AZMEX UPDATE 5 DEC 2012
Note: another take on the FCH six years. Think he did become aware
that the cartels were a threat to the state, but was ineffective.
Will predict the PRI administration will not be restrained by human
or other rights concerns as it regains control of the drug/human
smuggling trade.
http://townhall.com/columnists/austinbay/2012/12/05/
felipe_calderon_mexicos_great_reformer/page/full/
Note: interesting stack of the charges. BTW, using the old border,
Welton is about 40 km north. If using I-8 as the border, it is about
2 km. Have a copy of the indictment if anyone wants, it a pdf attach.
Blog: 'I'm f***ed,' Arizona border agent says after drug arrest
Arizona Daily Star 2008
20 hours ago • Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
Related Documents
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/senor-reporter/blog-i-m-f-ed-arizona-
border-agent-says-after/
article_bc139474-3e4b-11e2-81c8-001a4bcf887a.html
Complaint, affidavit against border agent
The FBI arrested yet another U.S. Border Patrol agent this week after
watching him go to the border fence near Wellton, Ariz. and pick up
bales of marijuana.
After his arrest, the investigators asked agent Aaron Anaya if he'd
speak to them.
"I'm f***ed," he responded, according to an affidavit by FBI special
agent Jesse Marotta. "You guys got me on video."
Then Anaya clammed up, the affidavit says.
The arrest of Anaya is the latest of many U.S. agents on the border,
as my former colleague Brady McCombs showed in this story last year.
Federal agents apparently had been watching Anaya. They had both
fixed-wing and rotor craft (planes or drones and helicopters) in the
air Sunday evening when they saw Anaya's Border Patrol vehicle pull
up to the fence, the affidavit says.
A vehicle pulled up from the Mexican side, and three men passed bags
over the fence to Anaya, who loaded them into the Border Patrol
vehicle and drove away, Marotta said in the affidavit. The agents
arrested Anaya at about 10:40 and found in his official vehicle three
duffel bags containing 147 pounds of marijuana.
Anaya faces charges of possession of marijuana with intent to
distribute, and possessing a firearm in a drug-trafficking crime.
Chihuahua state police seize 280 U.S. passports, and visas; two
suspects arrested
By Marisela Ortega Lozano \ El Paso Times
Posted: 12/05/2012 12:00:00 AM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_22126354/2-arrested-after-us-
passports-visas-are-seized
Chihuahua state police in Juárez seized 280 U.S. documents, including
passports and visas, and arrested a brother and a sister suspected of
renting the documents to undocumented people wanting to cross to El
Paso, state officials said Tuesday.
The seizure took place Tuesday morning at Guerrero Negro and Arroyo
Café streets when the driver of a red 2002 Windstar sped up upon
seeing police patrols in the area, officials said.
After a brief chase, state officers arrested the pair around Héroes
de Nacozari and Encinal streets.
In a search inside the vehicle, officers discovered
66 U.S. permanent resident cards,
45 U.S. passports/cards,
33 laser visas VISA/BBC,
31 resident alien cards,
25 visas B1/132,
24 green cards,
six U.S. driver's licenses,
seven ID cards issued by the state of Texas,
two U.S. driver's licenses issued for minors,
five U.S driver's licenses from several states,
24 U.S. passports,
seven Social Security cards
and a U.S. birth certificate.
Luis Chavira Ramírez, 47, and his sister Alejandra Chavira Ramírez,
38, were arrested on charges of crimes against immigration laws.
According to the state police, Luis Chavira said the documents
belonged to his sister and, once in a while, they rent those
documents to people who want to cross to El Paso.
Alejandra said two men, known only as "Balín" and "Berna," pay her up
to $100 to store the documents, police said.
Marisela Ortega Lozano maybe reached at mortega@elpasotimes.com;
542-6077.
Note: If he really from Oaxaca, unusual for southerner to operate here.
Man gets prison in human-smuggling case
http://www.ktar.com/22/1593162/Man-gets-prison-in-humansmuggling-case
By Associated Press
Originally published: Dec 5, 2012 - 1:50 pm
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Authorities said a Mexican man has been given a 15-
month federal prison sentence in a human smuggling case in Arizona.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Timoteo Reyes-Ambrosio, 52,
from Oaxaca, was arrested in September by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Reyes-Ambrosio was taken into custody after authorities discovered he
was hiding illegal immigrants inside a home in Eloy, south of Phoenix.
The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted Reyes-Ambrosio on charges of
for human smuggling and harboring.
Prosecutors said he will deported from the country after serving his
prison term and he's banned for life from any legalization process.
Note: interesting, and why did the Chinese / Nigerians use him?
UK gun dealer jailed for 7 years for rifle trade
The Associated Press
Posted: 12/05/2012 09:53:33 AM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/nationworld/ci_22129342/uk-gun-dealer-
jailed-7-years-rifle-trade
LONDON—A British arms dealer who helped ship thousands of assault
rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition from China to Nigeria has
been sentenced to seven years in jail.
Gary Hyde was convicted on two counts of breaching U.K. trade
controls and concealing criminal property for moving the weapons
without a license and hiding more than 620,000 pounds ($1 million) in
commission payments.
While the 2006 deal between the Chinese and Nigerian governments was
lawful, Hyde failed to get a license for his part in it—something
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith chalked up to greed.
Sentencing Hyde at London's Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, Smith
said it would have been easy for him to apply for a license. He
called Hyde's offenses a "sustained and deceitful flouting of the law."
MARÍA SUSANA FLORES GÁMEZ
Confirma PGR que "miss" sí disparó
María Susana Flores Gámez, Mujer Sinaloa 2012, sí accionó una arma de
fuego en el enfrentamiento entre militares y un grupo delictivo, en
el cual perdió la vida, confirmó Enrique Feregrino Taboada
IONSA
05-12-2012
http://www.noroeste.com.mx/publicaciones.php?id=831208
María Susana Flores Gámez, Mujer Sinaloa 2012, sí accionó una arma
de fuego en el enfrentamiento entre militares y un grupo delictivo,
en el cual perdió la vida, confirmó Enrique Feregrino Taboada.
El delegado de la Procuraduría General de la República en Sinaloa
dijo que las diversas declaraciones que existen respecto al
enfrentamiento, confirman que la mujer realizó diversos disparos, lo
cual quedó comprobado con los resultados de las pruebas de
laboratorio que se le practicaron.
"Existen diversos dictámenes en los que se desprende que
efectivamente (María Susana Flores Gámez) disparó".
El funcionario dijo que la PGR investiga si Orzo Iván Gastélum, alias
"El Cholo", supuesta pareja sentimental de la reina de belleza,
utilizó el vehículo propiedad de ésta para escapar del
enfrentamiento, así como la posible participación delictiva de la
joven en los hechos de ese día.
"Por lo que respecta a la relación sentimental, realmente no es parte
de la investigación, no nos interesa establecer si tenía una relación
sentimental o no con el líder de esa organización criminal, sin
embargo, la participación delictiva que pudiera haberse suscitado,
eso sí interesa a la Procuraduría General de la República".
El enfrentamiento en el que falleció Flores Gámez ocurrió el 24 de
noviembre en el poblado Caitime, Salvador Alvarado, cuando elementos
del Ejército le marcaron el alto a varios vehículos sospechosos.
Los conductores ignoraron la señal de los militares y se inició una
persecución, luego un tiroteo en el que fallecieron dos militares y
tres civiles, entre ellos María Susana Flores Gámez, Mujer Sinaloa 2012.
"Existen diversos dictámenes en los que se desprende que
efectivamente (María Susana Flores Gámez) disparó".
Enrique Feregrino Taboada, delegado de la PGR en Sinaloa
Friday, December 7, 2012
AZMEX UPDATE2 4-12-12
AZMEX UPDATE 2 4 DEC 2012
Two Mexican Nationals Charged In Death Of Coast Guard Officer
By: Mickey McCarter
12/04/2012 ( 8:00am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/two-mexican-nationals-charged-in-
death-of-coast-guard-officer/338b1bf1fdb38e6f7f31723813995ea4.html
Two Mexican nationals were arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles
Monday on charges of killing a US Coast Guard (USCG) chief petty
officer, who was part of a crew attempting to interdict a suspected
drug shipment.
Prosecutors charged Jose Meija-Leyva and Manuel Beltran-Higuera with
killing USCG Boatswain Mate Chief (BMC) Terrell Horne, who was thrown
from an inflatable boat and died in the counter-drug operation, US
Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Monday lamented the loss
of Horne, 34, as a "tragedy."
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of US Coast Guard
Boatswains Mate Chief Terrell Horne during a counter-drug operation
yesterday morning near Santa Cruz Island, California," Napolitano
said in a statement. "BMC Horne and his fellow crewmembers of the
USCG Cutter Halibut were engaged in an at-sea interdiction when they
came under threat by a small vessel that rammed their small boat.
"This tragedy reminds us of the dangers our men and women in uniform
face every day, and the great risks they willingly take, as they
protect our nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of
BMC Horne and all of our Coast Guard personnel at this difficult
time," she added.
In an e-mail message Sunday, USCG Commandant Adm. Robert Papp
announced the loss of Horne to other servicemembers of the Coast Guard.
Papp explained that the Coast Guard Cutter (CGC) Halibut, an 87-foot
patrol boat based in Marina del Rey, Calif., was investigating a
panga boat, which was suspected of breaking the law after its
detection by a Coast Guard C-130 airplane. The panga was traveling
without lights, so the Halibut was dispatched to check it out.
"When the CGC Halibut small boat approached, the suspect panga-type
vessel maneuvered at a high rate of speed directly towards the small
boat and struck it before fleeing the scene," Papp wrote. "Two Coast
Guardsmen were thrown from the boat into the water, and both members
were immediately recovered by the small boat. Upon recovery it was
apparent that BMC Horne sustained a traumatic head injury. The other
crewmember had minor injuries."
Although Horne was returned to the Halibut where he received first
aid, little could be done. Medical personnel pronounced him dead when
the Halibut returned to port.
The Coast Guard caught the fleeing panga, described as a single-
engine wooden boat roughly 25 feet long, and captured suspects Meija-
Leyva and Beltran-Higuera, Papp reported.
"I commend the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection units
who continued the pursuit and apprehended those believed to be
responsible. We are actively investigating the incident," Papp stated.
"BMC Horne stood the watch on the front lines of Coast Guard
operations throughout his nearly 14 years of active duty," the
admiral said, adding, "Throughout his Coast Guard service, BMC
Horne's professionalism and commitment, like those before him,
ensured that we were always ready to answer the nation's call."
Meija-Leyva and Beltran-Higuera are being held without bond. They are
scheduled to appear in court next on Dec. 17.
14 More Predators At CBP? Not So Fast, Source Says
By: Mickey McCarter
12/04/2012 ( 8:00am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/14-more-predators-at-cbp-not-so-
fast-source-says/2a270b98802b038c825e2e6f53d12113.html
A highly placed source told Homeland Security Today on background
that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has no plans to move
forward with the purchase of 14 additional Predator unmanned aerial
systems (UAS) to augment its current force of ten of the drones.
On Nov. 1, notice of a sole-source contract award to General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego, Calif., for operations and
maintenance of the CBP Predator fleet contained a justification that
CBP could purchase an additional 14 Predators at a cost of $443
million, bringing the total CBP fleet to 24 -- a stated goal of the
CBP Office of Air and Marine.
But a source with knowledge of CBP acquisition plans said the agency
was unlikely to buy any Predators in the next five years, countering
claims from other sources.
CBP is "going to have these 10 UASes and we are not going to see any
more," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due
to the sensitive nature of homeland security acquisition planning.
The justification in the sole-source contract to General Atomics
cited the possibility of 14 additional Predators so as to lay the
ground work for operations and maintenance support in the event that
CBP makes a decision to procure any more in the future, perhaps five
years or so from now, the source described.
"In some of the language, you will see pieces of it that talks about
support for as many as X number of aircraft but really that does not
signal or constitute a plan to purchase more," the source commented,
characterizing references to additional Predators as a "wish list"
item intended to strengthen justification for the operations and
maintenance contract.
Congress has provided no funding to CBP for UASes in fiscal year 2013
and out-year budget planning in the following four years does not
include money for any Predators for the agency in that timeframe
either, according to budget documents.
David Olive, a consultant at Catalyst Partners, slammed any purchase
of additional Predators in a Nov. 19 blog post, calling it wasteful.
"The amount seems staggering in a time of shrinking budgets and
austerity calls from all political parties," Olive said of any
theoretical spending.
Two Mexican Nationals Charged In Death Of Coast Guard Officer
By: Mickey McCarter
12/04/2012 ( 8:00am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/two-mexican-nationals-charged-in-
death-of-coast-guard-officer/338b1bf1fdb38e6f7f31723813995ea4.html
Two Mexican nationals were arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles
Monday on charges of killing a US Coast Guard (USCG) chief petty
officer, who was part of a crew attempting to interdict a suspected
drug shipment.
Prosecutors charged Jose Meija-Leyva and Manuel Beltran-Higuera with
killing USCG Boatswain Mate Chief (BMC) Terrell Horne, who was thrown
from an inflatable boat and died in the counter-drug operation, US
Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Monday lamented the loss
of Horne, 34, as a "tragedy."
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of US Coast Guard
Boatswains Mate Chief Terrell Horne during a counter-drug operation
yesterday morning near Santa Cruz Island, California," Napolitano
said in a statement. "BMC Horne and his fellow crewmembers of the
USCG Cutter Halibut were engaged in an at-sea interdiction when they
came under threat by a small vessel that rammed their small boat.
"This tragedy reminds us of the dangers our men and women in uniform
face every day, and the great risks they willingly take, as they
protect our nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of
BMC Horne and all of our Coast Guard personnel at this difficult
time," she added.
In an e-mail message Sunday, USCG Commandant Adm. Robert Papp
announced the loss of Horne to other servicemembers of the Coast Guard.
Papp explained that the Coast Guard Cutter (CGC) Halibut, an 87-foot
patrol boat based in Marina del Rey, Calif., was investigating a
panga boat, which was suspected of breaking the law after its
detection by a Coast Guard C-130 airplane. The panga was traveling
without lights, so the Halibut was dispatched to check it out.
"When the CGC Halibut small boat approached, the suspect panga-type
vessel maneuvered at a high rate of speed directly towards the small
boat and struck it before fleeing the scene," Papp wrote. "Two Coast
Guardsmen were thrown from the boat into the water, and both members
were immediately recovered by the small boat. Upon recovery it was
apparent that BMC Horne sustained a traumatic head injury. The other
crewmember had minor injuries."
Although Horne was returned to the Halibut where he received first
aid, little could be done. Medical personnel pronounced him dead when
the Halibut returned to port.
The Coast Guard caught the fleeing panga, described as a single-
engine wooden boat roughly 25 feet long, and captured suspects Meija-
Leyva and Beltran-Higuera, Papp reported.
"I commend the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection units
who continued the pursuit and apprehended those believed to be
responsible. We are actively investigating the incident," Papp stated.
"BMC Horne stood the watch on the front lines of Coast Guard
operations throughout his nearly 14 years of active duty," the
admiral said, adding, "Throughout his Coast Guard service, BMC
Horne's professionalism and commitment, like those before him,
ensured that we were always ready to answer the nation's call."
Meija-Leyva and Beltran-Higuera are being held without bond. They are
scheduled to appear in court next on Dec. 17.
14 More Predators At CBP? Not So Fast, Source Says
By: Mickey McCarter
12/04/2012 ( 8:00am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/14-more-predators-at-cbp-not-so-
fast-source-says/2a270b98802b038c825e2e6f53d12113.html
A highly placed source told Homeland Security Today on background
that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has no plans to move
forward with the purchase of 14 additional Predator unmanned aerial
systems (UAS) to augment its current force of ten of the drones.
On Nov. 1, notice of a sole-source contract award to General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego, Calif., for operations and
maintenance of the CBP Predator fleet contained a justification that
CBP could purchase an additional 14 Predators at a cost of $443
million, bringing the total CBP fleet to 24 -- a stated goal of the
CBP Office of Air and Marine.
But a source with knowledge of CBP acquisition plans said the agency
was unlikely to buy any Predators in the next five years, countering
claims from other sources.
CBP is "going to have these 10 UASes and we are not going to see any
more," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due
to the sensitive nature of homeland security acquisition planning.
The justification in the sole-source contract to General Atomics
cited the possibility of 14 additional Predators so as to lay the
ground work for operations and maintenance support in the event that
CBP makes a decision to procure any more in the future, perhaps five
years or so from now, the source described.
"In some of the language, you will see pieces of it that talks about
support for as many as X number of aircraft but really that does not
signal or constitute a plan to purchase more," the source commented,
characterizing references to additional Predators as a "wish list"
item intended to strengthen justification for the operations and
maintenance contract.
Congress has provided no funding to CBP for UASes in fiscal year 2013
and out-year budget planning in the following four years does not
include money for any Predators for the agency in that timeframe
either, according to budget documents.
David Olive, a consultant at Catalyst Partners, slammed any purchase
of additional Predators in a Nov. 19 blog post, calling it wasteful.
"The amount seems staggering in a time of shrinking budgets and
austerity calls from all political parties," Olive said of any
theoretical spending.
AZMEX UPDATE 4-12-12
AZMEX UPDATE 4 DEC 2012
Note: Of particular interest to gun & civil rights folks. Some
serious questions of just what is the criteria for seizing firearms
and ammunition. Not to forget cash and the rest. How much ammo,
cash, etc are citizens allowed to possess in the area?
