Houston, New
York and New Jersey, Caceres said. The victims' identities have not
been disclosed.
Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Texas, called for a full investigation of the fatal shooting.
"We are eager to hear the facts in this case. What we know so far
raises disturbing questions," Burke said in a statement. "Why is a
state game warden involved in enforcement of federal immigration law?
Why is a game warden in dangerous high speed pursuit of people who
were suspected of nothing more than a civil offense? And where's the
'public safety' when a trooper in a helicopter opens fire on unarmed
persons in a vehicle on a public road?"
DIFFERENT PURSUIT POLICIES
Police chases have become commonplace in Rio Grande Valley —
especially in Hidalgo County, where nearly 13 percent of all DPS
chases between 2005 and 2010 occurred, according to an analysis by
The Texas Tribune and San Antonio Express-News.
DPS allows troopers to open fire on vehicles when defending
themselves or someone else from serious harm or death. That includes
opening fire from helicopters to disable vehicles or when deadly
force is ruled necessary.
The agency said Friday that the high speeds the truck reached while
fleeing from game wardens endangered the public.
DPS' gutsy policy contradicts common practice for all other law
enforcement agencies in the Rio Grande Valley, where deadly force may
only be used if a peace officer believes death is imminent.
Whenever a pursuit take place police officers follow a strict policy
that dictates their duties while keeping in mind the safety of the
public, said Mission Police Chief Martin Garza.
In order to fire a weapon at a vehicle, there has to be an imminent
threat to an officer or a third party and the order must be approved
by a commander or higher, Garza said.
"Under no circumstance will that order be given if there is a
passenger in the vehicle," he said.
For McAllen police, the use of a firearm in general is very
restricted matter — only in extraneous circumstances, said Police
Chief Victor Rodriguez.
Incidents involving the use of deadly force are dynamic and fast
paced in nature, said San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez.
"An officer in a deadly force situation must asses an imminent threat
taking into account the actions of the suspect and the totality of
the circumstances," Gonzalez said adding that a firearm is used when
other force options are not available.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers "are trained to use
deadly force in circumstances that pose a threat to their lives, the
lives of their fellow law enforcement partners and innocent third
parties," agency spokesman Doug Mosier said.
A report presented Thursday to the United Nations by the American
Civil Liberties Union said shootings and excessive force by CBP
officers along the border have left at least 20 people dead or
seriously injured since 2010. Eight of those cases involved officers
responding to people throwing rocks and six were killed while
standing on the Mexican side of the border.
'REAL TRAGEDY' ON A 'POROUS BORDER'
State officials' criticism of federal authorities on border security
has escalated in recent years, leaving Texas to invest its own
resources in securing the Rio Grande from what the state has called
an escalation in drug cartel activity along the border.
The contention of heightened crime along the border contradicts crime
rates that have shown double-digit drops in recent years, though
state authorities have been quick to argue that the numbers do not
show a full picture of border violence.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, a vocal critic of the
federal government's border security policies by claiming South Texas
ranchers are under attack by drug cartels, called Thursday's fatal
shootings a "a very tragic incident."
But he remained steadfast on his talking points about border security.
"This is a real tragedy, but the reality is that there is dangerous
activity in the border everyday as a result of a porous border and
the activity of drug cartels," Staples said.
___
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Note: Local will enjoy. From the Dir. of Public Security in Naco.
"Naco is safe . . . . . "
http://elperiodicodeap.com.mx/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=4620:naco-es-frontera-segura-
gustavo-lopez-lopez&catid=34:noticias&Itemid=78
Note: Yet another reason the the debate on if lethal force should
be used to stop chases continues. They, the smugglers, continually
endanger, injure or sometimes kill or cause the death of others.
With no regard for lives of anyone.
But maybe a stiff probation sentence for these two?
Police arrest 2, seize 240 pounds of marijuana
Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2012 10:21 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/
police-arrest-seize-pounds-of-marijuana/
article_d07714e0-205a-11e2-9fed-001a4bcf887a.html
Two men were arrested and 240 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated
value of $180,000, was seized after a Friday morning vehicle pursuit
south of Casa Grande.
According to a written release from the Pinal County Sheriff's
Office, Daniel Alvarado, 27, of Eloy and Jose Juan Cantu Millanes,
19, of Mexico were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for
sale, transporting marijuana and possession of the drugs and
paraphernalia. Alvarado also is accused of leaving the scene of an
accident and fleeing police.
Around 8:35 a.m., Border Patrol agents used stop sticks to stop
Alvarado, who was driving a Ford Thunderbird northbound on Indian
Route 15.
In spite of losing a tire and driving on a rim only, Alvarado
reportedly continued driving into the city limits and then hit
another auto before driving off.
Alvarado stopped the car about 30 minutes later near Alsdorf Road and
Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Eloy and the two men ran off. A Sheriff's
Office helicopter led deputies to the men, in a carport in the 400
block of West Hinton Street.
Note: For Pima county folks, it election time.
Probation for man busted with 100 pounds of pot
October 25, 2012 4:43 pm •
Kim Smith, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/probation-for-man-busted-with-
pounds-of-pot/article_b759756a-1efd-11e2-b8f7-001a4bcf887a.html
A 21-year-old man who was caught with nearly 100 pounds of marijuana
following a high speed chase in July has been placed on two years
probation.
On July 6, a Pima County sheriff's deputy pulled over a pickup truck
for a traffic violation near Twin Peaks Road, but the driver took off
as the deputy walked up, according to court documents.
The deputy gave chase and the suspect reached 70 miles an hour as he
drove up and down Silverbell Road. Eventually, the driver stopped at
a restaurant and he and five or six other people ran off.
