The root of drug trafficking in Baja-ZETA magazine



ZETA MAGAZINE EDICION 1972

48 cells of Narcomenudo distributors in Baja California

The Security State Counsel of Baja, California has identified them but havent arrested their leaders, many are known only by nicknames or from details from detained drug sellers. Municipal, state and federal police and even elements of the militia provide protection to street drug sellers. These profits count for hundreds of thousands of pesos a week and are deposited in local banks. Some of the distributors are “Los Chamulas” in Tijuana, “El Chapito” in Ensenada y “El Chente in Mexicali, all free

ZETA Investigations

Baja California authorities know who the drug dealers are in the state, but have not been arrested.

In total, 48 drug dealing cells: 26 in Tijuana, 14 in Ensenada and 8 in Mexicali. Results in Tecate and Rosarito are not known.

Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan and General Alfonso Duarte Mujica, are well aware police in the three branches, including the Army, have been corrupted by these drug dealers. They know the corrupted officials support them, protect them, and provide them with impunity to continue the illicit business.

An investigation of a small but effective group of intelligence in Baja California, has resulted in the location of the 48 cells and the names of some of their leaders:

Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan extending impunity?

.Tijuana
Gustavo Inzunza, a criminal gang known as "Los Chamulas" and the Garcia Rodriguez brothers of the group "Los Litos"

Ensenada
Salvador Serrano Parra, José Alfredo Zepeda Flores, besides Esteban and Efraín Hernández Contreras.

Mexicali

The narcomenudo sellers in the streets of BC are the root of narcotrafficking and organized crime. The confrontations and executions in the last months are products of fights between them and their strong fights for territory control.

Meanwhile the leaders of the different cartels converge in Baja California, they hide in remote place in the city, in other states, even other countries. Their illicit labor force gains control of the street for the respective cartel.

Alfonso Duarte-The tough talking general is soft on corruption says ZETA

The analysis from the same intelligence group indicates that profits generated from narcomenudo sales depends on the zone and the network of established distribution. According to detained drug sellers, the profits range from 30,000 pesos up to 350,000 a day. Those who dedicate themselves to selling drugs in the street obtain earning from 2,000 pesos a week up to 1,500, pesos daily. The money from narcotic sales is deposited into bank accounts controlled by the leaders of the distribution cells. An average of 300,000 pesos per transaction.

There are so many drug selling centers that the governmnent hasn't managed to count them. With the only exception being Tiajuana where they say there are some 1,500 little stores, "tienditas."

These cells of narcomenudo distribution control drug sales in bars, tourist or tolerance zones, hotels, pharmacies, grocery stores, street vendors, "clamaterias", candy stores, social and pool halls.

Many of these implicated businesses were identified and denounced by business people since 2008, but because of lack of investigation they continue operating.

Home delivery started in the 90's during the prosperous CAF has increased. Taxis, bicycles, motorbikes and compact cars are used for distributing narcotics among the habitual consumers who pay for the service.

There is outstanding impunity for traffickers who are operating in bars. They take over bathrooms and the cropping up of stores which are registered as supposedly second hand clothes stores and hire locals in the center zones for whom they pay 600 dollars a month.

The impunity granted by police agents to these drug distribution cells contribute to these to get into other high empact crimes such as murder, extortion, kidnapping and charging for the plaza.

Official reports indicate that bugger confrontations are happening in mexicali and the majority of cell leaders in the coastal zones they tend to hide in Rosarito and Tijuana where they aren't bothered by authorities

"Los Chamulas”, are empowered in Tijuana

Reports by State councel and the secretary of security in BC incicates there have been no changes since September of 2011 up to now.

There exists 22 groups of delicuents dedicated to narcomenudo in Tijuana. However, authorities haven't the capacity nor have developed the investigation for identifying name and last name of sellers. They only know them through their nicknames.

According to information obtained, "The Chamulas" have a big presence in Tijuana, followed by Gustavo Inzunza “El Macho Prieto” operators in the East Zone and "Los Litos" in the Central Zone.

 Melvin Gutierrez, “El Arturo” and “El Chiquis”, all continue at the service of Fernando Sanchez Arellano, as well as "El Chapa" from "El Achilles", "Los Aguacates" the drug dealer cells from "El Tigre" and what is left from "El Guicho".