Again, just why are NPD cars on I-19?
Courtesy of Nogales Police Department
NPD cash
Some of the $824,745 in currency that the Nogales Police Department
has taken in from its efforts on southbound I-19.
Posted: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 8:32 am
By Manuel C. Coppola
Nogales International
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/again-just-why-are-npd-cars-
on-i/article_cbfa5a5e-3e27-11e2-b397-001a4bcf887a.html
In return for a grant investment of $314,300, the Nogales Police
Department has taken $824,745 in currency – presumably the proceeds
from illegal proceeds – off the southbound lanes of Interstate 19.
The grant came from the Southwest Border Anti-Money Laundering
Alliance Group, and pays for all those officers in NPD patrol
vehicles you see on I-19 outside the city limits.
The currency seizures came over a period of 14 months. Some of it
goes to the Arizona Attorney General's Office and another portion to
the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office, which funnels it back to
local law enforcement.
Working with other agencies, an additional $118,880 in currency was
confiscated in that same 14-month period, as were 30 pre-paid debit
cards loaded with unspecified amounts;
27 vehicles;
34,380 rounds of miscellaneous ammunition;
53 felony arrests; 36 misdemeanor arrests;
and 15 narcotics seizures, including a briefcase full of vials of
opiate extract that raised intelligence queries as to why it was in a
vehicle headed toward Mexico. Usually those loads are seized heading
north to distribution points in the U.S.
With more than 1,500 lawmen on the Nogales border, occupants and
their vehicles on the southbound lanes of I-19 may be among the most
photographed and monitored by the most amounts of law enforcement
agencies.
Drivers' and passengers' mugs and plates are zapped by license
readers and cameras at the checkpoint and then they run the gauntlet
of U.S. Border Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety and now,
Nogales police patrol cars before they even get to the border where
they are again greeted by Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers.
Also looming in the area are special investigation and enforcement
officers from the DEA, the BP's Disrupt unit, U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE); and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area (HIDTA) program.
While the benefits of the NPD's highway Interdiction team, dubbed "S-
Ball," can be easily quantified, it does not set well with some local
residents, said Nogales Police Chief Derek Arnson. He said increased
awareness by the public about his officers' role hopefully will allay
some of the concerns as the program is to continue thanks to a second
round of funding for $326,717.
Unaware of the grant constraints, some residents wonder why those
officers are not patrolling streets within city limits.
Also, Arnson acknowledges, all those seizures came at a cost of
perpetuating a perception of a police state.
One can see why. In the first 14 months, the NPD officers who are
working on their days off and earning overtime pay funded by the
grant, stopped 4,504 private and commercial vehicles (about 375 a
month) and searched 1,185 of them.
NPD Capt. Heriberto Zuniga, who has been with S-Ball since its
inception said, "We never, ever (racial) profile. That is completely
against what this is about. There has to be either a moving violation
or an equipment violation in order to get pulled over."
However, Chief Arnson said, "We criminal profile all the time. It's
not someone's race, ethnicity or gender or anything like that. It is
how we've been taught to look at a vehicle, look at an individual" to
detect suspicious behavior or abnormalities.
"As I see it, the benefit to the community is that we are enabled by
a grant to use our resources to interdict ammunition, large cash
seizures and other drug and criminal proceeds that otherwise come
into our city."
He cited a recent case in which a cache of AK-47 assault rifles and
ammunition were seized at a local trailer park.
The team of 15 certified S-Ball officers is now connected to the
license-plate readers at the southbound checkpoint. "If a vehicle has
a hit on the plate from anywhere in the U.S. in the DEA system, our
guys get it on their phones," Capt. Zuniga said. "Our units will
automatically scramble to specific choke points. If they are going to
bail out, they will get out and run into the woods as opposed to
going into the city" where people may be placed in harm's way during
a pursuit.
Assistant Chief Roy Bermudez pointed out another ancillary benefit; a
motivation for safer driving. "Any time the (NPD) officers are
deployed in the area of operation there have been no fatalities."
Drivers are more apt to wear seatbelts, drive within the speed limit
and avoid drinking and driving, he said.
A Thanksgiving weekend DUI detail throughout the city conducted by
NPD revealed 29 designated drivers among the motorists who were
pulled over. "We've never seen that many," Zuniga said.
Arnson said in response to citizens' concerns the S-Ball operation
has been scaled back. Originally it extended beyond Palo Parado Road
in north Rio Rico. Now the officers normally do not go beyond the
Ruby Road exit.
If their assistance is needed at any time within the city, they can
and do answer calls with faster response times than if they had to be
called at home on their days off, he said.
"I look at our crime statistics and they are not crazy. Everyday
we'll try to improve that to lessen crime to make people feel safer
and to be safer," Arnson said.
"People need to understand that there is always going to be a police
presence. With the absence of police presence criminals know they are
free to wander and go anywhere they want. If the guns and weapons are
missed, where do they go? I would say a large percentage is going
into Mexico. But I would also say some divert and come into our
community. Our concern is that if we miss those and they get into the
hands of people who want to do harm to others, then what culpability,
what responsibility do we have now as a law enforcement entity?"
The program funding is derived from a 2010 $94 million settlement in
a lawsuit Arizona filed against Western Union alleging it was
facilitating money laundering operations.
The court set aside $50 million to create the Southwest Border Anti-
Money Laundering Alliance among Arizona, California, Texas and New
Mexico.
Border Patrol agent arrested in smuggling probe
Source: United States News
Originally published: Dec 4, 2012 - 12:48 pm
Associated Press
http://www.ktar.com/23/1592811/Border-agent-arrested-in-smuggling-probe-
PHOENIX (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been arrested after
authorities say he used his patrol vehicle to smuggle drugs while on
duty in southwest Arizona, according to a federal complaint.
Aaron Anaya was on patrol Sunday evening when he stopped along the
international border, then loaded up several bundles of marijuana
that had been dropped over the fence from Mexico, according to the
complaint filed this week in federal court in Arizona.
Agents assigned to the Southwest Border Corruption Task Force had
been conducting aerial surveillance in the area between Yuma and
Wellton, about 185 miles southwest of Phoenix, when they spotted
Anaya stop along the fence and retrieve the bundles, the complaint
states. It does not say whether Anaya was the target of the initial
surveillance or merely observed during the overall operation.
Authorities say the task force continued to track Anaya for several
hours as he appeared to return to normal patrol duties.
The complaint says the agent was later arrested with nearly 147
pounds of marijuana found in three black duffel bags in his Border
Patrol vehicle.
He is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and
carrying a firearm- his service weapons- while committing the crime.
Asked if he was willing to speak to investigators, Anaya responded
with an expletive, then said, "You guys got me on video," before
asking for an attorney, according to the complaint.
Anaya's federal public defender didn't immediately return a telephone
message Tuesday. His telephone number wasn't listed. Union
representatives for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector didn't respond to
emails.
The FBI, which was part of the task force, declined to discuss the case.
Yuma Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Stephen S. Martin said the
agency will fully cooperate with investigators.
"While I am sorely disappointed by the alleged conduct of one of our
own, I appreciate the efforts by our law enforcement partners and our
own agents to uncover those that violate their oath of office, and
hold them accountable for their actions," Martin said in a statement
Tuesday.
Note: AZ taxpayers on the hook once again.
Nogales, Sonora, asked to pay up on $350K Tucson hospital bill
8 hours ago • Joseph Treviño Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/nogales-sonora-asked-to-pay-up-
on-k-tucson-hospital/article_c6b58322-3070-58fa-859a-ed4f4384a9b8.html
The city of Nogales, Sonora, owes the University of Arizona Medical
Center $350,000.
The debt stems from treatment given to three Mexican police officers
from 2009 though 2011, said UAMC spokeswoman Katie Riley. She added
that some months ago, the hospital turned over the bill to a Mexican
collection agency, a standard procedure.
But for new Nogales Mayor Ramón Guzmán Muñoz the UAMC debt is much
more than a standard procedure: It is a scandal. Muñoz is a member of
Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), the party that for 70
years ruled Mexico, lost the presidency in 2000 to the conservative
Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) and regained it last July after a
sweeping victory.
The new mayor said that this is just one more example of how
negligent PAN was while in office. He added that since he took office
in September, a new scandal with roots to past mayors surfaces every
day, and he blamed former Mayor José Ángel Hernández Barajas, a PAN
member, and his administration for allegedly leaving Nogales in debt.
"It's a mess," he said.
The PAN leaders countered that this is just a political ploy of
incoming PRI leaders to justify not achieving their campaign goals.
They added that instead of working to build a better Nogales, the
mayor and new PRI office holders are investing time and money in a
smear campaign.
"It looks like all they want to create is a media circus," said
Reynaldo Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, a city councilman and a local PAN leader.
While the fracas between both parties continues, the UAMC debt remains.
Initially, some payments were made, but a $350,000 balance remains,
Riley said.
"One of our hospital executives will be making contact with the
Nogales, Sonora, mayor's office to discuss this issue in person,"
Riley said.
Still, UAMC values the relationship it has with Nogales, Sonora,
Riley said.
In 2003, UAMC helped establish a trauma triage and stabilization unit
for Nogales' General Hospital with federal funds, she added.
Muñoz said that the UAMC debt came out of a good cause -treating
officers wounded during Nogales' recent drug-violence span.
In February 2009, Officer Jose Alfredo Martínez, then 46, was taken
to UAMC after being treated at a Nogales hospital for gunshot wounds
to the back of his neck. Martínez, who never fully recovered, died
two years later at a hospital in Los Mochis.
In February 2010, commander Daniel Bautista Borboa was wounded when
gunmen attacked him as he traveled in a pickup with his family. In
July 2011, motorcycle officer Carlos Bustamente was treated for head
wounds. Both were treated at UAMC.
Muñoz said that he would do his best to settle the debt, but that he
will try to get low payments, because he is still in the process of
balancing the budget.
"The thing is to reach an agreement with the hospital to see how we
can make some comfortable installments," Muñoz said.
Contact reporter Joseph Treviño at jtrevino@azstarnet.com or 807-8029.
Note: couldn't resist this one, sorry. Even with recession still
hard to find good help.
Courier loses drug cash, asks cops for help
24 minutes ago • Kimberly Matas, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/police-beat/courier-loses-drug-cash-
asks-cops-for-help/article_b367d060-3da6-11e2-b883-001a4bcf887a.html
A man travelling through Tucson International Airport called police
last month to ask if an officer could write a note to the local
cartel explaining that he lost $20,000 in drug money.
It was the third time Demarco Alonzo Thomas transported money from
his home state of North Carolina to Tucson for drug dealers, but the
first time he'd misplaced a chunk of cash, according to a search
warrant requested by the Tucson Airport Authority Police Department.
The 30-year-old was afraid he'd be killed for losing the money. He
thought it might help smooth things over if he could show cartel
members a phony receipt from the local police stating they had seized
the money, according to the warrant.
Thomas told police he was paid $1,000 for each suitcase full of drug
money he flew to Tucson. He would receive a text on his cell phone
about an upcoming trip, and pick up a suitcase full of cash and a
prepaid debit card to purchase airline tickets.
When he flew into TIA around 9 p.m. Oct. 31, Thomas received a text
telling him a vehicle would pick him up curbside. The driver took him
to a nearby hotel parking lot where the money was counted before
Thomas and the drug dealers parted ways. About an hour later, Thomas
received a threatening phone call from his contact in North Carolina
telling him his delivery was $20,000 short.
Fearing for his safety, Thomas returned to the airport the next
morning and called police. He explained his situation and asked for a
phony receipt.
Instead, police arrested the courier on suspicion of money laundering
and racketeering, and searched his suitcase and personal property.
They found $17,000 in hundred dollar bills in the pockets of a pair
of blue jeans packed in the suit case, and another $3,020 in hundreds
in his wallet.
However, when officers asked Thomas to sign paperwork stating they
really were going to seize the cash, he refused.
Posponen en San Diego audiencia para presunta hija de "El Chapo"
Lunes, 3 de diciembre de 2012
http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2012/12/posponen-en-san-diego-audiencia-
para-presunta-hija-de-el-chapo/#more-16586
San Diego.- La audiencia de Alejandrina Guzmán, presunta hija de
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, fue reprogramada para el 20 de
diciembre en la corte federal de San Diego, donde se presentará
frente a la juez Cathy Ann Bencivengo.
Entrevistado en su despacho en el centro de esta ciudad, su abogado
Guadalupe Valencia, informó que su presentación ante la corte fue
pospuesta por acuerdo entre las partes acusatoria y defensora, para
continuar recopilando información.
Alejandrina fue detenida el pasado 12 de octubre de este año por
autoridades migratorias cuando intentaba ingresar a Estados Unidos
con documentación falsa, según refiere la acusada en su declaración,
para que su hijo naciera en Los Ángeles, California.
Aunque las autoridades estadounidenses no han confirmado oficialmente
que Alejandrina Giselle Guzmán Salazar es hija del capo más buscado
del mundo, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, fuentes extraoficiales confirman la
versión.
Guadalupe Valencia y Alejandrina Guzmán se presentarán el próximo 20
de diciembre en la sala 2, de la corte del distrito sur de San Diego,
según se refiere en el documento 15 del caso 312-cr-04386-CAB.
En éste se notifica el cambio de fecha de la audiencia de la acusada,
Alejandrina Giselle Guzmán Salazar, a la petición de las partes. La
audiencia de peticiones y preparación del juicio programada para el
30 de noviembre del 2012 a las 11:00 horas, queda vacante y
reprogramada a las 10:30 horas.
El documento también especifica que si las partes no están preparadas
para ese día deberán contactar al personal de la corte para
reprogramar la audiencia.
Note: Of particular interest to gun & civil rights folks. Some
serious questions of just what is the criteria for seizing firearms
and ammunition. Not to forget cash and the rest. How much ammo,
cash, etc are citizens allowed to possess in the area?
Again, just why are NPD cars on I-19?
Courtesy of Nogales Police Department
NPD cash
Some of the $824,745 in currency that the Nogales Police Department
has taken in from its efforts on southbound I-19.
Posted: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 8:32 am
By Manuel C. Coppola
Nogales International
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/again-just-why-are-npd-cars-
on-i/article_cbfa5a5e-3e27-11e2-b397-001a4bcf887a.html
In return for a grant investment of $314,300, the Nogales Police
Department has taken $824,745 in currency – presumably the proceeds
from illegal proceeds – off the southbound lanes of Interstate 19.
The grant came from the Southwest Border Anti-Money Laundering
Alliance Group, and pays for all those officers in NPD patrol
vehicles you see on I-19 outside the city limits.
The currency seizures came over a period of 14 months. Some of it
goes to the Arizona Attorney General's Office and another portion to
the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office, which funnels it back to
local law enforcement.
Working with other agencies, an additional $118,880 in currency was
confiscated in that same 14-month period, as were 30 pre-paid debit
cards loaded with unspecified amounts;
27 vehicles;
34,380 rounds of miscellaneous ammunition;
53 felony arrests; 36 misdemeanor arrests;
and 15 narcotics seizures, including a briefcase full of vials of
opiate extract that raised intelligence queries as to why it was in a
vehicle headed toward Mexico. Usually those loads are seized heading
north to distribution points in the U.S.
With more than 1,500 lawmen on the Nogales border, occupants and
their vehicles on the southbound lanes of I-19 may be among the most
photographed and monitored by the most amounts of law enforcement
agencies.
Drivers' and passengers' mugs and plates are zapped by license
readers and cameras at the checkpoint and then they run the gauntlet
of U.S. Border Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety and now,
Nogales police patrol cars before they even get to the border where
they are again greeted by Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers.
Also looming in the area are special investigation and enforcement
officers from the DEA, the BP's Disrupt unit, U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE); and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area (HIDTA) program.
While the benefits of the NPD's highway Interdiction team, dubbed "S-
Ball," can be easily quantified, it does not set well with some local
residents, said Nogales Police Chief Derek Arnson. He said increased
awareness by the public about his officers' role hopefully will allay
some of the concerns as the program is to continue thanks to a second
round of funding for $326,717.
Unaware of the grant constraints, some residents wonder why those
officers are not patrolling streets within city limits.
Also, Arnson acknowledges, all those seizures came at a cost of
perpetuating a perception of a police state.
One can see why. In the first 14 months, the NPD officers who are
working on their days off and earning overtime pay funded by the
grant, stopped 4,504 private and commercial vehicles (about 375 a
month) and searched 1,185 of them.
NPD Capt. Heriberto Zuniga, who has been with S-Ball since its
inception said, "We never, ever (racial) profile. That is completely
against what this is about. There has to be either a moving violation
or an equipment violation in order to get pulled over."
However, Chief Arnson said, "We criminal profile all the time. It's
not someone's race, ethnicity or gender or anything like that. It is
how we've been taught to look at a vehicle, look at an individual" to
detect suspicious behavior or abnormalities.
"As I see it, the benefit to the community is that we are enabled by
a grant to use our resources to interdict ammunition, large cash
seizures and other drug and criminal proceeds that otherwise come
into our city."
He cited a recent case in which a cache of AK-47 assault rifles and
ammunition were seized at a local trailer park.
The team of 15 certified S-Ball officers is now connected to the
license-plate readers at the southbound checkpoint. "If a vehicle has
a hit on the plate from anywhere in the U.S. in the DEA system, our
guys get it on their phones," Capt. Zuniga said. "Our units will
automatically scramble to specific choke points. If they are going to
bail out, they will get out and run into the woods as opposed to
going into the city" where people may be placed in harm's way during
a pursuit.
