AZMEX UDPATE 1 NOV 2012
Note: Incident location approx 80 miles north of the US/Mexico
Border - 44 miles due south of downtown Phoenix, AZ. BTW, it
would appear the the rip crews have info on times and routes of drug
runners. Other similar incidents never get reported.
Pinal County officials investigating two desert shootings
By Marissa Scott
The Republic | azcentral.com
Thu Nov 1, 2012 11:48 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/20121101pinal-
county-officials-armed-group-attacks-men-marijuana-abrk.html
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating two desert
shootings that occurred a day a part.
The most recent shooting occurred south of Powerline and Smith
roads in Vekol Valley.
About 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, Pinal County officers received a call from
an unidentified male south of Interstate 8 saying he had been shot,
Pinal County Sheriff's Office spokesman Tim Gaffney said.
The victim and another male were transported to a hospital. The first
victim suffered a gunshot wound to his buttocks, Gaffney said.
The second victim told officials he and the other victim had been a
part of an eight-man backpacking group carrying marijuana across the
United States-Mexico border, Gaffney said.
They walked to Interstate 8 where they were confronted by a group of
five men associated with a group known as a rip crew. The term "rip
crew" is a name given to an organized group that seeks to rip off
drug mules or men carrying drugs illegally across the border.
The rip crew ordered the group to drop the backpacks of marijuana. As
the eight men fled from the area, one of the rip crew members opened
fire at the group. Four of the rip crew members were armed with
rifles and one carried a handgun, Gaffney said.
After a search of the area, officers found two other Hispanic men.
One man told officers he was one of the backpackers carrying
marijuana when approached by the armed men.
Three of the men, including the one shot in the buttocks, are in the
United States illegally and were turned over to the United States
Border Patrol, officials said.
Pinal County officials are also investigating a Tuesday shooting.
Officials received a call about 8 a.m. Tuesday from a resident who
found an injured man alongside a road after a possible shooting near
"La Osa Ranch," about seven miles west of Red Rock community, Gaffney
said.
The 42-year-old victim admitted to deputies he crossed the border on
foot illegally about 10 days ago with two other men, Gaffney said.
The three men were walking on a trail about 1 a.m. Tuesday, when they
were confronted by three other men hiding in bushes. The suspects
were wearing camouflage clothing, black masks and were armed with
semi-automatic handguns, according to authorities.
The suspects, who spoke in Spanish, demanded money. The victims
handed the men all the money they carried.
When the three suspects did not receive any more cash, one of the
suspects whipped a gun into the victim's face. The man fought back,
but another suspect shot him in the right leg, authorities said.
The victim fell to the ground, and the three suspects ran to a car
parked about 200 yards away.
The two men with the victim fled to a nearby road where the victim
was left roadside and a driver found him. The two other men fled to
avoid being arrested.
The man was transported to a hospital for the injuries related to the
shooting. He suffered several fractures to his face from the pistol-
whipping.
One of the victim's friends was located. Both men were handed over to
the U.S. Border Patrol for being in the United States illegally.
Note: earlier story
Pinal County officials: Armed group attacks men with marijuana
By Marissa Scott The Republic | azcentral.com
Thu Nov 1, 2012 9:46 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/20121101pinal-
county-officials-armed-group-attacks-men-marijuana-abrk.html
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating a Wednesday night
shooting south of Powerline and Smith roads.
About 6:50 p.m., Pinal County officers received a call from an
unidentified male south of Interstate 8 saying he had been shot, said
Tim Gaffney, Pinal County sheriff's spokesman.
The victim and another male were transported to a hospital. The first
victim suffered a gunshot wound to his buttocks, Gaffney said.
The second victim told officials he and the other victim had been a
part of an eight-man backpacking group carrying marijuana across the
United States-Mexico border, Gaffney said.
They walked to Interstate 8 where they were confronted by a group of
five men associated with a group known as a rip crew. The term "rip
crew" is a name given to an organized group that seeks to rip off
drug mules or men carrying drugs illegally across the border.
The rip crew ordered the group to drop the backpacks of marijuana. As
the eight men fled from the area, one of the rip crew members opened
fire at the group. Four of the rip crew members were armed with
rifles and one carried a handgun, Gaffney said.
After a search of the area, officers found two other Hispanic men.
One man told officers he was one of the backpackers carrying
marijuana when approached by the armed men.
Three of the men, including the one shot in the buttocks, are in the
United States illegally and were turned over to the United States
Border Patrol, officials said.
