"They are going after their heads": What is going on in Tijuana?

Borderland Beat

(Tijuano´s note: The following is an article published by AFN Tijuana which provides their version of what is going on right now in Tijuana, I decided to translate and post it here because it could explain the rise in execution in Tijuana in the past weeks, AFN is known in Tijuana, among many things, for having a comment section constantly used for sending threats amongst cartel members, they also have a good grip on whats going on in Tijuana usually having news that others outlets don't publish. I´m sure some readers will not agree with the following and hope to read their comments if they have some info on what´s really going on)

Tijuana, May 21st. 2015.- They call themselves "Nueva Generacion Tijuana"(Tijuana New Generation), they are the heirs of the Arellano Felix brothers, they "work" for those surviving the founders of that cartel, and according to consulted sources they are getting "revenge" for "treason" and doing a "clean up" of those who refuse to abandon "El Aquiles" and his brother "La Rana" and either "pay taxes or leave the business"

According to comments made by AFN´s sources, "revenge" is being taken against Municipal Agents and Agents of the State´s Attorney Office who "jumped ship" and joined the Arzate brothers, meanwhile the "clean up" is targeting drug retail leaders, mainly "galleros and burreros"(mules) from the area of El Murua. It was said that some of the heads found belonged to this people.

This criminal organization-along some alleged Michoacan drug dealers (Tijuano: I´m sure they mean CJNG as Mencho is from Michoacan) first hung a warning banner on April 5th threatening "El Tomate and his people"(Tijuano: Actually it read "La gente del Tomate", which I believe meant Sinaloans in general) while it made clear they would not go after the general public or the authorities. The message was meant for Israel de la Cruz who allegedly worked for the Sinaloa people.

After that there were a couple more banners and a few executions committed without extreme violence, however, in the following weeks the criminal activity grew, as did the written threats which were left, among other ways, written in AFN´s website, one of them read "the worst is just beginning".

Apparently, or so it was said, Municipal Agents and members of the State´s Attorney Office who were working along side the "Tijuana group" changed sides because they "wrongly thought that the family had no power left", this was stated by one of the consulted sources.

Meanwhile, they said, the brothers Alfonso and Rene Arzate Arteaga left Tijuana and are currently in Mexicali where they operate via cell phones with people still loyal to them but who are part of the lower ranks of the organization. They even mentioned that, in order to commit their crimes they hire addicts who get paid with meth doses and "that´s why they fail". One of those consulted claimed "If you saw a direct hit, I mean that the criminals were actually able to kill their target, then it was the Tijuana people, but in the other hand, if they fail, then they are part of Sinaloa".

According to this, the first hit which triggered the fury of the Tijuana group was the execution of Esaul Sahagun Pelayo, who was oficially mentioned as a bodyguard to Luis Manuel Toscano Ramirez aka "El Mono" this past April 9th. "People believed "El Mono" was the shot caller but the truth is his companion was a influential and key element in the local group"

"He was number four inside the structure and the one in charge of the dirty work; under him were the Police Agents working for CAF". Before this, the September 26th, 2014 arrest of Jose Daniel Canales Rodriguez aka "El Ramses", a kidnapper working for the Arellano heirs, had gotten them in the Government´s spotlight.

Canales Rodriguez previously worked for the Forensic Unit of the State Police and quit at the same time he joined CAF; then he got a better job and allegedly was of good use to them because he had a badge and a cop car, however, upon his arrest, it is said he began revealing stuff and "gave them many", which basically means he snitched on them.

In the case of "El Mono", who also worked for CAF, it is believed someone in his family betrayed him, since he had given power to his brother-in-law and cousins and when they jumped to the Arteaga side, then they decided to get rid of whom allegedly had control over Zona Norte in Tijuana.

However, when they killed him, they also killed Esaul, which in return got the Arellano heirs in a war mindset, this deciding to take vengeance for it. After that, anger grew when people allegedly sent by "people of El Akiles and La Rana" tried to execute a former agent called Nidez, killing instead another State Investigator and trainer for the State´s Attorney Office, called Itzel Medina Garibaldi who at the moment was shopping used parts in the Junkyard known as "Shagy" where she arrived in company of Nidez, who ultimately saved his life.

The anger had less to do with the death of the State Investigator and was more related to the fact the killers dared to get inside a place belonging to another person close to the narcotrafficking group led by a former agent known as Nery, accused by his rivals of "gossiping up and down".

In this case, it is said that people working for the Sinaloa drug traffickers decided to kill Nidez, who they blame for the loss of 10 kilograms of crystal meth from a shipment which "had already been bought from the Tijuana people". Asked about this agent, the consulted sources claimed he was a "free agent" in the narco world, because he doesn´t work for anybody in special, but for those who pay the most.

Allegedly, weeks after the arrest of "El Ramses", Municipal Agents where escorting a group of people carrying crystal meth on their way to deliver it when they were suddenly intercepted by State Agents, who were allegedly tipped by Nidez who had alse been tipped by people belonging to the Sinaloa group. A confrontation took place and they notified State Police Operational Chief Juan Manuel Ojeda Sotomayor, who at the same time notified Deputy State Attorney Gilberto Cota Alanis who informed State Attorney Perla del Socorro Ibarra who ordered for all the group to be removed, something which apparently never happened.

The detainee or detainees was/were taken to the Federal Attorney General´s Office where they confessed it wasn´t 15 kilos-as it was reported- but 25 kilos of crystal meth he/they were carrying so he/they believed the agents could have kept the drugs and some versions even mentioned they were already selling it, so the order to kill them was given.

Agent Nidez was then set free and days later another banner was hung, allegedly signed by the deceased agent Itzel Medina in which she reproached Sotomayor and Miguel Velasco, chief of the murder investigation division, of not doing anything to avenge her which "they knew" was ordered by "La Rana" who is working with them.

In regards to the execution of Municipal Agent Juan Jauregui Ruvalcaba this past May 20th when he left his home, it is believed it was ordered by "The people of Tijuana" even thou the Minicipal Public Safety Agency claimed to have arrested the alleged suspect who-unofficially" killed him "for personal reasons".

Anyhow, officially it was claimed the officer died "in the line of duty" and the authority even announced proper honours would be held this Friday. After his murder, mysterious hands hang two banners, one near the area where the execution took place and another one in the Americas bridge-they were promptly removed- they read "That´s going to happen to all those who are with La Rana".

Regarding this Thursday´s case, about the execution in the 5y10 bridge of Public Ministry Agent Omar Fernando Velasquez Hidalgo, they claim it is related to the two heads found inside a cooler this past May 13th, left with a message threatening several people, including "Journalist Ivan Villegas". They claim this message was directed at people working in the newspaper where allegedly Villegas works, they believe so because Velasquez Hidalgo was related to the owner of the newspaper(PRI member Eligio Valencia), there are even pictures showing him in an interview along Eligio Valencia Roque and in a visit to Mexican Congress along plurinominal candidate Eligio Valencia Jr and Villegas himself.

And lastly, regarding those decapitated, they insist the victims are "mules" who have refused to leave the Arteaga group after members of the "Tijuana group" ordered them to "pay taxes to them(Tijuana)" or leave the business.

In recent days, three more human heads have been found, none of which have been identified by authorities. nor there has been an explanation given for the most recent murders. 

Original Article in Spanish can be found at AFN TIJUANA.