CJNG vs Sinaloa: Tijuana Police under threat and attack as violence explodes -part 2

Translation by BB Contributor Benny Juarez-republished article from Zeta
Part 1 link here

Cartel Jalisco settled in Tijuana; controls a third of the city

The guys from Sinaloa settled in Tijuana stemming from their intervention in the internal conflict of

the Arellano Felix Cartel (CAF), transpiring between 2008 and 2011. They provided economic relief as well as reinforcements.  They sent people that operated for both sides.

In addition to Victor Hugo Mejia Lopez “El Griego” (The greek), currently active in homicides operating for the Sinaloa Cartel,  the security council has detected Juan Carlos Parra Dominguez “El Java” and another man who is only referred to as “El Diablito” (Little Devil)

The Coordination Group had long denied the presence of CJNG and did not contest their presence effectively.

In September of 2015, when CJNG was designated by the Secretary of Security of Baja California, Daniel de la Rosa, as only being "distraction," CJNG was already utilized by CAF to restructure  and were already settled and in control of territory in Tijuana. This,  with support from local traffickers that previously operated with the Arellano’s or Sinaloa.

According to information held by the Coordination Group, the group from Jalisco started by controlling the Sánchez Taboada delegacion (*a “Delegacion” is sort of like a county), today they have expanded their criminal influence to other delegations such as “La presa”, “Presa Rural” mainly in “El Florido”, “Cañadas”, “Terrazas and Villas del Campo” in terms of territory percentage, this means about a third of the municipal territory. In addition, they control a part of “Tecate” In that whole area they focus their narcotic distribution points.

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Modus Operandi

The members of the Security Council know about at least two meetings held between local traffickers and people of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera" El Mencho ",(*El mencho is a slang used to call someone a dummy but not in an offensive way. It is ironic because Nemesio Oseguera is the farthest thing from a dummy.)

One of these meetings took place in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and another at the Expo Hotel in Mariano Otero street located in “Jardines del Bosque, Guadalajara, Jalisco, all the way from Tijuana Jesus Yocupicio  " El Cabezon " (The big head) and two other members who only were identified as " William Levy " and "La Mireya".

These are third level criminals,  above them are individuals who came to the city as entrepreneurs and investors, who change states constantly and move with their families in order to fool authorities.

Upon reaching the city they will fight for, they visit the places frequented by old families of the area, seeking information from local businesses and invest in them to launder their money.

“The drug product arrives from Jalisco and Sinaloa in hidden compartments of private vehicles as well as cargo transport in bigger vehicles. The drug transporting vehicles arrive somewhere in Mexicali, where from there the workers of “El Cabezon” Yocupicio, transport it to Tijuana and Tecate for its distribution. They have active contacts in the different corporations that are settled in Tijuana, to protect and filter information regarding operatives and arrests in their areas of influence”.  This is what the report in hands of the authorities indicates.

About the money laundering the report indicates: “Deposits of $50,000 pesos are made in Bancoppel with different accounts from people that allow the use of their  names, the destination is Sinaloa. Also “saldazo” accounts in the OXXOS (similar to 7-11’s). This is done on a daily basis. According to intelligence facts there is an account belonging to a company called “Solana Guadalajara, SA de CV”, which gets amounts over 150,000 pesos deposited to several times a week.

Street operators for CJNG

For local authorities, Hector Manuel Morales Guzman “El Gallero”, “El Rooster” o “El Gabino”, is the principal head of the local movements. This man has a previous antecedent such as being arrested with a calibre.38 revolver and six rounds, the arrest took place near the Calle Acuario in the colonia Sanchez Taboda in June of 2012. 

Under the criminal authority of Morales, The coordination group believes the criminal leadership is divided into four groups.

1.  Jesus Rafael Yocupicio and / or Jesus Rafael Córdova García- Responsible for the transfer and distribution to the United States in Tijuana. 27 years old, a native of Huatabampo , Sonora. Authorities place him as criminal since he was 23 years old, associated with activities related to drug sales in a group headed by former municipal police Jesus Ismael Cruz Lopez "El Tomate " who committed crimes for a group that split off of CAF which was led  by Eduardo Garcia Simental " El Teo ". Law enforcement has identified Alfredo Beltran " Compadre " , Adan Castillo " Shore " and Cuauhtemoc Arandas " Tatema " as his accomplices.

2.  Arturo Gómez Herrera “El Gross” His task was to control the “Sanchez Taboda’ zone and fight

off “The Aquiles gang” He is originally from Tijuana, is 30 years old and serves as operator of the Sinaloa cartel that changed groups.

He has been arrested and subsequently freed on two different occasions one in 2011 and another in 2015,  both for possession of fire arms. Statements from his accomplices place him as responsible for dozens of deaths, the PGJE has requested four arrest warrants against him however, and all have been rejected by several judges. 

Authorities indicate that his criminal associates are Edgar Herrera Pardo "El Zame" or " Caiman" Samuel Deraz "Canesten" and Loreto Capoema "El Versi"

3. Juan José Pérez Vargas “El Piolín”. He is also responsible for control in Tijuana. He is American and is 34 years old. Born in San Diego, California. Arrested and freed in 2007 and 2011 once for arms possession and also for vehicle theft. Previously identified as member of the Sinaloa Cartel, now he is placed as one of the leaders of CJNG, with strong relationships in Jalisco. To the government his operators are Reynaldo Solano “Cabo”, Felipe Cárdenas “Pinpom” y Alberto Fajardo “El Fajo”.

4. Jesus Alfonso Trapero Ibarra. He is responsible for criminal control in Tecate. He is 32 years old, born in Navolato, Sinaloa, an ex-municipal cop in Tijuana retired in 2009, captured for vehicle theft in 2012 and again in 2015 for possession of another stolen vehicle. "He started working in 2009 for Teo's cell (who was arrested in January of 2010). He later joined the cell of “Atlante” ( Alfonso Lira , captured in September of 2014 ) on the Tecate’s side, responsible for the zone and to contact and link with bad (corrupted) police members.  Mainly in Tijuana", the authorities allege. Dionisio Santiago "Pelon”, Francisco Pulido "La Tigresa" and Julio Rojas "El Morgan" have been indicated as his criminal associates.

Authority passive and reactive

After the disgruntled reactions of the men in charge of civilian organized groups complaining about security for the state, when it was publicly known about the three dismembered bodies at the Benitez Boulevard, members of the coordination group reiterated that they keep working, they have sent flyers, they offered information about their results and stated they are seeking 61 subjects.  These are  men and women suspected of being related to homicides, they are people from all three Cartels: CAF, Sinaloa and CJNG.

The Federal Government had ordered on August 31 the implementation of special operations in 50 municipalities, including Tijuana and Mexicali, basically consisting with the implementation of three cross-departmental panels one for communications, one for investigations, and one more for intelligence to search and locate specific criminals in coordination. Other than these implementations, nothing is new.

In fact the panels were established on Thursday September 1st, when the severed bodies were dropped in the morning hours of September 3rd, and the Coordination group did not establish any special operative, they decided to follow their own agenda and scheduled an operative in different residential areas of the city to look for automobile thieves.

The question was asked to members of the Coordination group and the council for citizen security,  if the federation was committed to go after the heads of the three trafficking cartels which are generating the violence and they all answered: "No”

Solely instructions have been given to state prosecutors to prosecute those allegedly responsible for the killings, not to aggressively pursue the cartel leaders.