The driver, later identified as Zenas Uriah-Lanair Johnson, got
caught when he jumped back in the truck to put it in park as it
started to roll, according to court documents.
Johnson told deputies people affiliated with his cousin offered him
$800 to pick up a truck filled with people and marijuana, court
documents state. He was given a cell phone and told to follow the
instructions given to him by the person on the other end of the phone.
Johnson, who has no prior criminal convictions, pleaded guilty to
solicitation to possess marijuana for sale. He could have received
between 1 and 3.75 years in prison.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini imposed the sentence.
Note: updated. It should be noted that they deliberately chose to
put themselves in that position, situation and danger.
Trooper fatally shot Guatemalan immigrants from helicopter: DPS
A red pick up truck is moved from the scene of a incident after a
chase between law enforcement and suspected human smugglers on 7 mile
road north of La Joya, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Texas
Department of Public Safety sharpshooter opened fire on an evading
vehicle loaded with suspected illegal immigrants, leaving at least
two people dead, sources familiar with the investigation said. (AP
Photo/The Monitor, Joel Martinez)
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:33 pm | Updated: 11:21 pm, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
Ildefonso Ortiz and Jacqueline Armendariz Twitter: @ildefonsoortiz
LA JOYA — A flying state trooper who fired shots from a rifle at a
truck fleeing authorities Thursday afternoon believed the smugglers
were carrying a drug load.
Instead, they were transporting illegal immigrants.
A preliminary investigation indicates two Guatemalan nationals were
shot to death and another was injured in the gunfire, Texas
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told The Monitor.
The confirmation from DPS came late Friday evening — hours after
Guatemalan officials chastised state troopers, calling the incident a
"senseless murder."
"I know my people are in the wrong crossing illegally and I know
that the government of this country has to protect their border, but
to shoot at unarmed humans is beyond me," said Alva Caceres, the
Guatemalan Consul General in McAllen. "I am very concerned; we have
not received any information from them," referring to DPS.
THE CHASE
State game wardens chased after a red pickup truck Thursday afternoon
along Farm-to-Market Road 2221 before calling in a DPS helicopter to
assist in the pursuit, the state agency said in a statement.
The pickup was transporting nine Guatemalan nationals who had entered
the country illegally and an unidentified driver.
A DPS sharpshooter opened fire on the fleeing truck — believing it
contained drugs, not people — before the chase ended with a flat tire
along Mile 7 near La Joya, west of the expansive Pueblo de Palmas
colonia.
Two occupants died and a third was injured.
DPS waited until Friday evening to confirm the preliminary
investigation shows the troopers' bullets killed the Guatemalan
nationals. Other area law enforcement officials familiar with the
case confirmed to The Monitor the fatal mistake Thursday evening.
Caceres said the surviving immigrants told her office the tarp
covering them flew off the truck during the chase, exposing the
people in the bed of the truck.
No drugs were found in the vehicle. A photograph of the pickup shows
what appear to be several bullet-holes on the left rear side of the
truck, with a shredded rear tire.
"These statements taken from the survivors leave me outraged," she
said. "I can't conceive how a police officer fires at unarmed humans.
These are people from humble origins that even at first glance do not
look like hardened criminals."
The Guatemalans left their home country 19 days ago near Guatemala
City and had planned on meeting friends and relatives in Houston, New
York and New Jersey, Caceres said. The victims' identities have not
been disclosed.
Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Texas, called for a full investigation of the fatal shooting.
"We are eager to hear the facts in this case. What we know so far
raises disturbing questions," Burke said in a statement. "Why is a
state game warden involved in enforcement of federal immigration law?
Why is a game warden in dangerous high speed pursuit of people who
were suspected of nothing more than a civil offense? And where's the
'public safety' when a trooper in a helicopter opens fire on unarmed
persons in a vehicle on a public road?"
DIFFERENT PURSUIT POLICIES
Police chases have become commonplace in Rio Grande Valley —
especially in Hidalgo County, where nearly 13 percent of all DPS
chases between 2005 and 2010 occurred, according to an analysis by
The Texas Tribune and San Antonio Express-News.
DPS allows troopers to open fire on vehicles when defending
themselves or someone else from serious harm or death. That includes
opening fire from helicopters to disable vehicles or when deadly
force is ruled necessary.
The agency said Friday that the high speeds the truck reached while
fleeing from game wardens endangered the public.
DPS' gutsy policy contradicts common practice for all other law
enforcement agencies in the Rio Grande Valley, where deadly force may
only be used if a peace officer believes death is imminent.
Whenever a pursuit take place police officers follow a strict policy
that dictates their duties while keeping in mind the safety of the
public, said Mission Police Chief Martin Garza.
In order to fire a weapon at a vehicle, there has to be an imminent
threat to an officer or a third party and the order must be approved
by a commander or higher, Garza said.
"Under no circumstance will that order be given if there is a
passenger in the vehicle," he said.
For McAllen police, the use of a firearm in general is very
restricted matter — only in extraneous circumstances, said Police
Chief Victor Rodriguez.
Incidents involving the use of deadly force are dynamic and fast
paced in nature, said San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez.
"An officer in a deadly force situation must asses an imminent threat
taking into account the actions of the suspect and the totality of
the circumstances," Gonzalez said adding that a firearm is used when
other force options are not available.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers "are trained to use
deadly force in circumstances that pose a threat to their lives, the
lives of their fellow law enforcement partners and innocent third
parties," agency spokesman Doug Mosier said.