Assistant Chief Roy Bermudez pointed out another ancillary benefit; a
motivation for safer driving. "Any time the (NPD) officers are
deployed in the area of operation there have been no fatalities."
Drivers are more apt to wear seatbelts, drive within the speed limit
and avoid drinking and driving, he said.
A Thanksgiving weekend DUI detail throughout the city conducted by
NPD revealed 29 designated drivers among the motorists who were
pulled over. "We've never seen that many," Zuniga said.
Arnson said in response to citizens' concerns the S-Ball operation
has been scaled back. Originally it extended beyond Palo Parado Road
in north Rio Rico. Now the officers normally do not go beyond the
Ruby Road exit.
If their assistance is needed at any time within the city, they can
and do answer calls with faster response times than if they had to be
called at home on their days off, he said.
"I look at our crime statistics and they are not crazy. Everyday
we'll try to improve that to lessen crime to make people feel safer
and to be safer," Arnson said.
"People need to understand that there is always going to be a police
presence. With the absence of police presence criminals know they are
free to wander and go anywhere they want. If the guns and weapons are
missed, where do they go? I would say a large percentage is going
into Mexico. But I would also say some divert and come into our
community. Our concern is that if we miss those and they get into the
hands of people who want to do harm to others, then what culpability,
what responsibility do we have now as a law enforcement entity?"
The program funding is derived from a 2010 $94 million settlement in
a lawsuit Arizona filed against Western Union alleging it was
facilitating money laundering operations.
The court set aside $50 million to create the Southwest Border Anti-
Money Laundering Alliance among Arizona, California, Texas and New
Mexico.
Border Patrol agent arrested in smuggling probe
Source: United States News
Originally published: Dec 4, 2012 - 12:48 pm
Associated Press
http://www.ktar.com/23/1592811/Border-agent-arrested-in-smuggling-probe-
PHOENIX (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been arrested after
authorities say he used his patrol vehicle to smuggle drugs while on
duty in southwest Arizona, according to a federal complaint.
Aaron Anaya was on patrol Sunday evening when he stopped along the
international border, then loaded up several bundles of marijuana
that had been dropped over the fence from Mexico, according to the
complaint filed this week in federal court in Arizona.
Agents assigned to the Southwest Border Corruption Task Force had
been conducting aerial surveillance in the area between Yuma and
Wellton, about 185 miles southwest of Phoenix, when they spotted
Anaya stop along the fence and retrieve the bundles, the complaint
states. It does not say whether Anaya was the target of the initial
surveillance or merely observed during the overall operation.
Authorities say the task force continued to track Anaya for several
hours as he appeared to return to normal patrol duties.
The complaint says the agent was later arrested with nearly 147
pounds of marijuana found in three black duffel bags in his Border
Patrol vehicle.
He is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and
carrying a firearm- his service weapons- while committing the crime.
Asked if he was willing to speak to investigators, Anaya responded
with an expletive, then said, "You guys got me on video," before
asking for an attorney, according to the complaint.
Anaya's federal public defender didn't immediately return a telephone
message Tuesday. His telephone number wasn't listed. Union
representatives for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector didn't respond to
emails.
The FBI, which was part of the task force, declined to discuss the case.
Yuma Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Stephen S. Martin said the
agency will fully cooperate with investigators.
"While I am sorely disappointed by the alleged conduct of one of our
own, I appreciate the efforts by our law enforcement partners and our
own agents to uncover those that violate their oath of office, and
hold them accountable for their actions," Martin said in a statement
Tuesday.
Note: AZ taxpayers on the hook once again.
Nogales, Sonora, asked to pay up on $350K Tucson hospital bill
8 hours ago • Joseph Treviño Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/nogales-sonora-asked-to-pay-up-
on-k-tucson-hospital/article_c6b58322-3070-58fa-859a-ed4f4384a9b8.html
The city of Nogales, Sonora, owes the University of Arizona Medical
Center $350,000.
The debt stems from treatment given to three Mexican police officers
from 2009 though 2011, said UAMC spokeswoman Katie Riley. She added
that some months ago, the hospital turned over the bill to a Mexican
collection agency, a standard procedure.
But for new Nogales Mayor Ramón Guzmán Muñoz the UAMC debt is much
more than a standard procedure: It is a scandal. Muñoz is a member of
Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), the party that for 70
years ruled Mexico, lost the presidency in 2000 to the conservative
Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) and regained it last July after a
sweeping victory.
The new mayor said that this is just one more example of how
negligent PAN was while in office. He added that since he took office
in September, a new scandal with roots to past mayors surfaces every
day, and he blamed former Mayor José Ángel Hernández Barajas, a PAN
member, and his administration for allegedly leaving Nogales in debt.
"It's a mess," he said.
The PAN leaders countered that this is just a political ploy of
incoming PRI leaders to justify not achieving their campaign goals.
They added that instead of working to build a better Nogales, the
mayor and new PRI office holders are investing time and money in a
smear campaign.
"It looks like all they want to create is a media circus," said
Reynaldo Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, a city councilman and a local PAN leader.
While the fracas between both parties continues, the UAMC debt remains.
Initially, some payments were made, but a $350,000 balance remains,
Riley said.
"One of our hospital executives will be making contact with the
Nogales, Sonora, mayor's office to discuss this issue in person,"
Riley said.
Still, UAMC values the relationship it has with Nogales, Sonora,
Riley said.
In 2003, UAMC helped establish a trauma triage and stabilization unit
for Nogales' General Hospital with federal funds, she added.
Muñoz said that the UAMC debt came out of a good cause -treating
officers wounded during Nogales' recent drug-violence span.
In February 2009, Officer Jose Alfredo Martínez, then 46, was taken
to UAMC after being treated at a Nogales hospital for gunshot wounds
to the back of his neck. Martínez, who never fully recovered, died
two years later at a hospital in Los Mochis.
In February 2010, commander Daniel Bautista Borboa was wounded when
gunmen attacked him as he traveled in a pickup with his family. In
July 2011, motorcycle officer Carlos Bustamente was treated for head
wounds. Both were treated at UAMC.
Muñoz said that he would do his best to settle the debt, but that he
will try to get low payments, because he is still in the process of
balancing the budget.
"The thing is to reach an agreement with the hospital to see how we
can make some comfortable installments," Muñoz said.
Contact reporter Joseph Treviño at jtrevino@azstarnet.com or 807-8029.
Note: couldn't resist this one, sorry. Even with recession still
hard to find good help.
Courier loses drug cash, asks cops for help
24 minutes ago • Kimberly Matas, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/police-beat/courier-loses-drug-cash-
asks-cops-for-help/article_b367d060-3da6-11e2-b883-001a4bcf887a.html
A man travelling through Tucson International Airport called police
last month to ask if an officer could write a note to the local
cartel explaining that he lost $20,000 in drug money.
It was the third time Demarco Alonzo Thomas transported money from
his home state of North Carolina to Tucson for drug dealers, but the
first time he'd misplaced a chunk of cash, according to a search
warrant requested by the Tucson Airport Authority Police Department.
The 30-year-old was afraid he'd be killed for losing the money. He
thought it might help smooth things over if he could show cartel
members a phony receipt from the local police stating they had seized
the money, according to the warrant.
Thomas told police he was paid $1,000 for each suitcase full of drug
money he flew to Tucson. He would receive a text on his cell phone
about an upcoming trip, and pick up a suitcase full of cash and a
prepaid debit card to purchase airline tickets.
When he flew into TIA around 9 p.m. Oct. 31, Thomas received a text
telling him a vehicle would pick him up curbside. The driver took him
to a nearby hotel parking lot where the money was counted before
Thomas and the drug dealers parted ways. About an hour later, Thomas
received a threatening phone call from his contact in North Carolina
telling him his delivery was $20,000 short.
Fearing for his safety, Thomas returned to the airport the next
morning and called police. He explained his situation and asked for a
phony receipt.
Instead, police arrested the courier on suspicion of money laundering
and racketeering, and searched his suitcase and personal property.
They found $17,000 in hundred dollar bills in the pockets of a pair
of blue jeans packed in the suit case, and another $3,020 in hundreds
in his wallet.
However, when officers asked Thomas to sign paperwork stating they
really were going to seize the cash, he refused.
Posponen en San Diego audiencia para presunta hija de "El Chapo"
Lunes, 3 de diciembre de 2012
http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2012/12/posponen-en-san-diego-audiencia-
para-presunta-hija-de-el-chapo/#more-16586
San Diego.- La audiencia de Alejandrina Guzmán, presunta hija de
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, fue reprogramada para el 20 de
diciembre en la corte federal de San Diego, donde se presentará
frente a la juez Cathy Ann Bencivengo.
Entrevistado en su despacho en el centro de esta ciudad, su abogado
Guadalupe Valencia, informó que su presentación ante la corte fue
pospuesta por acuerdo entre las partes acusatoria y defensora, para
continuar recopilando información.
Alejandrina fue detenida el pasado 12 de octubre de este año por
autoridades migratorias cuando intentaba ingresar a Estados Unidos
con documentación falsa, según refiere la acusada en su declaración,
para que su hijo naciera en Los Ángeles, California.
Aunque las autoridades estadounidenses no han confirmado oficialmente
que Alejandrina Giselle Guzmán Salazar es hija del capo más buscado
del mundo, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, fuentes extraoficiales confirman la
versión.
Guadalupe Valencia y Alejandrina Guzmán se presentarán el próximo 20
de diciembre en la sala 2, de la corte del distrito sur de San Diego,
según se refiere en el documento 15 del caso 312-cr-04386-CAB.
En éste se notifica el cambio de fecha de la audiencia de la acusada,
Alejandrina Giselle Guzmán Salazar, a la petición de las partes. La
audiencia de peticiones y preparación del juicio programada para el
30 de noviembre del 2012 a las 11:00 horas, queda vacante y
reprogramada a las 10:30 horas.
El documento también especifica que si las partes no están preparadas
para ese día deberán contactar al personal de la corte para
reprogramar la audiencia.
AZMEX UPDATE 3-12-12
AZMEX UPDATE 3 DEC 2012
Note: Off Calif. but not getting much coverage. AZ
Coast Guard Member Killed When Smugglers Ram Boat
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne, 34, with his wife and child. (KTLA-
TV)
KTLA News
6:17 a.m. PST, December 3, 2012
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-coast-guard-member-killed,
0,2262020.story
PORT HUENEME (KTLA) -- A member of the U.S. Coast Guard was killed in
the line of duty when suspected drug smugglers rammed his vessel near
Santa Cruz Island.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, 34, of Redondo Beach was
second in command of the Halibut, an 87-foot patrol cutter based in
Marina del Rey.
Early Sunday morning, the Halibut was dispatched to investigate a
boat operating near Santa Cruz Island, which is the largest of the
Channel Islands.
The boat, a "panga"-style vessel commonly used by smugglers, was
first detected by a patrol plane. It had fallen under suspicion
becasue it was operating at night without any lights.
The Coast Guard cutter contains a smaller boat -- a rigid-hull
inflatable used routinely for search-and-rescue operations and
missions that require a nimble approach.
When Horne and his team approached in the inflatable, the suspect
boat gunned its engine, maneuvered directly toward the Coast Guard
inflatable, rammed it and fled.
The impact knocked Horne and another Coast Guardsman into the water.
Both were rescued, but Horne suffered a massive head injury.
Paramedics met the Halibut at the Port Hueneme pier at declared him
dead at 2:21 a.m.
"Chief Petty Officer Horne was an outstanding Coast Guard member,"
said Coast Guard Capt. James Jenkins. "He gave his life in service,
enforcing the laws of this nation. Our hearts go out to the family
and loved ones of Chief Petty Officer Horne," Jenkins continued.
"All of the members of team Coast Guard grieve along with them, and
are so very sorry for their loss," he said.
Horne's shipmate suffered minor injuries and was treated and then
released on Sunday. He was not identified.
Using a helicopter and a 45-foot boat stationed in Los Angeles, the
Coast Guard later found the panga and stopped it.
Two men were detained. The Coast Guard declined to identify them or
say whether drugs were found aboard the boat.
Horne arrived in Southern California last summer after serving for
two years as an executive petty officer in Emerald Isle, N.C., the
Los Angeles Times reports.
There, he received a Coast Guard Commendation Medal for his
leadership in 63 search-and-rescue cases, in which 38 lives were saved.
Horne leaves behind a wife and a young child. According to neighbors
in Redondo Beach, Horne's wife is pregnant with the couple's second
child.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano released the
following statement:
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of U.S. Coast Guard
Boatswains Mate Chief Terrell Horne during a counter-drug operation
yesterday morning near Santa Cruz Island, California."
"BMC Horne and his fellow crew members of the USCG Cutter Halibut
were engaged in an at-sea interdiction when they came under threat by
a small vessel that rammed their small boat. "This tragedy reminds
us of the dangers our men and women in uniform face every day, and
the great risks they willingly take, as they protect our nation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of BMC Horne and all of
our Coast Guard personnel at this difficult time."
Note: just had to add this one. Paz Sinaloa and mean old police chief?
It was this weekend in Juarez, the first in five years without
executions: Attorney
Ramón Chaparro
El Diario de Juarez | December 3, 2012 | 14:38 pm
http://www.eldiariodechihuahua.mx/notas.php?
f=2012/12/03&id=728d5634e1b5ea00c2ce057dd6d43447
Ciudad Juarez. - For the first time in the last five years, there was
a weekend without executions in Ciudad Juarez.
At the end of November, on Friday 30, Saturday, 1 and 2 December were
days with a clean balance, in which there were no killings
documented by the Public Ministry.
Although Friday night was the death of a man who exchanged gunfire
with police officers and subsequently died Municipal, this event was
not considered a murder. According to staff of the Attorney General's
Office (FGE) of the case will not open a folder, because the officers
responded to aggression.
The weekend that included the 26, 27 and 28 October, and the 16, 17
and November 18 were the periods with lower crime rate in presenting
both periods only a violent death.
Also, in the first three days of this month have not registered yet
any decease in violent circumstances. Just last weekend, ranging from
23 to 25 November had received reports of five deaths, which ranked
as the most violent period of the month.
From January 1 to November 25, 2012 it had recorded 724 deaths in
violent circumstances in Ciudad Juarez. Just this past weekend was
one of the two least violent of the year with a single documented death.
In January there were 118 deaths, including 12 women and two children
and eight policemen, a custodian and an agent of the FGE. In
February there were 82 deaths, of which 10 women, a child and a
policeman. In March there were 105 murders, of these 15 women, four
children and nine police. In April were 108, of which 18 were women
and six children. In May there were 74 homicides of which six
women, two children, two policemen and a skeleton. In June there
were 49 murders, two children. In July there were 45 deaths of
which three were women and two children, while in August were 38,
four women and three children. During the month of September the
incidence of deaths rose to 48, of these eight were women, two
children and two policemen.
El Diario de Chihuahua
Note: Off Calif. but not getting much coverage. AZ
Coast Guard Member Killed When Smugglers Ram Boat
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne, 34, with his wife and child. (KTLA-
TV)
KTLA News
6:17 a.m. PST, December 3, 2012
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-coast-guard-member-killed,
0,2262020.story
PORT HUENEME (KTLA) -- A member of the U.S. Coast Guard was killed in
the line of duty when suspected drug smugglers rammed his vessel near
Santa Cruz Island.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, 34, of Redondo Beach was
second in command of the Halibut, an 87-foot patrol cutter based in
Marina del Rey.
Early Sunday morning, the Halibut was dispatched to investigate a
boat operating near Santa Cruz Island, which is the largest of the
Channel Islands.
The boat, a "panga"-style vessel commonly used by smugglers, was
first detected by a patrol plane. It had fallen under suspicion
becasue it was operating at night without any lights.
The Coast Guard cutter contains a smaller boat -- a rigid-hull
inflatable used routinely for search-and-rescue operations and
missions that require a nimble approach.
When Horne and his team approached in the inflatable, the suspect
boat gunned its engine, maneuvered directly toward the Coast Guard
inflatable, rammed it and fled.
The impact knocked Horne and another Coast Guardsman into the water.
Both were rescued, but Horne suffered a massive head injury.
Paramedics met the Halibut at the Port Hueneme pier at declared him
dead at 2:21 a.m.
"Chief Petty Officer Horne was an outstanding Coast Guard member,"
said Coast Guard Capt. James Jenkins. "He gave his life in service,
enforcing the laws of this nation. Our hearts go out to the family
and loved ones of Chief Petty Officer Horne," Jenkins continued.
"All of the members of team Coast Guard grieve along with them, and
are so very sorry for their loss," he said.
Horne's shipmate suffered minor injuries and was treated and then
released on Sunday. He was not identified.
Using a helicopter and a 45-foot boat stationed in Los Angeles, the
Coast Guard later found the panga and stopped it.
Two men were detained. The Coast Guard declined to identify them or
say whether drugs were found aboard the boat.
Horne arrived in Southern California last summer after serving for
two years as an executive petty officer in Emerald Isle, N.C., the
Los Angeles Times reports.
There, he received a Coast Guard Commendation Medal for his
leadership in 63 search-and-rescue cases, in which 38 lives were saved.
Horne leaves behind a wife and a young child. According to neighbors
in Redondo Beach, Horne's wife is pregnant with the couple's second
child.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano released the
following statement:
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of U.S. Coast Guard
Boatswains Mate Chief Terrell Horne during a counter-drug operation
yesterday morning near Santa Cruz Island, California."
