Damaso Vs Chapo Isidro in La Paz

Chivis Martinez and Tijuano for Borderland Beat translated from Zeta Magazine

On 12 October, the conflict between members of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltrán Leyva Organization became one of the worst battles between criminal cells, led by Dámaso López Núñez alisas "El Licenciado" and Fausto Isidro Meza Flores alias "El Chapo Isidro".  They are engaged in a war for control of the drug retail territory. At press time, the dead toll was 22, raising terror among citizens, who are especially fearful of the shootings that have occurred in the main urban area of La Paz.

As the level of violence escalated this week,  the kidnapping, torture and murder of three members of organized crime who were dumped in a rented vehicle, then torched at kilometer 38 of the LaPaz ciudad Constitution Federal Highway is, according to some members of the Coordination Group PublicSecurity of Baja California Sur, "the bloodiest act yet in this drug war".

The crimes, which illustrate complete impunity, were committed at the same time of the arrival of a group of the Special Unit of the Deputy Attorney Specialized Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO) and a contingent of about 200 soldiers from the Secretary of Defense National.

On the morning of October 12, the three members of the Beltran Leyva cartel cell,  were kidnapped, tortured, beheaded and burned, at the time  they were unknown victims.

However, two days later, on October 14, a video was uploaded to YouTube, lasting 6 minutes, 2 seconds, entitled "Gente de René de La Paz" and uploaded by a user named Claudia Dominguez.

In the video, the faces of the executed trio was revealed.

 

According to preliminary investigations by the Attorney General of the State (PGJE), based on existing photographs, physical characteristics, type and color of clothing and the respective reports of the disappearance of three people, it is believed they are; 
 

Mario Alberto Garcia Lopez, aka “EL Junior”, Tomas Antonio Rico Castro, aka “El 3”, and Carlos Antonio Mayoral Hernandez, aka “El Mayoral.  The latter was a state police officer until last year.

Relatives of three victims filed a report of their disappearance the same day that news broke of the discovery of the burnt car and knew they had found three charred bodies, so the following preliminary investigations were opened: LPZ / 747 / AMP10 / 2014 , LPZ / 748 / AMP10 / LPZ 2014/749 / AMP10 / 2014.

The relatives agreed that "the last time they had been seen, was aboard a gray late model Volkswagen Jetta,"

The Video Recording 

The video recording which was uploaded to YouTube  around 11 am on October 14 begins with the "narcocorrido" "Damaso" (left) and mentions the main protagonists are people from "El Rene" or "00".  Continuing; they are ashamed that the men previously belonged to the Sinaloa Cartel, this before internal conflicts erupted following the capture of former leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Then it is mentioned they are now under orders of  Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka "El Chapo Isidro", who recently has been mentioned by national and international media as the successor to Hector Beltran Leyva aka "El H".

The recording displays a sequence of photographs of a deceased man in a car wearing blue shirt with white stripes, who is identified by the PGJE as Francisco Javier Pérez Chávez alias "Pancho" or "Chinola".  He was murdered on October 8^th in a shooting on the streets of Guillermo Prieto, between Callejon de Acceso and Luis Donaldo Colosio in the Inapala neighborhood of  La Paz.

The strongest part of the video is the interrogation the victims were subjected to.  From left to right they are:

1. Mario Alberto Garcia Lopez alias "El Junior", who appears naked, only with black shorts, but in one of the pictures he is wearing a red shirt and black pants.

2. Tomas Antonio Rico Castro alias "El 3", wearing a pair of black jeans and an olive green polo shirt with white stripes.

3. Carlos Antonio Mayoral Hernandez alias "El Mayoral", wearing an orange shirt and torn blue jeans.

The three victims are cuffed, and appear tortured, and bloodied.

The following is a video narrative transcription, with the interrogation being conducted by sicarios of Dámaso López Núñez from CDS, of cell  members who work under orders of  Fausto Isidro Meza Flores alias "El Chapo Isidro" of the Beltran Leyva cartel.  The kidnapped men say the leader in La Paz,  is a man identified as "El Rene" or "00". ( Continues next page )

Interrogation 

Who do you work for?

For Rene...

