Heavy drug shipment falls in Ensenada

Heavy drug shipment falls in Ensenada

Less then a week after the arrest of rival cell leader in Ensenada, El Mass de Los Aquiles and El Tres Animales de CAF, a shipment worth millions was seized by Los PEP, the same agency that made these arrests, and similar arrests in Tijuana in recent weeks. 

A single 24 year old man was arrested in connection, and possession of the shipment, Solomon Rafael Arriga, of Culiacan, Sinaloa.  Though, seeing that a single man could not even transport 1/3 of this lost product, it should be assumed others were involved.  Circumstances of the arrest and seizure were not available, but the figures are impressive.  

634 kilos of crystal, 48 kilos of cocaine, and 80 kilograms of heroin, white or black is not specified. The crystal likely straight from Sinaloa is worth an easy 2 million, at roughly 1500 a pound.  The cocaine would be around 20/kilo in Culiacan, and 24 in Tijuana, is another million, in the upper 20's upon importation.  The heroin, which has flooded through Southern California, and the United States in recent months, and years, is around 30,000 a kilo in San Diego.  Likely 15,000 or so at cost price, after the purchase of opium, and the conversion process into black tar heroin.  (Anyone wants to weigh in with purchase price of opium, plus converting into tar)

* I made an error, calculating the meth kilos, as pounds.  I've corrected that.  

The 1100 kilos seized of the three drugs are worth an easy 2 million at a conservative estimate, far from the kind of staggering loss in the tunnel found late April in Tijuana/Otay Mesa, but a heavy loss nonetheless. The shipment was likely being bound over for transport through Ensenada and up to Tijuana, to be held briefly, and crossed in smaller loads.  Some of the crystal and heroin may be sold to retail outlets in Tijuana.  

The role of plaza bosses is to coordinate and assist in the transport of product  that comes through their city, by using their local contacts to ensure the loads safety.  Product that falls, reflects badly on the plaza bosses, and many are dismissed (with prejudice) after one too many accidents.  The loads are often seized when rivals inform, bribes are not paid, or larger bribes by rivals are paid.  

The chatter will read CJNG, but, the shipment is so closely aligned with other Sinaloa shipments, it's much more likely it belonged to a group operating within that structure.  Also, the recent arrests of two people who would have some knowledge of a shipment like that, isn't likely a coincidence.  Note the markings on the kilos, 'Machin', or 'heavy' as in 'working heavy'.....

Sources AFN Tijuana