A report presented Thursday to the United Nations by the American
Civil Liberties Union said shootings and excessive force by CBP
officers along the border have left at least 20 people dead or
seriously injured since 2010. Eight of those cases involved officers
responding to people throwing rocks and six were killed while
standing on the Mexican side of the border.
'REAL TRAGEDY' ON A 'POROUS BORDER'
State officials' criticism of federal authorities on border security
has escalated in recent years, leaving Texas to invest its own
resources in securing the Rio Grande from what the state has called
an escalation in drug cartel activity along the border.
The contention of heightened crime along the border contradicts crime
rates that have shown double-digit drops in recent years, though
state authorities have been quick to argue that the numbers do not
show a full picture of border violence.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, a vocal critic of the
federal government's border security policies by claiming South Texas
ranchers are under attack by drug cartels, called Thursday's fatal
shootings a "a very tragic incident."
But he remained steadfast on his talking points about border security.
"This is a real tragedy, but the reality is that there is dangerous
activity in the border everyday as a result of a porous border and
the activity of drug cartels," Staples said.
___
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
AZMEX EXTRA 27-10-12
AZMEX EXTRA 27 OCT 2012
Note: Ongoing problem throughout rural Mexico. Expected to take on
very well financed and armed cartels with revolver? Ammunition
supply is another large problem. Sanity dictates the honest cops
head for the hills, and the small towns are overrun. But then if
Mexican citizens could be once again armed, they help could defend
their homes and towns.
Posted 27/10/2012 2:22 By: Drafting ElImparcial
They need weapons in smaller municipalities
The smallest municipalities of the state do not have the support of
Subsemun, required for armament modernized basic change from revolver
to pistol, said Ernesto Munro Palacio.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/
27102012/634258.aspx
Hermosillo, Sonora (PH)
The smallest municipalities of the state do not have the support of
Subsemun, required for modernized armament a basic change from
revolver to semiautomatic pistol, said Ernesto Munro Palacio.
In Sonora municipalities with the Safety Grant Municipalities
(Subsemun) are Hermosillo (with 130 million a year), Ciudad Obregón
(30 million), San Luis Rio Colorado, Puerto Peñasco, Caborca,
Nogales, Agua Prieta, Navojoa and Guaymas (10 million each) who have
more advanced in weaponry against crime.
"They need weapons especially smaller ones, need to modernize, we
need to change from a revolver to a semiautomatic pistol with two
magazines, something more modern, but not the case of large cities,
or those with Subsemun.
"They do use automatic pistols and have automatic and semiautomatic
rifles, but the small municipalities of up to 600 inhabitants do
need more modern weapons and gradually we will be gaining," he
explained.
The largest municipalities are kept investing in weapons, said Munro,
and also invested in technology.
"On the other hand we also Fund Contributions for Public Safety are
committed to supporting municipalities, especially those with
Subsemun up to 20% of the resources we receive from the Federation,"
he said.
Among the most preferred support by municipalities are vehicles,
because when working the 24-hours, cars wear out, but they can also
deliver body armor, ammunition and weapons.
Note: could this one be why?
Posted October 27, 2012, 2:26 AM
Army seizes arsenal in Jardines del Bosque
They perform important seizure of arsenal in a van located in the
Jardines del Bosque.
Hiram G. Machi
Nogales, Sonora - New Day
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/incauta-ejercito-arsenal-en-jardines-
del-bosque/
A large arsenal of assault rifles, boots, body armor, grenades, among
other additions, were seized by the Mexican Army after intelligence
work that resulted in securing into a late-model truck, the which was
parked in the Jardines del Bosque.
Minutes after 10:00 yesterday morning, an army convoy appeared in
Ebano Street, opposite the house marked No. 6-B, where they had
located a Nissan Murano, gray , late-model, with national plates,
which reportedly had left minutes before parked and several
individuals, who presumably descended from the vehicle to one of the
residences of the sector.
After controlling access in both directions of the street, soldiers
looked into one of the windows of the van, saw several rifles, so
they proceeded to open the unit, making the discovery of more than
five assault rifles, in mostly AK-47, cylindrical or drum magazines,
pouches, several body armor, at least two fragmentation grenades,
marijuana residue, black uniforms with emblems of the national flag,
tactical gear, buttons and other utensils used by organized crime.
Up to press time was not announced officially the material secured by
the Army commanders reported only an overview of what was found
inside the van.
Later, the vehicle was towed and taken to the resort from the
Attorney General's Office where he was turned over along with the
weaponry to the public prosecutor of the federation, who initiated
the investigation, it should be noted that no arrest of any person.
Note: Ongoing problem throughout rural Mexico. Expected to take on
very well financed and armed cartels with revolver? Ammunition
supply is another large problem. Sanity dictates the honest cops
head for the hills, and the small towns are overrun. But then if
Mexican citizens could be once again armed, they help could defend
their homes and towns.
Posted 27/10/2012 2:22 By: Drafting ElImparcial
They need weapons in smaller municipalities
The smallest municipalities of the state do not have the support of
Subsemun, required for armament modernized basic change from revolver
to pistol, said Ernesto Munro Palacio.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/
27102012/634258.aspx
Hermosillo, Sonora (PH)
The smallest municipalities of the state do not have the support of
Subsemun, required for modernized armament a basic change from
revolver to semiautomatic pistol, said Ernesto Munro Palacio.
In Sonora municipalities with the Safety Grant Municipalities
(Subsemun) are Hermosillo (with 130 million a year), Ciudad Obregón
(30 million), San Luis Rio Colorado, Puerto Peñasco, Caborca,
Nogales, Agua Prieta, Navojoa and Guaymas (10 million each) who have
more advanced in weaponry against crime.