How long have you been working?

Three and a half months...

What was your function?

Stealing cars, extorting fees, stealing (inaudible), commit robberies...

Who´s backing Rene?

Chapo Isidro...

How do you identify Rene, by code or (inaudible)?

"Rene" or "00"...

So, who's  backing up Rene?

Chapo Isidro Flores...

Before we stopped you, what was your function? what operations did you conduct?

Extort fees, steal things from (inaudible), steal cars...

But, when we stopped you moments ago, what what were you doing? what were you planning?

We were planning the kidnapping of the Attorney General's  son...

Kidnapping the Attorney General's son?

The Attorney General's son...

How much were you going to ask for ransom?

Five million pesos... (apx 375,000 USD)

What´s the Attorney General's name?

Adonai Carreon...

How much were you going to ask for ransom?

Five million...

How much of that would be for you?

No (inaudible)...

What would happen if you didn't do it?

They would kill my family...

Who are with him? Those close to him? His big backups? His right hand men?

Luis Montoya, Compadron, El Mili, Hector aka "Giovanni"...

All of them extort fees with Rene "El 00", right?

Yes...

Who calculated the fees?

Compadron...

After that, according to the images on the video, the victim´s throats were slit, the sicarios even beheaded former State agent Carlos Mayoral Hernandez and placed his head along side his body, then torched the vehicle.

It is worth mentioning that, among the pictures, there was that of fomer Sinaloa State police agent Luis Fernando Leyva Guzman, previously mentioned as a relative of Hector Beltran Leyva.

In the picture, a man around 50 years old, half-naked, tortured and blindfolded can be seen, according to PGJE, the man was executed and buried in a clandestine grave a mere 200 meters away from a CFE power station.

The investigation

Speaking on the uploading of the video, Adonai Carreon Estrada said "the video recording would be subjected to a technological and spectral study in order to retrieve more information that may help solve the case of the people burned and possibly two more crimes."

The information derived from this study could be the following:

1. Positive identification of victims and criminals

2. Corroborate the video is in fact real by an expert analysis

3. Obtain data related to the crime and use it against the suspects in the triple murder.

4. Obtain information regarding the murders of Francisco Javier Chavez Perez aka "El Pancho" or "Chinola", and of Luis Fernando Leyva Guzman, Hector Beltran Leyva´s alleged relative.

PGJE has began collecting DNA samples of the relatives to conduct tests and fully identify the three victims.

Confirmation that the victims are the same people who appear on the video will take up to 90 days since DNA test will be conducted outside of the state.

Carreon Estrada refused to comment on the alleged Beltran Leyva Organization plan to kidnap one of his sons, and said they will continue working on the investigations regarding the current wave of executions so they can have support in declaring incompetence to investigate and be able to turn the investigation over to PGR (Federal Government), "because even if you have data and evidence, you must prove that it is organized crime.".

However, according to information gathered by ZETA magazine, the head of the PGJE reinforced his personal safety and that of his family.

Video Analysis

In the analysis of the video content-and in the opinion of a specialist in organized crime consulted  by ZETA- the only thing done by ​​those responsible for editing and uploading the video to YouTube, was to corroborate the following:

1. The rupture inside the Sinaloa cartel after the capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

2. The war currently being raged by the Sinaloa cartel and the Beltran Leyva for control of the drug dealing in the city of La Paz.

3. - The sicarios are involved in five of the 22 murders, poof of this is the showing of photographs and videos of the killings of Mario Alberto García, Tomas Antonio Rico Castro, Carlos Antonio Mayoral, Francisco Javier Chavez Perez and Luis Fernando Leyva Guzman, alleged relative of Hector Beltran Leyva.

4. The victims who appear on the recording were obviously lectured on what to tell the camera, the sicarios told them how and what had to be said in front of the camera before being killed and burnt.

5. The thugs try to confuse the authorities and try to make themselves look as justice makers by allegedly preventing the kidnapping of the Attorney´s General son.

6.- Generate fear and anxiety among society and terrorize rivals.

