El Javier attacks

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article

[Subject Matter: Jose Guadalupe Acosta Lopez ( El Javier ), Los Damasos, Los Mayitos, Los Pepillos
Recommendation: Read this related article see link]

The primary investigations and testimonies about the executions of the last few weeks in Los Cabos point to the Plaza Boss El Javier for Los Damasos. In La Paz the new criminal chief of  Los Damazo have opened another battle front against Los Mayitos and the remnants of Los Pepillos for control of narco trafficking.

Reporter: Zeta Investigations and Cortesia

Cabo San Lucas: When the narco trafficker, Jose Guadalupe Sandez Lopez "El Docil" was attacked on the morning of the 27th of December of 2015 in Las Divinas Bar in the Zona Dorada tourist destination he was killed.

Weeks after, the 24 year old victim's friends and family, said he had received death threats from the Plaza Boss of San Jose del Cabo, Jose Guadalupe Acosta Lopez "El Javier", after having deserted his criminal cell and integrating himself into a Los Mayito's crew. (Otis: what did they think would happen if he did this?)



The primary investigations indicate that the drug dealer was with one of his four friends, when on the night of the 26th of December they were celebrating the second anniversary of the club "Nocturno", where the narco corrido group Revolver Cannabis were playing until 6am.

When "El Docil" was attacked, the killers knew that he was unarmed and was dressed in a white and black Polo shirt, blue jeans, black training shoes, and a black hat with white stitching on the front. They also knew who he was with and what time he would exit the bar. There were waiting to ambush and kill him.

After leaving the bar in an advanced state of inebriation, call the valet to bring the car belonging to his friend, in less than five minutes the killers appeared wearing black and walking down the sidewalk, they walked up to him and opened fire at point blank range immediately outside the club.

When the Sicario's opened fire, they fired five shots at "El Docil", two hit him, one in the neck and one in the windpipe, the other three embedded themselves in the club's front door frame.

Between the rain of bullets, a friend of the deceased, Sergio Palomares Gavarain " El Yeyo ", (Otis: make an effort with the nicknames!"), saw him on the floor and picked him up, shielding him with his body and dragging him off down the road.

He managed a block and a half before the Sicario's caught up with him, they fired two rounds at him, one of which hit him in the right buttock, he fell and called out "El Docil, run run they are coming for you," as he hit the floor.

Looking towards his friend he heard two more detonations, he felt one bullet hit him in the abdomen which flipped him over on the floor, he could see the body of his friend lying on the pavement at Leona Vicario street between 16th of September and Lazaro Cardenas boulevard, in the heart of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.


As soon as the job was complete the killers faded into the background, and none of the few witnesses were able to see their faces due to the lack of street lighting, nor did they know which direction the killers left.

Relatives and friends of Sandez Lopez describe the attackers in the following manner:

* A subject of thin complexion, approximately 1.75 meters tall, clear skin and around 26 years old, dressed in a black shirt with a black cap.

* A man of regular stature, approximately 1.65 meters tall, clear skin and between 30 and 32 years old, dressed in a sweatshirt and black cap.

The attack

On the morning when the drug dealer was executed, a life long resident of La Paz, who had gone to a sea food restaurant, and was accompanied by the following persons:

* Sergio Palomera Gavarain "El Yeyo", who had criminal antecedents, and served time for vehicle theft.

* Marino Medina Gomez "El Marino", with criminal antecedents, and served time for drug dealing.

* Enrique Gutierrez Rivera, Inspector of Coordination for Fiscal Inspection in San Jose del Cabo.

* Ivan Miramontes Gamez

"El Marino" explained to the authorities that the four of them arrived around one in the morning, after having travelled from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas, aboard a Chevrolet Captiva, the property of the sister of Enrique Gutierrez Rivera.

Already inside "Las Divinas" they started to drink strong alcoholic drinks, they stopped drinking when the group Revolver Cannabis finished their set around six am, they had been dancing with the sisters of a drug dealer, Gladis Nubia Lopez Alvarez and Johana Sandez Lopez.

After leaving the bar, the Inspector asked the valet to bring their vehicle, and it was just at this moment when they attack was launched.

The two gunmen in black hats appeared suddenly outside the nightclub front door.

The first had a semi automatic pistol in his right hand and began to walk towards the group of "El Docil", when the second attacked uncovered his weapon.

The first of the killers levelled his weapon at Jose Guadalupe, pulled the trigger and had a misfire, he lowered the weapon, racked the slide and cleared the stoppage and started firing.

