A scheduled concert of the musical group Los Tucanes de Tijuana announced for last Saturday night at the border town of Tijuana was cancelled by order of the City authorities, after the Secretary of Public Security, Julián Leyzaola , asked the Mexico Attorney General to investigate members of that group, for possible links to organized crime espeficially with the capo Teodoro Garcia Simental, known as the "Tres Letras" or "El Teo" and his operator Raydel López Uriarte, alias "El Muletas."
Following statements by the Secretary for Security, who was visibly upset and even called for the return of the "death penalty" for offenders who have executed several officers. The authorities asked the band's promoter Juan Manuel Perez to cancel the scheduled concert for the night at the stadium Caliente.
There was an argument only known as informal that the permit that was granted for the event was only for the rest of the bands that had been announced, but not for Los Tucanes de Tijuana, which worried the agency as it turned out had sold more than eleven thousand tickets.
The event promoters had sought a meeting with the Minister of Public Safety, Julian Leyzaola, claiming that Mario Quintero, representative and author of the lyrics of their songs, wanted a meeting to explain the "why" of their interpretations.
However, the Secretary, through his spokesman, was firm and emphatic in his denial: "I will not talk or nor do I have anything to say to them, besides is not the police authority that extends the permissions. What I said is already there," he said. The Lieutenant Colonel, expressed his point of view about what Los Tucanes and other musical bands narrate through their narco-corridos.
It was a video the cause of all.
On November 16 the "Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias" released a video that was "uploaded" on Youtube on the 5th, where Los Tucanes interpret a new song that had not been previously released and praises Raydel López Uriarte, aka "El Muletas" who the Tucanes portrait as the "bravest of the brave." The lyrics include lines of the following tone: "Muletas, how you have grown. The law can't do anything to you. They dread you, my friend."
The Song of Los Tucanes, in addition to praising this individual who works under the command of Teo Garcia Simental, they also sang about specific facts as to the type of weapons the sicario carries like the "50 caliber" and his "faithful R15." Likewise, he states that with "con su puño y letra" (with their fist and letter) they talk about the intimate versus in messages of intimidation that drug cartels leave to the police. They also talk through the song about moving with their reinforced "trokona" (truck or large unit).
The video on Youtube where the narco-corrido was used to send a warning to the army, also noted that the army seized the offender's trucks, only four units that had been cloned to look like military vehicles were recovered, but 20 still remained that they must cope with.
The authorities have valid concerns through evidence that the Tucanes have at minimum allowed members of organized crime to use their music to threaten police and military.This might not be just a band singing about activities of a drug cartel but actually participating directly in the same manner organize crime has used narco banners and narco grafitti to attempt to intimidate law enforcement.
The question remains, did they merely get paid to send their message in the song on behalf of the cartel or do they actually have a personal realtionship with the capos of the Tijuana cartel? Either way it's equally concerning.
Many times the drug cartels hire the "big acts" for their private parties like weddings, birthdays and quincianeras. Mario Quintero has himself admitted playing for the drug lords at their private parties but maintains that he did not know they were part of organized crime. That denial is hard to swallow. The Tucanes are a very succesful music band and do not have problems finding a venue, one has to question why they would be willing to perform at these private parties. Two reasons are obvious, they are either doing it for the money or as a favor for personal friends.
The group hit the headlines last year when a suspect described by law enforcement authorities as a member of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel said that his bosses had subsidized Los Tucanes and other norteño groups.
Los Tucanes shrug off such accusations, conceding they might have unknowingly performed for members of the Arellano Felix cartel at a private party, but haven't met them personally. "We haven't had the pleasure," Quintero says.
"Everybody criticizes them, but they don't take into account their generosity, their philanthropy," Quintero says of the powerful drug cartels, said to have built roads and schools in rural communities and known to have contributed sums to the Catholic Church. "We respect these people; we admire them."