"They need weapons especially smaller ones, need to modernize, we
need to change from a revolver to a semiautomatic pistol with two
magazines, something more modern, but not the case of large cities,
or those with Subsemun.
"They do use automatic pistols and have automatic and semiautomatic
rifles, but the small municipalities of up to 600 inhabitants do
need more modern weapons and gradually we will be gaining," he
explained.
The largest municipalities are kept investing in weapons, said Munro,
and also invested in technology.
"On the other hand we also Fund Contributions for Public Safety are
committed to supporting municipalities, especially those with
Subsemun up to 20% of the resources we receive from the Federation,"
he said.
Among the most preferred support by municipalities are vehicles,
because when working the 24-hours, cars wear out, but they can also
deliver body armor, ammunition and weapons.
Note: could this one be why?
Posted October 27, 2012, 2:26 AM
Army seizes arsenal in Jardines del Bosque
They perform important seizure of arsenal in a van located in the
Jardines del Bosque.
Hiram G. Machi
Nogales, Sonora - New Day
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/incauta-ejercito-arsenal-en-jardines-
del-bosque/
A large arsenal of assault rifles, boots, body armor, grenades, among
other additions, were seized by the Mexican Army after intelligence
work that resulted in securing into a late-model truck, the which was
parked in the Jardines del Bosque.
Minutes after 10:00 yesterday morning, an army convoy appeared in
Ebano Street, opposite the house marked No. 6-B, where they had
located a Nissan Murano, gray , late-model, with national plates,
which reportedly had left minutes before parked and several
individuals, who presumably descended from the vehicle to one of the
residences of the sector.
After controlling access in both directions of the street, soldiers
looked into one of the windows of the van, saw several rifles, so
they proceeded to open the unit, making the discovery of more than
five assault rifles, in mostly AK-47, cylindrical or drum magazines,
pouches, several body armor, at least two fragmentation grenades,
marijuana residue, black uniforms with emblems of the national flag,
tactical gear, buttons and other utensils used by organized crime.
Up to press time was not announced officially the material secured by
the Army commanders reported only an overview of what was found
inside the van.
Later, the vehicle was towed and taken to the resort from the
Attorney General's Office where he was turned over along with the
weaponry to the public prosecutor of the federation, who initiated
the investigation, it should be noted that no arrest of any person.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
AZMEX I3 27-10-121
AZMEX I3 27 OCT 2012
Note: " thousands of migrants who come year after year "
Altar survives on the passage of migrants
Details Published on Saturday 27 October 2012,
Written by Ulises Gutierrez Ruelas / El Diario de Sonora
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=2913
HERMOSILLO
The mayor of the town of Altar, Martha Elsa Vidrio Federico said
yesterday that her municipality is totally dependent on the passage
of migrants to survive in the absence of jobs and reduction of
agricultural production by the drought that has dragged on that region.
Municipal President said that thousands of migrants who come year
after year to that district to prepare and stock up there with the
tools needed to get across the desert toward the border with Arizona,
in the northern neighbor. These preparations, said, take a few hours
to a few days, as appropriate.
"I will and I have the charge of the police that I take good care of
migrants, because the trade, hotels and restaurants are the only
sources of jobs we have, and woe to them who fail me," said the Mayor
of Altar.
She said that since the municipal government are seeking to attract
small investments that can make a little diversification in the
economy, as she thinks would be achieved with the installation of a
factory for brooms and other cleaning products.
This is because once the drought damaged agricultural production in
the area now they only depend on trade of backpacks, hats and
implements for long trips in the desert, restaurant sales and rent of
rooms in hotels.
The jobs created around the restaurants, shops and hotels, are
supporting the economy which depend almost 19 thousand inhabitants of
that town, who live in the driest region of the state and where it
has been overcome by the drought that began in the nineties.
"We lack many jobs, the few we have are related to the services or
products that are sold to migrants" explained Vidrio Federico.
Therefore noted that the 29 municipal police of that district have
clear instructions to care well for each migrant who passes by and as
far as possible to help them out with peacefully of that district, on
their way north.
"We have an office of the Human Rights Commission in Altar, this was
installed a few months ago, until now, we have no report there have
been migrants extorted, I'm talking about here in our town, there's
the Municipal Police who cares about them because as them, I am a
very responsible mayor and do not mistreat these people, the
support, to assist them in everything that we can, because sometimes
last for hours, sometimes overnight, sometimes lasting days with us,
then they are here in very secure Altar, " said Vidrio Federico.
Questioned about reports that federal agents are various corporations
extort migrants farther north and near the border, said she was
unaware that subject, and said that in any case these extortions not
occur in their municipality and offices of the State Commission for
Human Rights in that district have received no complaints about it.
Altar subsiste del paso de los migrantes
Detalles Publicado el Sabado 27 de Octubre de 2012, Escrito por
Ulises Gutiérrez Ruelas / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=2913
HERMOSILLO
La alcaldesa del municipio de Altar, Martha Elsa Vidrio Federico dijo
ayer que su municipio ya depende por completo del paso de los
migrantes para poder subsistir ante la falta de fuentes de empleo y
la reducción de la producción agrícola por la sequía que se ha
prolongado en esa región.
La Presidenta Municipal señaló que son miles los migrantes que año
por año llegan hasta esa demarcación para prepararse y surtirse ahí
de los implementos necesarios para poder cruzar el desierto rumbo a
la frontera con Arizona, en el vecino país del norte. Esos
preparativos, dijo, llevan desde unas horas hasta unos días, según el
caso.
