AZMEX SPECIAL 2 4-2-12

AZMEX SPECIAL 2 4 FEB 2012

Note: This one is more interesting than the usual.

Details emerge about deadly cross-border shooting
February 03, 2012 8:26 PM
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/details-58506-emerge-border.html

NEAR SULLIVAN CITY — The five men who illegally crossed the Rio
Grande to reportedly avoid apprehension Thursday by the Mexican
military were unarmed when soldiers shot at them from Mexico, a U.S.
law enforcement source close to the investigation said.

One man died on U.S. federal land, another suffered a non-life
threatening gunshot wound to the ankle and three others were taken
into custody by U.S. federal authorities, San Antonio FBI
Spokesperson Eric Vasys said Friday.

U.S. authorities have yet to disclose the events that drove the men
to cross the Rio Grande about 6 p.m. Thursday near the Mexican town
of Diaz Ordaz, which is southwest of the U.S town of Sullivan City.

"We're looking into the circumstances that led to these individuals
crossing over," Vasys said. "(The investigation) is still ongoing and
we're trying to sort it out."

A Border Patrol agent not authorized to speak publicly about the
investigation told a Monitor reporter that a U.S. Customs and Border
Protection chopper radioed in a shots-fired call about two hours
prior to the shooting.

Someone on U.S. soil apparently shot at the helicopter that was
allegedly carrying advisors to the White House and the Department of
Homeland Security as they toured the border near La Joya, he said.

Vasys said he had not heard of any such reports.

A second law enforcement official, also not authorized to speak
publicly, said that likely did not happen.

"It was not a U.S. law enforcement helicopter that got fired on, but
rather a Mexican government helicopter," the second U.S. law
enforcement official said.

A Mexican military chopper began chasing after the men during an
operation along the river, and the men shot at it at one point or
another while in Mexico, he said.

It's unclear if they swam across the river or simply found a location
where they could cross the border by foot, but the individuals
apparently ditched their weapons before crossing into the U.S.
because authorities did not find any on them, he added.

"When they got to the U.S. side, the illegals that had crossed over
started taunting the Mexican military — doing all kinds of obscene
gestures and cuss words — and then the military fired upon them," he
said. "We don't believe the illegals that came across were armed."

Bad Blood?

A source outside law enforcement said that for a long time, certain
members of the Mexican military had been working alongside members of
the Gulf Cartel.

In order to keep up appearances, drug smugglers would leave behind
vehicles loaded drugs for the soldiers to seize so the members of the
military could report back to their superiors, the source said. The
communications to coordinate the drops between drug smugglers and
soldiers were carried out with Nextel radio communication telephones
that are difficult to trace.

However, during the organization's internal struggle that began
last September, some of these troops were caught in the crossfire.

"They are mad and now all bets are off," the source said. "Remember,
last week (Jan. 26), the military killed some people in the morning,
and then the ambush happened. The 'Verdes' are out for blood."

In an apparent day of firefights last week, the Mexican military was
ambushed in the streets of Reynosa by members of the Gulf Cartel who
set up a bait car to draw out the soldiers. The Mexican military
didn't issue any news releases in connection with the firefights that
day.

Prior to that, unknown assailants had lobbed two grenades at the
headquarters of the Matamoros military police, killing one man and
critically injuring another.

Vasys did not have information about whether the men taken into
custody Thursday night were armed or not, he said, adding that U.S.
authorities did not discharge their weapons at any time during the
incident.

Authorities, who remain tight-lipped about the shooting, did not
release the men's identities.

Mexican Consulate officials in McAllen also were waiting to learn the
identity of the deceased man, Consul Jose Manuel Gutierrez Minera
said about 4:30 p.m. Friday. He expected the information to come from
federal authorities late Friday.

"Out of respect for the family, we usually wait to contact them first
before releasing information," he said.

U.S. authorities do not know if anyone died in Mexico during the
incident, Vasys said.

The FBI is heading the investigation because the incident happened on
land owned by the federal government.

"It's not a common theme for FBI to be involved in altercations
(along the border) because so much of what we do is long-term
investigation," he said. "Historically, the FBI is a follow-up
investigative entity unless we're working an active investigation of
drug trafficking by the cartels or gang activity along the border."

The agency, however, does get involved any time a federal agent is
wounded or killed, he said. So if a Border Patrol agent is hurt along
the border, the FBI will take over those investigations, too.

Vasys would not comment on whether the shooting could be classified
as spillover violence.

"I'm not going to speak to that," he said. "FBI deals with
investigation and enforcement. So what we're doing is the follow up
to the death that occurred on U.S. property. I'm not going to speak
to what this may or may not be characterized by other government
sources."

Spillover

"The situation in Mexico has been a concern for our agency," said
Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw.

"Our concern is that criminal organizations in Mexico combating each
other or the Mexican military could attempt to flee to our side of
the border. To address those concerns, we have established
contingency plans and work alongside federal and local agencies."

The incident in Havana is just one of the many types of incidents law
enforcement in the area is prepared for.

"The average citizen should know that there are state, local and
federal law enforcement professionals working in a proactive fashion
to address any contingency. Texas has been very proactive in this; we
have increased our patrol presence and our tactical capabilities to
deter any situation."

While McCraw was not able to discuss details of the situation, he
said his agency dissects and studies all border incidents that it
responds to.

AZMEX UPDATE 2 3-2-12

AZMEX UPDATE 2 3 FEB 2012 (TXMEX)

Mexican firefight ends on U.S. side
February 03, 2012 12:27 AM
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/reported-58483-shootout-sullivan.html

NEAR SULLIVAN CITY — A shootout between rival members of two
organized crime groups and the Mexican military ended at the banks of
the Rio Grande, where at least one man was possibly killed on the
U.S. side.
The shootout began Thursday afternoon along the Ribereña Highway near
the Anzalduas International Bridge in Reynosa between the organized
crime groups, according to a source outside law enforcement with
direct knowledge.
Members of the Mexican military responded to the scene, and a chase
ensued for more than 20 miles from the area all the way to the
outskirts of Diaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas, where some of the men then tried
to make their way to the U.S. side, the source said.
U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling the river near Havana
encountered several subjects. One of them was injured, which prompted
the agents to seek medical attention for the man, said USBP
spokeswoman Rosalinda Huey.
At the scene, at least two men were taken into custody by US,
authorities.
A U.S. law enforcement official not authorized to speak to the media
said that U.S. law enforcement officers discharged their firearms
during the incident and also confirmed at least two or more bodies
could be seen on the Mexican side of the border.
Soon after the incident, a U.S. law enforcement helicopter could be
seen overhead combing the area for additional individuals.
FBI spokesman Erick Vasys said his agency had taken over the
investigation because at least one person had possibly died on the
U.S. side. However, because the investigation is in its early states,
he could not disclose additional information, including whether the
men were armed or fleeing a firefight.

Note: From Eagle Pass, TX

http://eaglepassdaily.com/
PRESS RELEASE - On Wednesday, Februrary 1st, the Maverick County
Sheriff's Office responded to an anonymous call regarding a green
duffle bag by the side of the canal located on Eidson Road near
Leonard's Orchards entrance gate.

Upon arrival, the Maverick County Sheriff Deputy responding to the
call was able to locate the green duffle bag by a brush area of said
location. Further investigation by the deputy resulted in the
discovery of several AK-47 assault rifle magazines inside the green
duffle bag. The green duffle bag and magazines were confiscated and
brought to the Maverick County Sheriff's Office where a total of 95
Ak-47 assault magazines were discovered.

Case pending further investigation by the Criminal Investi

Note: more links with local street/drug gangs and DTO's

Authorities arrest gang members wanted for murder
February 02, 2012 10:26 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz,
http://www.themonitor.com/news/members-58491-murder-arrest.html

EDINBURG — Residents of a quiet neighborhood were shocked to find a
large armored vehicle rolling down their street Thursday as more than
50 law enforcement officials from various agencies began an operation
to arrest three murder suspects.

The suspects were wanted by the San Juan Police Department in
connection with the Jan. 16 beating death of Rogelio Pardo Jr., said
Police Chief Juan Gonzalez. The arrest occurred Thursday afternoon at
the 5000 block of Kendlewood Street amid a massive show of force by
authorities in an effort to dissuade any resistance.

"This is the result of good old-fashioned police work," Gonzalez
said. "We worked our leads day and night alongside all of our law
enforcement partners, and we were able to apprehend these dangerous
individuals."

The men were identified as Regino "El Reggie" Gonzalez, Rudy "El
Venado" Ramirez and David "Prophet" Enriquez, all high-ranking
members of the Tri-City Bombers street gang, authorities said.

Since the murder of Pardo, who was a member of the Vallucos, the
suspects had been keeping a low profile both to avoid capture and
keep out of the reach of other Vallucos members who were looking to
even the score, thus escalating the violence, Gonzalez said.
"These men had been seen in the Delta area, Pharr, San Juan,
McAllen and Edinburg," Gonzalez said. "Thanks to the work of our
partners and our investigators, we were able to track them down."

The men were hiding in a safe house or a location where they believed
authorities would not look for them. Gonzalez said it was used much
like a stash house is used to hide drugs. The men had several
thousands of dollars in their possession, which led police to believe
the three planned to be on the run for a while.

For the operation, San Juan police called their tactical team and had
the support of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office armored vehicle,
as well as additional support from Edinburg Police, the U.S.
Marshals, the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety
helicopter. One suspect intended to run out the back but went back
inside when he saw that the property was surrounded.