In addition, there are areas of influence from “El Mostro”, “El Mongus”, “El Cuate”, "El Nito", "Gaby", “El Pipi”, “Tío Lucas”, “Javi”, “Coro”; “Chuy”, “El Puma”, “El Gordo”, “La Rosy” (Hernández Guajardo) and Luis Manuel Toscano Rodríguez “El Mono”.

Besides,  the freedom of these cells for trafficking drugs in this city, groups from other cartels have started the illicit business in BC. That is the case of La Familia Michoacana and Los Caballeros Templarios that end up contracting sellers of other local groups.

Alberto Capella, Secretary of Seguridad Pública in Tijuana explained of the presence of narcomenudo groups in the 11 districts the  biggest problem is "the generated violence" in San Antonio de los Buenos, Los Pinos, La Presa, Cerro Colorado and la Presa Rural; the central and north zone are where numbers increase.

From the cells he detailed are the ones of ‘El Ingeniero’ (Fernando Sánchez Arellano), they have been restructured in the city and are very strong having ten cells restructured  into narcomenudo. There is the Cartel de Sinaloa, represented by ‘El Aquiles’ (Alfredo Arteaga y/o Arzate), who leads some 20 groups in narcomenudo. We have nicknames and we're working on it.

Also the well known "Chamulas" in the north Zone the operate for the two sides, according to what convenience them, have lots of power because they havent been target enough and a group from Cártel de Guadalajara directed by a man only referred to as "El Chen" who was mentioned by (Juan) Sillas but I don't believe he has much strength.

The government official added that hits against them modified the way they operated now they are mobil stores, various taxis have been confiscated because they're operators were trafficking, they drive with less quantities of drugs, they are armed or they bring another narco as an escort or bodyguard because competitors kill them; they rent guns 4,000 pesos a month and that has increased the price of drugs.

He remembered in 2008 that it was estimated the existence of 7,000 little drug selling stores in a fixed premisis and in 2010 it decreased to 2,000 and now a days the estimations are 1,500 but many are cars, motos, taxis, passers by on foot, plus houses, grocery stores, candy stores, dancing and billiard halls just to name a few.

The most commercialed products are crystal and marijuana.

"Obviously, I'm not giving you specific details of what we are doing, but we are combating in two ways, working on the street based on anonymous denouces and mapping, that tells us about crimes int he priority zones. And inside the police organization with the agent that are supporting these activities because I don't close my eyes." he cited.

The operations against narcomenudo are based on

1. Intelligence system

2. Specialized groups of immediate reaction

3. Stong presence. There are always between 5 and 20 detainees a day as well as 300 administrative violations.

Mexicali: “Polleros” al narcomenudeo

In the state capitol, the last registry of little stores is from 2008 when it was estimated that there were 1,500 places where narcomenudo sold.
Nowadays the municipal police cachanilla simply doesn't pay attention to the proble,

However, the state security counsel recognized that the problem has increaded because of four reasons. the American authorites in the cheking point have been tougher and has reduced the traffic into Calexico; the increase of drugs from Sinaloa and Guadalajara; a good number human traffickers, and thieves have spread their criminal activites into narcomenudo activities and in the USA the price of ice dropped and it is more convenient to sell on the Mexican side.

Ice, marijuana and cocaine are the most consumed drugs in that order although heroine is also commercialized.

The neighborhoods with the most problems with consuming are; Independencia, Pueblo Nuevo and Baja California. Followed by: Valle de Puebla, Cuauhtémoc Sur, División del Norte, González Ortega, Nacozari, Venustiano Carranza y Valle Algodones. In third place: División del Norte, Robledo y Valle Pedregal.

In all these places, the citizen participation through denouncing has been important during 2011. It allowed the prevented state police (PEP) to capture 630 sellers but the majority were freed shortly there after due to usually they carry doses considered for personal use.

The West Zone is proof of what is happened in all the municipality wiht the presence of all the criminal groups and the stage where rival groups have confrontations with each other that move drugs from CDS the one led by Luis Fernando Castro Villa and/or Cenobio Flores Pacho “El Checo” and the ones from Antonio Soto Gastélum “El Tigre”, accompanied by “El Mongus”.

