Blog dedicated to reporting on Mexican drug cartels
on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Saturday, March 14, 2020

Zetas Member Involved in 2011 Murder of US Agent Zapata Arrested in Nuevo León


"Morogris" for Borderland Beat
Suspect's mugshot; eyes blurred by Mexican officials
A Zetas hitman involved in the 2011 murder of U.S. federal agent Jaime Zapata was captured yesterday. His name is Ángel Christian (last names not provided) and he is 30 years old. Authorities stated that the suspect kept a low-profile and worked in a local factory.

Ángel Christian was first arrested in March 2011 with fourteen other Zetas members, including a financial operator known as Mario Jiménez Pérez ("El Mayito"). All of them were implicated in the attack against Zapata and his colleague Víctor Ávila, who survived the armed attack. Investigators said that all suspects were part of a San Luis Potosí-based cell of Los Zetas.

He was imprisoned in Veracruz but was conditionally released shortly thereafter. Ángel Christian was asked to make an appearance in court and sign in front of a judge, but he never showed up. A judge issued an arrest warrant for his capture. Upon his re-arrest, he was imprisoned in a penitentiary in San Luis Potosí.


2011 attack
The stakes for the U.S. government in Mexico's drug war were raised on 15 February 2011, when two U.S. federal agents - Jaime Zapata and Víctor Ávila - were victims of an attack by members of Los Zetas in a highway in San Luis Potosí.

U.S. agent Jaime Zapata
At least 15 gunmen reportedly erected a fake military checkpoint and surrounded the agents' car by ramming their vehicles into theirs.  The gunmen then opened fire, killing Zapata and injuring Ávila. The agents were travelling from Laredo, Texas, to Mexico City in a SUV bearing diplomatic plates while on official work assignment.

The motives behind the attack were never clearly established; the U.S. government stated that the Zetas members were hijacking vehicles to use for their cartel operations and that their two agents were victims of such activity.

Ávila stated that the Zetas members knew they were U.S. officials but proceeded to attack them anyways. The detainees, however, claimed that they were unaware of their identities and believed they were members of a rival drug cartel.

Mexican authorities arrive at the crime scene after the shootout 
The attack was the first murder of a U.S. agent in Mexican soil since the killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who was murdered by Guadalajara Cartel members in 1985.

Recent updates
Last month, Borderland Beat reported that two Zetas member convicted of the attack had their sentences vacated and are due for limited re-sentencing in a lower court.

They were previously serving life imprisonment in the U.S. but their attorneys stated that there was no physical evidence tying them to the shootout and that the only evidence presented by the prosecution was from other Zetas members who testified against them.

Many of them were collaborating with U.S. officials for a soother sentence to avoid life imprisonment without parole.

SourceEl Norte (published 13 March 2020)
Secondary source(s): USDOJNBC NewsUnivision

15 comments:

  1. BS.
    how many were involved
    puro pedo
    just a guy off street
    takun heat

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is the bribes that genaro Luna was gettin to let everybody know about dea raids in mexico

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. not likely...Mexico doesn't extradite without agreement that death penalty is off the table

      Delete
  4. Gracias, Señor Holder.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our Mexican system is so tops, "conditionally released shortly thereafter . . . was asked [ask a criminal murderer, oh, someone in the judiciary had a screw loose] to make an appearance, but he never showed." Duh, who could have guessed that would happen. Then more manpower wasted to go find him again; wonder what he was doing while waiting to be "asked" to grace the court with his appearance, perhaps helping old ladies with their groceries jajaja. Should have been shot on sight in the first place, but you all know, he had his rights, geez. Well sure, we all need to have our rights, but why is it that mostly the bad guys get theirs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. love your comment 😙
      i agree

      Delete
  6. screw arrest they should have just shot him

    ReplyDelete
  7. Can it officially be said that this individual was involved in the killing? Testimonies from those could have been fabricated? Such testimonies here in the US against others have been found to be coerced.
    Doubt the evidence collected by Mexican officials for analysis is reliable like those of the US. Lack of technology & technicians are noted.
    Interesting to see his conviction based on coercion and no physical evidence.


    ReplyDelete
  8. From what I understand the zeta members attacking the us agents, where under orders to gather suitable vehicles for their criminal operations and that is why they stopped the agents.

    ReplyDelete
  9. BS everybody knows he got set up by his own agency

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The CIA set him up"
      Here is one of the herd

      Delete
    2. Ground control to Anon 912,commencing countdown,wake up 912 your gibbering again,you just gibbered your drawers.
      The CIA arent really chasing you,there is a man in black over there tho?Hes talkin to a werewolf?

      Delete
  10. This article if true just confirms one thing ... los sinaloenses aren’t the only ones to snitch ... zetas snitched, Jotosiel del CDG snitched, Jaliskas snitched.. every cartel snitches ... that whole “I don’t snitch “ ideology is nothing but small time hood mentality .. all these cartel bosses are snitching and still getting respect in the joint

    ReplyDelete
  11. So on march the 5th the ayotzinapa's parents had a meeting with AMLO and in that meeting amlo said he was gonna clear everything up and encarserate everybody envolved up to the top! "Caiga quien caiga he said" (who ever has to fall will fall) hopefully he keeps his promise if he does ill respect him for that! Chiva you should try and do a post on that, try to find if its true with all you conectas

    ReplyDelete

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