There has certainly been a change when it comes to "Los Tucanes" and Tijuana. The Tijuana cartel has split in to two cells and Teo Garcia Simental leading one of the fragmented cells has made alliances with "Chapo" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa cartel. This might explained the sudden "come back" of the Tucanes to TJ. Suddenly a Sinaloa based band, Los Tucanes, have forged a sympathetic interest in the "Teo" clan as is evident in their recent music. But it was never like this before.
Los Tucanes for many years have kept out of Tijuana. Some say that they have not been here since 2003 and others say they were present two years ago at another concert. What seems to be true (says AFN) that they have not stepped foot on this border because they were "threatened" with death by the Arellano Felix cartel. Los Tucanes are from Sinaloa, the home turf of the Sinaloa cartel and the rival gang of the Tijuana cartel. But with the fall of the Felix clan things have certainly changed in Tijuana.
This is the city from where the band adopted its name because it made them "prosperous men" or at least their lider Mario Quintero, who has always maintained that his lyrics are taken from articles in the newspapers.
They use to be and is not known if they are still the owners of Centro de Espectáculos “El Alamar” next to the main bus station in the city of Tijuana. In their heydays in the city there were several art events at the Centro including concerts of themselves as well as meetings with political parties.
At another time during a search that was conducted by federal police in 2004 following the arrest of Efraín Pérez Pazuengo “el Efra” and Aureliano Félix “El Macumba,” they found inside a "safe house" alongside all the weapons of the cartel, the official propaganda and personal staff badges of members of Los Tucanes.
Following these events and the apparent threat they were absent from the city and they are now preparing for their big comeback, which frustrated the security chief in Tijuana.
Los Tucanes had already sung to "El Muletas", mocking the escape he realized when they attempted to capture him in Mariscos Godoy.
This is the original video. The pictures of the cloned vehicles and gunmen dressed as soldiers were taken by the narcos with a cellphone. At the end of the video you can read a message that says; ''You only found 4 of my trucks, take it as a gift, I have another 20 of them.''
Lyrics of another song. Did "El Muletas" pay the Tucanes to write these songs?
El MuletasLe cayeron 200 agentes lo rodearon en el restaurante se peló del lugar en caliente a balazos salió el traficante no pudieron llevárselo preso R15 que bien te portaste.
Otra vez se burló del gobierno le volvieron a pelar los ojos se les fue de las manos de nuevo les quedó claro que es poderoso sigue dándoles guerra El Muletas y ahora se ha vuelto más peligroso.
Jefe a cargo del comando negro brazo armado del cártel mafioso a cualquiera se le quita el hipo cuando el hombre se pone furioso trae la escuela del jefe 8-9 por los hechos se ha vuelto famoso con su chanate lanza granadas es más bravo que un perro rabioso en su troca blindada va y viene personalmente atiende el negocio.
Cuando quiere recorre la plaza no le importa que lleguen soldados lo acompaña su equipo de casa un convoy de hombres encapuchados y aunque lo anda buscando el gobierno los trabajos se llevan acabo.
A la orden compadre Tres Letras la tercera no fue la vencida aquí sigo vivito y coleando al servicio de la compañía me tendrán que seguir soportando mis colegas de la policía.
Ya conocen mi temperamento saben bien que yo no ando con juegos me volví demasiado violento por que ustedes así lo quisieron si ya no quieren que haya más muertos vale más que le bajen de huevos el mensaje lo manda El Muletas y lo firma su compadre Teo pa servirles el de las tablitas y Raydel mi nombre verdadero.
Media Sources:
"Tijuana band has fans hooked on drug-war ballads."3.30.98 Sandra Dibble SD UT.
"Que cantemos corridos, no quiere decir que estemos involucrados"
Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias (AFN).
Corrido Narco Influence
Chuntaro
Youtube Video:
Eight arrested, 20 assault rifles and thousands of cartridges confiscated after the shootout at Loma Dorada, Tijuana.
I don't think this people have anything to do whit organized crime. But is hard for the policed not to get mad when the Tucanes music glorify the cop killers. Is like a slap in when the Tucanes ask for police protection for the concert.
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