The authorities that there are more group that exist dedicated to drug selling in that location but for now they have only located eight. All committing crime in the neighborhoods of Baja California and Lucerna, where the most important group is led aby a guy only known as "El Perrote". Although there are some others identified by zone only by their nicknames:

“El Chito” in Colonia Santa Bárbara; “El Bala Jr.”, Colonia Santa Isabel; “El Chente” in all of the Western Zona; “Los Chapalitas”, also in the Western Zone; “El Loco Valdez” i n las neighborhoods Nacionalista and Real del Río; “El Raylón” in Luis Donaldo Colosio y Santa Isabel; as well as the well known “Gilillos”, remains of the group led by the brothers Ismael and Gilberto Higuera Guerrero (detainees) and that spread their activities to the colonia San Lus and the Valle de Mexicali.

Ensenada: Under the control of “El Chapito”

In the port police reports have identified 14 cells dedicated to narcomenudo although the traffickers in the service Salvador Serrano Parra “El Chapito”, became the crimnal boss since May 2011 are those with the most influence. Criminal owners of basically the whole municipal; operate crystal labs, home growing of marijuana and they receive seeds from Canada.

The investigators have also identified criminal activities from other structuress in Ensenada: "“El Chapito” moves fiercely and with much force directly in the Ejido Chapultepec, Lomas de San Fernando, Pórticos and Valle del Real; José Alfredo Zepeda “La Muñeca” in the áreas north, central y south; “Los Pizzeros” in El Sauzal; Efrén and/or Efraín Hernández Contreras “El Mosco”, in some neighborhoods distributed all over el municipio; Esteban Hernández Contreras “El Chonte”, in Valle Verde, having as operators Juan Manuel Acosta Gámez “El Diablo” and Blanca Ferrel Mercado; “El Ruso” has activity in the central Zona and El Sauzal; “Los Papitos” (Mario Alberto, Marco Benjamín and Miguel Ángel Pérez Rodríguez) y Samuel Zamudio Torres “El Tío”, in San Quintín, Popular 89, 17 de Abril, Arcoiris and Fraccionamiento Mar; while Javier Aguilar dominates las Zona Centro and El Bajío.

Martín Fregoso Martínez operates in Piedras Negras; Carlos “El Güero” in Fraccionamiento México; “El Gallero” in las colonias Hidalgo, Costa Bella and Maestros; “Los Pitufos” in Gómez Morín; “El Cuco” in Valle Verde; “El Bunny” in Benito Juárez, Popular 1 and Chapingo.

Delinquents geo-referenced by the state

Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, secretario de Seguridad Pública in Baja California, explained that as part of the work of the organization that he leads they have identified and located the zones of groups dedicated to narcomenudo selling, in order to combat them in a coordinated manner by the three orders of government'

"Obtained from registers of citizens denouncements through phone line 089 or via email the captures or credit cards that fill the areas of crime prevention. A geo-reference was made in each municipal including urban zones rural zones.

Questioning respective penetration and gravity of the crimes, De la Rosa accepted serious problems in the biggest municipalities, Tijuana, Mexicali y Ensenada, particularly in the first two.

He reiterated narcomenudo and the consumption of drugs as the cause of criminal incidents and exemplified: of the total of the crimes in 2011 that was around 117,000, and 45 percent (52,650) were robberies of of some
way, and of this total 70% (36,855), were made by persons with some addition, that gives us an idea of all that generates it.

In all pertaining to narcomenudo and murders he sid: " these people are generating homocides in various groups because they don't have the strength or control of a specific zone of the city and they are fractioned in the colonias."

As shown the violence generated by the implonation of the interior of the narcomenudo cells, the official exposed the operations have detected that the distributors have an escort or carry weapons. A low calibre armed body guard accompanies them and is alert to the surroundings. " There are groups that sell that protection." He highlighted

According to the interviewee, the loss of control is due due to the captures by the police organization: "The strength and control that criminal groups used to have in transporting and in local narcomenudo sales have been dearticulate." The confrontations and the murders are the truth:

"The try to determine the zones, without anyone achieving control."