When the shooting started, three of the group with "El Docil" ran for their lives, leaving only "El Docil" and his friend "El Yeyo", who was trying to save the life of his friend.

Meanwhile Enrique Gutierrez Rivera and Ivan Miramontes Gamez disappeared from the scene of the crime, "El Marino" observed in the corner of the bar, a man who had arrived in a Chevrolet Spark, a man so desperate to escape in fear for his life, he beat up the owner of the bar to get outside, jumped into his vehicle and sped off when he heard two more gunshots.

"El Marino" stole a car from the parking lot and left the scene of the crime and accelerated away until the traffic signals at Boulevard Lazaro Cardenas and Calle Morelos, and did U turn with the intention of returning to San Jose del Cabo.

However, when he arrived at the other side of the traffic signals, he did another U turn and returned to his companions at Las Divinas, repeatedly hitting the car horn, but nobody appeared, he went and came back another time, then fled towards San Jose del Cabo in the stolen vehicle.

A patrol of Preventative Police, Public Security and Municipal Transit Police, observed "El Marino" speeding in the vehicle, when he noticed the Police he tried to flee and was pursued until he stopped outside a Oxxo store, in the Colinas Plus Fraccionamiento in San Jose del Cabo. "El Marino was detained and transferred to the Municipal Police headquarters in Los Cabos.

The investigation

In the hands of the Police, Medina Gomez accepted that he fled Cablo San Lucas, because his boss had been shot at the bar Las Divinas, of whom, he was a bodyguard, and is dedicated to drug dealing.

Visibly nervous, "El Marino" said that he knew that "El Docil" had been operating for a criminal group of Jose Guadalupe Lopez Rivera "El Javier", in San Jose del Cabo, but for three or four weeks after had deserted to integrate as cell boss that controls the business in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, but he assured he didn't know who he works for or what he is called.

The night of the attack, "El Docil" had an altercation with man inside the bathroom of the bar, but El Marino didn't say with whom or why, only that his boss had commented to him, when they had gone to the bathroom together to snort some cocaine.

The version of "El Marino" coincides with the testimony of Sergio Palomera Gavarain "El Yeyo" who after being interrogated admitted to being an auxiliary for bodies of security, finished by detailing that Sandez had been threatened three weeks earlier by his previous boss and mentor "El Javier".

He included, " I knew that the sister of Jose Guadalupe, whose name is Gladis Nubia Lopez Alvarez, some people had seen her and questioned her about "El Docil", asking where he lived and who were selling the drugs that were being brought to Cabo San Lucas and La Paz.

Completely broken, "El Yeyo" accepted knowing that his friend was a drug dealer for "Los Mayitos" and had a strong cocaine addiction.

The primary investigations of the PGJE on the armed attack at Las Divinas, postulated that "El Docil" was given up by one of his companions on that night, they are particularly suspicious of Enrique Gutierrez Rivera for three reasons:

* Since the attack he has not appeared on either side, and is the only one that has not given an official statement about the bloody attack, so it is presumed that he is being hidden under the protection of "El Javier".

* On the night of the crime, from his cell , there had been a crossing of information about the suspect and the presumed assassins via text and whassap messages.

* A call and messages that Gutierrez had exchanged with the Commander of Public Security, Preventative Police and Municipal Transit Police of Los Cabos, Paul Fiol Contreras, where they spoke about "El Docil", and how he would be in Las Divinas on the night of the 26th of December, it is alleged that he was involved in the planning and logistics of the crime of drug dealing, and despite having a headquarters opposite the bar, suspiciously there was not an agent or a patrol until 30 minutes after the incident, when they appeared to allow the assassins to escape on foot.

In the identification of the Sicario's, the PGJE have little or no idea of their identity, for the following reasons:

* The cctv cameras in the bar don't work, and even if they did there is no way of revising the images after, during or before the armed attack.

* The only public security camera in this area of the Zona Dorada is designated C-2, was pointed towards Plaza Puerto Paraiso, and because of that did not capture the moment of the attack.

* The two Sicario's couldn't be identified by face, because the street lighting in this area doesn't work, and because of that its impossible to give photo fit details.

Therefore, the investigation will be prepared mostly from witness testimony that can identify the perpetrators of the attack. Three different handguns were used in the attack in calibers, 9mm, .38, and .45 according to the PGJE ballistics studies. These weapons have not previously been used in the war between drug dealers in Baja California Sur.

The crimes

Despite the information released that is related to "high impact crimes" or "intentional homicide" by the PGJE and Secretariat of State Public Security, under the pretext of a transition to the new Criminal Justice System and desperate attempts by the Government of Carlos Mendoza Davis to hide and disguise the crime wave in recent weeks in La Paz and Los Cabos.