The Pinal County Office is investigating the shooting.
Note: the smugglers have a long history of no regard for innocent
lives.
Texas trooper in chopper shooting returns to work
Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2012 5:24 pm | Updated: 7:01 pm, Thu
Nov 1, 2012.
Associated Press
http://www.themonitor.com/news/state/article_b8368dd5-5c9f-52f7-834f-
ae3afe06f73e.html
The Texas trooper who fired on a fleeing pickup truck from helicopter
near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing two illegal immigrants who were
hiding in the bed, has returned to work but been reassigned to
administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation, the
state Department of Public Safety said Thursday.
The announcement came less than an hour after the American Civil
Liberties Union and local civil rights organizations gathered near
the site of the Oct. 25 shooting to demand an investigation by an
independent body outside the agency. Currently, the Texas Rangers, an
elite force within DPS, is leading the investigation.
DPS identified the trooper involved as tactical flight officer Miguel
Avila. He was placed on administrative leave immediately following
the incident but has since returned to administrative work.
The Oct. 25 chase started after Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens
spotted the red pickup near La Joya, near the U.S.-Mexico border
about 250 miles south of San Antonio. The DPS helicopter joined the
high-speed pursuit of what it believed was a "typical covered drug
load," and Avila fired from the air to disable the vehicle.
The truck crashed into a ditch. Six illegal immigrants from
Guatemala, not drugs, were hidden under a blanket in the bed. Two
died, and a third was injured. In total, there had been 11 people in
the truck.
The agency's statement Thursday reiterated earlier comments that
troopers believed they were pursuing a covered a drug load when shots
were fired. They believed the driver's recklessness was a threat to
the public and to elementary and middle schools less than three miles
away.
"Although it is very tragic that two lives were lost, had the vehicle
continued recklessly speeding through the school zone, any number of
innocent bystanders or young lives could have been lost or suffered
serious bodily injury," DPS director Steve McCraw said.
However, a map of the chase route provided by DPS showed four law
enforcement vehicles between where the truck was shot and the schools.
In a letter delivered to McCraw on Thursday, the ACLU suggested the
use of deadly force was "illegal and unconstitutional" and asked for
an investigation by an agency not tied to DPS.
Several probes seem possible. Guatemala's consul in Texas has
expressed skepticism that the troopers wouldn't have been able to see
people in the truck and asked for an investigation. Hidalgo County
District Attorney Rene Guerra announced Wednesday after meeting with
Texas Rangers that the case would be taken to a grand jury.
Two Texas legislators who sit on a House committee with oversight
over DPS have asked its chairman to immediately convene a hearing on
the matter. Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, and Rep. Armando Walle, D-
Houston, said they want the committee to review the trooper's conduct
and the agency's policy on firing at moving vehicles.
"The fact of the matter is neither human trafficking nor drug
trafficking deserves the death penalty without a trial," Burnam said.
"The two people who were killed are guilty of a misdemeanor."
Publicada: 01/11/2012 17:09 Por: Redacción ElImparcial
Encuentran "narcotúnel" en Nogales
Un túnel hacia Estados Unidos que era utilizado para actividades
ilícitas fue localizado el pasado 30 de octubre por elementos de la
45 zona Militar, en un sector próximo a la línea fronteriza, de la
colonia Fundo Legal.
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/
01112012/635962.aspx
NOGALES, Sonora(PH)
Un túnel hacia Estados Unidos que era utilizado para actividades
ilícitas fue localizado el pasado 30 de octubre por elementos de la
45 zona Militar, en un sector próximo a la línea fronteriza, de la
colonia Fundo Legal.
De acuerdo al comunicado del Ejercito Mexicano, el pasadizo fue
hallado en el callejón Rodolfo Siordia y calle Campillo e
Internacional y era de unos 25 metros de largo aproximadamente.
La entrada al túnel estaba en el interior de un inmueble, era de 2.5
metros de profundidad, reforzada con barrotes de contención y había
una polea que era utilizada para descender hacia el interior del
pasadizo.
Las fuerzas castrenses mantuvieron vigilancia en el lugar donde se
hizo el hallazgo del túnel y solo permitieron el acceso a las
personas residentes de ese sector como medida de seguridad.
Según el informe militar, el inmueble asegurado, quedó a disposición
del agente del Ministerio Público Federal, encargado de realizar la
averiguación previa, para el deslinde de responsabilidades.
No comments:
Post a Comment