Alleged Cartel Ties to Massacre in Juarez

A suspect was arrested who testified before the MP that a man nicknamed "El Diez" ordered the killing of young people for allegedly belonging to a criminal groups of El Chapo, a rival cartel of Carrillo Fuentes.

Ciudad Juarez, Chih - A war between drug gangs was behind this weekend's massacre in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, that left 16 dead, including 10 teenagers, an official told CNN Tuesday.

The gunmen who opened fire on a party early Sunday belonged to the Juarez drug cartel, who believed that the partygoers were all members of a gang affiliated with the rival Sinaloa cartel, Enrique Torres, spokesman for the city's federal security operations, told CNN.

Details of the alleged motive came from a police interrogation with a suspect who was arrested Monday.

Military authorities arrested a suspect alleged to have participated in the killing of 16 people, mostly young students, on Sunday in Ciudad Juarez.

José Dolores Arroyo Chavarría, 30, testified that a man nicknamed El Diez "10" and El Doce "12"ordered the murders of the young people because they supposedly were "doblados", that is to say AA (Artistas Asesinos), an alleged rival gang of Los Aztecas.

El Diez "10" gave us an order to slaughter the young people because they were part of the "doble A" and are at the service of El Chapo, said the detainee referring to Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa cartel. This cartel is one of the drug trafficking groups fighting for control of Ciudad Juarez against the cartel of Vicente Carrillo Fuentes.

Arroyo Chavarría testified before the Public Prosecutor's office and questioned by the press, who admitted being a "halcón," which is a person who serves as a watchdog during an incident. He also confessed to belonging to the sicario criminal group "La Línea," a cell of the Juarez cartel of Carrillo Fuentes.

Torres confirmed that Arroyo Chavarria is a member of the Juarez cartel, and was arrested after a shootout with soldiers. Another cartel member, identified only by his nickname -- "El Doce," or "12" -- was killed in the confrontation.

Arroyo Chavarria told authorities that El Doce contacted him Saturday about working as a lookout for the shooting, Torres said. They believed that everyone at the party was a member of the Artista Asesinos gang, which is affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel.

On the other hand he also said that their participation in the shooting that was registered at the intersection of Manuel J. Clouthier y Tecnológico where the target was a soldier who wanted to work at the Centro Comercial Galerías Tec.

He reported that at the time he was arrested there was a shooting where a man was killed during the exchange of gunfire at that intersection.

He said he was under the command of "El 2" and "El 10" who gave the order to kill the party goers that was an alleged reunion of the "double A." He stated that the sicario killed during this confrontation was "El 12."

He said during the execution of the soldier was accompanied by "El 12" aboard a Grand Prix and was i possession of a handgun, a handgun he identified during his interrogation.

The Sinaloa and Juarez groups have been fighting a bloody turf war that has left 230 people dead this year alone.

But the partygoers were mostly youths uninvolved in the drug trade, Torres said.

Only three of the victims -- all adults -- were found so far to have been street-level drug dealers, Torres said.

One of the victims may have been a higher-level organized crime member and a possible target of the attack, Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz told CNN en Español on Tuesday night.

Investigators continued to search for the gunmen.

The attack happened at about 12:30 a.m. local time Sunday in southern Juarez.

According to witnesses, between four and seven cars arrived, closing off the street, before gunmen emerged and began shooting.

Ten of the victims were between the ages of 13 and 19, according to the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office. Four ranged from ages 23 to 42, and two others were unidentified.

Video from the scene showed a sparsely furnished home, with puddles of blood on the ground and blood smeared on parts of the wall.



Possible suspect presented, but officials evade questions…

In a press conference of scarcely 6 minutes, a presumed suspect in the massacre of students in Villas de Salvarcar was presented. The federal public ministry limited questions about his supposed participation.

According to the facts provided by the detainee, identified as Dolores Arroyo Chavarría, the contract was to assassinate some members of the gang known as “The Doubles” or “Double A” (The Murder Artists/Artistas Asesinos).



Meanwhile, Juárez mayor José Reyes Ferríz said five calls to the a crime tip line disclosed very specific information about the brutal events.

Reyes Ferríz said the local, state and federal government are offering a reward of one million pesos, about $76,000, for information leading to the arrest of the responsible parties.

The state and local government are covering the funeral and health care expenses for the victims' families.

Mexican President Calderon insisted during his trip to Japan that the violence in Chihuahua is the product of the war against the cartels, despite the thousands of soldiers and federal police deployed in the city.