"BMC Horne and his fellow crew members of the USCG Cutter Halibut
were engaged in an at-sea interdiction when they came under threat by
a small vessel that rammed their small boat. "This tragedy reminds
us of the dangers our men and women in uniform face every day, and
the great risks they willingly take, as they protect our nation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of BMC Horne and all of
our Coast Guard personnel at this difficult time."
Note: just had to add this one. Paz Sinaloa and mean old police chief?
It was this weekend in Juarez, the first in five years without
executions: Attorney
Ramón Chaparro
El Diario de Juarez | December 3, 2012 | 14:38 pm
http://www.eldiariodechihuahua.mx/notas.php?
f=2012/12/03&id=728d5634e1b5ea00c2ce057dd6d43447
Ciudad Juarez. - For the first time in the last five years, there was
a weekend without executions in Ciudad Juarez.
At the end of November, on Friday 30, Saturday, 1 and 2 December were
days with a clean balance, in which there were no killings
documented by the Public Ministry.
Although Friday night was the death of a man who exchanged gunfire
with police officers and subsequently died Municipal, this event was
not considered a murder. According to staff of the Attorney General's
Office (FGE) of the case will not open a folder, because the officers
responded to aggression.
The weekend that included the 26, 27 and 28 October, and the 16, 17
and November 18 were the periods with lower crime rate in presenting
both periods only a violent death.
Also, in the first three days of this month have not registered yet
any decease in violent circumstances. Just last weekend, ranging from
23 to 25 November had received reports of five deaths, which ranked
as the most violent period of the month.
From January 1 to November 25, 2012 it had recorded 724 deaths in
violent circumstances in Ciudad Juarez. Just this past weekend was
one of the two least violent of the year with a single documented death.
In January there were 118 deaths, including 12 women and two children
and eight policemen, a custodian and an agent of the FGE. In
February there were 82 deaths, of which 10 women, a child and a
policeman. In March there were 105 murders, of these 15 women, four
children and nine police. In April were 108, of which 18 were women
and six children. In May there were 74 homicides of which six
women, two children, two policemen and a skeleton. In June there
were 49 murders, two children. In July there were 45 deaths of
which three were women and two children, while in August were 38,
four women and three children. During the month of September the
incidence of deaths rose to 48, of these eight were women, two
children and two policemen.
El Diario de Chihuahua
AZMEX SPECIAL 1-12-12
AZMEX SPECIAL 1 DEC 2012
Note: very interesting analysis
http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/security-implications-for-multinational-
corporations-operating-in-mexico
Security Implications for Multinational Corporations Operating in Mexico
Nov 28, 2012
Author: Charles Regini
Mexico is a significant economic and political player in Latin
America. With the world's 13th largest economy, sharing a large
common border with the United States and benefiting from extensive
free trade agreements, Mexico has developed privileged access to U.S.
markets and integration into U.S. supply chains. Iconic American
manufacturers have moved factories by the dozens to Mexico,
particularly to Mexico-U.S. border towns. Mexican factories are
exporting record numbers of televisions, cars, computers, and
appliances. Mexico continues to be viewed as a prime location for
U.S. companies seeking to establish value-based, cost-effective, high
return on investment business operations.
Drug wars and street battles, extreme violence, kidnapping,
extortion, endemic public corruption, and the looming specter of
spreading pockets of outright criminal organizational takeover of
municipal governments are consistent headlines highlighting the
ongoing challenges for business operations. Mexican federal
authorities, however, point to continued successes in arresting or
killing key criminal leaders and the break-up of transnational
criminal organizations and Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), as
well as recent decreases in drug-related homicides. It is also a
common belief that most of the violence in Mexico is due to drug
gangs killing each other, or "bad on bad" murders. Multinational
corporations continue to consider future investment, but have
developed reservations and reluctance due to these concerns.
This article assesses the current security realities in Mexico,
addressing the country's overall security environment and identifying
specific primary security risks likely to be encountered by
multinational corporations operating in Mexico, including extortion
and kidnap-for-ransom schemes.
Government Control and Attacks on Authorities
Despite historical denials from the Mexican federal government,
current media reporting and public opinion consistently discuss
"fallen cities" or "ungoverned" communities in various areas of
Mexico. These communities are characterized by a general lack of
governmental authority. They arise due to pressure from direct
attacks, assassinations, intimidation, and public corruption
perpetrated by all of the various organized criminal groups. These
groups seek to retaliate against Mexican security forces and support
the continued expansion and activity of major DTOs in Mexican
communities. In February 2012, in what was widely reported as a break
from standard government media policy on this subject, Mexican
Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan Galva acknowledged that some areas
of Mexico are no longer under government control. "Clearly, in some
sectors of the country public security has been completely overrun,"
he admitted.[1] Galva said that organized crime has penetrated not
only the country's public institutions, but Mexican society as well.[2]
While there is no general consensus of what constitutes an ungoverned
or fallen city, several conditions should be considered when
assessing security risks for business purposes. In fallen cities, any
or all of the following conditions may be present: lacks a mayor,
city council, or police department; cartel convoys travel openly in
the city; cartels regularly operate roadblocks; street battles occur
several times per month; large numbers of drug-related homicides, or
businesses or citizens routinely pay extortion fees; and retaliatory
attacks related to extortion attempts are common.
In the most extreme instances, these communities have no governmental
authorities at all; they do not have mayors, city councils, judges,
police departments, or other government officials. Residents and
businesses in these communities have no protection from organized
criminal groups who operate in the area, and criminals have full run
of the community and typically control access to it (e.g., roadblocks
and surveillance).
In less extreme cases, municipalities may lack some elements of local
government, but retain others. For example, they may lack mayors,
city councils, chiefs of police, or even police departments, but they
may have other governmental departments that function, such as public
utilities, health services and schools. They are still able to
provide basic municipal services, but in a limited form and one that
is essentially controlled by organized criminal groups.
A third condition is also present where communities may have some or
all elements of government, but they are largely ineffective in
protecting residents from criminal activity due to corruption,
collusion, intimidation, incompetence, or some combination thereof.
Due to variations in the level and type of criminal control over
communities, and the fact that these levels are in flux over time, it
is difficult to derive a definitive and current list of fallen cities
in Mexico. Conditions change rapidly and a fairly stable community
can quickly become ungoverned (often in a matter of weeks). In
contrast, there have been instances where the conditions in
ungoverned communities improved almost as quickly with the
introduction of federal forces, such as the police or military.
Several cities that exhibit a continuing pattern of security
deterioration and indicators of fallen or ungoverned would be
Apatzingan (Michoacan State); Ciudad Altamirano (Guerrero State);
Coyuca de Benitez (Guerrero State); Meoqui (Chihuahua State); and
Piedras Negras (Coahuila State).
Several municipalities that have had conditions improve with
continued deployment and use of military forces against organized
crime elements are Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo on the northern
border. Although neither city can be considered "safe" and under
complete control of legitimate Mexican authorities not influenced or
intimidated by criminal elements, there have been clear indications
of authorities regaining control and improving the security
conditions in what were once considered lawless and uncontrolled cities.
Overall, however, evidence suggests that organized crime has
increased its control over Mexican cities in the past decade.
Research completed by the Institute of Citizens' Action for Justice
and Democracy (IAC) shows that organized crime's control over Mexican
municipalities has gone from 34% in 2001, to 53% in 2006, to 71.5% in
2011.[3] The president of IAC stated that the infrastructure of
organized crime in Mexico is "apparent, open, and notorious," and
that in many cases there is complicity between political leaders and
these groups.[4]
Contributing to the deterioration of government control for security
of business operations are the daily attacks on government
authorities that plague more than half of the Mexican states.
Government officials are the target of daily attacks perpetrated by
organized criminal groups in many areas of the country. The attacks
include ambushes of police or military patrols, attacks on government
buildings such as police stations, courts and municipal buildings,
assassinations of political figures, and executions or kidnap-
executions of police officers. These attacks are in contrast to
street battles between government forces and sicarios (cartel gunmen).
The frequency and character of armed attacks directed against Mexican
authorities provide insight on the ability of the Mexican government
to combat organized crime and maintain control. The number of police
officers killed during ambushes jumped from approximately 625 in 2010
to 817 in 2011, a 130% increase.[5] The number of assassinations
dropped 8% in 2011, although that number remains quite high at
approximately 125 for the year.[6] In most instances, the victims
were municipal level government officials, followed by state level
officials.[7]
Since January 2010, there has been a steady increase in not only the
numbers of attacks on government authorities, but also a spread in
the geographic pattern of attacks. In 2010, there were an average of
15 Mexican states per month experiencing attacks on government
authorities.[8] In 2011, the average increased to 18.[9] For most of
2012, the number of states with attacks on government authorities was
20.[10] States most recently hit hardest by attacks on authorities
have been Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero, and Michoacan.
There has been a steady increase in the number of monthly attacks
since January 2010.[11] Attacks on Mexican security forces occur on a
daily basis throughout most of the country. The families of elected
officials are also routinely targeted. Data from 2010-2012 reveals an
increase in ambushes since January 2010.[12] Although the pattern of
political assassinations from January 2010 to July 2012 suggests they
are decreasing, political leaders and government officials remain
routine targets of Mexican organized crime and drug trafficking
groups, with an average of five to 10 assassinations of elected
officials in the first seven months of 2012.[13] These statistics
suggest continued challenges by Mexican authorities to maintain
control of many areas of the country.
Another useful variable in assessing government control and the level
of security risk to business operations in Mexico is the number of
street battles or firefights between Mexican authorities and cartel
gunmen.[14] There has been a continuing increase in the number of
such battles during the first seven months of 2012. In January 2012,
there were approximately 25 street battles, with the number rising to
67 in April.[15] In July, the number of street battles reached 71.[16]
There has also been a slight increase in the geographic dispersion of
these battles; they appear to be taking place across a larger number
of cities and states. This pattern, which might not yet reflect a
fixed trend, may still indicate a geographic expansion of threats to
public safety and business operations.
In addition to the number and geographic pattern of ungoverned
cities, attacks on authorities and street battles, other variables
provide insight into the current security risks to business
facilities, personnel, and operations. These include violent criminal
activities such as extortion, kidnapping, and cargo theft. Reliable
statistics do not exist on any of these crimes, but media reports and
releases by various human rights organizations and think-tanks
suggest an increase and spread in each of them.[17] Certainly, the
continuing decline in the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies
in many areas of the country due to direct attacks, assassinations,
intimidation, corruption, poor training, lack of equipment, and weak
leadership contribute to the increase and spread of these crimes. As
a result, opportunistic, small-scale criminals take advantage of the
disorder in local communities as well. Burglary and theft, armed
robberies, kidnapping, and extortion all tend to increase as law
enforcement personnel direct their attention to more significant
matters, including their very own survival.
Extortion
Since 2008, extortion in Mexico has increased and spread across the
country. The National Citizens' Observatory, an organization that
compiles statistics on crime, calculated that Mexico extortion cases
of both nationals and foreign nationals have increased more than 180%
since 2006.[18] A 2011 study by the Bank of Mexico found that more
than 60% of Mexican businesses reported that they were victims of
crimes such as extortion.[19] One of the deadliest attacks on a
private sector business during the recent drug violence came as a
result of extortion. In August 2011, gunmen reportedly working for
the Los Zetas cartel set fire to a casino in Monterrey because its
owners refused to pay them protection money.[20] The fire killed 52
innocent civilian customers and employees, most of whom were middle-
aged and elderly women who came to the casino to play bingo.
Extortion has spread to businesses in areas of the country previously
considered largely untouched by crime. The state of Quintana Roo,
which is home to the popular tourist cities of Cancun and Playa del
Carmen, has now started to experience business extortions. A local
newspaper reported in 2011 that the Los Zetas drug cartel was
gradually infiltrating businesses throughout the region, including
businesses that work with the tourism industry. Quintana Roo trade
associations have reported that an increasing number of businesses
are simply closing down, in large part due to the ongoing threat of
extortion and other organized criminal activity. The trade groups
claimed that 70 businesses closed in 2009, 120 in 2010, and 300 in
2011.[21] A government official in the city of Playa del Carmen told
the local newspaper Por Esto that reported extortion threats against
local businesses jumped 150% in 2011.[22] He further said about 99%
of the businesses along one main commercial street in the city were
paying protection fees to cartels.[23]
The cities along the dangerous U.S.-Mexico border are also major
business extortion areas. Most extortion attempts here, as well as
elsewhere in Mexico, seem largely directed at small, more vulnerable
local Mexican companies that cannot afford to invest in adequate risk
and security mitigation and management measures.
While most extortion attempts are directed at local companies, there
have been increasing incidents targeting large multinational
corporations. One of the most well-known potential extortion cases
affecting a multinational business occurred in late May 2012 against
the Mexican subsidiary of Pepsico snack and beverage company,
Sabritas. The attack was viewed as the worst attack on a
multinational company in Mexico in recent years. Members of the
Knights Templar, an offshoot of the La Familia cartel, set fire to
warehouses and more than 30 trucks belonging to the firm in
Guanajuato and Michoacan states.[24] In total, the attacks and fires
at five distribution centers across the two states significantly
damaged company infrastructure, trucks and goods. In most media
reports, the criminal organization claimed the attack was due to the
company's cooperation with authorities, however the circumstances
point to indications of attempted extortion.[25] The attacks required
significant coordination to hit multiple locations and inflict a
tremendous amount of damage without causing any loss of life. Arson
is a common method of intimidation and retaliation in attempted
extortions.[26]
The mining industry in particular has become a popular target for
extortionists, mostly because the industry is highly profitable and
the work sites are remote. According to Mexico's Attorney General's
Office, drug cartels commonly pressure multinational mining companies
to pay from $11,000 to $37,000 a month in "taxes" for the right to
operate in the cartel's territory.[27] If the "security tax" is not
paid, the company's directors, family members, and the miners
themselves are attacked or kidnapped. The Attorney General's Office
has opened 12 investigations into extortion threats faced by some 300
mines across the country and has created an inter-agency
investigative team aimed at protecting the mining industry in
response to the rise in extortion.
In one example, a multinational mining company in Reynosa reported in
August 2012 that it had received several threats from unknown
individuals who demanded that they be permitted to steal copper from
a warehouse owned by the company.[28]
Separately, in August 2011, two miners of a multinational mining
company were intercepted on a road near their mining facility in a
remote area of Chihuahua State by a group of 12-14 men in bulletproof
vests, carrying automatic weapons, with bandanas over their faces.
The two miners were blindfolded, handcuffed, and transported to the
group's operating "base." They were taken on a short tour of the
location and shown a roomful of automatic weapons, grenade launchers,
and explosives. A laptop with the company's website loaded on the
internet browser was also shown to the men. The assailants told the
miners how the company's website bragged about the successes of the
Chihuahua gold mining operation and that to continue the operation
the company would be required to pay a monthly "tax" to the group.[29]
Kidnap-for-Ransom
Mexico is among the top five countries at risk for kidnap-for-ransom
schemes. The Mexican government's statistical information about
kidnap-for-ransom is highly inaccurate and likely manipulated for
perception purposes. The reality is that the exact numbers of
incidents, types of victims, or average ransom demands are nearly
impossible to accurately determine because only a fraction of
incidents are reported to authorities or other organizations. This is
mostly due to fear that corrupt local and state police officers
collude with kidnappers.
A Mexican human rights group, the Council for Law and Human Rights,
claimed that 17,889 kidnappings occurred in 2011, up approximately
32% from the 13,505 abductions in 2010.[30] The figures did not
include kidnappings where the victim was released within 24 hours,
known as an "express kidnapping." In 2011, a separate Mexican think-
tank reported that 1,847 kidnappings were recorded in the country in
2010. Some 209 of these incidents resulted in the death of the
hostage.[31] The think-tank, however, admitted these figures were
likely only a fragment of the real kidnapping rate due to
underreporting and the manipulation of statistical data by local
governments. The think-tank's 2010 figure was twice its 2009 numbers.
Meanwhile, between October 2010 and September 2011 there were 1,016
incidents of kidnap-for-ransom, as noted in a report by the National
Public Security System.[32] According to a 2011 Mexican congressional
report, kidnapping in Mexico has risen 317% in the last five years.
[33] The report estimated an average of 3.72 kidnap cases are
reported every day. Although kidnap-for-ransom incidents occur
throughout the country, high numbers of incidents are concentrated in
eight states: Mexico, the Federal District, Guanajuato, Michoacan,
Guerrero, Chihuahua, Baja California and Tamaulipas. Other primary
trouble spots include Nuevo Leon, Tabasco, and Veracruz states. The
municipalities in the Yucatan Peninsula seem relatively less prone to
kidnap incidents.[34]
Kidnap groups in Mexico range from well-organized and professional
kidnapping rings and drug cartels to opportunistic street criminals.
Both types of groups generally operate in urban areas or along rural
highways. These groups often kidnap employees commuting to and from
work, or in transit from city to city. Mexican nationals are believed
to make up the vast majority of victims, but foreigners are also
targeted. Although all business sectors are victimized, energy and
mining sector workers are particularly at risk due to their isolated
and rural work sites and transportation routes.