The operation was a shock for resident Ismael Garza, who was
surprised to learn the neighbors were wanted fugitives.
"They kept to themselves," Garza said. "We never crossed words."

Trained negotiators with San Juan police were able to talk the
suspects into coming out of the house with their hands up in order to
avoid any violence.
"When dealing with hardened criminals, we can't take any chances,"
Gonzalez said. "These men are wanted for murder and they don't want
go to jail. We want to take them in peacefully, but we were also
prepared for a fight if thing had escalated."

Inside the house, authorities found a revolver and small amounts of
marijuana and cocaine. The men are expected to be arraigned on
murder charges today at the San Juan Municipal Court. Authorities
also arrested the owner of the house, who will be arraigned today on
at least three charge of harboring a fugitive.

Ildefonso Ortiz covers law enforcement and general assignments for
The Monitor. He can be reached at Iortiz@themonitor.com and
956-683-4437.

Que haya justicia en todos los casos: Álex LeBarón
Por: Redaccion | 03-Feb-2012 12:11
http://www.elfronterizo.com.mx/noticias/que-haya-justicia-en-todos-
los-casos-alex-lebaron/

En un mismo discurso, el diputado Álex LeBarón dejó ver sus dos
posturas: como funcionario público y como ciudadano común, al señalar
que la sentencia para el secuestrador de su primo Érick LeBarón es
una muestra de que la justicia existe en Chihuahua, pero que debe
garantizarse a todos por igual.

"A dos años del caso LeBarón estamos viendo los resultados de esta
nueva manera de impartir la justicia; es una muestra de que la
justicia en Chihuahua se está dando, ya que en el transcurso de un
año y medio se han logrado avances importantes en la impartición de
justicia", explicó.

Apenas ayer se dio a conocer la sentencia de 50 años otorgada por un
tribunal de juicio oral al principal secuestrador, Jorge Luis Chávez
Rodríguez, junto con otras personas por el secuestro de Érick LeBarón
en mayo del 2009.

Con esto "se está sintiendo el peso de la ley en las personas que han
sido capturadas al cometer secuestros, y espero que toda la
impartición de justicia se lleve en todos los casos, no sólo en
aquéllos que fueron muy mediáticos", indicó el legislador del
Distrito I, al que pertenece precisamente la comunidad de LeBarón.

Además, consideró que la sentencia servirá para que los ciudadanos
recuperen la confianza en las autoridades y se atrevan a denunciar
delitos como los secuestros, al ver que "los tribunales y los jueces
están cumpliendo con su trabajo".

AZMEX UPDATE 3-2-12

AZMEX UPDATE 3 FEB 2012

Note: F&F AK link?

9 arrested in drug bust in southern Arizona
Associated Press | Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012 8:41 am | Comments

Federal agents, state police and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office
arrested nine people and confiscated nearly 500 pounds of marijuana
during a drug enforcement operation this week.
The Border Patrol said Friday the busts occurred Wednesday night near
Interstate 8 in Stanfield. Agents also confiscated an AK-47 assault
rifle.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/arrested-in-
drug-bust-in-southern-arizona/article_83f16f0f-5275-50f6-ad37-
a55019d47098.html#ixzz1lLCiwW5w

Note: no weapons?

Major drug bust nabs nine in Bisbee, Naco
Fri, 02/03/2012 - 00:50
SHAR PORIER
Herald/Review
http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2012/02/03/246924

A Mexican cartel operating in Naco, Sonora, has been dealt a hard
blow as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigators arrested nine people suspected of involvement in drug
running Monday and Tuesday.
Amber Cargille, ICE public communications officer, said all of those
arrested were suspected of trafficking marijuana and some cocaine.

U.S. Attorney General federal prosecutor Nanette Morrow said the
success of the sting operation was the result of hard work by local
law enforcement officers, who cooperated with the U.S. Border Patrol,
Arizona Department of Public Safety, Cochise County Sheriff's Office,
the Sierra Vista Police Department, the Douglas Police Department and
the Bisbee Police Department.
"I've only been involved since May 2011, but this investigation has
been ongoing since 2010," added Morrow.
Though Jose Javier Rascon Ramirez, the head of the family-operated
cartel, is still at large in Mexico and never crosses the border,
many of his family members were arrested in joint operations, said
Morrow.
His common-law wife, Guillermina Guadalupe Jiminez, 44, was arrested
as she came across the border at the Naco Port of Entry on her daily
trip to drop her children off at school. Agents watched her movements
for months and knew they would be able to apprehend her as she came
into the U.S., said Morrow.
She will be charged with racketeering, three counts of money
laundering, three counts of wire communications for drug transactions
and possession, sale or manufacture of narcotic drugs, according to
Morrow.
Others arrested were:
• Laura Elena Rascon Ramirez, 31, Tucson, Ariz., — racketeering,
money laundering, wire communications for drug transactions, sale,
possession or manufacture of a narcotic drug.
• Jose Garcia Aguilera, 23, Naco, Ariz.,. — racketeering, two counts
of wire communications for drug transactions, transportation for
marijuana for sale, possession, sale or manufacture of a narcotic drug.
• Ruben Sanchez, 20, Naco, Sonora — racketeering, money laundering,
wire communication for drug transactions, possession, sale or
manufacture of a narcotic drug.
• Hipolito Avalos Ramirez, 54, Naco, Ariz., — racketeering, money
laundering, wire communications for drug transactions, sale,
possession or manufacture of a narcotic drug.
• Alejandro Quiroz, 18, Naco, Ariz., — racketeering, money
laundering, wire communications for drug transactions, transportation
of marijuana for sale, possession, sale or manufacture of a narcotic
drug.
• Eleuterio Perez Martinez, 24, Palominas, — conspiracy, five counts
of transportation of marijuana for sale and four counts of wire
communications for drug transactions.
• Rogelio Serrano Morales, 33, Bisbee, — racketeering, wire
communications for drug transactions, transportation of marijuana for
sale, possession, sale or manufacture of a narcotic drug.
• Justin Blaine, 34, Bisbee, — picked up on an outstanding federal
warrant.
"These are all family members — wives, brothers, sisters. They know
they can trust each other, so they think they're safe," added Morrow.
All were booked into the Cochise County Jail.
Morrow will be presenting her case to a federal grand jury based on
the charges listed above.
"It was a great bunch of guys, a great team, who worked on this and
put it all together," she continued. "Many places would have
jurisdictional problems. But, law enforcement in Cochise County
stepped up and got the bad guys off the street."
Now that local and federal law enforcement teams have done their
jobs, it will be up to her to handle the prosecution and get the
convictions based on the evidence law enforcement has gathered.

Wildfire burning in southeastern Arizona
CREATED 10:15 AM
Web Producer: Marissa Pasquet
http://www.kgun9.com/news/local/138651379.html

TUCSON (AP) - A brush and grass fire is burning in the Chiricahua
Mountains in southeastern Arizona.

A Coronado National Forest spokeswoman reports the fire has burned
about 100 acres at this time in an area which was not burned by last
summer's Horseshoe Two Fire.
The fire was spotted Thursday afternoon.

Founder of Juárez missing women advocacy organization stabbed
By Juan Antonio Rodriguez/El Paso Times
Posted: 02/03/2012 10:46:24 AM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_19886009

A Juárez human rights activist and founder of "Nuestras Hijas de
Regreso a Casa," Norma Andrade, was attacked this morning in Mexico
City, her daughter said.
She was stabbed in the jugular vein.
According to her daughter Maria Luisa Andrade, a man knocked on the
door of her mother's house in Mexico City and when she opened the
door he attacked her.
"It was a direct attack against my mother; he (the aggressor) didn't
take anything, he just knocked on the door and assaulted her with a
knife," she said.
"Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa" is an advocacy organization
composed of mothers, friends and relatives of the missing women in
Juárez. This is the second time in less than two months that Andrade
has been attacked.
On Dec. 2, she was a victim of an alleged carjacking attempt in
Juárez. She was shot five times and survived the attack.
According to Maria Luisa Andrade, her mother is in serious condition.

AZMEX F&F EXTRA 2 3-2-12

AZMEX F&F EXTRA 2 3 FEB 2012

NOTE: Interesting, but not confirmed.

Survivors Of Slain Border Patrol Agent Exit Criminal Case
By Michel Marizco
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/feb/01/survivors-slain-border-
patrol-agent-exit-criminal-/

TUCSON — The family of a Border Patrol agent murdered in Arizona
reached an agreement with prosecutors late Tuesday to withdraw from
the criminal case against the man accused of buying the weapons that
may have killed the agent.

Agent Brian Terry's family had requested to be designated crime
victims in the case against Jaime Avila. The defendant is charged
with buying the rifles that were found at the location where the
agent was shot to death. Avila bought the weapons with the full
knowledge of U.S. law enforcement in a gunwalking scandal known as
Operation Fast and Furious, according to records.

The Terrys withdrew their request after prosecutors in the case
agreed to work with them informally. The request would have opened
the possibility of turning the smuggling case into one against the
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

Records show the bureau and federal prosecutors allowed high powered
weapons bought in the US. to be delivered to Mexican drug cartels.
The intent was to build cases against high-ranking members of the
criminal organizations.

Agent Terry was killed in December 2010 in a confrontation with
bandits near Nogales, Ariz. Many of the proceedings against those
charged with his slaying have been kept secret at the request of
federal prosecutors.