"Yo ya les tengo el encargo a los policías que me los cuiden mucho a
los migrantes, porque el comercio, los hoteles y los restaurantes son
las únicas fuentes de empleo que tenemos, y pobre de ellos que me
fallen", dijo la alcaldesa de Altar.
Indicó que desde el Gobierno Municipal están buscando atraer pequeñas
inversiones que puedan hacer que se diversifique un poco la economía,
como piensa se lograría con la instalación de una fábrica de escobas
y de otros productos de limpieza.
Esto ya que una vez que la sequía dañó la producción agrícola en esa
zona ahora sólo dependen del comercio de mochilas, gorras e
implementos para largas travesías en el desierto, de las ventas de
restaurantes y de la renta de cuartos en los hoteles.
Lo empleos generados en torno a los restaurantes, comercios y
hoteles, son los que sostienen la economía de la cual dependen los
cerca de 19 mil habitantes de ese municipio, quienes viven en la
región más seca del estado y en donde no se ha logrado superar la
sequía que inició en la década de los noventas.
"Nos faltan muchas fuentes de empleo, las pocas que tenemos están
relacionadas a los servicios o productos que se les venden a los
migrantes", expuso Vidrio Federico.
Señaló que por ello los 29 policías municipales de esa demarcación
tienen instrucciones claras de cuidar bien a cada migrante que pase
por ahí y en la medida de lo posible ayudarlos a que salgan con
tranquilidad de esa demarcación, en su camino hacia el norte.
"Tenemos una oficina de la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos en
Altar, esta se instaló hace pocos meses, hasta ahorita no tenemos
ningún reporte ahí de que se haya extorsionado a ningún migrante,
estoy hablando de ahí en nuestro municipio, además está la Policía
Municipal que cuida de ellos porque yo como alcaldesa les tengo muy
encargado que no me maltraten a esta gente, al contrario que la
apoyen, que la ayuden en todo lo que nosotros podamos, porque a veces
duran horas, a veces una noche, otras veces duran días con nosotros,
entonces ahí en Altar ellos están muy custodiados", dijo Vidrio
Federico.
Cuestionada sobre los reportes de que agentes de diversas
corporaciones federales suelen extorsionar a los migrantes más al
norte, ya en las cercanías de la línea fronteriza, dijo desconocer
ese tema, y dijo que en todo caso esas extorsiones no ocurren en su
municipio y las oficinas de la Comisión Estatal de los Derechos
Humanos en esa demarcación no han recibido denuncias al respecto.
Note: " thousands of migrants who come year after year "
Altar survives on the passage of migrants
Details Published on Saturday 27 October 2012,
Written by Ulises Gutierrez Ruelas / El Diario de Sonora
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=2913
HERMOSILLO
The mayor of the town of Altar, Martha Elsa Vidrio Federico said
yesterday that her municipality is totally dependent on the passage
of migrants to survive in the absence of jobs and reduction of
agricultural production by the drought that has dragged on that region.
Municipal President said that thousands of migrants who come year
after year to that district to prepare and stock up there with the
tools needed to get across the desert toward the border with Arizona,
in the northern neighbor. These preparations, said, take a few hours
to a few days, as appropriate.
"I will and I have the charge of the police that I take good care of
migrants, because the trade, hotels and restaurants are the only
sources of jobs we have, and woe to them who fail me," said the Mayor
of Altar.
She said that since the municipal government are seeking to attract
small investments that can make a little diversification in the
economy, as she thinks would be achieved with the installation of a
factory for brooms and other cleaning products.
This is because once the drought damaged agricultural production in
the area now they only depend on trade of backpacks, hats and
implements for long trips in the desert, restaurant sales and rent of
rooms in hotels.
The jobs created around the restaurants, shops and hotels, are
supporting the economy which depend almost 19 thousand inhabitants of
that town, who live in the driest region of the state and where it
has been overcome by the drought that began in the nineties.
"We lack many jobs, the few we have are related to the services or
products that are sold to migrants" explained Vidrio Federico.
Therefore noted that the 29 municipal police of that district have
clear instructions to care well for each migrant who passes by and as
far as possible to help them out with peacefully of that district, on
their way north.
"We have an office of the Human Rights Commission in Altar, this was
installed a few months ago, until now, we have no report there have
been migrants extorted, I'm talking about here in our town, there's
the Municipal Police who cares about them because as them, I am a
very responsible mayor and do not mistreat these people, the
support, to assist them in everything that we can, because sometimes
last for hours, sometimes overnight, sometimes lasting days with us,
then they are here in very secure Altar, " said Vidrio Federico.
Questioned about reports that federal agents are various corporations
extort migrants farther north and near the border, said she was
unaware that subject, and said that in any case these extortions not
occur in their municipality and offices of the State Commission for
Human Rights in that district have received no complaints about it.
Altar subsiste del paso de los migrantes
Detalles Publicado el Sabado 27 de Octubre de 2012, Escrito por
Ulises Gutiérrez Ruelas / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=2913
HERMOSILLO
La alcaldesa del municipio de Altar, Martha Elsa Vidrio Federico dijo
ayer que su municipio ya depende por completo del paso de los
migrantes para poder subsistir ante la falta de fuentes de empleo y
la reducción de la producción agrícola por la sequía que se ha
prolongado en esa región.
La Presidenta Municipal señaló que son miles los migrantes que año
por año llegan hasta esa demarcación para prepararse y surtirse ahí
de los implementos necesarios para poder cruzar el desierto rumbo a
la frontera con Arizona, en el vecino país del norte. Esos
preparativos, dijo, llevan desde unas horas hasta unos días, según el
caso.