Drug trafficking gangs, such as Los Zetas, La Familia, and the
Knights Templar, engage in retaliation and intimidation kidnappings
against rivals, government authorities, public officials and private
sector companies. They also kidnap-for-ransom employees and managers
of successful high profile businesses and multinational corporations
to boost their finances. While the vast majority of ransoms are
relatively small, high profile senior managers and executives of
multinational firms and local Mexican citizen business owners can
fetch ransoms in the millions of dollars. A U.S. businessman abducted
in Tijuana drew $5 million in 2011.[35]
In most cases, after the ransom is paid, the victim is safely set
free. Kidnappings in Mexico are rarely investigated or prosecuted due
to a lack of adequate resources, as well as corruption and competence
issues. In addition to traditional kidnap-for-ransom operations,
there are a number of other kidnapping methods used in Mexico,
including:
Express Kidnapping: Abduction based on a 24-hour time limit with
emphasis placed on forcing victims to withdraw funds from a number of
ATMs, as well as handover cash, valuables, and other possessions. In
other cases, the victims are quickly released after paying a small
ransom.
Virtual Kidnapping: Criminals call their victims from unregistered
mobile phones and claim to have kidnapped a family member or friend.
These criminals may use sound effects or information gathered on the
internet to convince a victim that a kidnapping has occurred. The
criminal then demands a ransom. Criminals often claim to be members
of one of the large drug cartels when making such calls, knowing
these groups' reputation for brutality will scare victims. These
incidents are actually elaborate extortion attempts since no one is
actually kidnapped.
Since extortion and kidnapping are closely linked to the drug trade
and the ungoverned municipalities and unsecured areas of the country,
the cartels' ability to operate with impunity have left businesses
and their employees, managers, and executives vulnerable. This has
resulted in significant economic and social damage, as well as
scaring away some businesses looking to invest in Mexico.
A 2011-2012 survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Mexico found
that 87% of the surveyed companies had increased security measures or
contacted authorities due to incidents of extortion or kidnapping,
and more than half of the companies increased their investments in
security during 2011.[36] A June 2012 article in the Financial Times,
however, reported a more optimistic scenario; foreign direct
investment totaled $18 billion in 2011 and was expected to reach
similar levels in 2012. While extortion and kidnapping affects
multinational corporations, in most cases criminals rarely know which
key leaders to kidnap due to the sheer size of many companies
operating in Mexico. In fact, in many incidents involving employees
or managers of multinational corporations, the threat and demand are
directed toward the families and not the companies, although most
multinational corporations do accept varying levels of ownership of
the incident and associated support and assistance to the victim's
family. The prospects for smaller, local companies may be darker.
Many small Mexican businesses close rather than face the continued
threat of violence, kidnapping, or ever-increasing extortion payments
to gangs or cartels.
Conclusion
The security environment for businesses in Mexico will see no
significant overall change for many years to come. Crime, corruption,
and the resulting insecurity for business operations, employees, and
executives will remain a consistent risk for business. Real change
will require the Mexican government to radically reduce the
corruption within law enforcement and significantly restructure the
criminal justice system.
Businesses considering future operations or maintaining current
operations in Mexico must acknowledge and take steps to actively
manage these security risks to be successful and profitable.
Regardless of the severity, business security risks can be managed
using a continuous and systematic risk assessment and mitigation
process. Access to and use of current continuous intelligence
reporting on the evolving threat environment and how a Mexico-based
business' employees, facilities, operations, and supply chain may be
vulnerable to security risks is the first step to developing and
implementing effective security practices and policies.
Although Mexico will remain dangerous for the foreseeable future,
multinational companies operating there can limit the frequency and
severity of security related incidents through implementing a
successful operational risk management program.
Charles Regini is Managing Director of Crisis Response and Planning
for Kroll Associates Inc. Mr. Regini oversees the day-to-day
activities of Kroll's crisis management planning and response
services, particularly the Kidnap for Ransom and Extortion response
program and associated risk assessments, prevention, preparation, and
planning services. Mr. Regini joined Kroll in 2011 after working as
an independent consultant and program/project manager in the U.S.
Intelligence Community. He retired from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in 2009 after spending more than 21 years of
distinguished service in a variety of investigative, intelligence,
and management positions. Mr. Regini was one of the hand-picked full-
time hostage negotiators in the FBI's Critical Incident Response
Group, where he led the FBI's international hostage/kidnap program,
and became recognized as a subject matter expert in crisis-hostage
negotiation.
[1] Geoffrey Ramsey, "Mexico Official Admits Some Areas Out of Govt
Control," InSight Crime, February 10, 2012.
[2] Ibid.
[3] The IAC did not define how they measure "control." See "Mexico:
Situation of Organized Crime; Police and State Response Including
Effectiveness; Availability of Witness Protection," Immigration and
Refugee Board of Canada, September 11, 2012.
[4] Ibid.
[5] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011," Harary Security Consulting,
2012.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] "Mexico Monthly Security Summaries in 2010, 2011, and 2012,"
Harary Security Consulting, 2012.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011."
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] The majority of these conflicts are running street battles
during which bullets are fired indiscriminately in mostly urban
settings often resulting in the injury or death of innocent
bystanders. Fragmentation grenades were also used in a significant
number of these battles resulting in injuries to innocent bystanders
and property damage.
[15] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011."
[16] Ibid.
[17] "Mexico's 2012 National Survey on Victimization and Perception
of Public Security," Mexican National Institute of Statistics and
Geography, 2012; Luisa Blanco, The Impact of Reform on the Criminal
Justice System in Mexico (Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 2012);
Gary J. Hale, A 'Failed State' in Mexico: Tamaulipas Declares Itself
Ungovernable (Houston: James A. Baker III Institute for Public
Policy, 2011); "Security and Criminal Justice in the States: 25
Indicators of our Institutional Weakness," Mexico Evalua, 2012.
[18] Tracey Wilkenson, "In Mexico, Extortion is a Booming Offshoot of
Drug War," Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2012.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Daniel Hernandez, "Who is Responsible for the Casino Tragedy in
Mexico?" Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2011.
[21] Edward V. Byrne, "300 Businesses Close in Cancún, Riviera Maya
Due to 2011 Narco Extortion, Threats," Mexico and Gulf Region
Reporter, December 24, 2011.
[22] "El crimen organizado expande su radio de acción," Por Esto,
October 24, 2011.
[23] Ibid.
[24] "Sabritas Target of a String of Attacks in Mexico," CNN, June 2,
2012.
[25] "Arson Attacks Against U.S. Multinational Subsidiary," U.S.
Overseas Security Advisory Council, 2012.
[26] The criminal organization claiming responsibility for the arson
attack was the Knights Templar, a relatively small splinter criminal
group of the La Familia cartel that routinely relies on extortion
revenues, unlike the larger cartels that primarily rely on drug
trafficking revenues.
[27] Edward Fox, "Mexico Mining Ops Pay Hefty Extortion Fees to
Cartels," Insight Crime, May 8, 2012.
[28] Charles Regini, "Kroll Critical Incident Case Studies and
Statistics," Kroll Associates, 2012.
[29] Ibid.
[30] "49 Kidnappings Per Day Occurred in Mexico in 2011," Borderland
Beat, January 2, 2012.
[31] Elyssa Pachico, "Study: 2010 Record Year for Kidnappings in
Mexico," InSight Crime, February 7, 2011.
[32] Ioan Grillo, "No Reduction in Mexico Kidnappings," Global Post,
November 20, 2011.
[33] Damien Cave, "In Mexico, a Kidnapping Ignored as Crime Worsens,"
New York Times, March 17, 2012.
[34] There is not one definitive reason why the Yucatan Peninsula is
less prone to kidnap incidents.
[35] Regini.
[36] "The Impact of Security in Mexico on the Private Sector (Fourth
Edition)," American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, 2011.
Note: very interesting analysis
http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/security-implications-for-multinational-
corporations-operating-in-mexico
Security Implications for Multinational Corporations Operating in Mexico
Nov 28, 2012
Author: Charles Regini
Mexico is a significant economic and political player in Latin
America. With the world's 13th largest economy, sharing a large
common border with the United States and benefiting from extensive
free trade agreements, Mexico has developed privileged access to U.S.
markets and integration into U.S. supply chains. Iconic American
manufacturers have moved factories by the dozens to Mexico,
particularly to Mexico-U.S. border towns. Mexican factories are
exporting record numbers of televisions, cars, computers, and
appliances. Mexico continues to be viewed as a prime location for
U.S. companies seeking to establish value-based, cost-effective, high
return on investment business operations.
Drug wars and street battles, extreme violence, kidnapping,
extortion, endemic public corruption, and the looming specter of
spreading pockets of outright criminal organizational takeover of
municipal governments are consistent headlines highlighting the
ongoing challenges for business operations. Mexican federal
authorities, however, point to continued successes in arresting or
killing key criminal leaders and the break-up of transnational
criminal organizations and Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), as
well as recent decreases in drug-related homicides. It is also a
common belief that most of the violence in Mexico is due to drug
gangs killing each other, or "bad on bad" murders. Multinational
corporations continue to consider future investment, but have
developed reservations and reluctance due to these concerns.
This article assesses the current security realities in Mexico,
addressing the country's overall security environment and identifying
specific primary security risks likely to be encountered by
multinational corporations operating in Mexico, including extortion
and kidnap-for-ransom schemes.
Government Control and Attacks on Authorities
Despite historical denials from the Mexican federal government,
current media reporting and public opinion consistently discuss
"fallen cities" or "ungoverned" communities in various areas of
Mexico. These communities are characterized by a general lack of
governmental authority. They arise due to pressure from direct
attacks, assassinations, intimidation, and public corruption
perpetrated by all of the various organized criminal groups. These
groups seek to retaliate against Mexican security forces and support
the continued expansion and activity of major DTOs in Mexican
communities. In February 2012, in what was widely reported as a break
from standard government media policy on this subject, Mexican
Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan Galva acknowledged that some areas
of Mexico are no longer under government control. "Clearly, in some
sectors of the country public security has been completely overrun,"
he admitted.[1] Galva said that organized crime has penetrated not
only the country's public institutions, but Mexican society as well.[2]
While there is no general consensus of what constitutes an ungoverned
or fallen city, several conditions should be considered when
assessing security risks for business purposes. In fallen cities, any
or all of the following conditions may be present: lacks a mayor,
city council, or police department; cartel convoys travel openly in
the city; cartels regularly operate roadblocks; street battles occur
several times per month; large numbers of drug-related homicides, or
businesses or citizens routinely pay extortion fees; and retaliatory
attacks related to extortion attempts are common.
In the most extreme instances, these communities have no governmental
authorities at all; they do not have mayors, city councils, judges,
police departments, or other government officials. Residents and
businesses in these communities have no protection from organized
criminal groups who operate in the area, and criminals have full run
of the community and typically control access to it (e.g., roadblocks
and surveillance).
In less extreme cases, municipalities may lack some elements of local
government, but retain others. For example, they may lack mayors,
city councils, chiefs of police, or even police departments, but they
may have other governmental departments that function, such as public
utilities, health services and schools. They are still able to
provide basic municipal services, but in a limited form and one that
is essentially controlled by organized criminal groups.
A third condition is also present where communities may have some or
all elements of government, but they are largely ineffective in
protecting residents from criminal activity due to corruption,
collusion, intimidation, incompetence, or some combination thereof.
Due to variations in the level and type of criminal control over
communities, and the fact that these levels are in flux over time, it
is difficult to derive a definitive and current list of fallen cities
in Mexico. Conditions change rapidly and a fairly stable community
can quickly become ungoverned (often in a matter of weeks). In
contrast, there have been instances where the conditions in
ungoverned communities improved almost as quickly with the
introduction of federal forces, such as the police or military.
Several cities that exhibit a continuing pattern of security
deterioration and indicators of fallen or ungoverned would be
Apatzingan (Michoacan State); Ciudad Altamirano (Guerrero State);
Coyuca de Benitez (Guerrero State); Meoqui (Chihuahua State); and
Piedras Negras (Coahuila State).
Several municipalities that have had conditions improve with
continued deployment and use of military forces against organized
crime elements are Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo on the northern
border. Although neither city can be considered "safe" and under
complete control of legitimate Mexican authorities not influenced or
intimidated by criminal elements, there have been clear indications
of authorities regaining control and improving the security
conditions in what were once considered lawless and uncontrolled cities.
Overall, however, evidence suggests that organized crime has
increased its control over Mexican cities in the past decade.
Research completed by the Institute of Citizens' Action for Justice
and Democracy (IAC) shows that organized crime's control over Mexican
municipalities has gone from 34% in 2001, to 53% in 2006, to 71.5% in
2011.[3] The president of IAC stated that the infrastructure of
organized crime in Mexico is "apparent, open, and notorious," and
that in many cases there is complicity between political leaders and
these groups.[4]
Contributing to the deterioration of government control for security
of business operations are the daily attacks on government
authorities that plague more than half of the Mexican states.
Government officials are the target of daily attacks perpetrated by
organized criminal groups in many areas of the country. The attacks
include ambushes of police or military patrols, attacks on government
buildings such as police stations, courts and municipal buildings,
assassinations of political figures, and executions or kidnap-
executions of police officers. These attacks are in contrast to
street battles between government forces and sicarios (cartel gunmen).
The frequency and character of armed attacks directed against Mexican
authorities provide insight on the ability of the Mexican government
to combat organized crime and maintain control. The number of police
officers killed during ambushes jumped from approximately 625 in 2010
to 817 in 2011, a 130% increase.[5] The number of assassinations
dropped 8% in 2011, although that number remains quite high at
approximately 125 for the year.[6] In most instances, the victims
were municipal level government officials, followed by state level
officials.[7]
Since January 2010, there has been a steady increase in not only the
numbers of attacks on government authorities, but also a spread in
the geographic pattern of attacks. In 2010, there were an average of
15 Mexican states per month experiencing attacks on government
authorities.[8] In 2011, the average increased to 18.[9] For most of
2012, the number of states with attacks on government authorities was
20.[10] States most recently hit hardest by attacks on authorities
have been Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero, and Michoacan.
There has been a steady increase in the number of monthly attacks
since January 2010.[11] Attacks on Mexican security forces occur on a
daily basis throughout most of the country. The families of elected
officials are also routinely targeted. Data from 2010-2012 reveals an
increase in ambushes since January 2010.[12] Although the pattern of
political assassinations from January 2010 to July 2012 suggests they
are decreasing, political leaders and government officials remain
routine targets of Mexican organized crime and drug trafficking
groups, with an average of five to 10 assassinations of elected
officials in the first seven months of 2012.[13] These statistics
suggest continued challenges by Mexican authorities to maintain
control of many areas of the country.
Another useful variable in assessing government control and the level
of security risk to business operations in Mexico is the number of
street battles or firefights between Mexican authorities and cartel
gunmen.[14] There has been a continuing increase in the number of
such battles during the first seven months of 2012. In January 2012,
there were approximately 25 street battles, with the number rising to
67 in April.[15] In July, the number of street battles reached 71.[16]
There has also been a slight increase in the geographic dispersion of
these battles; they appear to be taking place across a larger number
of cities and states. This pattern, which might not yet reflect a
fixed trend, may still indicate a geographic expansion of threats to
public safety and business operations.
In addition to the number and geographic pattern of ungoverned
cities, attacks on authorities and street battles, other variables
provide insight into the current security risks to business
facilities, personnel, and operations. These include violent criminal
activities such as extortion, kidnapping, and cargo theft. Reliable
statistics do not exist on any of these crimes, but media reports and
releases by various human rights organizations and think-tanks
suggest an increase and spread in each of them.[17] Certainly, the
continuing decline in the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies
in many areas of the country due to direct attacks, assassinations,
intimidation, corruption, poor training, lack of equipment, and weak
leadership contribute to the increase and spread of these crimes. As
a result, opportunistic, small-scale criminals take advantage of the
disorder in local communities as well. Burglary and theft, armed
robberies, kidnapping, and extortion all tend to increase as law
enforcement personnel direct their attention to more significant
matters, including their very own survival.
Extortion
Since 2008, extortion in Mexico has increased and spread across the
country. The National Citizens' Observatory, an organization that
compiles statistics on crime, calculated that Mexico extortion cases
of both nationals and foreign nationals have increased more than 180%
since 2006.[18] A 2011 study by the Bank of Mexico found that more
than 60% of Mexican businesses reported that they were victims of
crimes such as extortion.[19] One of the deadliest attacks on a
private sector business during the recent drug violence came as a
result of extortion. In August 2011, gunmen reportedly working for
the Los Zetas cartel set fire to a casino in Monterrey because its
owners refused to pay them protection money.[20] The fire killed 52
innocent civilian customers and employees, most of whom were middle-
aged and elderly women who came to the casino to play bingo.
Extortion has spread to businesses in areas of the country previously
considered largely untouched by crime. The state of Quintana Roo,
which is home to the popular tourist cities of Cancun and Playa del
Carmen, has now started to experience business extortions. A local
newspaper reported in 2011 that the Los Zetas drug cartel was
gradually infiltrating businesses throughout the region, including
businesses that work with the tourism industry. Quintana Roo trade
associations have reported that an increasing number of businesses
are simply closing down, in large part due to the ongoing threat of
extortion and other organized criminal activity. The trade groups
claimed that 70 businesses closed in 2009, 120 in 2010, and 300 in
2011.[21] A government official in the city of Playa del Carmen told
the local newspaper Por Esto that reported extortion threats against
local businesses jumped 150% in 2011.[22] He further said about 99%
of the businesses along one main commercial street in the city were
paying protection fees to cartels.[23]
The cities along the dangerous U.S.-Mexico border are also major
business extortion areas. Most extortion attempts here, as well as
elsewhere in Mexico, seem largely directed at small, more vulnerable
local Mexican companies that cannot afford to invest in adequate risk
and security mitigation and management measures.