AZMEX F&F EXTRA 3-2-12

AZMEX F&F EXTRA 3 FEB 2012

Sheriff's deputy may have stopped suspect in 2010, turned him over to BP
Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012 8:39 am | Updated: 10:06 am, Fri Feb
3, 2012.
Nogales International |
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/sheriff-s-deputy-may-have-
stopped-suspect-in-turned-him/article_4c5eda30-4e7d-11e1-
a96c-0019bb2963f4.html

A second man now under indictment in the December 2010 killing of
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry near Rio Rico may have been stopped
by a local sheriff's deputy 10 months earlier and turned over to the
Border Patrol.
At some point after that interaction, the man was released from
custody and arrested again two days prior to Terry's murder. He has
been behind bars since then.

Recently unsealed federal court records show that Rito Osorio-
Arellanes, 41, was named in a superceding indictment filed in the
Terry case in November 2011.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, a 35-year-old Mexican national believed to
be his brother, was previously named in a 14-count indictment filed
in April 2011.

Neither man, however, appears to be the alleged triggerman.
In announcing the indictment against Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, who was
wounded during the Dec. 14, 2010 confrontation between Terry's BORTAC
tactical unit and suspected border bandits,
the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a May 2011 news release that "his
co-conspirators, including the gunman suspected of firing the fatal
shot, fled and are being sought in connection to the murder."
As for Rito Osorio-Arellanes, he was in custody at a detention center
in Florence, Ariz. on the night of Terry's shooting.

A spokeswoman at the Central Arizona Detention Center, a facility
operated by the Corrections Corporation of America that houses
detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service,
confirmed this week that Rito Osorio-Arellanes was admitted to the
center on Dec. 13, 2010 and has not been released since.

He was arrested on Dec. 12, 2010 near Rio Rico.
The names in the April 2011 indictment were blacked out except for
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes.
He and at least one other person were charged with one count of
second-degree murder, and he and at least one other person were
charged with conspiracy to assault a federal officer.
Even if Rito Osorio-Arellanes was behind bars at the time of Terry's
murder, he could still be charged with conspiracy.

According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, a patrol deputy
reported detaining a man named Rito Osorio Adellanes from Sinaloa,
Mexico on Feb. 8, 2010.
The deputy then referred the case to the Border Patrol, said Lt.
Roberto Morales, commander of the sheriff's detention division.
Morales acknowledged that the deputy may have misspelled the man's
second last name as Adellanes instead of Arellanes.

However, a search of federal court records returned no corresponding
charges against either Rito Osorio Arellanes or Rito Osorio Adellanes,
making it unclear when or why he was released.
By then, Rito Osorio Arellanes already had a criminal history in the
United States. In March 2004, he was arrested for trying to sell
crack cocaine to an undercover officer in Mesa, Maricopa County court
records show.
He received probation for the charge.

(Reporting by Jonathan Clark and Michel Marizco.)

AZMEX EXTRA 2-2-12

AZMEX EXTRA 2 FEB 2012

California asks Obama to stop flow of guns to Mexico
The bill was approved after a survivor of violence in Mexico
testified before the Senate
Notimex
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/index.php?m=nota&seccion=videos-mas-
vistos&cat=413&id_nota=807433

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 2. - The California Senate today passed a resolution
calling on President Barack Obama exercise his executive power to
stop the flow of guns from U.S. territory to drug cartels in Mexico.

The initiative of Senator Kevin de Leon, sent this Thursday to the
president, was approved after a survivor of violence in Mexico
testified before the California Senate floor.

Saul Reyes Salazar, former official of the municipality of Guadalupe,
in the northern state of Chihuahua, told senators that he lost six
members of his family in the last two years before getting the U.S.
government to grant him asylum.

In a telephone interview from Sacramento, Reyes told Notimex that he
went before the state Senate because "President Obama may approve the
resolution (Senate) and stop the flow of arms to Mexico without
having to go through Congress (federal)."

The resolution of De Leon says there is a 'river of guns flowing into
Mexico from the United States' and organized crime uses it to commit
murder.

Although the resolution does not mention a specific source on the
flow of weapons, the senator says he crosses mainly from border
states, warns that up to two thousand guns could pass the border daily.

John Lindsay Poland, representing the organization Fellowship of
Reconciliation, which supported Salazar Reyes's testimony before the
California Senate, said that "many people in America wants a change
of policy towards the fight against drugs'.

Lindsay said that on one hand the U.S. government supports the
struggle of other countries against drugs, but on the other, and in
the case of Mexico, has not stopped the flow of firearms is a key
part to stop violence in that country.

akag
2012-02-02 19:00:00

California pide a Obama detener flujo de armas a México
La iniciativa fue aprobada luego de que un sobreviviente de la
violencia en México rindió testimonio ante el pleno del Senado
Notimex
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/index.php?m=nota&seccion=videos-mas-
vistos&cat=413&id_nota=807433

SAN DIEGO, 2 de febrero.- El Senado de California aprobó hoy una
resolución que pide al presidente Barack Obama ejercer su poder
ejecutivo para detener el flujo de armas de fuego de territorio
estadunidense a los cárteles de las drogas en México.

La iniciativa del senador Kevin de León, enviada este mismo jueves al
presidente, fue aprobada luego de que un sobreviviente de la
violencia en México rindió testimonio ante el pleno del Senado de
California.

Saúl Reyes Salazar, exfuncionario del municipio de Guadalupe, en el
norteño estado de Chihuahua, dijo a los senadores que perdió a seis
integrantes de su familia en los últimos dos años antes de conseguir
que el gobierno de Estados Unidos le otorgara asilo.

En conversación telefónica desde Sacramento, Reyes dijo a Notimex que
se presentó ante el Senado estatal, porque 'el presidente Obama puede
aprobar la resolución (senatorial) y detener el flujo de armas a
México sin tener que pasar por el Congreso (federal)".

La resolución de De León dice que hay un 'río de armas de fuego que
corre de Estados Unidos a México' y el crimen organizado lo utiliza
para cometer asesinatos.

Aunque la resolución no menciona una fuente específica sobre ese
flujo de armas, que el senador dice que cruza principalmente de
estados fronterizos, advierte que hasta dos mil armas podrían pasar
diariamente la frontera.

John Lindsay Poland, representante de la organización Becas para la
Reconciliación, que apoyó el testimonio de Reyes Salazar ante el
Senado de California, dijo que 'mucha gente en Estados Unidos quiere
un cambio de política hacia la lucha contra las drogas'.

Lindsay dijo que por un lado el gobierno de Estados Unidos apoya la
lucha de otros países contra las drogas, pero por el otro, y en el
caso de México, no ha detenido el flujo de armas de fuego que es
parte clave para detener la violencia en ese país.

akag
2012-02-02 19:00:00

AZMEX UPDATE 31-1-12

AZMEX UPDATE 31 JAN 2012

2 plead guilty to smuggling ammunition to Mexico
January 31, 2012 5:22 PM
Madeline Buckley
The Brownsville Herald
http://www.themonitor.com/news/mexico-58410-plead-smuggling.html

BROWNSVILLE — Two men pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court for
smuggling about 3,000 rounds of ammunition to Mexico, U.S. Attorney
Kenneth Magidson announced.

Guillermo Enrique Villarreal, 37, of Brownsville, and Leoncio
Sanchez, a U.S. citizen living in Matamoros, admitted to exporting
the ammunition without a license. They appeared before U.S. District
Judge Andrew S. Hanen.

Between October and December, the men bought nearly 10,000 rounds of
ammunition at Academy stores throughout Cameron and Hidalgo counties,
court documents state. They would then hide the ammunition in a
vehicle to smuggle into Mexico.

Homeland Security special agents arrested the men Dec. 12 after
watching them purchase ammunition at various sporting goods stores
and conceal it in a vehicle, according to court documents.

Both Villarreal and Sanchez have been in custody, where they will
remain pending their sentencing hearing, set for May 7. They face up
to 20 years' imprisonment, followed by a maximum of three years of
supervised release in addition to a fine of up to $1 million.

--

Note: Rocks can still inflict serious to fatal injuries.

Agent fires gun during border fence skirmish; man may have been hit
Posted: Monday, January 30, 2012 11:26 am
| Updated: 11:37 am, Tue Jan 31, 2012.
By Jonathan Clark
Nogales International Nogales International |

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/agent-fires-gun-during-
border-fence-skirmish-man-may-have/
article_355e68b0-4b70-11e1-9da6-001871e3ce6c.html

Authorities say a Border Patrol agent fired at rock-throwers early
Monday while breaking up a drug-smuggling incident at the border
fence in Nogales, possibly injuring at least one person in the process.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. at a spot below the
Hudgins Street turnaround on the east side of Nogales.

In a statement, the Border Patrol said an agent fired his/her service
weapon while responding to a drug-smuggling attempt. The agency said
it had received reports that at least one person may have been
injured, and promised that it would cooperate fully with the ensuing
investigation.

Nogales Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkham said he was told that the agent
fired in self-defense after being shelled with rocks.

A spokeswoman for the FBI's Phoenix Division confirmed that her
office is investigating the incident as an assault on a federal
officer, but offered no details other than the approximate time and
general location of the shooting.
"Due to the on-going nature of the investigation, we will be unable
to provide any other details at this time," said Jennifer Giannola,
public affairs specialist for the Phoenix Division.

Meanwhile, police in Nogales, Sonora told Radio XENY that they
interviewed a man being treated for gunshot wounds to the abdomen and
left forearm at the city's Centro Medico hospital. The man reportedly
said he was walking down the street in the Buenos Aires neighborhood
Monday morning when he heard a gunshot and felt a bullet hit him. He
allegedly denied knowledge of any drug-smuggling attempt.

Buenos Aires is the neighborhood across the fence from where Monday's
incident occurred.

The shooting happened in the same area where a Border Patrol agent
fatally shot 17-year-old Ramses Barron Torres early on Jan. 5, 2011.
That shooting, which reportedly came in response to another drug-
smuggling and rock-throwing incident, remains under investigation.

Separate incident

Also on Monday morning, a 42-year-old man was shot and killed on the
west side of Nogales, Sonora, approximately two miles south of the
Mariposa Port of Entry.

The Sonora State Investigative Police, or PEI, said in a statement
that Fernando Canez Borquez was shot at approximately 8 a.m. as he
arrived at his home on Calle Atenas in the Colonia Mediterraneo. He
died at the scene, the statement said, after being shot "various"
times in different parts of his body.

Canez had pulled up to his house and was getting out of his car when
several men armed with pistols got out of a sedan and opened fire.
Four 9-millimeter cartridges were reportedly found at the scene, but
the suspects managed to flee before the police arrived.

Cesar Barron of Radio XENY contributed reporting.

Note: the American doper contributes for a change.

NPD officers seize $400K cash load on interstate
NPD hopes that this cash, once formally forfeited, will help it build
a new police station.
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:17 am
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/npd-officers-seize-k-cash-
load-on-interstate/article_c8f4e870-4c1e-11e1-9ff1-0019bb2963f4.html

NPD officers seize $400K cash load on interstate Nogales
International Nogales International | 5 comments

Officers from the Nogales Police Department arrested two men and
seized $400,000 in suspected drug-smuggling proceeds on Friday as
part of the departent's efforts to crack down on border-related crime
along Interstate 19.

NPD said its officers working as part of the I-19 Southern Border
Alliance stopped a suspicious vehicle for a traffic violation. After
an NPD dog alerted to possible contraband, the offers located and
seized the cash.

Two suspects, Carlos Antonio Arredondo-Rosas, born in 1974 and
Gabriel Lopez-Iriarte, born in 1976, were also arrested. Both are
residents of Nogales, Sonora.

The vehicle was impounded and the cash was seized for forfeiture
proceedings. The Arizona Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the
case, NPD said.

"The interdiction program initiated by Chief of Police Jeffrey
Kirkham through the Arizona Attorney General's Office has been
impacting smuggling operations with suspects using compartmented
vehicles," an NPD news release said.

"The Nogales Police Department will continue to work to secure
Arizona's border and work closely with local, state and federal law
enforcement to combine resources impacting illegal operations in and
around Nogales, Ariz."

NPD said the seized cash, once formally forfeited, will help it to
build a new police facility without significantly impacting local
taxpayers.

Update: Leyzaola says New Juárez Cartel responsible for attacks on
Juárez police
by Juan Antonio Rodriguez / El Paso Times
Posted: 01/30/2012 09:46:47 PM MST
A shootout in Jurez just south of the Zaragoza bridge left three
suspects dead... (El Paso Times)

http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_19851573

JUAREZ -- Juárez police Chief Julián Leyzaola said Monday that Johnny
"El Tin Tan" Morales González, a member of the New Juárez Cartel, is
responsible for recent attacks on the city's police force.

Those attacks included Monday's shootout just south of the Zaragoza
Bridge that left three suspects dead, three police officers wounded
and three suspects under arrest.

Juárez Mayor Héctor Murguía said the purpose of releasing Morales'
identity was to encourage citizens to report any information about
Morales' whereabouts to local authorities.

Also, Murguia said city officials have managed to pinpoint nine
criminal cells that might be behind the attacks against police
officers. He did not elaborate.

During Monday's attack, the suspects opened fire and threw a grenade
at police officers who were filling their cars at a gas station,
officials said. The grenade did not detonate.

"They (the suspects) showed up as kamikazes against our officers,"
Murguía said. "Our officers managed to spare their own lives." As a
precautionary measure, Juárez police officers are now under orders to
stay at several hotels, with around-the-clock surveillance.

It will cost city taxpayers around $1.54 million to house and protect
the officers.

Murguía said some public projects would be canceled to cover expenses.

"I have no choice," Murguía said. "Due to several attacks against
Juárez police officers, where some of them have died, they have been
sheltered in several motels." Police officers have been directed to
wear plain clothes when their shifts end and carry their weapons home.

Monday's shootout follows a fatal trend against police officers here
that has left eight of them slain so far this year. "Juárez
officers are still doing their jobs, at the expense of their own
lives, to serve and protect the community," Murguía said.

"Those (officers) who are afraid to die in the line of duty must quit
the police force,² he said. "We don't need them." Murguía encouraged
Juárez's citizens to report any crime in order to deter such activity.

"It is crucial to point out that criminals might hide from the
police," Murguía said. "But they (the criminals) can't flee from the
citizens." Murguía took office in October 2010. Since then, 63 Juárez
police officers have been slain, according to figures provided by
officials and news archives. Shots fired during Monday's ambush could
be heard at international bridge tollbooths.

Three suspects, all in their mid-20s, were found on the ground with
fatal head wounds, according to the Chihuahua Attorney General's office.

Late Monday, Juárez police arrested three additional suspects. They
have been identified as José Samuel López Luévano, 19, the driver of
one vehicle reportedly used in the shootout; Martín Pacheco Galindo,
22; and Silvia Adriana Loya Mendoza, 22, wife of one of the slain
suspects.

Among the items Juárez police seized included three U.S. passports,
two of which had similar photos but different names, a police
spokesperson said. Police also seized three visas, two Mexican
identifications, several weapons and drugs, and narco banners.

On Saturday, a Juárez police officer was slain. That happened after
Leyzaola said last Friday recent threats against police officers have
been coming from the New Juárez Cartel.

González, whom Leyzaola is pinpointing as the group¹s ring leader, is
a former member of the Los Aztecas gang.

Drug violence experts believe the New Juárez Cartel is a spinoff of
the Juárez Cartel after that organization suffered heavy losses
within its leadership in 2011.

During the shootout, officers pursued the suspects, who fled the
scene in a Ford Explorer vehicle, and killed them.

Several streets were closed to traffic as officers chased the
suspects. All three wounded officers were taken to local hospitals
and are expected to recover.

Police seized 250 bullet casings as well as two rifles, two handguns,
and a fragmentation grenade with its trigger device activated,
Chihuahua state prosecutors said.

Authorities also took custody of a navy blue 2002 Ford Explorer that
was reported as stolen last Tuesday, and a white Lumina found at a
hotel parking lot, officials said.

Murguía, in a speech delivered at a local school Monday, said
Juarez's citizens should be proud of their police force. "The main
thing here is to recover the peace that is so yearned for in this
city," he said.

Attacks against Juárez police officers come after finding about 10
banners last Wednesday, reportedly signed by New Juárez Cartel
members, scattered across the city.

Those messages, addressed to Leyzaola, threatened to kill one police
officer per day and force Leyzaola to step down. Murguía dismissed
those statements.

"Leyzaola is not going to quit," Murguía said. "I would rather step
down before Leyzaola does, and that is not going to happen since I am
an elected official." On Saturday morning, a Juárez police officer
was shot to death near Cártamo and Garambullo streets in the Granjero
neighborhood.

Julián Armando Juárez Baena, 35, was found riddled with bullets next
to a red pickup.
Forensics specialists recovered several casings from AK-47 and AR-15
rifles, state prosecutors said.

On Friday morning, two Juárez police officers, a man and a woman,
were gunned down en route to work.

Last Wednesday, two other officers were shot to death at the end of
their shifts, while another officer was slain earlier that day.

Juan Antonio Rodríguez may be reached at jrodriguez@elpasotimes.com;
546-6134.
Times reporters Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera and Marisela Ortega Lozano
contributed to this story.

Previous 2 p.m.

A shootout in Juárez just south of the Zaragoza bridge left three
suspects dead, three police officers wounded and one suspect in
custody Monday morning, Juárez officials said.

The shootout happened at Ramón Rayón Street and Manuel J. Clouthier
Ave., a couple of miles from the Zaragoza bridge, when an undisclosed
number of Juárez police officers stopped at a gas station to fill
their cars, a Juárez police spokesperson said.

The attack against police forces in Juárez happened after a Juárez
cop was slain Saturday, leaving eight Juárez police officers killed
this year.

Meanwhile, Juárez police officers were sheltered for their own safety
in undisclosed motels around the city, officials said Monday.

During the shootout, officers pursued and caught up with three
suspects who fled the scene in a Ford Explorer, killing them, Juárez
police said in a press release.
A fourth suspect was captured and arrested after he was hiding inside
a nearby hotel.

Several streets were shut down as officers chased the suspects. The
three wounded officers were taken to local hospitals and are expected
to recover, officials said.

Police seized two rifles, two handguns, and a fragmentation grenade.

Authorities also took custody of a blue Ford Explorer and white
Lumina found at a hotel parking lot, officials said.

No motive for the attack has been found.

In a speech delivered to people at a local school Monday, Juárez
Mayor Héctor Murguía said Juárez's citizens should be proud of their
police force. "The main thing here is to recover the peace (that is)
so yearned for in this city," Murguía said.

These attacks against Juárez police officers follow a discovery of
about 10 banners last Wednesday, reportedly signed by members of the
So-called New Juárez Cartel, splattered in several locations around
the city.

Those messages, addressed to Juárez Police Chief Julián Leyzaola,
threatened to kill a police officer on a daily basis to force
Leyzaola to resign.

Saturday morning, a Juárez police officer was shot to death near
Cártamo and Garambullo streets, at Granjero neighborhood. The slain
officer, Julián Armando Juárez Baena, 35, was riddled with bullets
next to a red pickup. Forensics specialists recovered several
casings from AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, state prosecutors said.

On Friday morning, two Juárez police officers, a man and a woman,
were gunned down in their way to work, officials said.

On Wednesday, two other officers were shot to death at the end of
their shifts, while another officer was slain earlier.

Juárez officials sheltered Juárez police officers in undisclosed
motels around the city Monday, with surveillance around the clock,
for their own safety, Juárez authorities said in a press release.

Juan Antonio Rodríguez may be reached at jrodriguez@elpasotimes.com;
546-6134.
Times reporter Marisela Ortega Lozano contributed to this report.

AZMEX EXTRA 1-2-12

AZMEX EXTRA 1 FEB 2012

Note: could be very interesting to learn the rest of this story. PR
from US DOJ in Phx says he "bought" not "brought" the rifle. Will
be also very interesting to see how light this sentence will be.

Mexican national guilty in firearms case
by Brennan Smith - Feb. 1, 2012 06:38 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team

A Mexican man pleaded guilty Tuesday to being an alien unlawfully in
possession of a firearm in a federal District Court in Phoenix.
Ramon Arturo Amaya-Salazar, 38, brought a .50-caliber Bushmaster
rifle into the United States under a non-immigrant visa on June 2.

Amaya-Salazar had been issued a border-crossing card that allowed him
to travel within 25 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border but not to
possess a firearm while in this country, said Bill Solomon, a
spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Amaya-Salazar could face 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both,
Solomon said.
Sentencing is set for April 16.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/
2012/02/01/20120201mexican-national-guilty-firearms-
case.html#ixzz1lF1GI9yu

Note: From last year

Mexican National Indicted On Unlawful Possession Of .50 Caliber
Assault Rifle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 22, 2011
PHOENIX - A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a one-count
indictment today against Ramon Arturo Amaya-Salazar, 38, a Mexican
national, for violation of being an Alien Unlawfully in Possession of
a Firearm.

The indictment alleges that on June 2, 2011, Amaya-Salazar, while
present in the United States under a nonimmigrant visa, had
possession of a .50 caliber Bushmaster rifle. According to court
records, Amaya-Salazar was arrested after he allegedly supplied money
to straw purchasers to obtain the rifle from a Phoenix-area federally
licensed firearms dealer.

A conviction for one count of Alien Unlawfully in Possession carries
a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. In
determining an actual sentence, the assigned United States District
Court Judge will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which
provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not
bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with
criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is
presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury
that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution
is being handled by Robert K. Lu, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District
of Arizona.

CASE NUMBER: CR-11-03292-MJ-LOA
RELEASE NUMBER: 2011-123(Amaya-Salazar)

AZMEX SPECIAL 31-1-12

AZMEX SPECIAL 31 JAN 2012

Note: PC conclusions?

Volunteers pick up after locals, migrants
Ralph Schneebeli helps clean up trash on the Santa Cruz River during
an effort Saturday that attracted volunteers from around the state.
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:16 am |
Updated: 11:03 am, Tue Jan 31, 2012.
Volunteers pick up after locals, migrants By Curt Prendergast
For the Nogales International
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/volunteers-pick-up-after-
locals-migrants/article_a4e8b3ee-4c1e-11e1-a02b-0019bb2963f4.html

Bright-blue trash bags dotted the Santa Cruz River on Saturday
morning as more than 120 volunteers cleaned up the river south of Rio
Rico.

The cleanup was organized by Friends of the Santa Cruz River (FOSCR)
and sponsored by the Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona, the Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and Rio Rico Properties.
The 123 volunteers, who ranged from Green Valley retirees to a Tucson-
based Boy Scout troop, packed everything from disintegrating sofas to
empty water bottles into two dumpsters donated by Santa Cruz County.

David Burkett, a lawyer, came all the way from Scottsdale to pitch in.
"I spend a lot of time in the desert," he said. "It's time to give
back."

Saturday's ADEQ-sponsored cleanup came on the heels of a Jan. 19
meeting of an Arizona Senate border security committee, at which ADEQ
Director Henry Darwin spoke of the increasing problems posed by so-
called "border trash." "We estimate that about 2,000 tons, that's
right, 2,000 tons of trash are deposited in Arizona as a result of
illegal immigration and drug smuggling that happens near the border
in Arizona," Darwin told the committee.

But while some of the trash picked up on Saturday was left by
migrants, "the majority of it is local dumping," said Jen Parks,
president of FOSCR.

Volunteers attributed much of the trash to kids partying in the
woods, junkies, and locals trying to avoid properly disposing of
their refuse. "It's people too lazy to haul it to the dump," said
Ralph Schneebeli, a retired employee of Eastman Kodak who now lives
in Green Valley. "We found parts of a swingset. An illegal immigrant
didn't haul that across the border."

Much of the locally dumped trash was found near a dirt road that
crossed the riverbed, while the migrant trash was spread out along
the sides of the river.

"Any place where there's a little shelter, that's where we see
migrant trash," said Jerry Kosmeder, a volunteer from Tucson.

Kosmeder had a quick way to tell where the trash came from. He held
up a water bottle and said "migrant trash." Then he held up a beer
bottle and said "locals."

ADEQ spokesman Mark Shaffer said Saturday's cleanup netted "at least
125 bags of migrant trash and almost an identical amount from illegal
dumping by locals."

As for larger items left by locals, Shaffer counted 24 tires in
addition to things like mattresses and couches. In all, Parks said,
volunteers filled one dumpster with 5,540 pounds (2.77 tons) of
refuse, and she expected the same amount in the second.

ADEQ has done previous cleanups in more remote areas near Arivaca and
Yuma, Shaffer said, but Saturday was "by far the largest number of
volunteers we've had at these cleanups and the amount of trash
certainly warranted that."

Tough task

The steady flow of illegal dumping and illegal immigration makes it
nearly impossible to keep the river clean, other organizers said.

"We could come out here every three months and it would still look
like this," said Karol Stubbs, president of the Anza Trail Coalition
of Arizona.

However, periodic cleanups of trash on the Santa Cruz River help keep
disasters at bay.
"Eventually it's going to rain and all of this will flood and it'll
end up in Tubac," Parks said, adding that cleanups also reduce the
risk of more immediate dangers, such as being poked by dirty
hypodermic needles.

Ben Lomeli, an FOSCR board member, said he hopes local people will
show more respect and take their trash with them when they leave. "We
need to get back to that. Pack it in, pack it out, you know?" he said.

As for the migrants, deportees at a shelter in Nogales, Sonora
acknowledged that some illegal border-crossers willingly discard
their trash in the Arizona desert, but insisted that in many cases,
others are to blame.

For example, Ubence Flores, a migrant from Comayagua, Honduras, said
that "polleros," or migrant guides, make the crossers get rid of
their belongings when they arrive at a scheduled pickup point. The
pollero puts everything in black plastic bags, like those found by
the river on Saturday, and then throws them in a truck to be taken to
a dumping site, such as in the trees along the Santa Cruz River.

Bandits also force migrants to leave their belongings in the desert,
said Henry Alberto Osorio, another Honduran migrant. In this common
tactic, he said, bandits threaten migrants, who flee as fast as they
can. Then the bandits pick through the abandoned backpacks for
valuables.

But other times, the difficulty of crossing desert terrain for days
on end proves too much for migrants. "It gets so heavy, sometimes
you say 'I can't carry this anymore,' and leave it," Flores said.

AZMEX UPDATE 29-1-12

AZMEX UPDATE 29 JAN 2012

2 Houston-area pilots in limbo amid rumors of DEA plot
Dane Schille, Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
By Dane Schiller
Updated 11:31 p.m., Saturday, January 28, 2012
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Lawmaker-claims-Texas-
pilots-busted-in-Panama-2794238.php

A ranking California congressman contends two Houston-area pilots
arrested in Panama were unknowingly snared in a botched money-
laundering operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which
did nothing to stop the innocent Americans from going to prison.

But sources told the Houston Chronicle on Saturday it was not a DEA
case and the claims are rooted in a fast-talking occasional DEA
informant, who was a passenger on the private jet and tried to squirm
out of getting busted with $2.3 million in dirty money last May.

"He just got caught," said a source familiar with events. "It appears
it was an informant who was doing it without the knowledge of the
DEA. They do that all the time. They play both sides (of the law)."

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., head of the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, wrote to U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder on Friday to say he'd received "quite unsettling" information
about a DEA money-laundering operation that landed the pilots in prison.

It was the latest in a string of accusations against federal law
enforcement by Issa, who has been vociferously critical of the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and its bungled
undercover gun-running operation known as "Fast and Furious." ATF
allowed people suspected of being low-level smugglers to buy and
transport guns across the border in hopes of finding higher-level
operatives, but it lost track of hundreds of weapons. Two were found
in Arizona, where an American Border Patrol agent was shot to death

But DEA Spokeswoman Dawn Dearden said Saturday the incident in Panama
was not a DEA matter.

"The investigation, in fact, was initiated and conducted unilaterally
by the Panamanian government," she said. "DEA became aware of the
incident only after being contacted by the Panamanian officials for
assistance."

The pilots, Kenneth Chonoski and Carl Moody, were imprisoned in
Panama and conditionally released a few months ago. But their
passports have been seized and they are not allowed to leave the
country.

The two men were flying a Learjet 55 from Honduras and made a stop in
Panama with their passengers, a Colombian and two Hondurans. The
three passengers are in prison, pending the prosecution's outcome.

"We continue to make every effort to get our pilots back to the U.S.
safely and expeditiously," said Bruce Hicks, a spokesman for American
Jet International, which is based at Hobby airport and employs the
pilots.

Strong statement

Issa could not be reached for comment Saturday, but his two-page
letter to Holder makes bold contentions. He states that while the
plane was on the ground before flying to another country, Panama
officials were tipped that several million dollars were in the
luggage of one of the passengers.

That passenger turned out to be a prominent longtime client of the
Houston-based jet company and also a DEA informant, the letter
states. He told Panamanian authorities they could not touch the money
because it belonged to the U.S. government.

The congressman's letter delves into detail, saying the informant,
who is not named, had a phone number for a senior DEA agent in the
United States, and that three DEA agents came to the plane while it
was on the ground and did nothing to help the pilots.

He also said the senior agent was aware of what was going on, and
remains involved in the case.
"The agent has been in constant communication with an executive of
the charter-plane corporation," the letter continues. "Instead of
even attempting to assist the innocent pilots, however, the DEA agent
has only been interested in extracting additional information about
the corporation's long-time prominent Latin American client, believed
to be a DEA confidential informant."

Testimony expected

Panamanian prosecutor Ida Mirones has previously told the Chronicle
that the customs officials were told the plane would be arriving with
drug cash. She said a passenger tried to evade inspectors by saying
the bags with money belonged to the U.S. government.

Issa's push to know more about DEA's international anti-money-
laundering efforts, and what happened in Panama, come as Holder is
expected to give congressional testimony this week.

The pilots remain on their company's payroll, are living in
condominiums, and have been reunited in Panama with their families.

Panama released the aircraft they were flying, which seats seven and
is outfitted with surround sound and flat-screen televisions, and
cruises at more than 500 mph.

Capturan a 'pollero' mientras se drogaba
Sábado 28 de Enero de 2012 11:04 César Barragán/ElDiario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=21999:capturan-a-pollero-mientras-
se-drogaba&catid=58:justicia&Itemid=181

Un presunto traficante de personas con que cuenta con orden de
aprehensión federal y otra del fuero común, por violación a la Ley
General de Población y delito contra funcionarios públicos,
respectivamente, fue detenido por agentes Municipal y Estatales. Se
trata de, Francisco Heriberto Díaz Valencia, de 22 años, de apodo "El
Pancho Láminas", originario de esta localidad fronteriza, con
domicilio en calle Lago Tarapoto número 152, de la colonia Jardines
de la Montaña, quien dijo ser ayudante de herrero.
Datos oficiales señalan que Díaz Valencia fue detectado drogándose en
la vía pública, esto durante los recorridos de coordinación en la
vigilancia preventiva que se llevan a cabo en diferentes sectores de
la ciudad.
Luego de ser retenido, fue trasladado a la Unidad de Análisis e
Inteligencia de Plataforma México en la Jefatura de Policía
Preventiva y Tránsito Municipal, donde fueron ratificados los
requerimientos penales.
Por el delito de violación a la Ley General de Población, por el cual
es requerido por la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) desde
el 18 de marzo de 2009 y respecto de delito contra funcionarios
públicos, la Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) se
busca con fecha del 18 de abril de 2011.
Por tal motivo el presunto traficante de personas, quedo bajo
custodia de la Policía Federal Ministerial para su cumplimiento.

AZMEX SPECIAL 28-1-12

AZMEX SPECIAL 28 JAN 2012

Note: Oped/rant: Inadvertently points out the failures of gun
control, and the desire of people worldwide to be able to defend
themselves and families. Self Defense is a God given Human Right.
It can be also argued, that it is a Natural Right, of all species,
even animals are allowed to have and use it.

As reported before here, Mexican media polls, especially in northern
Mexico, have shown over 80% support for citizen gun ownership.
Unlike so many other North Americans, Mexicans don't seem to have a
fear or phobia of firearms. It is not a taboo to the Mexican
people. Like here in the U.S., citizen firearm ownership is a taboo
to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

The series of corrupt Mexican governments, especially the PRI who
ruled for 70 years, made it virtually impossible for honest citizens
to be able to defend themselves. The PAN period of the last 11 years
has failed to correct that disastrous problem. Not only U.S.
politicians that are totally out of touch, and look at the people,
especially armed citizens with fear and loathing.

BTW, many of the U.S. made firearms come to the gangs courtesy of two
governments. The U.S. and Mexican. The U.S. government has through
aid programs, exported thousands of firearms and other military
supplies to Mexico over the past few years. Much of which seems to
end up with the drug gangs. Then of course the U.S. BATFE fast &
furious operation which delivered weapons directly to the gangs. Not
to forget the U.S. DEA helping get millions of dollars of profits of
the drug trade back to the cartels, funding even more corruption and
munitions.

The Mexicans of course have their own problems with corruption. For
example, Mexican customs seldom finds anything coming south. Over
the years their main purpose has seemed to be robbing Mexican
citizens coming south for the holidays.

Those of us actually living here in the SW of the USA, continue to
believe, strongly, that securing the border will certainly mitigate
many of the problems.

The LeBaron family has made mention in AZMEX reports over the years.
AZMEX has also relayed reporting on the Romney family in the area.

Law-Abiding Mexicans Take Up Illegal Guns
by John Burnett
January 28, 2012
Weekend Edition Saturday
[8 min 16 sec]
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/145996427/mexican-community-takes-taboo-
stance-on-guns

Police stand near the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico. The
country suffers from drug cartel-related violence despite some of the
most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Police stand near the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico. The
country suffers from drug cartel-related violence despite some of the
most restrictive gun laws in the world.
January 28, 2012

In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered
weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise
that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.

Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good
options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit,
or they buy one on the black market.

After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern
Mexico called Colonia LeBaron has begun to ask if it's time for the
country to address its gun laws.

A farming town about 130 miles southwest of El Paso, Texas, in the
border state of Chihuahua, Colonia LeBaron was founded by breakaway
Mormons from the U.S. who wanted to practice polygamy. Today, most
residents hold dual citizenship, speak English and retain close ties
to the U.S. A few still practice plural marriage.

A Community Arms Itself

The militancy of Colonia LeBaron began on May 5, 2009, when
kidnappers seized a 16-year-old boy and demanded a $1 million ransom.

Though he was released unharmed, the townsfolk came together and
formed an anti-crime group to take a stand against the rampant
kidnappings and extortion. Their leader was Benjamin LeBaron.

But on July 7, 2009, close to 20 men showed up at Benjamin LeBaron's
house, according to his older brother, Julian LeBaron.

"They wanted to terrorize everyone into never opposing them," Julian
LeBaron says. "They dragged Benjamin out of his house, and [his
brother-in-law Luis Widmar] came to help him."

Then, he says, the criminals took the two men a couple miles down the
road and shot them.
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Enlarge Peter Breslow/NPR

Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Peter Breslow/NPR

Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.

The cold-blooded murders of Benjamin LeBaron and Luis Widmar
galvanized the community, Julian LeBaron says. It prompted them to
take a stance that is familiar to Second-Amendment advocates in the
U.S., but one that is taboo in Mexico.

"I think there would be less violence if there were more guns, in the
sense that I could barge in here and do whatever I want, knowing that
this guy doesn't have a gun," says Jose Widmar, the brother of slain
Luis.

Today, if the gangsters return, the LeBaron colony is locked and loaded.

They have an advocate in their cousin Alex LeBaron, a 31-year-old
Chihuahua state deputy with national aspirations. He's a burly, baby-
faced politician who attended college in New Mexico and served in the
U.S. Navy. His own father was killed in a carjacking.

If Alex LeBaron makes it into the federal congress, his most
passionate issue will be changing Mexico's convoluted gun laws.

"We're Mexican citizens 100-percent, and we have the right to bear
arms, and we're going to keep fighting for that right as long as it
takes," he says.

'Complex And Expensive' To Buy A Gun

Alex LeBaron and some friends have gathered at a nearby gun club to
plink away at steel duck silhouettes. Joining a sport shooting club
is one way to avoid the aggravation of a obtaining an individual permit.

Though the Mexican constitution permits gun ownership, the government
strictly limits that privilege as a response to the violence of the
Mexican revolution and to uprisings in the 1960s when students looted
gun stores in Mexico City.

"In the black market it's very easy to acquire mostly American-made
weapons here in our country, but through the legal process it's ...
very complex and expensive," Alex LeBaron says.
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Enlarge Peter Breslow/NPR

Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Peter Breslow/NPR

Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.

A citizen who wants a permit for a weapon must apply to the Mexican
military — a process that can cost upwards of $10,000. Then they pay
to have the permit renewed annually. The military further regulates
the caliber of weapon, how many guns a person can own, how much
ammunition they can buy each month, and where in the country they can
take the weapon.

The government abolished the last private gun store in 1995. Today,
the only legal gun store in the country is in Mexico City, guarded
and operated by the armed forces.

"In Mexico, the laws effectively don't allow you to purchase
weapons," says Dr. Oscar Urrutia Beall, a longtime member of the
Paquime Shooting Club. "There are some weapons they sell in Mexico
City, but the paperwork is difficult. Here, they won't let us buy a
gun, but they let us own a gun. It's an incongruity, a failed law."

A Gunfight With The Mexican Army

On the LeBaron family farm outside of town, workers pack red chilies
for shipment to New Mexico. The family also grows alfalfa, pecans and
cotton on irrigated fields bordered by the windswept foothills of the
Sierra Madre mountains.

The LeBarons now have a reputation of being well-armed and not afraid
to use their weapons.

One night, in October of 2009, a gunfight erupted between the LeBaron
brothers and a squad from the Mexican army. The LeBarons claim the
soldiers came to the front gate and did not identify themselves.
Fearing they were kidnappers, Alex says, the family opened fire.
Related NPR Stories
Case Vermillion hands a gun to a customer at the Cheaper Than Dirt
gun shop in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008.
How Thousands Of U.S. Guns Fuel Crime In Mexico
After 20 minutes of silent witness, the angels gather around a group
of neighbors and pray with them for employment, for better living
conditions, for salvation from sin, and for an end to the murders.
Angels Send Message Of Peace To Juarez, Mexico

by John Burnett
U.S. Border Patrol vehicles drive from a checkpoint in December 2010,
as teams of border officers comb the Arizona desert about 10 miles
north of Mexico in search for a suspect in the fatal shooting of U.S.
Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in the rugged terrain in Rio Rico, Ariz.
Official Admits 'Mistake' In Gun-Trafficking Case

by Carrie Johnson
"Los Mata Zetas," or the "Zeta Killers," described themselves in a
recent video as a paramilitary group that will go after members of
the Zeta drug cartel. The Mexican government, however, has described
it as a rival drug cartel that is just seeking to eliminate
competition from the Zetas.
Drug Violence Swamps A Once Peaceful Mexican City

by Jason Beaubien

"In the middle of [the] dark, sometimes, it's better to shoot and ask
questions later," he says.

One soldier was killed. One LeBaron brother and another farmer were
charged with murder, but the judge ultimately dropped the charges
because the evidence had been tampered with.

These days, things have quieted down in Colonia LeBaron. Some people
say it's because of the soldiers garrisoned in town. The LeBarons
maintain it's because the criminals know the community will fight back.

And if more communities were allowed to defend themselves, says Alex
LeBaron, Mexican organized crime would be on the run.

"I think Mexico's way past that revolutionary uprising point in our
history," he says. "I think we're ready to come into the 21st century
and be part of this whole global process of modernization. And this
is one of them — gun laws."

Other Citizens Express Reservations

But do Mexicans want gun laws similar to those in the U.S., where
buying an assault rifle can be as easy as buying a beer?

Basilio Sabata Salaices is the mayor of the municipality where
Colonia LeBaron is located. "Here, guns are very restricted," he
says. "But I see in the U.S. many things happen because youth don't
know how to use guns. I don't think we should make it easier to
possess a weapon, as in the U.S."

Beto Renteria is a prominent businessman in Nuevo Casas Grandes,
whose wife was kidnapped three years ago and returned after he paid
ransom.

"There are lots of Mexicans who have never shot a gun," he says. "It
could be dangerous putting a gun in the hands of an inexperienced
person; we could hurt someone."

Fernando Saenz is the leader of a citizen's militia in Ascension. The
town made headlines last September when a mob beat two suspected
kidnappers to death.

Like many Mexicans in regions plagued by violent crime, Saenz owns an
illegal, unregistered weapon — in his case, a 9 mm handgun.

I think guns are not advisable. I think what the government should do
is put honest, well-trained people in jobs to impart justice.

- Fernando Saenz, leader of a citizen's militia in Ascension

"Look," Saenz says pensively, "I think guns are not advisable. I
think what the government should do is put honest, well-trained
people in jobs to impart justice."

If these three responses are any guide, the LeBarons' crusade to
revise gun laws is at odds with a certain cultural ambivalence toward
firearms, at least among law-abiding Mexican citizens.

Alex LeBaron is undeterred. "I have to stress very strongly that if
the federal government, the state government or the local government
cannot protect you from the cartels or any criminal groups, we should
be able to protect ourselves. That's the bottom line," he says.

Asked if the community is openly flouting federal gun laws, he
replies: "Yes. We have to."

The Mexican secretary of National Defense, charged with enforcing gun
laws, declined to comment for this story.

The director of a pro-gun website called Mexico Armado said there is
no popular movement at the moment to liberalize the nation's gun
laws. Perhaps, he added, that's because anybody who wants a weapon in
Mexico — be they a good guy or a bad guy — has no problem getting one.

AZMEX POLICY 2 29-1-12

AZMEX POLICY 2 29 JAN 2012

Note: English language version of AZMEX POLICY Depending on what
happens later this year, might be significant info.

La familia Romney: GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's relatives
hope to meet him someday
by Aileen B. Flores \ El Paso Times
Posted: 01/29/2012 12:00:00 AM MST
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19845308

CASAS GRANDES, CHIHUAHUA -- About 200 miles southwest of El Paso lies
a piece of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's
personal history.

It's found in his bloodline and his relatives who settled in the
small and quiet Mormon community of Colonia Juárez.

The Romneys in this farming town of 1,000 are humble and friendly.
And even though they have never met the candidate, they show
admiration for their distant relative.

Lynn Romney, Mitt Romney's second cousin, said they may appreciate
him more than he does them. "We know who he is because of TV," Lynn
Romney said. "But we have never shaken hands with him."

Though he does not consider himself Hispanic, Mitt Romney has briefly
talked about his family roots in Mexico during political speeches and
debates.

"In my case, my dad was born in Mexico and I'm proud of my heritage,
but he was born of U.S. citizens who were living in Mexico at the
time. He was not Hispanic. He never spoke Spanish nor his parents, so
I can't claim that honor," Mitt Romney told journalist Jorge Ramos at
a forum sponsored by Univision TV-Network last week in Florida.

Mitt Romney's father, George W. Romney, was born in 1907 in Colonia
Dublán, in Nuevo Casas Grandes, about 16 miles north of Colonia
Juárez. George W. Romney was only 5 years old when he and his family
moved back to the United States.

"But, hey, his family is here," said Casas Grandes City Manager Cesar
Domínguez. "He has roots in Colonia Juárez."

The Romneys in Colonia Juárez are prominent farmers and ranchers.
They are one of the main peach and apple producers of the region and
provide lots of jobs to the community.
"They are greatly appreciated by others here," Domínguez said. "We
have a high respect for them."

If Mitt Romney wins the U.S. presidency, maybe he will remember where
he comes from and be interested in visiting the area, Domínguez said.

The area was settled by Mormons who escaped U.S. laws against
polygamy in the late 1800s. About eight Mormon colonies were built
along the valleys of Mexico's northern states of Chihuahua and Sonora.

Among them were Colonia Juárez and Colonia Dublán.

The Mormons here no longer practice polygamy. A church manifesto was
written in the early 1900s banning plural marriages.

Mitt Romney's grandparents, Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt,
lived in Colonia Dublán until the Mexican Revolution. In 1912,
revolutionary bandits stole their property and forced them to leave
Mexico.

After the exodus of Mormons from Mexico, some of the Romneys decided
not to go back, while others returned to rebuild their homes, Lynn
Romney said.
"The Romneys from Dublán never came back," said Lynn Romney. "My
grandfather, if he ever left, it was just for a couple of months. My
father (Rulon Romney) was born here in 1915," he said.

Lynn Romney's grandfather was Miles A. Romney, brother of Mitt's
Romney's grandfather, Gaskell Romney.

Gaskell Romney moved to the Eastern U.S., and the families lost
contact, Lynn Romney said.

He said Mitt Romney's father never felt the necessity to claim his
Mexican roots because he was too little when he left. George W.
Romney, who was governor of Michigan, unsuccessfully ran for
president and was a member of President Richard M. Nixon's Cabinet.
He died in 1995.

While George W. Romney never claimed his Mexican nationality, Lynn
Romney, who was born in the U.S., renounced his U.S. citizenship to
become a Mexican national.

He was 3 years old when he arrived at Colonia Juárez.

Lynn Romney, 60, said that at the time he did not have the option of
getting dual nationality.
"I'm 100 percent Mexican," Lynn Romney said.

Like many other Mexican citizens, Lynn Romney lines up with his
family at the U.S. Consulate every 10 years to renew his tourist visa
so they can visit their relatives in the U.S.

He is not interested in moving to the United States, he said.

While Mitt Romney keeps being criticized by political opponents for
his tough stance on illegal immigration, his relative did not want to
speak much about it, afraid that what they say may be used in the
rough and tumble politics of the Republican primary.

Lynn Romney believes the U.S. should give temporary work permits to
undocumented immigrants to do the work that U.S. citizens do not want
to do. However, he does not agree with the proposed Dream Act, which
provides a path to citizenship through education or military service
for some undocumented immigrants who entered the country at a young age.

He said he thinks undocumented students already have many benefits to
study in the United States.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney's immigration plan for self-deportation and
the fact that he has roots in Mexico have put the Romneys in Colonia
Juárez in the spotlight.

Casas Grandes was mostly known for Paquimé, an archaeological site
that dates back to A.D. 700.

But since Mitt Romney announced his candidacy last year, journalists
from all over Mexico and the United States have visited the town
every week looking for the Romneys, Domínguez said.

The attention surrounding the Romneys in Colonia Juárez is to some
extent "natural," Domínguez said.

"It's beneficial in the sense that many people now know where Colonia
Juárez is," he said. "They now can tell Colonia Juárez is in the
state of Chihuahua and is part of the municipality of Casas Grandes."