"Yo ya les tengo el encargo a los policías que me los cuiden mucho a
los migrantes, porque el comercio, los hoteles y los restaurantes son
las únicas fuentes de empleo que tenemos, y pobre de ellos que me
fallen", dijo la alcaldesa de Altar.
Indicó que desde el Gobierno Municipal están buscando atraer pequeñas
inversiones que puedan hacer que se diversifique un poco la economía,
como piensa se lograría con la instalación de una fábrica de escobas
y de otros productos de limpieza.
Esto ya que una vez que la sequía dañó la producción agrícola en esa
zona ahora sólo dependen del comercio de mochilas, gorras e
implementos para largas travesías en el desierto, de las ventas de
restaurantes y de la renta de cuartos en los hoteles.
Lo empleos generados en torno a los restaurantes, comercios y
hoteles, son los que sostienen la economía de la cual dependen los
cerca de 19 mil habitantes de ese municipio, quienes viven en la
región más seca del estado y en donde no se ha logrado superar la
sequía que inició en la década de los noventas.
"Nos faltan muchas fuentes de empleo, las pocas que tenemos están
relacionadas a los servicios o productos que se les venden a los
migrantes", expuso Vidrio Federico.
Señaló que por ello los 29 policías municipales de esa demarcación
tienen instrucciones claras de cuidar bien a cada migrante que pase
por ahí y en la medida de lo posible ayudarlos a que salgan con
tranquilidad de esa demarcación, en su camino hacia el norte.
"Tenemos una oficina de la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos en
Altar, esta se instaló hace pocos meses, hasta ahorita no tenemos
ningún reporte ahí de que se haya extorsionado a ningún migrante,
estoy hablando de ahí en nuestro municipio, además está la Policía
Municipal que cuida de ellos porque yo como alcaldesa les tengo muy
encargado que no me maltraten a esta gente, al contrario que la
apoyen, que la ayuden en todo lo que nosotros podamos, porque a veces
duran horas, a veces una noche, otras veces duran días con nosotros,
entonces ahí en Altar ellos están muy custodiados", dijo Vidrio
Federico.
Cuestionada sobre los reportes de que agentes de diversas
corporaciones federales suelen extorsionar a los migrantes más al
norte, ya en las cercanías de la línea fronteriza, dijo desconocer
ese tema, y dijo que en todo caso esas extorsiones no ocurren en su
municipio y las oficinas de la Comisión Estatal de los Derechos
Humanos en esa demarcación no han recibido denuncias al respecto.
AZMEX UPDATE 26-10-12
AZMEX UPDATE 26 OCT 2012
Note: local and TEXMEX
Multiple sex offenders, smugglers nabbed by Border Patrol
Posted: Oct 26, 2012 11:06 AM MST
Updated: Oct 26, 2012 11:21 AM MST
By Phil Benson - email
396 pounds of abandoned marijuana seized
TUCSON, AZ (CBS5) -
http://www.kpho.com/story/19925920/multiple-sex-offenders-smugglers-
nabbed-by-border-patrol
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized marijuana and arrested
multiple sex offenders and smugglers in separate cases this past week.
Four people arrested had significant sexual criminal histories,
Customs and Border Protection officials said.
Eduardo Morales, 38, of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, had several prior sex
offenses that included sex with a minor. He was convicted in 2009 in
California. Records also showed he was recently removed from the U.S.
through California.
During vehicle stops and at various checkpoints, Tucson Sector agents
also discovered human smugglers. One incident involved a 42-year-old
U.S. citizen, Glenda Luna. She was arrested Tuesday evening at the
Interstate 19 checkpoint for allegedly attempting to smuggle two
Mexicans into the U.S. Luna's 13-year-old son, who was in the
vehicle, was handed over to Child Protective Services.
Willcox Station agents, assisted by a K-9 team, discovered and seized
171 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle at the State Route 80
checkpoint Wednesday. A Nogales Station K-9 team responding to
detection technology east of Nogales found 396 pounds of abandoned
marijuana. Ajo Stations agents removed 1,124 pounds from an abandoned
vehicle near Federal Route 34 on Monday. Combined, agents seized
1,691 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $845,500.
Agents from the Willcox Station assisted the Cochise County Sheriff's
Office Thursday morning in an investigation of a suspicious vehicle.
Black tar heroin and 11 bundles of marijuana were discovered inside
the vehicle, which was stolen. CCSO arrested two people and seized
the vehicle and narcotics.
Note: rest all TEXMEX
DPS helicopter opens fire during chase; 2 dead
Joel Martinez
A red pickup truck is carted away after a law enforcement pursuit of
a vehicle suspected of carrying illegal immigrants on Mile 7 Road
north of La Joya on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. A Texas Department of
Public Safety sharpshooter opened fire on an evading vehicle loaded
with suspected illegal immigrants, leaving at least two people dead,
sources familiar with the investigation said. Photo by Joel Martinez/
jmartinez@themonitor.com
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:12 pm | Updated: 9:19 am, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_db567d9c-1f01-11e2-9e9f-001a4bcf6878.html
Jacqueline Armendariz and Ildefonso Ortiz
NEAR LA JOYA — A Texas Department of Public Safety sharpshooter
opened fire on an evading vehicle loaded with suspected illegal
immigrants, leaving at least two people dead, sources familiar with
the investigation said.
DPS spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger confirmed a DPS officer opened
fire during the pursuit north of La Joya, but had no information as
to whether the officer shot anyone inside the evading vehicle.
"We do not want to speculate on any other issues at this time and
have no further information," Cesinger said in the email.
However, law enforcement sources said troopers found three people
shot inside once the smuggler's vehicle stopped along Farm-to-Market
Road 2221 near Mile 7 Road. Two of the suspected illegal immigrants
died from their injuries, they said.
"This is going to get big really, really fast," a local law
enforcement official said of the DPS incident. "You have a law
enforcement official shooting at an unarmed alien. This is not an
excuse for deadly force."
Cesinger confirmed two people were dead. She said a third person was
sent to an area hospital for treatment, while six others were arrested.
When asked if he was aware of two illegal aliens being shot by DPS in
Hidalgo County, DPS Director Steven McCraw responded:
"Of course I am aware of this situation."
He declined to comment further and directed further contact to the
DPS press office. He also said he was currently out of the state.
Authorities were still searching for others who fled the scene on
Thursday night, Cesinger said.
The pursuit began after a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game
warden tried to pull over a vehicle suspected of smuggling immigrants
Thursday afternoon along FM 2221.
A DPS helicopter was called in to assist in the pursuit and a
sharpshooter opened fire on the evading vehicle — a policy permitted
by the agency, two law enforcement sources not authorized to comment
on the investigation said.
DPS troopers are the only law enforcement in the Rio Grande Valley
region permitted to open fire during chases.
Various agencies — Border Patrol, La Joya police, Hidalgo County
Sheriff's Office — were present at the desolate, rural area alongside
DPS well into the night. Authorities set up blockades at least a mile
out from the scene.
After dark, a red pickup truck with no apparent damage — except a
blown, rear driver's-side tire — was towed away from the area where
police were working.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
Mission police find 640 pounds of weed after shootout
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:35 pm | Updated: 9:14 am, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
Dave Hendricks, Twitter: @dmhj
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_1982a084-1f05-11e2-948e-001a4bcf6878.html
MISSION — At least two cars were involved in a rolling shootout
Thursday afternoon on Trinity Road near the Club at Cimarron and
other exclusive neighborhoods.
Based on the preliminary investigation, police Chief Martin Garza
said two cars headed east on Trinity exchanged gunfire near the
intersection with Stewart Road. Police recovered one shell casing
from the scene, which was littered with broken glass.
Both the shootout and a traffic collision at Stewart and Expressway
83 — just north of the intersection where the shooting took place —
were reported to police at about 5:45 p.m., Garza said.
Officers who arrived at the traffic collision found an abandoned
white Chevrolet Suburban with eight bundles of marijuana inside
weighing 640 pounds, Garza said. Witnesses said the driver fled
north, running across Expressway 83.
Police believe the two incidents, plus an abandoned Chevrolet Malibu
parked between the two crime scenes, are connected, Garza said.
Police detained two men linked to the Malibu, but haven't determined
whether they participated in the shootout.
--
Mexican army: Firefights, drug seizures at Texas-Tamps. border
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 6:44 pm
Ildefonso Ortiz | Twitter: @IldefonsoOrtiz
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_dd3ca068-1efd-11e2-
ae8c-001a4bcf6878.html
Two dead gunmen, 18,000 pounds of marijuana, two armored trucks and
several weapons are among the items seized by the Mexican military
this week near Rio Bravo, Reynosa and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.
The most recent firefight took place Wednesday shortly after 1:30
p.m., just outside of Rio Bravo, a border city which is just south of
the Rio Grande from Donna. A military convoy on patrol came under
fire by an unknown number of gunmen, a Mexican army news release
shows. The military fought off the gunmen killing one of them, and
seizing two armored SUVs, a third SUV without armor and several weapons.
Another firefight took place Tuesday in Nueva Ciudad Guerrero — a
small town across the Rio Grande from Falcon Dam in western Starr
County — where a military convoy came under fire and the soldiers
fought back killing one gunman.
In addition to the casualty, the soldiers also seized two SUVs and
four assault rifles.
On Monday, the Mexican army seized 18,050 pounds of marijuana hidden
inside a tractor-trailer. The seizure was made at a highway
checkpoint just south of Reynosa. The drugs and the unidentified
truck driver were turned over to Mexico's Attorney General's Office,
known as the PGR, for prosecution and further investigation.
--
Note: local and TEXMEX
Multiple sex offenders, smugglers nabbed by Border Patrol
Posted: Oct 26, 2012 11:06 AM MST
Updated: Oct 26, 2012 11:21 AM MST
By Phil Benson - email
396 pounds of abandoned marijuana seized
TUCSON, AZ (CBS5) -
http://www.kpho.com/story/19925920/multiple-sex-offenders-smugglers-
nabbed-by-border-patrol
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized marijuana and arrested
multiple sex offenders and smugglers in separate cases this past week.
Four people arrested had significant sexual criminal histories,
Customs and Border Protection officials said.
Eduardo Morales, 38, of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, had several prior sex
offenses that included sex with a minor. He was convicted in 2009 in
California. Records also showed he was recently removed from the U.S.
through California.
During vehicle stops and at various checkpoints, Tucson Sector agents
also discovered human smugglers. One incident involved a 42-year-old
U.S. citizen, Glenda Luna. She was arrested Tuesday evening at the
Interstate 19 checkpoint for allegedly attempting to smuggle two
Mexicans into the U.S. Luna's 13-year-old son, who was in the
vehicle, was handed over to Child Protective Services.
Willcox Station agents, assisted by a K-9 team, discovered and seized
171 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle at the State Route 80
checkpoint Wednesday. A Nogales Station K-9 team responding to
detection technology east of Nogales found 396 pounds of abandoned
marijuana. Ajo Stations agents removed 1,124 pounds from an abandoned
vehicle near Federal Route 34 on Monday. Combined, agents seized
1,691 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $845,500.
Agents from the Willcox Station assisted the Cochise County Sheriff's
Office Thursday morning in an investigation of a suspicious vehicle.
Black tar heroin and 11 bundles of marijuana were discovered inside
the vehicle, which was stolen. CCSO arrested two people and seized
the vehicle and narcotics.
Note: rest all TEXMEX
DPS helicopter opens fire during chase; 2 dead
Joel Martinez
A red pickup truck is carted away after a law enforcement pursuit of
a vehicle suspected of carrying illegal immigrants on Mile 7 Road
north of La Joya on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. A Texas Department of
Public Safety sharpshooter opened fire on an evading vehicle loaded
with suspected illegal immigrants, leaving at least two people dead,
sources familiar with the investigation said. Photo by Joel Martinez/
jmartinez@themonitor.com
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:12 pm | Updated: 9:19 am, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_db567d9c-1f01-11e2-9e9f-001a4bcf6878.html
Jacqueline Armendariz and Ildefonso Ortiz
NEAR LA JOYA — A Texas Department of Public Safety sharpshooter
opened fire on an evading vehicle loaded with suspected illegal
immigrants, leaving at least two people dead, sources familiar with
the investigation said.
DPS spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger confirmed a DPS officer opened
fire during the pursuit north of La Joya, but had no information as
to whether the officer shot anyone inside the evading vehicle.
"We do not want to speculate on any other issues at this time and
have no further information," Cesinger said in the email.
However, law enforcement sources said troopers found three people
shot inside once the smuggler's vehicle stopped along Farm-to-Market
Road 2221 near Mile 7 Road. Two of the suspected illegal immigrants
died from their injuries, they said.
"This is going to get big really, really fast," a local law
enforcement official said of the DPS incident. "You have a law
enforcement official shooting at an unarmed alien. This is not an
excuse for deadly force."
Cesinger confirmed two people were dead. She said a third person was
sent to an area hospital for treatment, while six others were arrested.
When asked if he was aware of two illegal aliens being shot by DPS in
Hidalgo County, DPS Director Steven McCraw responded:
"Of course I am aware of this situation."
He declined to comment further and directed further contact to the
DPS press office. He also said he was currently out of the state.
Authorities were still searching for others who fled the scene on
Thursday night, Cesinger said.
The pursuit began after a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game
warden tried to pull over a vehicle suspected of smuggling immigrants
Thursday afternoon along FM 2221.
A DPS helicopter was called in to assist in the pursuit and a
sharpshooter opened fire on the evading vehicle — a policy permitted
by the agency, two law enforcement sources not authorized to comment
on the investigation said.
DPS troopers are the only law enforcement in the Rio Grande Valley
region permitted to open fire during chases.
Various agencies — Border Patrol, La Joya police, Hidalgo County
Sheriff's Office — were present at the desolate, rural area alongside
DPS well into the night. Authorities set up blockades at least a mile
out from the scene.
After dark, a red pickup truck with no apparent damage — except a
blown, rear driver's-side tire — was towed away from the area where
police were working.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
Mission police find 640 pounds of weed after shootout
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:35 pm | Updated: 9:14 am, Fri
Oct 26, 2012.
Dave Hendricks, Twitter: @dmhj
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/
article_1982a084-1f05-11e2-948e-001a4bcf6878.html
MISSION — At least two cars were involved in a rolling shootout
Thursday afternoon on Trinity Road near the Club at Cimarron and
other exclusive neighborhoods.
Based on the preliminary investigation, police Chief Martin Garza
said two cars headed east on Trinity exchanged gunfire near the
intersection with Stewart Road. Police recovered one shell casing
from the scene, which was littered with broken glass.
Both the shootout and a traffic collision at Stewart and Expressway
83 — just north of the intersection where the shooting took place —
were reported to police at about 5:45 p.m., Garza said.
Officers who arrived at the traffic collision found an abandoned
white Chevrolet Suburban with eight bundles of marijuana inside
weighing 640 pounds, Garza said. Witnesses said the driver fled
north, running across Expressway 83.
Police believe the two incidents, plus an abandoned Chevrolet Malibu
parked between the two crime scenes, are connected, Garza said.
Police detained two men linked to the Malibu, but haven't determined
whether they participated in the shootout.
--
Mexican army: Firefights, drug seizures at Texas-Tamps. border
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 6:44 pm
Ildefonso Ortiz | Twitter: @IldefonsoOrtiz
http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_dd3ca068-1efd-11e2-
ae8c-001a4bcf6878.html
Two dead gunmen, 18,000 pounds of marijuana, two armored trucks and
several weapons are among the items seized by the Mexican military
this week near Rio Bravo, Reynosa and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.
The most recent firefight took place Wednesday shortly after 1:30
p.m., just outside of Rio Bravo, a border city which is just south of
the Rio Grande from Donna. A military convoy on patrol came under
fire by an unknown number of gunmen, a Mexican army news release
shows. The military fought off the gunmen killing one of them, and
seizing two armored SUVs, a third SUV without armor and several weapons.
Another firefight took place Tuesday in Nueva Ciudad Guerrero — a
small town across the Rio Grande from Falcon Dam in western Starr
County — where a military convoy came under fire and the soldiers
fought back killing one gunman.
In addition to the casualty, the soldiers also seized two SUVs and
four assault rifles.
On Monday, the Mexican army seized 18,050 pounds of marijuana hidden
inside a tractor-trailer. The seizure was made at a highway
checkpoint just south of Reynosa. The drugs and the unidentified
truck driver were turned over to Mexico's Attorney General's Office,
known as the PGR, for prosecution and further investigation.
--
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