For the past month, a shot up pick-up truck has rested here. Mexico cartel shootout leaves 18 dead. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Several cartels are fighting for the area's lucrative retail drug trade, including the Jalisco cartel and the a gang allied with the Gulf cartel. Mexican drug kingpin gunned down by military helicopter The state now appears firmly in the hands of the CJNG. Although he acknowledged that this fight will not be easy. Residents abandoning cars and burning vehicles are seen on multiple roads. Authorities report confrontation in Guayabitos, within the Nayarit Ramon Perez, a retired teacher, says the governor did the right thing in closing the schools. The public safety department in Zacatecas state said the policemens bodies were found Wednesday morning in the state capital, also known as Zacatecas. In these times, These kind of filth will will only end when EL PUEBLO (THE PEOPLE) stand up. Cienfuegos surprise detention, and even more unexpected release, is emblematic of the deeply intertwined nature of military power, political influence and economic opportunity both licit and illicitin Mexico. In October 2013, Veytia even provided security at a wedding at Santa Mara del Oro lake, where Juan Francisco Patrn Snchez and Hctor Beltrn Leyva, were entertained by famous norteo singer Remmy Valenzuela. All the businesses locked their doors, Garcia says. If Sinaloans dominated the higher echelons of the Nayarits drug trade, from the 1980s growing numbers of Nayarit natives also began to move from drug production into the more profitable business of trafficking. We have definitely noticed an increased presence of Mexican security forces , a few clashes with the military, and even a case where suspected drug cartel gunmen abducted two off-duty female soldiers at gunpoint. The heavily indigenous highlands that were the backbone of 19th-century rebellion, are today one of Mexicos primary opium-growing zones, thanks to a combination of widespread and severe poverty, rugged, mountainous topography, and the limited, ineffective and often corrupt presence of state and federal authorities. Obtendr un diploma con estadsticas de nivel, progresin y participacin. It borders eight other states. Veytias arrest led the Mexican Federal prosecutors office and lawmakers in Nayarit to open a joint investigation into Sandoval in mid-2017. Photograph: For many, Cienfuegos arrest and subsequent release is a conspicuous symbol of the intrinsic corruption that plagues the militarized drug war strategy. He used his power to amass enormous landholdings and expand his own personal ranching operations. Nor were skirmishes between rival traffickers, and the killing of state officials on the orders of organized crime, unheard of in the state. Soon after, the house was surrounded by "a greater force" of heavily armed gunmen and the troops withdrew. Disfrute de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas. He used his power to amass enormous landholdings and expand his own personal ranching operations. He says everyone dropped to the floor for cover, and eventually the staff herded all the customers into the kitchen. [5] Authors own fieldnotes from the Sierra de Nayarit. There have been signs that the situation in Quintana Roo state, where all the resorts are located, was out of control months ago. Rather, it was an organization that not only controlled drug trafficking in Nayarit between 2011 and 2017, but also established close ties with much of the states political elite. In 2019, Veytia was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison in a U.S. drug-trafficking case accusing him of using wiretaps and other law enforcement tools to protect the turf of a drug cartel. But this fall, the arrest of Mexicos former secretary of defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, dragged this small and unassuming state into the spotlight. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madre, Valparaso sits on one of those critical highways. The battle for Zacatecas is part of the larger war to dominate the fentanyl market, which is the largest source of money for the cartels in the United States, said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Fight For Juarez: When Will The Killing End? The difference between a state being a venue for drug production, trafficking, and conflicts between rival cartels, and one in which the cartels have actually taken control of the local authorities (or in which the authorities have in fact become narcos themselves), is an inherently political one. Known to many in Nayarit as El Diablo or La Bestia, Veytia was described by witnesses to his abuses as the military arm of Sandovals governorship, using the Polica Nayaritthe black-uniformed, balaclava-clad paramilitary police he set up as the states main anti-cartel forceas his own personal army. Cartel violence is raging in Mexico - should you cancel your trip? He specializes in modern Mexican history, and is currently studying the connections between the Mexican Revolution of 1910-140, and the Drug War wracking the country today. Far from a law enforcement hero, however, Edgar Veytia was in fact the very picture of a miscreant. Mexico's security secretary, Alfonso Durazo, said the fighting began when about 30 National Guard and army troops patrolling the city were fired on from a house occupied by Ovidio Guzmn Lpez, who is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. One month after the June 24 killings, there have been no arrests. El Chapo has been in jail for more than a year Credit: Getty - Contributor. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. But their relations with El Chapo cooled off after Alfredo Beltrn Leyva was arrested in January 2008. Crime "has gone up a little with extortion, with drug sales to foreigners and Mexicans," the prosecutors office said about the raid. Montes de Oca said eight suspects in the Tulum attack had been detained in possession of firearms. It was this indictment that led to the Cienfuegos arrest in the United States and revealed his place in the Nayarit corruption story. They're shooting!' According to the national newspaper El Universal, 96 people were killed on Monday alone, the highest daily death toll since Calderon declared war on the cartels in December 2006. The strategies that the Mexican government has implemented over the last 15 years have not worked, he said. This Tuesday, a series of clashes between presumed hitmen and agents of different security corporations in Tepic, in the This allowed them, together, to institutionalize corruption, embezzlement, land-grabs and violence, as well as drug production and trafficking, in the area under their joint control. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Further inland is Tepic, the states slightly gritty capital of 330,000, located in an altiplano zone of cane fields and coffee orchards towered over by huge volcanoes. With 239 murders per 100,000 residents, Fresnillo has the highest perception of insecurity in Mexico: more than 96% of its population lives in fear, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Both sides gained from this partnership: Sandoval grew extremely rich, as did Veytia, who earned money from embezzlement, kidnapping, murder-for-hire, extorsion, and the seizure of peasants lands. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Accounts on social networks by witnesses said Patrn offered resistance when he realized he was surrounded and troops called in an Apache helicopter. Joaquin called the attack "a serious blow to the development and security of the state putting the image of the state at grave risk.". 21 das de prueba gratuita de nuestro curso de francs online, Mejore su ingls con EL PAS con 15 minutos al da, Disfrute de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas, Mejore su italiano con EL PAS con 15 minutos al da, Las mejores oportunidades hablan alemn. On October 15, Cienfuegos was detained in Los Angeles on charges including conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in the United States, allegedly working on behalf of the Nayarit-based H-2 Cartel. Cienfuegos denied the charges against him, and after a month of behind-the-scenes wrangling, US attorney general William Barr decided that . [2] Jean Meyer, Breve historia de Nayarit (Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Econmica/El Colegio de Mxico, 2000) Mike Sington, a guest at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, wrote in his Twitter account that "Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing gun. "About 15 people arrived on the beach to assassinate two men who had showed up saying they were the new dealers in the area," the head prosecutor of Quintana Roo state, Oscar Montes de Oca, told the Radio Formula station. Valparasos mayor could not confirm or deny figures given by some residents that were double that. Sam Quinones has revealed that the traffickers who dominate the heroin trade in the US Midwest are all predominantly from Nayarit. ", Sington tweeted "I've never been so scared, literally shaking," before adding "I'm fine now, barricaded in my hotel room for the night, just trying to decompress.". Similar violence is occurring in other states like Michoacn and Guerrero, where residents caught between competing gangs suffer extortion, abductions and killings. WebMEXICO CITY Police have discovered at least 33 human skulls buried in western Mexico, authorities said on Tuesday, the latest grisly find in a region that has suffered On 9 February, Patrn Snchez and seven of his men were killed in a joint operation in suburban Tepic. Patrn assumed a leading role in the organization following the arrests and deaths of the four Beltrn Leyva brothers. "People were yelling, 'They're shooting! Web(Video) Suspected Members of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) Carried Out a Shooting Attack on a Tourist Police Patrol, Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico 04 January Semipresencial en Madrid, Espaa, Maestra en 'Data Management' e Innovacin Tecnolgica 100% en lnea. WebIn Nayarit, he declared, there was no room for organized crime. Homicides fell 75 percent in four years. Public shoot-outs between rival cartel gunmen grew rarer, and by 2016, The installed checkpoint stops vehicles at random and performs preventive checks on their occupants at the Boca de Tomates bridge crossing. VALPARASO, Mexico (AP) When they heard gunfire in the valley, residents locked their doors and cowered inside their homes. In June, two men were shot to death on the beach in Tulum and a third was wounded. Jos Luis Gonzlez Meza, a lawyer speaking on behalf of the Guzmn family, told the AP that "Ovidio is alive and free," but he did not elaborate. A federal grand jury in New York City charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, import and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana between 2013 and 2017. With the death of H2, 107 have now been arrested or killed. If this was the case, we can only imagine what Veytia who thanked Sandoval for his intercession with a gift of Spanish horses worth a million dollars and 300 hectares of recently-seized peasant lands gave to the Secretary of Defense in exchange for his support. ..i dont understand all of these killings and no end to it. Mexican marines use helicopter gunship to kill alleged cartel WebPuerto Vallarta and Nayarit on alert after army kills cartel leader April 23, 2022 9447 Sal N El Chopas, leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generacin Cartel (CJNG) and accused of The operation was a joint effort between Veytias police forces and the Navy, a surprising partnership given previous events. 