Domínguez said the Romneys have told city officials the family is not
comfortable talking about their relationship with Mitt Romney.

They do not want to hurt his candidacy with their comments, and they
do not like to be the point of attention at times when violence in
Mexico is continually a matter of concern, Domínguez said.

Meredith Romney, another of Mitt Romney's second cousins and former
president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple
in Colonia Juárez, was kidnapped in 2009. He was released unharmed.

Many Mormons of American descent have fled the town since the drug
violence began about four years ago, Domínguez said. Now Colonia
Juárez has about 50 Anglo Mormon households, he said.

For their part, local government officials expect more people to
visit the area if Mitt Romney is elected president. So far, the
influx of tourism has not been affected, Domínguez said.

Besides the archeological site and its museum, the Mormon Temple in
Colonia Juárez attracts people to the area, he said.

The Colonia Juárez Temple was built in 1999.

The white marble building sits at the top of a hill that over looks
the colony.
"It's a beautiful temple that attracts a lot of people. And if Mitt
Romney wins, I'm sure we will have more visitors," Domínguez said.

Another feature of the town is the Academia Juárez, or Juárez Stake
Academy, which was founded in 1897.

Assistant Principal Alan Aragon said the academy is unique in Mexico
because of its dual-language program. Teachers and students there
speak fluent English and Spanish. There are 480 high-school students
enrolled in school.

The institution is also unique in that students are able to take the
ACT college entrance exam and compete in sports against schools in
Arizona, Texas and other parts of the United States.
Many students attend American universities after they graduate from
the academy.

Aragon, who attended the academy during the mid-1860s, said it is
because of Academia Juárez that other people have learned about
Colonia Juárez people and culture.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com;546-6362.

AZMEX EXTRA SEDENA 1-2-12

AZMEX EXTRA SEDENA 1 FEB 2012

Note: Some important information from Mexican Secy of Defense, worth
filing away for future use. They have the details on all of the
items listed, including make, model, and s/n. Another somewhat less
encouraging statistic is the low number of troops committed or able
to commit given the tenuous situation.

Note: destroying F&F evidence? Or the usual buy back type junkers?
In the past Mex. army documented all such actions.

Puerto Vallarta, Jal., To January 31, 2012.
Military personnel carried out destruction of seized weapons

The Ministry of National Defense through the Commander of Military
Region V and 40 / a. Military Zone informs the public, within the
framework of the Comprehensive Strategy of the Mexican state against
Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime, this date will be held in the
facilities of this military camp, the destruction of various weapons
secured by authorities of the three levels of government, in the
amounts indicated:

- 203 rifles.
- 146 handguns.
- 199 magazines for different weapons.
- 5.522 cartridges of various calibers.
- weapons accessories .

Through these actions, the Ministry of National Defense, reaffirms
its commitment to the people of Mexico, drug trafficking and
frontally combat organized crime for the benefit of Mexican society
and strict adherence to human rights, inviting the general public to
continue denouncing any offense to mobile 01 800 3224 141 and (322)
29 00 703 and e-mail address: denuncia.41zm @ @ sedena.gob.mx
denuncia.18cine mail.sedena.gob.mx and ensuring that your report is
confidential and will help restore calm to the population Jalisco and
Nayarit

-0-0-0-0-0 -

Note: interesting statistics, someone should ask for the details.

Culiacan, Sin., To January 29, 2012.
The Mexican Army and Air Force obtained important results in Military
Region III.

The National Defense Secretariat reports that in the framework of the
Comprehensive Strategy of the Mexican state against Drug Trafficking
and Organized Crime, complying with the instructions issued by the C.
Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, President and Supreme Commander of the
Armed Forces, in the sense forcefully combat this social problem, to
recover public spaces, ensuring security and peace of Mexicans, the
Mexican Army and Air Force engaged in temporary and subsidiary role
in support of public safety entities that require it.

As part of these actions in order to limit criminal activities
carried out by criminal organizations, the National Defense
Secretariat maintains deployed around the country more than 45,000
troops, engaged in various operations, among which those of high
impact such as: "Coordinated Chihuahua," "Northeast," "Michoacan,"
"La Piedad", "Isthmus", "Lake Safe" and "Culiacán-Navolato-
Guamuchil", same with those contributing to the achievement the
results obtained during the present administration.

Among the national results, we mention that the Mexican Army and Air
Force have arrested in flagrante delict 41.992 people, also have
secured more than 9,300 tons of marijuana, 34 ½ tons of cocaine,
nearly a ton of heroin, 3 ½ tons of opium gum, 46 tons of
methamphetamine and 13 million 558,586 psychotropic pills, destroying
636,994 marijuana and 413,000 poppy plants

Likewise, securing 41,476 land vehicles, 520 aircraft, 192 boats/
ships, 107,603 weapons, 8,661 grenades, 10 million 943 thousand 535
cartridges, 172,859,923 USD, 328,652,172 Pesos, 655 drug
laboratories, 3,615 clandestine airstrips.

In this sense, under the direct command of the Commander of Military
Region III, in the states of Sinaloa and Durango, have done search
and information gathering, planning and execution of operations,
implemented in this jurisdiction from 13 May 2008, "Operation
Culiacan-Navolato-Guamuchil" with the mission strongly affect the
control structures, address, financial, operational and logistics of
criminal groups that are present in these institutions.

This Regional Operations are committed to strengthen and permanently
11,010 troops and 1,595 vehicles, in close coordination with all
units within the deployment of the Territorial Command, have made
significant arrests, seizures of drugs, weapons, vehicles , cash and
supplies used for the offenses of various kinds, as well as the
destruction of plantations of drugs, as indicated below:

Arrests affected its management structure and control.

They managed to stop and make available to the appropriate
authorities to 4,144 individuals, among which are:

Alfredo Beltran Leyva (a) "The Mochomo", considered one of the main
bosses in the structure of the organization "Guzman Loera", arrested
on January 21, 2008.
Noel Salgueiro Nevares (a) "El Flaco Salgueiro", founder and leader
of "Gente Nueva" criminal group of the criminal organization "Guzman
Loera", arrested on October 4, 2011.
Ovidio Sánchez Limón, a major operator of the criminal organization
"Guzman Loera", arrested on November 9, 2011.
Felipe Cabrera Sarabia (a) "Inge", a lieutenant of the organization
"Pacific Cartel", arrested on December 23, 2011.

The first three arrested in this city of Culiacan, Sin. and the last
of those named in the state of Durango, were the result of
specialized work of analysis and monitoring of drug trafficking
organizations that allowed the realization of precision operations,
designed, prepared and conducted by the troops of conventional units
and forces belonging and special reinforcement of this Region III,
10 / a. and 9 / a. Military Zones.

The seizures thus affected their logistical and financial structure.

305,942 marijuana plants.
122,49 poppy plants.
4,481 tons of marijuana.
337 kilograms of heroin.
745 kilograms of opium gum.
15 tons of methamphetamine.
687,725 psychotropic pills.
169 clandestine laboratories.
959 airstrips.
346 aircraft.
6.949 land vehicles.
30 million 603 thousand 235 pesos national currency.
And 59,959,116 USD.

In this category the following historical results stand out:

The seizure of 26 million 202 thousand 176 USD, the September 14,
2008, in Culiacan, Sin.
The seizure of 90 kilograms of heroin, December 3, 2008, in
Badiraguato, Sin.
And the seizure of a complex for the processing of synthetic drugs
and marijuana constituted with 22 facilities located on 240 hectares
in the mountainous area of ​​the municipality of Tamazula,
Durango., The August 7, 2009.

Similarly, it is necessary to specify the number of clandestine
laboratories and psychotropic insured, allow the observation that
drug trafficking has taken a turn in the production of narcotics such
as marijuana and opium poppies to make way for increased production
of synthetic drugs, because for the development of the latter require
less space for production, reduced production time, stored in the
same place, transport and distribution areas less likely to be
located, because they can hide more easily than a plantation and
mainly generate illicit profits, and that a ton of marijuana illegal
resources obtained approximately 4 million pesos, while a ton of
methamphetamine obtained about 300 million pesos.

Impact on operational structure.

21,668 weapons.
One million 24 thousand 987 cartridges of various calibers.

It is important to note that in the performance of the tasks assigned
to the Institute Armed military personnel repelled in the states of
Sinaloa and Durango 205 armed attacks on members of organized crime
which has arrested 243 offenders, 162 offenders and unfortunately
died 42 of them wounded, who were immediately provided appropriate
medical care to preserve his life.

In this context, the activities of military personnel in support of
public safety function, are in strict accordance with the law, always
respecting the human rights of people, the proof is that of the 712
complaints filed National Commission of Human Rights against military
personnel in this demarcation, once they were treated in a timely
manner, only 8 resulted in recommendation.

For these reasons, the Mexican Army and Air Force reaffirmed their
commitment to continue working with the same energy and enthusiasm
that have prevailed in all operations are carried out, to show
respect to the memory of military personnel who have given their
lives the line of duty in putting the interests of the nation to its
very existence, and for the sole purpose of serving in the same way
the people of Mexico with the certainty that the confidence will not
be disappointed that the Mexican forces have placed in their Armed
with the assurance that when any member of the Armed Institute does
not conduct according to law, is investigated and punished,
regardless of rank, position or commission, as our institution is not
tolerated in any way acts contrary to the laws, or allowed impunity
or opacity.

-0-0-0-0-0 -