The resurgence in violence for control of the drug trafficking plaza is between the criminal cells of Jose Guadalupe Acosta Lopez "El Javier", the new cell boss of the Los Damaso; and that of Luis Antonio Montoya Beltran "El Artista" or "Don Carlos", of Los Mayitos.

After an apparent calm in La Paz, the realignment of criminal groups continues to generate kidnappings, executions and armed attacks as the sides line up against their rivals, even though to a lesser extent than under the previous administration.

The first week of November of 2015. Zeta published the article " the war that's coming ", where according to reports from Federal and Military intelligence, the new fight was brewing between the criminal cells of Damazo Lopez Serrano "El Mini-Lic" and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada for control of the sale, distribution and transit of drugs in Los Cabos, leading to a possible resurgence of violence in La Paz, and that they were not take measures conducive to a clash between the criminal organizations.

However, according to a member of the Group for Coordination of Public Security, since the same government of Baja California Sur is promoting this clash is inevitable, because " the high command" of the State Preventative Police and the Municipal Corporations of Los Cabos and La Paz, they are operating for some criminal groups, offering not only protection, they have been detaining drug dealers of their antagonistic groups, under whatever pretext, some were clean when detained, but charged with drugs and consigned to present themselves for work.

"This combination could be the initial detonation of a new and most dangerous armed confrontation, which could include Policemen being killed," said the member of the Inter-Institutional Consulting Group who spoke to Zeta, and according to evidence, the Police are actively participating, as in the case of Commissioner of the State Preventative Police, Francisco Javier Montano Romero, native of San Jose del Cabo, and who without a police profile, but being an endearing friend of the Secretary General of the Government, has ordered his people to take action in favor of "Los Damaso."

The member of the Group for Coordination of Public Security explained that " the evidence that's most absurd is that all of the detained by the State Preventative Police, are only users or drug dealers.

But until now together with the Municipal Police of La Paz and Los Cabos, they haven't detained one single boss or Lieutenant of drug trafficking, they haven't got to the bottom of the problem".

Like when in February of 2015, they captured the ex plaza boss of drug trafficking in La Paz, Rolando Gonzalez Moreno "El Compadron, by the Mexican Army, (Otis: see link to article on his capture).

In the investigation against the ringleaders of drug trafficking, those outside the PGR do not act even though they know their location and movements.

Events after the execution of "El Docil", this was the first time the the name of "El Javier" had been mentioned as plaza boss of drug trafficking in San Jose del Cabo, who has figured in a criminal case, of having ordered various crimes in the last few weeks in Los Cabos and La Paz, inclusive of having ordered the hanging of mantas on bridges in Cabo San Lucas, threatening and advertising against "Los Mayitos".

The attacks attributed to the new cell boss of the criminal organization of Damaso Lopez Serrano "El Mini Lic", who opened a new battle front in La Paz against "Los Mayitos" and the remains of "Los Pepillos" are the following:

* On the first of January 2016 he ordered the murder of a drug dealer linked to the criminal group of  Martin Octavio Burgeno Reyes "El Viejo Pelon", of the former group "Los Pepillos" and the alleged successor of the former plaza boss of the South of La Paz, Jose Fernando Torres Montenegro "El Pepillo".

The assassins arrived aboard three vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, and two pickups, a Ranger and a Cherokee and after descending into Calle Geologica between Ciencias Sociales and Norte in the Solidaridad Colonia, commenced strafing three cars parked on a property.

The only inhabitant, Emilio Maldonado Castro "El Milo", 20 years of age, came out of the property, and as he didn't know the woman they were looking for, they dragged him outside into the street where six men proceeded to beat him to death.

The response of "El Viejon Pelon", came two days after, when, according to the primary investigations, officials responded to an attack in Calle Colima and Forjadores in the Domingo Carballo Felix Colonia of La Paz.

After delivering three Sicario's on board a Ford Explorer pickup fought inside the domicile of two drug dealers working for "El Javier".

The drug dealers, identified  as Jesus Emmanuel Camacho "El Cromo" and Carlos Guadalupe Martinez Higuera "El Carlitos", employed by Raul Castillo del Rosa "El Cochi", Lieutenant of Jose Guadalupe Acosta Lopez in La Paz.




The injured men explained that "El Cochi" had designated that house as point of sale of drugs, one of many that "El Javier" had opened in La Paz, recruiting drug dealers who had been adrift after the withdrawal of Los Damaso from the South-Californian Capital.

Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana