Tijuana: 18 Dead Since Sunday

I would like to preface this article by telling the BB readers that the details for this particular story have been changing since these events began on Sunday, hence the delay in publishing this article. At the moment, these are the facts that can be confirmed.

Tijuana violence escalates.

October 14 – There are 18 the confirmed deaths since a wave of violence that began last weekend.

Sunday

Gunmen attacked a barbecue around 7:45 in colonia Infovit Latinos. The assailants and their victims were standing on the patio and according to police reports, they had been guests at the party before an incident occurred that resulted in the gunfire that killed four people. The killers quickly left in a Jetta and as of this post, there have been no reports of their arrest. The victims have been identifies by the office of the General Prosecuter (PGR).

The first victim identified was Ángel Cruz Valdobinos, age 21, convicted and deported for the sale of methamphetamine in Los Angeles, California. Second was David Cruz Valdovinos, age 26, also had prior convictions; these were for carjacking, transporting illegal firearms, and home invasion. He was currently employed as a taxi driver for Angel Cruz. The third victim was José Manuel Barragán Tapia, age 23, who had no prior arrest record, same as the fourth victim in the massacre, Manuel Alejandro Romero Lizárraga, age, 24.

In reference to the name mentioned, Angel Cruz Voldobinos; he is the proprietor of a taxi serving known as Taxi Libres. He was detained about two or three years ago in the U.S. for illegally transporting money, a service for which he was paid $500 per trip..

Hypothesis

The prosecutor has put forth this hypothesis for the crime, suggesting that Cruz Valdobinos had not payed the right people protection money for his illicit activities and this killings were a settling of accounts.The party were the killings took place may have also been a well known tiendita or drug house and the base of operations for the transport of illegal substances, which were delivered by the taxi service. It is believed that David Cruz was the point man of this operation, which the PGR stated “At a glance there was quite a bit of paraphernalia present to suggest these individuals had everything necessary to package and sell drugs.”

Also on Sunday

• In Ensenada, Captain Jose Manuel Hernandez Riofrio, who had been kidnapped from the Ensenada Port four day prior (El Mex says it was three days) was found decapitated inside of a vehicle parked on Avenida Reforma by the funeral home.

• In colonia Mexico which is located in the ZONA CENTRAL two people found shot inside of their vehicle. The initial gun blasts were reported by people in the area, both victims are in serious condition

Monday

• 21:40 - Jesús Roberto Pérez Castro, age 37 was found shot to death on Sexta street, also in colonia Libertad.
• 20:00 - Three men were executed on an avenue Tres de Octubre, another street in colonia Libertad. They were victims of a drive-by which was perpetrated by at least seven men armed with AK-47's and traveling in a black Ford Explorer. The men tried to escape the assault by running into a store but two of them died before reaching the door to the establishment. The other was fatally wounded and died on route to the hospital. They were later identified as Alberto Estudillo Mercado, age 42, José Manuel Márquez Blanco, age 50. The third victim has not been identified, but is a male between the age of 35 and 40.
• 19:00 - A man is shot dead at the Macroplaza on Boulevard Insurgentes and Avenida Manuel Clouthier. The victim was about to get into his vehicle when gunmen opened fire on him near an ejido Maclovio Rojas
• 14:30 - José Manuel Mojica Aguilera is executed on September 16^th avenue which is between Lucio Cabañas and Hortensia Hernández streets in the area known as Maclovio Rojas
• 02:00 - Two bodies were found semi-nude, decapitated, and hung from the PEMEX bridge in a neighborhood known as Rosarito. According to police officials, one man was hung by his arms, the other by his feet. The heads were found in a grey Takoma truck that was parked near the structure, not far from the bridge itself. This incident occurred in the colonia Libertad.

Tuesday

• 21:45 - A body was almost hung from a bridge known as El Mirador. The killers failed to secure the corpse as they attempted to lower it, and it fell to the base of the structure. The head was not found, at the scene police recovered an abandoned truck with Sinaloa license plates. After dawn, investigators found a body in vehicle with Jalisco license plates, along with the head of the victim, which was found wrapped in plastic.

• 15:45 - A man dies in a hale of bullets in front of his domecile in colonia Obrera Tercera Seccion. The unidentified man is between 30 – 35 years of age, and has several gang tattoos including names such as Fabian, Chuy, Kenya, and Sylvia. Also the letters PMRC and a logo that reads Made in Mexico.
• 14:00 - A human head of a 22 year old man was found wrapped in black plastic bags which had been thrown from a vehicle on the Fast Track West, colonia 20 de Noviembre. Attached to the head was a narco message printed on what looks like hot pink construction paper. Shortly after wards, a van was located in the same area with plastic bags inside which matched the type that the head was wrapped in. The message read: This happened to me for hanging out/being a part of los Aquiles.

• 13:40 - Ulises Castañeda Payán, age 35 , is found dead inside his home in an area called Cañadas del Florido

Thursday

- Gunfire in ejido Lázaro Cárdenas has left one person dead and one seriously injured.

Hypothesis

Authorities suspect the series of executions that began on Sunday were part of an elimination of narcomenudisitas (drug dealers) who worked for various cells operating in the city. Thursday raises an unconfirmed total of 18 murders. There is a new conflict between the forces of Héctor Guajardo Hernández, alias El Guicho, and Fernando Sánchez Arellano El Ingeniero. It is also important to note that the trucks with Sinaloa and Jalisco license plates that were left at the scene of the decapitated bodies found at the El Mirador bridge may be yet another sign of El Chapo's involvement on behalf of El Guicho in his war against El Ingeniero.

Los Aquiles

Different rumors suggest that a sicario known as Aquiles was part of one of the surviving hit squads of EL Teo and El Ingeniero. Police sources also confirm that these rogue CAF cells have maintained their drug distribution network. Information from the letter found with the head thrown form the vehicle in conlonia 20 de Noviembre reveal the killers thought that man worked for another person known as La Rana (frog) and according to AFN, his real name is Rene Azarte, brother of Alfonso Azarte, alias EL Aquiles. The message suggests the Azarte brothers started of their criminal careers working for El Cholo, real name Jorge Brinceno, before moving on to los Albinales (people of Fernando Sanchez Arellano), Then for los Teos, “and now theywork for themselves; executing, kidnapping, and trafficking drugs.”

Sources: AFN,