About the estimation with regards to the addictions problems in BC and the growth of narcomenudo, Daniel de la Rosa assured that he can only speak of the official statistics although he knows that they are limited.

"I can only tell that the statistic of the health sector indicates the number of addicts registered in the rehab centers diminished between 2009 and 2010. However this is the formal and the only thing this indicates that many people with relatives with a problem are not putting them in rehab. But this doesn't mean that he has stopped consuming or robbing or committng other crimes" He established

Profits and Modus Operandi

Candelario Aguirre “El Cande” admitted to earn $600,000 a week as a "cocinero" of crystal from Teodoro García Simental “El Teo”. Gerardo Ibarra Cardona admitted that his family were smuggling from the US to Tijuana 800 liters a month of precursors for fabricating crystal, that sold for sold for doses that generated the minimum 700,000,000 pesos a month.

Jeova Israel Ilhuicatzi Morales “El Cuervo” detailed that his group earned between 100,00 and 300,000 a month. The community of addicts in La Zona del Rio Tijuana consumes 350,000 pesos a day in drugs.

Operators of one of the cells of Jorge Mendoza "El Guero Chompas" captured December 2011 and given to the (SIEDO) that were detained in Sept. 2011 in a narcolab admitted profits from 30,000 to 40,000 a day, 1,200,000 pesos a month.

In this group Rene Vera, who packs drugs from 8 in the morning until 8 at night, every day he would divide 2 or 3 ounces making 200 "globitos". each dose was sold for 50 pesos and he received 3,000 pesos a week. The day they captured them, they had 200,000 pesos at home.

The detainees detailed they will receive the drugs through Guamúchil Transports trucks, and each 300,000 pesos they made they would deposit in the banks to wire the money to the bosses in specific branches of Bancomer and HSBC through specific employees.

Another group captured in May 2011 dedicated to selling crystal and headed by Esteban Martinez, operator for "El Tigre" explained that the street distributor receives 25 'globos" (50 pesos each). The detainee assured that he earned a "one peso a day" but his accomplices spoke about 1,500 pesos every day as a seller and 2,000 pesos a week as companion of the money collector and puntero. His schedule is from 7 to 7.

National numbers were solicited from the Secretary of federal public security where the answerd was that they are not counting the profits of narcomenudo.

Newspaper reports from 2010 refer to a diagnosis of the Secretary of federal public security where the under secretary , Monte Alejandro Rubido García, referred that the profits of narcomenudo in Mexico reached $13,000,000000 (13 thousand, million ) dollars.

As long Modas Operandi, intelligence reports indicate that every zone has from two to three distributors, whom gets the drugs from a where house for drugs, sometimes there is someone in charge, and some other times they access with a key, take the mercy., and note it in a book; the profits are delivered in the same way. And the balances of these sellings are made around ten at night.

When the drugs are home delivered, the area is previously checked by a puntero commercial centers with security from private companies or without security are the most often used points for the buy/sell of drugs now a days.

Regional Law

Rudy Moreno one of the 5 narcomenudo sellers of "El Guero Chompas" detained in March 2011, confessed that he had been detained with drugs on Wednesday (not his first time) and he was set free on Thursday and that night he participated in the death of two drug addicted traffickers, this gives the idea of the corruption and the deficiency of the PGR managing this crime.

Actions like this generates reforms to Federal laws, for that, starting next year the local district attorneys will be responsible for prosecuting and punishing this crime and they will have the faculties in the penal process.

The problem is that the federation will transfer the responsibility but not the resources. The federal government neither made a 2012 budget for resources to spread the capacities of jails which should receive the narcomenudo sellers that might be incarcerated.

In spite of the absence of resources and without having the total obligation, on January 4th of 2011 that la Subprocuraduría de Justicia in Tijuana through the department of control of processes informed that they managed to give a sentence of ten months for Arturo Arias Aguayo, found penally responsible for the crime against health in the category of narcomenudo in the variable of possession of methamphetamine. It is the first sentence of its type in Baja California.

Translation of a Zeta Magazine article is an laborious task few wish to tackle, so a huge thanks to Havana and Texcoco of Borderland Beat Forum for providing the translation