While most extortion attempts are directed at local companies, there
have been increasing incidents targeting large multinational
corporations. One of the most well-known potential extortion cases
affecting a multinational business occurred in late May 2012 against
the Mexican subsidiary of Pepsico snack and beverage company,
Sabritas. The attack was viewed as the worst attack on a
multinational company in Mexico in recent years. Members of the
Knights Templar, an offshoot of the La Familia cartel, set fire to
warehouses and more than 30 trucks belonging to the firm in
Guanajuato and Michoacan states.[24] In total, the attacks and fires
at five distribution centers across the two states significantly
damaged company infrastructure, trucks and goods. In most media
reports, the criminal organization claimed the attack was due to the
company's cooperation with authorities, however the circumstances
point to indications of attempted extortion.[25] The attacks required
significant coordination to hit multiple locations and inflict a
tremendous amount of damage without causing any loss of life. Arson
is a common method of intimidation and retaliation in attempted
extortions.[26]
The mining industry in particular has become a popular target for
extortionists, mostly because the industry is highly profitable and
the work sites are remote. According to Mexico's Attorney General's
Office, drug cartels commonly pressure multinational mining companies
to pay from $11,000 to $37,000 a month in "taxes" for the right to
operate in the cartel's territory.[27] If the "security tax" is not
paid, the company's directors, family members, and the miners
themselves are attacked or kidnapped. The Attorney General's Office
has opened 12 investigations into extortion threats faced by some 300
mines across the country and has created an inter-agency
investigative team aimed at protecting the mining industry in
response to the rise in extortion.
In one example, a multinational mining company in Reynosa reported in
August 2012 that it had received several threats from unknown
individuals who demanded that they be permitted to steal copper from
a warehouse owned by the company.[28]
Separately, in August 2011, two miners of a multinational mining
company were intercepted on a road near their mining facility in a
remote area of Chihuahua State by a group of 12-14 men in bulletproof
vests, carrying automatic weapons, with bandanas over their faces.
The two miners were blindfolded, handcuffed, and transported to the
group's operating "base." They were taken on a short tour of the
location and shown a roomful of automatic weapons, grenade launchers,
and explosives. A laptop with the company's website loaded on the
internet browser was also shown to the men. The assailants told the
miners how the company's website bragged about the successes of the
Chihuahua gold mining operation and that to continue the operation
the company would be required to pay a monthly "tax" to the group.[29]
Kidnap-for-Ransom
Mexico is among the top five countries at risk for kidnap-for-ransom
schemes. The Mexican government's statistical information about
kidnap-for-ransom is highly inaccurate and likely manipulated for
perception purposes. The reality is that the exact numbers of
incidents, types of victims, or average ransom demands are nearly
impossible to accurately determine because only a fraction of
incidents are reported to authorities or other organizations. This is
mostly due to fear that corrupt local and state police officers
collude with kidnappers.
A Mexican human rights group, the Council for Law and Human Rights,
claimed that 17,889 kidnappings occurred in 2011, up approximately
32% from the 13,505 abductions in 2010.[30] The figures did not
include kidnappings where the victim was released within 24 hours,
known as an "express kidnapping." In 2011, a separate Mexican think-
tank reported that 1,847 kidnappings were recorded in the country in
2010. Some 209 of these incidents resulted in the death of the
hostage.[31] The think-tank, however, admitted these figures were
likely only a fragment of the real kidnapping rate due to
underreporting and the manipulation of statistical data by local
governments. The think-tank's 2010 figure was twice its 2009 numbers.
Meanwhile, between October 2010 and September 2011 there were 1,016
incidents of kidnap-for-ransom, as noted in a report by the National
Public Security System.[32] According to a 2011 Mexican congressional
report, kidnapping in Mexico has risen 317% in the last five years.
[33] The report estimated an average of 3.72 kidnap cases are
reported every day. Although kidnap-for-ransom incidents occur
throughout the country, high numbers of incidents are concentrated in
eight states: Mexico, the Federal District, Guanajuato, Michoacan,
Guerrero, Chihuahua, Baja California and Tamaulipas. Other primary
trouble spots include Nuevo Leon, Tabasco, and Veracruz states. The
municipalities in the Yucatan Peninsula seem relatively less prone to
kidnap incidents.[34]
Kidnap groups in Mexico range from well-organized and professional
kidnapping rings and drug cartels to opportunistic street criminals.
Both types of groups generally operate in urban areas or along rural
highways. These groups often kidnap employees commuting to and from
work, or in transit from city to city. Mexican nationals are believed
to make up the vast majority of victims, but foreigners are also
targeted. Although all business sectors are victimized, energy and
mining sector workers are particularly at risk due to their isolated
and rural work sites and transportation routes.
Drug trafficking gangs, such as Los Zetas, La Familia, and the
Knights Templar, engage in retaliation and intimidation kidnappings
against rivals, government authorities, public officials and private
sector companies. They also kidnap-for-ransom employees and managers
of successful high profile businesses and multinational corporations
to boost their finances. While the vast majority of ransoms are
relatively small, high profile senior managers and executives of
multinational firms and local Mexican citizen business owners can
fetch ransoms in the millions of dollars. A U.S. businessman abducted
in Tijuana drew $5 million in 2011.[35]
In most cases, after the ransom is paid, the victim is safely set
free. Kidnappings in Mexico are rarely investigated or prosecuted due
to a lack of adequate resources, as well as corruption and competence
issues. In addition to traditional kidnap-for-ransom operations,
there are a number of other kidnapping methods used in Mexico,
including:
Express Kidnapping: Abduction based on a 24-hour time limit with
emphasis placed on forcing victims to withdraw funds from a number of
ATMs, as well as handover cash, valuables, and other possessions. In
other cases, the victims are quickly released after paying a small
ransom.
Virtual Kidnapping: Criminals call their victims from unregistered
mobile phones and claim to have kidnapped a family member or friend.
These criminals may use sound effects or information gathered on the
internet to convince a victim that a kidnapping has occurred. The
criminal then demands a ransom. Criminals often claim to be members
of one of the large drug cartels when making such calls, knowing
these groups' reputation for brutality will scare victims. These
incidents are actually elaborate extortion attempts since no one is
actually kidnapped.
Since extortion and kidnapping are closely linked to the drug trade
and the ungoverned municipalities and unsecured areas of the country,
the cartels' ability to operate with impunity have left businesses
and their employees, managers, and executives vulnerable. This has
resulted in significant economic and social damage, as well as
scaring away some businesses looking to invest in Mexico.
A 2011-2012 survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Mexico found
that 87% of the surveyed companies had increased security measures or
contacted authorities due to incidents of extortion or kidnapping,
and more than half of the companies increased their investments in
security during 2011.[36] A June 2012 article in the Financial Times,
however, reported a more optimistic scenario; foreign direct
investment totaled $18 billion in 2011 and was expected to reach
similar levels in 2012. While extortion and kidnapping affects
multinational corporations, in most cases criminals rarely know which
key leaders to kidnap due to the sheer size of many companies
operating in Mexico. In fact, in many incidents involving employees
or managers of multinational corporations, the threat and demand are
directed toward the families and not the companies, although most
multinational corporations do accept varying levels of ownership of
the incident and associated support and assistance to the victim's
family. The prospects for smaller, local companies may be darker.
Many small Mexican businesses close rather than face the continued
threat of violence, kidnapping, or ever-increasing extortion payments
to gangs or cartels.
Conclusion
The security environment for businesses in Mexico will see no
significant overall change for many years to come. Crime, corruption,
and the resulting insecurity for business operations, employees, and
executives will remain a consistent risk for business. Real change
will require the Mexican government to radically reduce the
corruption within law enforcement and significantly restructure the
criminal justice system.
Businesses considering future operations or maintaining current
operations in Mexico must acknowledge and take steps to actively
manage these security risks to be successful and profitable.
Regardless of the severity, business security risks can be managed
using a continuous and systematic risk assessment and mitigation
process. Access to and use of current continuous intelligence
reporting on the evolving threat environment and how a Mexico-based
business' employees, facilities, operations, and supply chain may be
vulnerable to security risks is the first step to developing and
implementing effective security practices and policies.
Although Mexico will remain dangerous for the foreseeable future,
multinational companies operating there can limit the frequency and
severity of security related incidents through implementing a
successful operational risk management program.
Charles Regini is Managing Director of Crisis Response and Planning
for Kroll Associates Inc. Mr. Regini oversees the day-to-day
activities of Kroll's crisis management planning and response
services, particularly the Kidnap for Ransom and Extortion response
program and associated risk assessments, prevention, preparation, and
planning services. Mr. Regini joined Kroll in 2011 after working as
an independent consultant and program/project manager in the U.S.
Intelligence Community. He retired from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in 2009 after spending more than 21 years of
distinguished service in a variety of investigative, intelligence,
and management positions. Mr. Regini was one of the hand-picked full-
time hostage negotiators in the FBI's Critical Incident Response
Group, where he led the FBI's international hostage/kidnap program,
and became recognized as a subject matter expert in crisis-hostage
negotiation.
[1] Geoffrey Ramsey, "Mexico Official Admits Some Areas Out of Govt
Control," InSight Crime, February 10, 2012.
[2] Ibid.
[3] The IAC did not define how they measure "control." See "Mexico:
Situation of Organized Crime; Police and State Response Including
Effectiveness; Availability of Witness Protection," Immigration and
Refugee Board of Canada, September 11, 2012.
[4] Ibid.
[5] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011," Harary Security Consulting,
2012.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] "Mexico Monthly Security Summaries in 2010, 2011, and 2012,"
Harary Security Consulting, 2012.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011."
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] The majority of these conflicts are running street battles
during which bullets are fired indiscriminately in mostly urban
settings often resulting in the injury or death of innocent
bystanders. Fragmentation grenades were also used in a significant
number of these battles resulting in injuries to innocent bystanders
and property damage.
[15] "Mexico Annual Security Review 2011."
[16] Ibid.
[17] "Mexico's 2012 National Survey on Victimization and Perception
of Public Security," Mexican National Institute of Statistics and
Geography, 2012; Luisa Blanco, The Impact of Reform on the Criminal
Justice System in Mexico (Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 2012);
Gary J. Hale, A 'Failed State' in Mexico: Tamaulipas Declares Itself
Ungovernable (Houston: James A. Baker III Institute for Public
Policy, 2011); "Security and Criminal Justice in the States: 25
Indicators of our Institutional Weakness," Mexico Evalua, 2012.
[18] Tracey Wilkenson, "In Mexico, Extortion is a Booming Offshoot of
Drug War," Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2012.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Daniel Hernandez, "Who is Responsible for the Casino Tragedy in
Mexico?" Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2011.
[21] Edward V. Byrne, "300 Businesses Close in Cancún, Riviera Maya
Due to 2011 Narco Extortion, Threats," Mexico and Gulf Region
Reporter, December 24, 2011.
[22] "El crimen organizado expande su radio de acción," Por Esto,
October 24, 2011.
[23] Ibid.
[24] "Sabritas Target of a String of Attacks in Mexico," CNN, June 2,
2012.
[25] "Arson Attacks Against U.S. Multinational Subsidiary," U.S.
Overseas Security Advisory Council, 2012.
[26] The criminal organization claiming responsibility for the arson
attack was the Knights Templar, a relatively small splinter criminal
group of the La Familia cartel that routinely relies on extortion
revenues, unlike the larger cartels that primarily rely on drug
trafficking revenues.
[27] Edward Fox, "Mexico Mining Ops Pay Hefty Extortion Fees to
Cartels," Insight Crime, May 8, 2012.
[28] Charles Regini, "Kroll Critical Incident Case Studies and
Statistics," Kroll Associates, 2012.
[29] Ibid.
[30] "49 Kidnappings Per Day Occurred in Mexico in 2011," Borderland
Beat, January 2, 2012.
[31] Elyssa Pachico, "Study: 2010 Record Year for Kidnappings in
Mexico," InSight Crime, February 7, 2011.
[32] Ioan Grillo, "No Reduction in Mexico Kidnappings," Global Post,
November 20, 2011.
[33] Damien Cave, "In Mexico, a Kidnapping Ignored as Crime Worsens,"
New York Times, March 17, 2012.
[34] There is not one definitive reason why the Yucatan Peninsula is
less prone to kidnap incidents.
[35] Regini.
[36] "The Impact of Security in Mexico on the Private Sector (Fourth
Edition)," American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, 2011.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
AZMEX BULLETIN 5-12-12
AZMEX BULLETIN 5 DEC 2012
Note: This would be south of I-8 Again a very long time lag.
US Border Patrol agent shoots man near Gila Bend
By Associated Press
Originally published: Dec 5, 2012 - 5:04 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1593239/US-Border-Patrol-agent-shoots-man-near-
Gila-Bend
GILA BEND, Ariz. -- Authorities say a U.S. Border Patrol agent has
shot and wounded a man in Arizona, south of Gila Bend.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say Yuma Sector agents
responded to ``possible bandit activity'' near an Arizona 85
checkpoint about 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The agents reportedly came across two armed men about 14 miles
southwest of Gila Bend and at least one of the agents fired, hitting
one of the armed men.
CBP officials say the wounded man was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital
and was in stable condition Wednesday.
They say the other man was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and was
arrested. Agents reported finding a handgun and assault rifle at the
scene.
It's the second reported shooting by border agents in Arizona this week.
Border agent shoots man near Gila Bend
4 hours ago • Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/border-agent-shoots-man-near-
gila-bend/article_52f62d50-3f25-11e2-8542-0019bb2963f4.html
A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and injured a man Tuesday evening
south of Gila Bend.
It was the latest in a series of shootings by border agents in
Arizona — the second this week and fourth since Oct. 2.
In this case, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported, Yuma
Sector agents responded to possible bandit activity near a checkpoint
on Arizona 85.
The agents came across two armed men about 14 miles southwest of Gila
Bend, and at least one of the agents fired, hitting one of the armed
men, the agency said in a news release.
That man was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital and is in stable
condition; the other man, a Mexican national illegally in the
country, was arrested. Agents found a handgun and assault rifle at
the scene, the news release said.
The FBI is investigating.
On Sunday at mid-day, an agent working in the southern Baboquivari
Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation shot and killed a man whom the
agency described as getting into an altercation with the agent.
Note: This would be south of I-8 Again a very long time lag.
US Border Patrol agent shoots man near Gila Bend
By Associated Press
Originally published: Dec 5, 2012 - 5:04 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1593239/US-Border-Patrol-agent-shoots-man-near-
Gila-Bend
GILA BEND, Ariz. -- Authorities say a U.S. Border Patrol agent has
shot and wounded a man in Arizona, south of Gila Bend.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say Yuma Sector agents
responded to ``possible bandit activity'' near an Arizona 85
checkpoint about 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The agents reportedly came across two armed men about 14 miles
southwest of Gila Bend and at least one of the agents fired, hitting
one of the armed men.
CBP officials say the wounded man was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital
and was in stable condition Wednesday.
They say the other man was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and was
arrested. Agents reported finding a handgun and assault rifle at the
scene.
It's the second reported shooting by border agents in Arizona this week.
Border agent shoots man near Gila Bend
4 hours ago • Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/border-agent-shoots-man-near-
gila-bend/article_52f62d50-3f25-11e2-8542-0019bb2963f4.html
A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and injured a man Tuesday evening
south of Gila Bend.
It was the latest in a series of shootings by border agents in
Arizona — the second this week and fourth since Oct. 2.
In this case, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported, Yuma
Sector agents responded to possible bandit activity near a checkpoint
on Arizona 85.
The agents came across two armed men about 14 miles southwest of Gila
Bend, and at least one of the agents fired, hitting one of the armed
men, the agency said in a news release.
That man was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital and is in stable
condition; the other man, a Mexican national illegally in the
country, was arrested. Agents found a handgun and assault rifle at
the scene, the news release said.
The FBI is investigating.
On Sunday at mid-day, an agent working in the southern Baboquivari
Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation shot and killed a man whom the
agency described as getting into an altercation with the agent.
AZMEX POLICY 1-12-12
AZMEX POLICY 1 DEC 2012
Note: Seems to be much of "hope and change" in this one, but also
some truths.
The PRI, like chicago democrats, the epitome of corruption. They
also have no problem with using violence to serve their objectives.
Those of us on the border will be surprised by the "net" immigration
numbers. Significant increase in cross border activity being noted
over last couple months. BTW, it is the PRI that blocks the "needed
reforms" of their constituency. No, don't know if FCH is going to
Harvard for the HCM.
Expectations are high for Mexico's new president
A national poll released this week shows that 59 percent of Mexicans
expect their lives to be better under incoming President Enrique Peña
Nieto, who is being sworn in today.
9 hours ago • Alfredo Corchado The Dallas Morning News
http://azstarnet.com/news/world/expectations-are-high-for-mexico-s-
new-president/article_27883190-d6a4-5d40-a53c-0c5f457a99c7.html
MEXICO CITY - Enrique Peña Nieto, who followed his childhood dream of
one day becoming a public servant, will be sworn in today as Mexico's
new president. And despite inheriting a country riven by violence and
corruption, he may be one of its luckiest leaders in recent memory.
He takes over a nation of nearly 117 million with a resurgent economy
that has become one of the most competitive in the globe, surpassing
Brazil in annual growth rate. Drug killings, which have been the top
priority for Mexicans, aren't over by any means, but they appear to
be receding. A national poll released this week by Gabinete de
Comunicacion Estrategica, or GCE, shows that 59 percent of Mexicans
believe Peña Nieto will improve their lives. Indeed, those high
expectations may be Peña Nieto's biggest challenge.