06/26/2021. El Chapo was tried this year in a U.S. court and sentenced to life in prison. Massive Gun Battle Erupts In Mexico Over Son Of Drug Kingpin 'El Disfruta con nuestros Crucigramas para expertos! He became municipal president of Tepic in 2008, and succeeded Gonzlez to the state governorship in 2011, using the PRIs impressive local political machine, together with a carefully cultivated cowboy image, and assurances that only he could put a stop to the violence then wracking the state, to appeal to Nayarits beleaguered and predominantly rural electorate. Finally, Mexicos largest mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental, completely dominates the western third of the state. He was rumored to have used his bus franchise to smuggle marihuana, as well as heroin processed in laboratories that he operated in Nayarits mountains. In November, a shootout on the beach of Puerto Morelos left two suspected drug dealers dead. 12 dead after gunmen open fire on customers and staff at bar in WebHctor Luis Palma Salazar (born April 29, 1960), commonly known as "El Gero Palma", is a Mexican former drug trafficker and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn and Ismael Zambada Garca. Juan Francisco Patrns brother Jess, who also played a leading role in the organization, was arrested six years ago. Puerto Vallarta and Nayarit on alert after army kills cartel leader For the first time in years, the drug trade in Nayarit received global media attention. Nayarits transformation to an estado narco was tied up with the long history of PRI control in the state, and, more specifically, with the nature of Roberto Sandoval Castaedas tenure as state governor between 2011 and 2017which not coincidentally overlapped with General Cienfuegos term as Secretary of Defense during the PRIista administration of President Pea Nieto, from 2012 to 2018. Three other foreign tourists were wounded in the shooting at a street-side eatery that has some outdoor tables, right off Tulum's main strip. The other was killed on the beach. Thanks for everything. They stayed only because there wasnt any way to go, nor any place.. On October 15, Cienfuegos was detained in Los Angeles on charges including conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in the United States, allegedly working on behalf of the Nayarit-based H-2 Cartel. Cienfuegos denied the charges against him, and after a month of behind-the-scenes wrangling, US attorney general William Barr decided that sensitive and important foreign policy considerations outweighed the case against Cienfuegos, ordering his release so that he may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged in Mexico. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador accused. cartel One man and a woman were found wounded at the scene of the attack, along with five children who had not been wounded. With a total area of a little under 30,000 km2, Nayarit is roughly the size of Massachusetts, and 23rd out of Mexicos 32 federal entities in terms of size. If this had been a lone shootout in this city of 300,000 people, residents might have written it off as a fluke and moved on. Ovidio Guzmn was indicted in 2018 by a grand jury in Washington, along with a fourth brother, for the alleged trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Alleged drug dealers of the Sinaloa cartel are escorted by policemen in Mexico City following their arrests earlier this year. The legacy of this political history and the facts of geography together define Nayarits place in the modern Mexican drug trade. This illicit trade was dominated by Sinaloans, although in many cases they operated from Guadalajara, the state capital of Jalisco. The operation was a joint effort between Veytias police forces and the Navy, a surprising partnership given previous events. Nayarits hugely important agricultural sector has made the state a natural stronghold of the PRI, and in particular of PRI strongmen of a particularly brash and populist bent; only two non-PRI governors have ever run the state (once between 1999-2005, while in 2017 the state flipped to current president Lpez Obradors insurgent MORENA party), while the PRIs stranglehold on municipal-level politics has been even more complete. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about The gunfight took place at a crossroads near Ruiz in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, some In one case he gained a building in an up-and-coming tourism hotspot that was later valued at five million pesos (a quarter million dollars), and in another, threatened to have the farmers of La Peita de Jaltemba, on the Nayarit coast, murdered unless they gave him control of communally-owned village lands. The H-2 Cartel was not some minor group that somehow managed to bribe the countrys top security official. Dramatic videos of the two-hour battle were widely shared online and broadcast on national television, including footage of a naval helicopter gunship raining fluorescent red fire down on a safehouse. Although the drug trade in Nayarit operated with the direct involvement of government representatives at all