Chihuahua State Police Commander Killed in Parral; His Companion Was Kidnapped During the Attack

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Luis Raúl Tarango Ávila had 11 years in the Chihuahua State Police. 

Cartel members in Parral, Chihuhahua, killed Luis Raul Tarango Avila ("Alfa Dos"), deputy police chief of this municipality and one of the state police commanders in southern Chihuahua, in a drive-by attack. They also managed to kidnap Aaron Ponce de Leon, an officer who was traveling with Alfa Dos.

Reports say that Alfa Dos was ambushed in the entrance of Parral when he was traveling in his Silverado pick-up truck. At least three vehicles participated in the attack and closed in on him from multiple sides. The truck was found on the side of the road with his body inside.

Residents who witness the shooting said that they saw armed men loitering close to the ambush site two hours prior. They were unable to identify them but said that at least one group was driving a Sentra sedan. Elements from the Chihuahua State Police closed off the entrances and exists of Parral in an effort to locate the suspects, but so far no one has been arrested.

The Chihuahua State Police confirmed that Alfa Dos had survived an assassination attempt in Chihuaua city months prior. They said that the cartel (which was not named) was attacking members at random to pressure the entire police force.

Borderland Beat Analysis

As reported by Borderland Beat, the criminal group that reportedly operates in Parral is Gente Nueva, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. They get many of their reinforcements and support from the neighboring state of Durango. In the neighboring municipality of Jimenez, local newspapers say that La Linea, once part of the old Juarez Cartel, operates there.

Both Parral and Jimenez connect to Chihuahua city, where other gangs like La Empresa operate. The Mexican Federal Highway 16 goes through Chihuahua city and connects it to Ojinaga, a town just across the US-Mexico border from Presidio, Texas. Controlling the municipalities that connect to Chihuahua city (such as Parral) are crucial for smuggling activities.

On 4 April 2021, six suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel were murdered in Parral; at least two were beheaded. Among the dead was Rogelio Adán Vega Rodríguez alias 'El Rojo', who was the plaza boss of the Sinaloa Cartel in Valle de Zaragoza municipality.

César Augusto Peniche Espejel, the Attorney General in Chihuahua, said that El Rojo and his faction had issues with La Linea and with Gente Nueva members under Antonio Leonel Camacho Mendoza, alias 'El 300 de Parral'.

Clearer picture of the vehicle the police commander was killed in. 

Police officers were dispatched across Parral to find the killers

Sources: El Diario de Juarez; El Heraldo de Juarez; El Diario de Chihuahua (1); (2); (3); (4)