"What the numbers say is that Peña Nieto will not have a honeymoon,"
said Liebano Saenz, president of GCE. "The bar has been set too high."
Peña Nieto succeeds Felipe Calderón, who heads to Harvard University
on a 12-month fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government."
Peña Nieto, the 46-year-old former governor of the state of Mexico,
faces a nation divided by how to proceed in the drug war, a people
disillusioned by the unfulfilled promise of democracy, and a civil
society still in diapers. Many of its citizens are uneasily awaiting
the return of Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI,
which ruled imperiously throughout most of the 20th century through
vote-fixing, vote-buying, co-option of opponents, corruption and even
violence.
"I for one am nervous about their return," said Guadalupe Davila of
Ciudad Juarez, whose son was one of the more than 60,000 victims of
drug violence under Calderón's term. "But it will be up to us,
society, to show the PRI that we have changed as a people, that we
demand government accountability, that things cannot go back to where
they were and fall back into neglect. That's why we lost what we lost."
Indeed, whatever one thinks about Calderón's conservative National
Action Party, or PAN, the country began to shed its paternalistic
past during its 12-year reign, beginning with the election of Vicente
Fox in 2000. Freedom of expression flourished. Civil society was
strengthened, and transparency laws were enacted.
"Whether it's the old or new PRI that returns - and it is likely to
be a bit of both - Mexico has changed," said Shannon O'Neil, an
expert on Mexico at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Congress
matters, the Supreme Court matters, and increasingly social
organizations and voices matter. The incoming PRI government will be
working within a much more democratic context than their predecessors."
Maybe so, said journalist Victor Hugo Michel, 34, of Milenio
newspaper, but the PRI "will test us to protect whatever gains we've
made as a society."
Michel spent three months examining government documents, obtained
through freedom-of-information tools, to determine how many people
had disappeared during Calderón's term. He was surprised not just by
the staggering number of disappeared - 24,000 - but by the fact that
some states blocked access to the information, in one case with the
excuse, "We must respect the deceased." All were states in which the
PRI controls the state government.
Peña Nieto won with just 38 percent of the vote, and his party failed
to win a majority in either house of Congress, which will make it
difficult to push through needed energy, education and tax reforms,
analysts say, or to loosen the grip of cronyism, powerful unions and
monopolies - all changes that are needed to catapult Mexico forward.
Peña Nieto and his team have repeatedly vowed that the old PRI is
dead and have said that the priority is to change Mexico's narrative,
from a country plagued by violence to a nation brimming with economic
opportunity. It's a tall order. Yes, the economy is improving,
generating tens of thousands of jobs for the past two years, but not
nearly enough to be considered the next China or India, according to
experts, including former Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda.
"Mexico's economy is OK, period," he said. "Just OK."
According to the GCE poll, 72 percent of Mexicans believe their
country is either stuck or moving backward, and only 27 percent
believe their country is progressing.
Then there's the image problem. A recent poll by Austin, Texas-based
Vianovo consultants and GSD&M advertising showed that 72 percent of
Americans surveyed viewed Mexico as a nation stymied by drug violence.
Even as studies show that net migration to the United States has
fallen to zero, some workers don't discount the possibility of
migrating north, where wages remain as much as five times higher,
especially as the U.S. economy recovers along with sectors such as
home construction, a magnet for Mexican workers.
Corruption, however, haunts the new narrative. This week, Laredo,
Texas-born drug trafficker Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "La
Barbie," instructed his attorney to deliver to the Mexico City
newspaper Reforma a letter in which he accused much of the U.S.-
trained Mexican federal police, including its leader, Genaro Garcia
Luna, of being on the payroll of the Beltran Leyva cartel. The Senate
has called for an investigation and summoned Garcia Luna to appear
before lawmakers Thursday. He denied the allegations.
The latest allegation underscored a finding of the GCE poll, which
showed that 94 percent of Mexicans want the military to continue the
fight against the cartels, and that only 4.9 percent trust the
federal police, despite billions spent on revamping the agency
through new facilities, equipment and training by advisers from the
United States and other countries, including Great Britain, Israel
and Colombia.
Peña Nieto has proposed reorganizing government security agencies -
including prisons, local police forces and the federal police, which
has grown to more than 35,000 men and women - by returning control to
the Interior Ministry. The ministry, known as Gobernacion, long
served as the PRI's eyes and ears.
"Whether it's the old or new PRI that returns - and it is likely to
be a bit of both - Mexico has changed"
Shannon O'Neil
Expert on Mexico at the Council on Foreign Relations
Note: Seems to be much of "hope and change" in this one, but also
some truths.
The PRI, like chicago democrats, the epitome of corruption. They
also have no problem with using violence to serve their objectives.
Those of us on the border will be surprised by the "net" immigration
numbers. Significant increase in cross border activity being noted
over last couple months. BTW, it is the PRI that blocks the "needed
reforms" of their constituency. No, don't know if FCH is going to
Harvard for the HCM.
Expectations are high for Mexico's new president
A national poll released this week shows that 59 percent of Mexicans
expect their lives to be better under incoming President Enrique Peña
Nieto, who is being sworn in today.
9 hours ago • Alfredo Corchado The Dallas Morning News
http://azstarnet.com/news/world/expectations-are-high-for-mexico-s-
new-president/article_27883190-d6a4-5d40-a53c-0c5f457a99c7.html
MEXICO CITY - Enrique Peña Nieto, who followed his childhood dream of
one day becoming a public servant, will be sworn in today as Mexico's
new president. And despite inheriting a country riven by violence and
corruption, he may be one of its luckiest leaders in recent memory.
He takes over a nation of nearly 117 million with a resurgent economy
that has become one of the most competitive in the globe, surpassing
Brazil in annual growth rate. Drug killings, which have been the top
priority for Mexicans, aren't over by any means, but they appear to
be receding. A national poll released this week by Gabinete de
Comunicacion Estrategica, or GCE, shows that 59 percent of Mexicans
believe Peña Nieto will improve their lives. Indeed, those high
expectations may be Peña Nieto's biggest challenge.
"What the numbers say is that Peña Nieto will not have a honeymoon,"
said Liebano Saenz, president of GCE. "The bar has been set too high."
Peña Nieto succeeds Felipe Calderón, who heads to Harvard University
on a 12-month fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government."
Peña Nieto, the 46-year-old former governor of the state of Mexico,
faces a nation divided by how to proceed in the drug war, a people
disillusioned by the unfulfilled promise of democracy, and a civil
society still in diapers. Many of its citizens are uneasily awaiting
the return of Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI,
which ruled imperiously throughout most of the 20th century through
vote-fixing, vote-buying, co-option of opponents, corruption and even
violence.
"I for one am nervous about their return," said Guadalupe Davila of
Ciudad Juarez, whose son was one of the more than 60,000 victims of
drug violence under Calderón's term. "But it will be up to us,
society, to show the PRI that we have changed as a people, that we
demand government accountability, that things cannot go back to where
they were and fall back into neglect. That's why we lost what we lost."
Indeed, whatever one thinks about Calderón's conservative National
Action Party, or PAN, the country began to shed its paternalistic
past during its 12-year reign, beginning with the election of Vicente
Fox in 2000. Freedom of expression flourished. Civil society was
strengthened, and transparency laws were enacted.
"Whether it's the old or new PRI that returns - and it is likely to
be a bit of both - Mexico has changed," said Shannon O'Neil, an
expert on Mexico at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Congress
matters, the Supreme Court matters, and increasingly social
organizations and voices matter. The incoming PRI government will be
working within a much more democratic context than their predecessors."
Maybe so, said journalist Victor Hugo Michel, 34, of Milenio
newspaper, but the PRI "will test us to protect whatever gains we've
made as a society."
Michel spent three months examining government documents, obtained
through freedom-of-information tools, to determine how many people
had disappeared during Calderón's term. He was surprised not just by
the staggering number of disappeared - 24,000 - but by the fact that
some states blocked access to the information, in one case with the
excuse, "We must respect the deceased." All were states in which the
PRI controls the state government.
Peña Nieto won with just 38 percent of the vote, and his party failed
to win a majority in either house of Congress, which will make it
difficult to push through needed energy, education and tax reforms,
analysts say, or to loosen the grip of cronyism, powerful unions and
monopolies - all changes that are needed to catapult Mexico forward.
Peña Nieto and his team have repeatedly vowed that the old PRI is
dead and have said that the priority is to change Mexico's narrative,
from a country plagued by violence to a nation brimming with economic
opportunity. It's a tall order. Yes, the economy is improving,
generating tens of thousands of jobs for the past two years, but not
nearly enough to be considered the next China or India, according to
experts, including former Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda.
"Mexico's economy is OK, period," he said. "Just OK."
According to the GCE poll, 72 percent of Mexicans believe their
country is either stuck or moving backward, and only 27 percent
believe their country is progressing.
Then there's the image problem. A recent poll by Austin, Texas-based
Vianovo consultants and GSD&M advertising showed that 72 percent of
Americans surveyed viewed Mexico as a nation stymied by drug violence.
Even as studies show that net migration to the United States has
fallen to zero, some workers don't discount the possibility of
migrating north, where wages remain as much as five times higher,
especially as the U.S. economy recovers along with sectors such as
home construction, a magnet for Mexican workers.
Corruption, however, haunts the new narrative. This week, Laredo,
Texas-born drug trafficker Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "La
Barbie," instructed his attorney to deliver to the Mexico City
newspaper Reforma a letter in which he accused much of the U.S.-
trained Mexican federal police, including its leader, Genaro Garcia
Luna, of being on the payroll of the Beltran Leyva cartel. The Senate
has called for an investigation and summoned Garcia Luna to appear
before lawmakers Thursday. He denied the allegations.
The latest allegation underscored a finding of the GCE poll, which
showed that 94 percent of Mexicans want the military to continue the
fight against the cartels, and that only 4.9 percent trust the
federal police, despite billions spent on revamping the agency
through new facilities, equipment and training by advisers from the
United States and other countries, including Great Britain, Israel
and Colombia.
Peña Nieto has proposed reorganizing government security agencies -
including prisons, local police forces and the federal police, which
has grown to more than 35,000 men and women - by returning control to
the Interior Ministry. The ministry, known as Gobernacion, long
served as the PRI's eyes and ears.
"Whether it's the old or new PRI that returns - and it is likely to
be a bit of both - Mexico has changed"
Shannon O'Neil
Expert on Mexico at the Council on Foreign Relations
AZMEX POLICY 30-11-12
AZMEX POLICY 30 NOV 2012
Note: A lot of chatter about the new cabinet and very last minute
public announcement of it. Many ties to one of the more corrupt
previous PRI administrations. Which took some effort. Of the more
important posts from our perspective;
Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong como secretario de Gobernación (Interior)
Jesús Murillo Karam como procurador General de la República (AG)
-Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, general Salvador Cienfuegos. (DOD)
-Secretaría de Marina, Vidal Soberón Saénz (Navy)
No surprises, cabinet formation of Peña Nieto
The list includes three mexiquenses: Luis Videgaray, Chuayfett and
Navarrete Prida. As many females will go to SEDESO, Health and
Tourism. In Pemex will be headed by Emilio Lozoya Austin and Jose
Antonio Meade in Foreign Office.
Fabiola Martinez and Rosa Elvira Vargas
Posted: 11.30.2012 15:39
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2012/11/30/153932453-sin-sorpresas-
conformacion-del-gabinete-de-pena-nieto
Mexico City. President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto named Miguel Angel
Osorio Chong as interior minister, (SEGOB) who is later revealed to
those who serve on the Executive's legal cabinet, with precision, in
the case of the Ministry of Public Security named Manuel Mondragón as
office manager, under the figure of Secretary of Planning of this
agency.
The brake in the Senate to reform the Organic Law of Federal Public
Administration necessitated the postulation level office manager, who
until yesterday was the capital's public safety secretary, who, like
the rest of cabinet members, functions begin this Saturday,
accompanied by Julian Oliva, the assistant secretary of Citizen of
the federal SSP.
Osorio Chong said these orders in federal SSP are made based on
Article 42 of the Rules of Procedure.
Similarly Peña Nieto-president in office since the first minute of
Saturday for the six years 2012-2018 - propose to Senate ratification
of Jesus Murillo Karam as Attorney General of the Republic. The man
from Hidalgo is until now president of the board of the Chamber of
Deputies.
In a room of the Hyatt hotel in Polanco, Osorio Chong who will
present the Cabinet members, attended the ceremony. In the mentioned
command:
-Ministry of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, treasury secretary
under President Calderon.
-Ministry of National Defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos.
-Department of the Navy, Soberon Vidal Saenz
-Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Luis Videgaray.
-Ministry of Social Development, Rosario Robles Berlanga.
-Ministry of the Environment, Juan Jose Guerra Abud.
-Secretary of Energy, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell.
-Ministry of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo.
-Ministry of Agriculture, Enrique Martinez and Mart'pinez.
-Ministry of Communications, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza.
-Ministry of Education, Emilio Chuayfett.
-Ministry of Health, Mercedez Juan Lopez.
-Ministry of Labor, Alfonso Navarrete Prida.
-Secretary of Agrarian Reform, Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín (also to be
adopted to reform the civil service, the political secretary of
Yucatan will Agrarian Development, Planning and Urban).
-Ministry of Tourism, Claudia Ruiz Massieu.
As the legal adviser of the President of the Republic Humberto
Cervantes Castillejos.
-Petroleos Mexicanos, Emilio Lozoya. (PEMEX)
-CFE, Francisco Rojas Gutierrez. ( Electricity )
The head of the Office of the President Aurelio Nuño Mayer, and
General Coordinator of Social Communication, David Lopez, while
Francisco Guzman is head of advisors. Erwin Lino Ortiz is the private
secretary of the Presidency.
As head of the Presidential was named General Roberto Miranda Moreno.
Note: A lot of chatter about the new cabinet and very last minute
public announcement of it. Many ties to one of the more corrupt
previous PRI administrations. Which took some effort. Of the more
important posts from our perspective;
Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong como secretario de Gobernación (Interior)
Jesús Murillo Karam como procurador General de la República (AG)
-Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, general Salvador Cienfuegos. (DOD)
-Secretaría de Marina, Vidal Soberón Saénz (Navy)
No surprises, cabinet formation of Peña Nieto
The list includes three mexiquenses: Luis Videgaray, Chuayfett and
Navarrete Prida. As many females will go to SEDESO, Health and
Tourism. In Pemex will be headed by Emilio Lozoya Austin and Jose
Antonio Meade in Foreign Office.
Fabiola Martinez and Rosa Elvira Vargas
Posted: 11.30.2012 15:39
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2012/11/30/153932453-sin-sorpresas-
conformacion-del-gabinete-de-pena-nieto
Mexico City. President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto named Miguel Angel
Osorio Chong as interior minister, (SEGOB) who is later revealed to
those who serve on the Executive's legal cabinet, with precision, in
the case of the Ministry of Public Security named Manuel Mondragón as
office manager, under the figure of Secretary of Planning of this
agency.
The brake in the Senate to reform the Organic Law of Federal Public
Administration necessitated the postulation level office manager, who
until yesterday was the capital's public safety secretary, who, like
the rest of cabinet members, functions begin this Saturday,
accompanied by Julian Oliva, the assistant secretary of Citizen of
the federal SSP.
Osorio Chong said these orders in federal SSP are made based on
Article 42 of the Rules of Procedure.
Similarly Peña Nieto-president in office since the first minute of
Saturday for the six years 2012-2018 - propose to Senate ratification
of Jesus Murillo Karam as Attorney General of the Republic. The man
from Hidalgo is until now president of the board of the Chamber of
Deputies.
In a room of the Hyatt hotel in Polanco, Osorio Chong who will
present the Cabinet members, attended the ceremony. In the mentioned
command:
-Ministry of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, treasury secretary
under President Calderon.
-Ministry of National Defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos.
-Department of the Navy, Soberon Vidal Saenz
-Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Luis Videgaray.
-Ministry of Social Development, Rosario Robles Berlanga.
-Ministry of the Environment, Juan Jose Guerra Abud.
-Secretary of Energy, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell.
-Ministry of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo.
-Ministry of Agriculture, Enrique Martinez and Mart'pinez.
-Ministry of Communications, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza.
-Ministry of Education, Emilio Chuayfett.
-Ministry of Health, Mercedez Juan Lopez.
-Ministry of Labor, Alfonso Navarrete Prida.
-Secretary of Agrarian Reform, Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín (also to be
adopted to reform the civil service, the political secretary of
Yucatan will Agrarian Development, Planning and Urban).
-Ministry of Tourism, Claudia Ruiz Massieu.
As the legal adviser of the President of the Republic Humberto
Cervantes Castillejos.
-Petroleos Mexicanos, Emilio Lozoya. (PEMEX)
-CFE, Francisco Rojas Gutierrez. ( Electricity )
The head of the Office of the President Aurelio Nuño Mayer, and
General Coordinator of Social Communication, David Lopez, while
Francisco Guzman is head of advisors. Erwin Lino Ortiz is the private
secretary of the Presidency.
As head of the Presidential was named General Roberto Miranda Moreno.
AZMEX EXTRA 30-11-12
AZMEX EXTRA 30 NOV 2012
Note: A look at the real world of military arms / weapons / dual
use / items.
There is a very extensive paper trail for all of this. BTW, even
after importing tens of thousands of weapons, the Mexican government
still has not updated their info with the UN. Another note of
interest, the US sourced AR15/M16/M4 platform seems to have become
the primary small arm for Mexican forces. Followed by the Beretta
ARX 160. The home built FX05 seldom seen. Would also be interesting
to learn how many .50 rifles have been exported from US to Mexico.