The expert in organized crime mentioned "The video was recorded by inexperienced criminals who committed many mistakes, and did not have the impact they might have expected, because you can clearly see it was induced or planned, they asked things by sayin "please", spoke softly to the victims who even look relaxed, without fear, without terror, giving the impression that they knew each other  at one time; and even thou they looked beaten, at least two of them only seem uncomfortable with the hard floor, and even have the luxury of crossing their legs and move from one side to another. "

According to a member of the Coordinating Group of Public Security of Baja California Sur, and based on the analysis and study of most of the members of the interagency group, the fight between cells of these drug cartels and bitter rivals in several states the Republic is focused on two paths:

1. Revenge for the execution of Esteban Espinoza Vazquez aka "El Pantera", chief of security for  Dámaso López Núñez aka "El Licenciado". In response for this murder, the following people have been killed: Carlos Miguel Calderon Hinojosa aka "Virolo", who according to federal and military research, was considered the bridge between criminals, officers and officials of the State Preventive Police, the State Ministerial Police, State Department of Public Safety Coordination and the office for tours of the Governor; Gerardo Geraldo Méndez aka "El Geras", alleged accountant for the Beltran Leyvas in La Paz; Marcelo Gómez Jiménez and Jose Federico Gaxiola Osuna aka "El Pikas", Gomez Jimenez was the mechanic for "El Pikas", "El Pikas" was one of the alleged sicarios who helped in executing "El Pantera".

2. The fight for control of the drug dealing in the city of La Paz.

Currently, according to the map drawn by federal authorities, the area identified as the South Zone (Avenue Luis Donaldo Colosio toward the road to Los Cabos) is controlled by the Sinaloa cartel, and the Northern (the Colosio Avenue toward Pichilingue road) is a territory of The Beltran Leyva cartel.

Most of the crimes have occurred precisely in "the border" of their territory, ie, near the Colosio Avenue, especially when one of the drug dealers has been caught selling drugs in the territories of the rivals, which has resulted in car chases and shootouts from vehicle to vehicle.

Right now the Federal Attorney General has not officially taken over the case mainly due to lack of political will by the delegation director José Eduardo Redondo Peruyero, since according to a member of the coordination group, "he does not need a formal declaration of incompetence" but " only exercise the power of attraction his office has", this power is contemplated on the Organic Law of the Attorney General and the General Law against Organized Crime. Even under those circumstances, the work conducted by the coordination of the different institutions allowed the location and arrest of the following sicarios:

1. Roberto Leyva Verdugo, 18, ​​a native of Ensenada, Baja California.

2. Alejandro Cabrera Espinoza, 23, a native of Mocorito, Sinaloa.

3. Javier Ortiz Salvatierra, 21, originally from Todos Santos, Baja California Sur.

4. Mauro Alan Aguilar Valles, 22, a native of Sinaloa.

5. Fernando Arturo Ramirez, 27, a native of Sinaloa.

The gunmen were arrested in an operation by elements of the PGJE and the Ministry of Defense, near the "Jesus Rosas" Baseball stadium in the town of Todos Santos, south of La Paz, these gunmen made their first statements in which they mention they are under orders of Cruz Alfonso Lozoya Uriarte aka "El Grande" and Vidal Martinez Barraza aka "El Vidal" or "El Victor".

Without any pressure, the criminals revealed their bosses formed groups of three to five gunmen, forming an armed force of between 20 and 30 criminals, which -according to their statements- "are responsible for all the violence and the climate of insecurity that prevails in La Paz, Todos Santos and Los Barriles.".

The gunmen were arrested in possession of two assault rifles, an AK-47 and R-15, and according to their statements, had plans to expand to Los Cabos and Comondú because "we had orders from above to take the plazas".

At press time, the weapons of the detainees were being subjected to ballistic tests to determine their relationship in the attack against Hipolito Noe Solis Hernandez aka "El Combayo" and his operators, Armando Bautista Rivera and Maria de Jesus Dominguez Guerrero; and the murder of Victor Martin Garcia Amador on October 12 in Topete and Del Pilar Street, in the town of Todos Santos.

Chivis Note: Troubles with the first video please click on this hyperlink to the video on Facebook

Texcoco's youtube account was suspended after multiple complaints of 3rd party copyright infringements.  So the second video is gone.