levels, the army occasionally attacked traffickers and often arrested, tortured and/or imprisoned peasants caught cultivating poppies and marijuana. Web15 Murdered in Tepic Carwash. hide caption. He grew up a dual citizen in San Diego, California, The Beltrn Leyva organization were Sinaloans who had once controlled trafficking in Nayarit and several other areas of western Mexico as part of the wider Sinaloa cartel, until a violent break with El Chapo Guzmn and his allies in 2008the same year that Sandoval and Veytia assumed positions in Tepics municipal government. Two suspected drug dealers were killed after gunmen from competing gangs staged a dramatic shootout near upscale hotels that sent foreign tourists scrambling for cover. The dramatic shooting attack sent tourists scrambling for cover at the resort ", Mexico Seems To Favor Sinaloa Cartel In Drug War. Its a reminder that residents remain in the line of fire even as the army and National Guard patrol the area. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of people have been gunned down in Mexico as drug violence continues to escalate. A federal grand jury in New York City charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, import and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana between 2013 and 2017. The state prosecutors office said the shop specialized in repairing motorcycles. But there is more to the story. In the third mass homicide to jolt Mexico in less than one week at least 15 people were killed in Theres no cellular coverage and just two phone booths, isolation that adds to the uncertainty. Although explicit drug war violence such as inter-cartel warfare and gunfights between soldiers and traffickersdeclined during Veytias time as Nayarits security chief, crime and violence did not in themselves disappear. A detective who apparently was investigating the shootout and was pulled out of Valparaso for his safety was later killed. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. WebThe killings in Zacatecas came one day after prosecutors in Mexicos most violent state, Guanajuato, reported seven men were shot to death at a mechanics shop. He also said one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the attack, but authorities could not determine whether that person was a hotel employee or a guest because they were still undergoing medical treatment. The Mexico Violence Resource Project is a collaborative effort housed at UC San Diegos Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. Rival cartels often kill another gang's street-level dealers in Mexico to eliminate competition and ensure their drugs are sold first. Puerto Vallarta Safe? Crime Rate & Travel Warnings Jose Garcia works at the taxi stand out front, hailing cabs and helping people with their shopping bags. That Edgar Veytia was eventually arrested, tried and convicted for his part in this story, and that an arrest warrant has since been issued for Roberto Sandoval, is somewhat heartening. WebA bullet-ridden sport utility vehicle was taken away after a gun battle with Mexican marines in which an alleged regional drug cartel leader was killed in Nayarit state. It sits halfway up Mexicos Pacific coast, sandwiched between Sinaloa to the north and Jalisco to the south, while its mountainous interior also borders Durango and Zacatecas. Subsequently, in early 2019, the US Treasury Department applied sanctions to Sandoval and his wife and two adult children who have acted or purported to act on his behalf by holding his ill-gotten assets in their names.. Its gunmen also brutalized Nayarits peasant drug growers into accepting their authority,[5] and the lower prices for their merchandise that came with it; and, in an apparent case of mistaken identity, murdered the Sierras first Nayari Catholic priest. Beltrn-Leyva Organization - Wikipedia Nathaniel Morris is researcher at University College London and holds a Ph.D. in history from Oxford University. It split with its enforcers, Los Zetas, by 2010, and the fallout between the two groups had been called the most violent in the history of organized crime in Mexico, according to a 2019 CRS report. Bullets ripped through the children's play area at the adjacent Burger King. Residents said he had been helping them get electricity back after an armed group cut the power to some ranches. The authorities didnt arrive until the next day. From having the second-lowest crime rate in Mexico during the first two months of 2017, Although explicit drug war violence such as inter-cartel warfare and gunfights between soldiers and traffickersdeclined during Veytias time as Nayarits security chief, crime and violence did not in themselves disappear. WebOn the morning of Saturday, March 20th, a violent shootout was reported in the town of Rincn de Guayabitos, which mobilized the municipal, state as well as federal authorities, shooting He was the very image of a Mexican lawman, with a round, jowly face and thick mustache, a pistol shoved into his belt. More troops would be welcome in Zacatecas, though the effectiveness of their patrols is debated. hide caption. It is ironic, then, that it was precisely the Federal governments militarized crackdown on the cartelsand the extreme and generalized violence that accompanied itthat allowed the so-called H-2 cartel to extend its influence to the heart of the government itself; first by gaining unprecedented sway over state authorities in Nayarit, and from there suborning General Cienfuegos Zepeda, the very man supposedly leading Mexicos fight against organized crime. Mexico hide caption. Their activity focused on shipping cocaine from Central and South America to the United States and Europe. [4] But violence related to the drug trade only began to surge in Nayarit after President Calderns 2006 declaration of war on the nations cartels. Everyone ran from beach and swimming pools. Armed attackers killed 10 people in a pool hall in an industrial region of central Mexico plagued by drug cartel-related violence, authorities said Thursday. Some people were locked in the supermarket for more than a hour. Instead, they changed form, as murders, disappearances, abduction, extorsion and land thefts were carried out, may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, https://www.noria-research.com/the-youngsters-are-masters-of-opium/. MEXICO CITY (AP) Authorities in northern Mexico said Wednesday they found the bodies of two abducted police officers hanging from an overpass, and the bodies of seven people shot to death in a neighboring city. What makes Zacatecas worth fighting for is its location. Patrns death comes after increased violence in Nayarit that has seen several killings in the area. Nayarits coast is a tropical zone fringed by mangrove swamps, where fishing and commercial agriculture are the lifeblood of the local economy. They sometimes beat people or tie them up regardless to instill fear. Durazo said the security forces took control of the house and found Guzmn, who is also known as "El Ratn," inside. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC) are dominant in the Nayarit region. ET Heavily armed gunmen went on a shooting rampage through the city of Culiacn, the capital of Sinaloa state on Mexico's Pacific coast, battling security "With the goal of safeguarding the well-being and tranquility of Culiacn society, officials in the security Cabinet decided to suspend the actions," he said. After a two-year trial, Judge Carol Amon found him guilty on these charges on 26 September 2019 and sentenced him to 20 years prison. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. 2011 was even bloodier, with 456 murders recorded across the state. Gunmen stop residents and demand their cell phones to look for information that could tie them to the other cartel. Bernandino Hernandez/AP There was no immediate information on a possible motive in the shootings, but such attacks in Guanajuato in the past have been related to rivalries between drug gangs or street-level drug dealing. Then, in February 2020, and apparently on the basis of evidence given by Veytia as part of a sentencing deal, the U.S. State Department indicted Sandoval, alleging he had misappropriated state assets and received bribes from narcotics trafficking organizations, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) [and] the Beltran Leyva Organization. On 13 November, at the same time as the Mexican government was pressing for the release of General Cienfuegos in the US, the Mexican prosecutors office issued a warrant for Sandovals arrest on charges of embezzlement, graft and corruption. His name was added to INTERPOLs red list, while Mexican President Lpez Obrador urged him to turn himself in and face justice although to date his whereabouts remain unknown. Eduardo Verdugo/AP An employee who answered the phone at the hotel said the shooting occurred on the beach near the facility. Most of them hail more specifically from the town of Xalisco, just outside the state capital of Tepic, where opium gum from Nayarits mountains was processed into black tar heroin and then sent off north for distribution and sale. While it is too early to know the full story, according to court documents Cienfuegos advised Patrn Snchez about US investigations into his activities; as alerted him to the presence of informants within his organization (which led Patrn Snchez to order at least one murder); and made sure his subordinates in the Mexican security forces refrained from interfering in the H-2 cartels operations, including kidnappings, torture, jail-breaks, the trafficking of drugs and weapons, and dozens of murders. 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[3] Similarly, the long coastline and strategic location between Sinaloa and Jalisco that, in the nineteenth century, had made Nayarit a stronghold of the British contrabandists, by the 1960s made the state a strategically important setting for the trafficking of drugs north towards the United States. Rather, it was an organization that not only controlled drug trafficking in Nayarit between 2011 and 2017, but also established close ties with much of the states political elite. WebA shootout between rival Mexican gangs has left at least 28 people dead, officials say. Prosecutors said Friday they have arrested a suspect in that killing. Instead, they changed form, as murders, disappearances, abduction, extorsion and land thefts were carried out en masse by a united front of state officials, police officers, cartel gunmen, andas US allegations against General Cienfuegos attestmembers of the military. It seems that nowhere in the country is immune. The minimum tariff for the release of a loved one abducted by Veytias forces was set at 300,000 pesos (approximately $15,000 USD), although sometimes Veytia also demanded property. US authorities estimated he earned a total of $250 million from such illicit activities. In relation to the events raised on federal highway 200 near the town of Guayabitos in the municipality of Compostela, members of the Mexican Army, Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), National Guard and Municipal Police, are responding , announced the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection in Nayarit.