IFS Releases Export Control Extension For Exporters Of Military Or
Dual-Use Items
By: IFS
11/28/2012 ( 8:19am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/ifs-releases-export-control-
extension-for-exporters-of-military-or-dual-use-items/
3cbea5040597ba2d28e5492297820065.html
IFS, a global enterprise applications company, has released a new
module to help companies in the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) market
manage the complex timing and legal needs associated with product
export compliance. The extension manages compliance with ITAR, EAR
and UK Export Controls.
As part of the IFS Applications suite of enterprise resource planning
software, the Export Control extension is designed to give users
peace of mind that their exports comply with trade regulations within
their markets.
IFS Export Control is a complete customizable export control system
which allows suppliers with multi-site operations in different
geographies to create a fully integrated database of export products
and regulations. By entering the parameters of the exporter's product
developments, current licenses and the relevant trade regulations,
exporters of military or dual-use items can have complete control
over supply chain compliance according to their own needs.
Instead of the costly and time-consuming process of individually
checking each order against current licenses and regulations, Export
Control automatically flags up potential breaches of export
regulations and a series of alerts warns exporters of non-compliance
issues.
"For multinational exporters operating in several jurisdictions, the
challenges of making certain that every order complies with every
regulation can be immense," commented Dave Holroyd, Managing
Director, IFS Defence. "Our new solution has particular relevance in
the A&D market, where a simple oversight in order processing can be
extremely dangerous for a company's reputation. Export Control flags
up potential breaches of export regulations, including the export of
dual-use items, to ensure that users have the information they need
to assess whether orders can go ahead."
Note: A look at the real world of military arms / weapons / dual
use / items.
There is a very extensive paper trail for all of this. BTW, even
after importing tens of thousands of weapons, the Mexican government
still has not updated their info with the UN. Another note of
interest, the US sourced AR15/M16/M4 platform seems to have become
the primary small arm for Mexican forces. Followed by the Beretta
ARX 160. The home built FX05 seldom seen. Would also be interesting
to learn how many .50 rifles have been exported from US to Mexico.
IFS Releases Export Control Extension For Exporters Of Military Or
Dual-Use Items
By: IFS
11/28/2012 ( 8:19am)
http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/ifs-releases-export-control-
extension-for-exporters-of-military-or-dual-use-items/
3cbea5040597ba2d28e5492297820065.html
IFS, a global enterprise applications company, has released a new
module to help companies in the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) market
manage the complex timing and legal needs associated with product
export compliance. The extension manages compliance with ITAR, EAR
and UK Export Controls.
As part of the IFS Applications suite of enterprise resource planning
software, the Export Control extension is designed to give users
peace of mind that their exports comply with trade regulations within
their markets.
IFS Export Control is a complete customizable export control system
which allows suppliers with multi-site operations in different
geographies to create a fully integrated database of export products
and regulations. By entering the parameters of the exporter's product
developments, current licenses and the relevant trade regulations,
exporters of military or dual-use items can have complete control
over supply chain compliance according to their own needs.
Instead of the costly and time-consuming process of individually
checking each order against current licenses and regulations, Export
Control automatically flags up potential breaches of export
regulations and a series of alerts warns exporters of non-compliance
issues.
"For multinational exporters operating in several jurisdictions, the
challenges of making certain that every order complies with every
regulation can be immense," commented Dave Holroyd, Managing
Director, IFS Defence. "Our new solution has particular relevance in
the A&D market, where a simple oversight in order processing can be
extremely dangerous for a company's reputation. Export Control flags
up potential breaches of export regulations, including the export of
dual-use items, to ensure that users have the information they need
to assess whether orders can go ahead."
AZMEX UPDATE2 29-12-12
AZMEX UPDATE 2 29 NOV 2012
Note: not really.
Former Border Patrol agent gets 4 years for gun smuggling
By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Times
Posted: 11/29/2012 12:34:23 PM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_22089977/former-border-
patrol-agent-gets-4-years-gun
A former Border Patrol agent was sentenced to more than four years in
a federal prison for gun-smuggling today.
Ricardo Montalvo, 28, pled guilty to the charges in August and was
sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones to 51
months in a low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Bastrop,
Texas.
He will also pay a $100 fine and be on three years probation
following his release.
Before Montalvo was sentenced he said he was ready to "better myself."
"I would like to apologize to you, the prosecutor, my family and my
co-workers that I hurt," Montalvo said. "I made a terrible mistake
and there are no excuses. I am ready to face the consequences. I hurt
everyone I love."
Montalvo will also be enrolled in a drug and alcohol program while in
prison, which could reduce his sentence by a year if successful.
His lawyer, Sib Abraham, said a dependence on alcohol was a
contributing factor in Montalvo's crime because he "was not in a good
place." Montalvo's family was in the courtroom for his sentencing.
Some of them tried to fight back tears after the hearing.
The family declined comment.
Note: Operation Stonegarden money.
Eagle Pass Daily - News
Joe M. Rodriguez pleads guilty to role in scheme to steal funds from
Maverick County
Written by Staff
Thursday, 29 November 2012 14:49
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
EAGLE PASS -- Joe M. Rodriguez, age 37 and owner of Capitol
Construction in Eagle Pass, Texas, faces up to ten years in federal
prison after pleading guilty today to a theft charge related to a
scheme to steal more than $17,000 in Maverick County funds announced
United States Attorney Robert Pitman. Rodriguez remains on a $20,000
bond pending sentencing. No sentencing date has been scheduled.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Alia Moses, Rodriguez pleaded
guilty to aiding and abetting theft concerning programs receiving
federal funds. According to the factual basis, between September 18,
2011, and October 11, 2011, Rodriguez, a private contractor who
performed work for Maverick County, was issued several checks
totaling more than $17,000 by Maverick County for allegedly providing
to the county a forklift, as well as a motor for both a water truck
and a forklift.
Rodriguez deposited the checks into his bank account and then gave
thousands of dollars to co-defendant Jaime Flores, per their usual
arrangement.
Rodriguez never provided Maverick County a forklift or the motor for
a water truck and forklift. By pleading guilty, Rodriguez admitted
that by accepting the checks, depositing the checks, and then giving
a portion of the money from the checks to Flores that he was
assisting agents of Maverick County in stealing funds from Maverick
County.
Rodriguez's co-defendants--former Maverick County Purchasing Agent
Juan Carlos Moncada, age 32, and Maverick County Precinct One Foreman
Jaime Flores, age 33—remain under indictment for wire fraud and theft
concerning programs receiving federal funds. Jury selection and trial
for Moncada and Flores is scheduled for January 15, 2013. If
convicted of wire fraud, each defendant faces up to 20 years in
federal prison; theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, up
to ten years in federal prison. It is important to note that an
indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as
evidence of guilt. Moncada and Flores arepresumed innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant
United States Attorney Michael Galdo is prosecuting this case on
behalf of the Government.
In 2011, Maverick County received hundreds of thousands of federal
dollars as part of Operation Stonegarden, a federal grant program
that provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement
agencies to enhance their capabilities to jointly secure U.S. borders
and territories.
Policias aseguran cuatro armas de alto poder
Written by Staff
Thursday, 29 November 2012 13:33
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
EAGLE PASS -- Una llamada anoníma resultó en el aseguramiento de
cuatro armas de alto poder, de acuerdo a información del Jefe de
Policía Tony Castañeda.
Castañeda dio a conocer que el decomiso ocurrió el miercoles por la
noche en el area centro de la ciudad, sobre la calle Washington.
"Vecinos de esta zona residencial dieron aviso de que vieron a un
sujeto bajarse de un vehiculo con una maleta azul, la cual intentó
esconderla dentro de un bote de basura", dijo Castañeda, "pero cuando
llegaron los oficiales el joven ya se había ido."
Los oficiales procedieron a revisar el contenido de la maleta y
descubrieron cuatro armas tipo AK-47, envueltas en ropa interior.
Castañeda dijo que su departamento ya investiga el caso en conjunto
con otra dependencia federal para determinar el origen de estas armas.
Note: not really.
Former Border Patrol agent gets 4 years for gun smuggling
By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Times
Posted: 11/29/2012 12:34:23 PM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_22089977/former-border-
patrol-agent-gets-4-years-gun
A former Border Patrol agent was sentenced to more than four years in
a federal prison for gun-smuggling today.
Ricardo Montalvo, 28, pled guilty to the charges in August and was
sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones to 51
months in a low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Bastrop,
Texas.
He will also pay a $100 fine and be on three years probation
following his release.
Before Montalvo was sentenced he said he was ready to "better myself."
"I would like to apologize to you, the prosecutor, my family and my
co-workers that I hurt," Montalvo said. "I made a terrible mistake
and there are no excuses. I am ready to face the consequences. I hurt
everyone I love."
Montalvo will also be enrolled in a drug and alcohol program while in
prison, which could reduce his sentence by a year if successful.
His lawyer, Sib Abraham, said a dependence on alcohol was a
contributing factor in Montalvo's crime because he "was not in a good
place." Montalvo's family was in the courtroom for his sentencing.
Some of them tried to fight back tears after the hearing.
The family declined comment.
Note: Operation Stonegarden money.
Eagle Pass Daily - News
Joe M. Rodriguez pleads guilty to role in scheme to steal funds from
Maverick County
Written by Staff
Thursday, 29 November 2012 14:49
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
EAGLE PASS -- Joe M. Rodriguez, age 37 and owner of Capitol
Construction in Eagle Pass, Texas, faces up to ten years in federal
prison after pleading guilty today to a theft charge related to a
scheme to steal more than $17,000 in Maverick County funds announced
United States Attorney Robert Pitman. Rodriguez remains on a $20,000
bond pending sentencing. No sentencing date has been scheduled.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Alia Moses, Rodriguez pleaded
guilty to aiding and abetting theft concerning programs receiving
federal funds. According to the factual basis, between September 18,
2011, and October 11, 2011, Rodriguez, a private contractor who
performed work for Maverick County, was issued several checks
totaling more than $17,000 by Maverick County for allegedly providing
to the county a forklift, as well as a motor for both a water truck
and a forklift.
Rodriguez deposited the checks into his bank account and then gave
thousands of dollars to co-defendant Jaime Flores, per their usual
arrangement.
Rodriguez never provided Maverick County a forklift or the motor for
a water truck and forklift. By pleading guilty, Rodriguez admitted
that by accepting the checks, depositing the checks, and then giving
a portion of the money from the checks to Flores that he was
assisting agents of Maverick County in stealing funds from Maverick
County.
Rodriguez's co-defendants--former Maverick County Purchasing Agent
Juan Carlos Moncada, age 32, and Maverick County Precinct One Foreman
Jaime Flores, age 33—remain under indictment for wire fraud and theft
concerning programs receiving federal funds. Jury selection and trial
for Moncada and Flores is scheduled for January 15, 2013. If
convicted of wire fraud, each defendant faces up to 20 years in
federal prison; theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, up
to ten years in federal prison. It is important to note that an
indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as
evidence of guilt. Moncada and Flores arepresumed innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant
United States Attorney Michael Galdo is prosecuting this case on
behalf of the Government.
In 2011, Maverick County received hundreds of thousands of federal
dollars as part of Operation Stonegarden, a federal grant program
that provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement
agencies to enhance their capabilities to jointly secure U.S. borders
and territories.
Policias aseguran cuatro armas de alto poder
Written by Staff
Thursday, 29 November 2012 13:33
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
EAGLE PASS -- Una llamada anoníma resultó en el aseguramiento de
cuatro armas de alto poder, de acuerdo a información del Jefe de
Policía Tony Castañeda.
Castañeda dio a conocer que el decomiso ocurrió el miercoles por la
noche en el area centro de la ciudad, sobre la calle Washington.
"Vecinos de esta zona residencial dieron aviso de que vieron a un
sujeto bajarse de un vehiculo con una maleta azul, la cual intentó
esconderla dentro de un bote de basura", dijo Castañeda, "pero cuando
llegaron los oficiales el joven ya se había ido."
Los oficiales procedieron a revisar el contenido de la maleta y
descubrieron cuatro armas tipo AK-47, envueltas en ropa interior.
Castañeda dijo que su departamento ya investiga el caso en conjunto
con otra dependencia federal para determinar el origen de estas armas.
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 5-12-12
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 5 DEC 2012
Man gets nearly 4 years in Fast and Furious case
44 minutes ago • Associated Press
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/man-gets-nearly-years-in-
fast-and-furious-case/article_dec4f922-3ef5-11e2-89e5-0019bb2963f4.html
PHOENIX — An admitted straw buyer was sentenced to nearly four years
in prison for his part in a gun smuggling ring that was targeted in
the botched investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious.
Julio Jose Carrillo was sentenced Monday to 46 months in prison for
his guilty plea this summer to a charge of dealing in firearms
without a license.
Carrillo had admitted to buying 41 guns for the ring and falsely
claiming that guns he bought were for him, when he actually purchased
them for an alleged ring leader.
Federal authorities have faced tough criticism for allowing suspected
straw gun buyers for the ring to walk away from gun shops in Arizona
with weapons, rather than arrest the suspects and seize the guns there.
Man gets nearly 4 years in Fast and Furious case
44 minutes ago • Associated Press
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/man-gets-nearly-years-in-
fast-and-furious-case/article_dec4f922-3ef5-11e2-89e5-0019bb2963f4.html
PHOENIX — An admitted straw buyer was sentenced to nearly four years
in prison for his part in a gun smuggling ring that was targeted in
the botched investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious.
Julio Jose Carrillo was sentenced Monday to 46 months in prison for
his guilty plea this summer to a charge of dealing in firearms
without a license.
Carrillo had admitted to buying 41 guns for the ring and falsely
claiming that guns he bought were for him, when he actually purchased
them for an alleged ring leader.
Federal authorities have faced tough criticism for allowing suspected
straw gun buyers for the ring to walk away from gun shops in Arizona
with weapons, rather than arrest the suspects and seize the guns there.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
AZMEX BULLETIN 4-12-12
AZMEX BULLETIN 4 DEC 2012
Note: interesting timeline until made public
Possible illegal immigrant killed by border agent
By Martha Maurer
Originally published: Dec 4, 2012 - 5:23 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1592908/Possible-illegal-immigrant-killed-by-
border-agent
A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a possible illegal immigrant on
Sunday, the agency said.
The shooting occurred about 12:25 p.m., when the agent encountered an
unknown number of possible illegals about 12 miles northwest of
Sasabe, Ariz. The agent and one individual were involved in a
physical altercation, which ended when the agent fired his service
weapon.
Six other individuals were apprehended shortly after.
Martha Maurer, News Editor
Feds probe border agent's fatal shooting of man SW of Tucson
1 hour ago • By Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/feds-probe-border-agent-s-
fatal-shooting-of-man-sw/article_92129ca2-3e6d-11e2-
be52-0019bb2963f4.html
A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man Sunday in the
Baboquivari Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation, federal officials
confirmed today.
The incident occurred at about mid-day Sunday when an agent
encountered a group who had crossed the border illegally, agency
spokesman Victor Brabble said via email.
A struggle occurred during the incident, leading to the agent
shooting one member of the group.
Brabble did not say the nationality of the man who died.
The FBI is investigating, Special Agent in Charge James Turgal said
this afternoon.
Sunday's incident was the third fatal shooting by a Border Patrol
agent in the Tucson Sector since Oct. 2. That day, agent Nicholas
Ivie was killed in what FBI has determined was a case of friendly fire.
Eight days later, on Oct. 10, an agent in Nogales, Ariz. fired across
the border and killed 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez.
The FBI is investigating those cases as well. Mexican authorities are
also investigating the killing of Elena Rodríguez.
Note: interesting timeline until made public
Possible illegal immigrant killed by border agent
By Martha Maurer
Originally published: Dec 4, 2012 - 5:23 pm
http://www.ktar.com/22/1592908/Possible-illegal-immigrant-killed-by-
border-agent
A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a possible illegal immigrant on
Sunday, the agency said.
The shooting occurred about 12:25 p.m., when the agent encountered an
unknown number of possible illegals about 12 miles northwest of
Sasabe, Ariz. The agent and one individual were involved in a
physical altercation, which ended when the agent fired his service
weapon.
Six other individuals were apprehended shortly after.
Martha Maurer, News Editor
Feds probe border agent's fatal shooting of man SW of Tucson
1 hour ago • By Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/feds-probe-border-agent-s-
fatal-shooting-of-man-sw/article_92129ca2-3e6d-11e2-
be52-0019bb2963f4.html
A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man Sunday in the
Baboquivari Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation, federal officials
confirmed today.
The incident occurred at about mid-day Sunday when an agent
encountered a group who had crossed the border illegally, agency
spokesman Victor Brabble said via email.
A struggle occurred during the incident, leading to the agent
shooting one member of the group.
Brabble did not say the nationality of the man who died.
The FBI is investigating, Special Agent in Charge James Turgal said
this afternoon.
Sunday's incident was the third fatal shooting by a Border Patrol
agent in the Tucson Sector since Oct. 2. That day, agent Nicholas
Ivie was killed in what FBI has determined was a case of friendly fire.
Eight days later, on Oct. 10, an agent in Nogales, Ariz. fired across
the border and killed 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez.
The FBI is investigating those cases as well. Mexican authorities are
also investigating the killing of Elena Rodríguez.
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