CJNG vs Sinaloa, the looming war as El Menchito was kidnapped in prison by the Sinaloa cartel and threatened with death

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

Subject Matter: CJNG vs Sinaloa Cartel
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Ismael Zambada Garcia, Rafael Caro Quintero and the Federal Government itself participated in the negotiations to free the three children of El Chapo Guzman. But the negotiations were difficult and then the Sinaloa cartel threatened to kidnap in jail Nemesio Oseguera Gonzalez, son of El Mencho, to offer that as a bargaining chip. Sinaloa sources assure Riodoce that he was kidnapped, but that was denied by the PGR. What many say is that the offense will cause a war between the CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel.

Reporter: Javier Valdez
In the negotiations for the children of Joaquin Guzman Loera, leader of the Sinaloa cartel, they were freed, Ismael Zambada Garcia, Rafael Caro Quintero and the Federal government took part, according to unofficial sources consulted by Riodoce.

Negotiations between the group CJNG and its leader El Mencho, and the Sinaloa cartel did not go smoothly, and at one point were on the brink of disaster, the pawn in the negotiations was El Menchito, a Federal prisoner in Oaxaca, who was threatened with death if El Chapo's sons were not released.




El Menchito, according to Riodoce sources, was kidnapped in prison and placed under permanent pressure until those kidnapped in La Leche were released. However this version of events was denied by PGR sources who requested anonymity.

"We have registered visitors in this time period when Menchito was meant to have been kidnapped, he would not have be able to receive visitors if he had been kidnapped," said the source.

The Federal Government also intervened at the highest level. Sources said that security and military officials also interceded once negotiations became entrenched and allowed a cooling off period when violent tempers were flaring, avoiding a war between the two most powerful cartels in Mexico.

El Mencho did not want to budge, so they pressured his son in prison, said a person close to these events.

Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, better known as El Menchito, remains imprisoned in the Cefereso No. 13, located in Miahuatlan, in Oaxaca State, accused of organized crime, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition for exclusive use of the armed forces.

Caro Quintero retains some influence in Guadalajara, which was his second home, he went there after fleeing operation condor, which hit Sinaloa in 1977 and where it held its power in the drug business. He helped in the dialogue, as did the intervention of El Mayo Zambada Garcia, but when negotiations stalled it was the Federal Government that got them moving again.

When El Menchito became a pawn in the negotiations, the Federal Government got involved as did Rafael Caro Quintero, and this prevented  a violent riot.

The brothers, Ivan Archivaldo, heir to his fathers business, Alfredo and Caesar were kidnapped while celebrating a birthday of Ivan in La Leche restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

It was officially accepted by the State attorney general of Jalisco, that Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar was among the six men abducted in the La Leche restaurant, sources for Riodoce found out that Ivan Archivaldo was also in the group and later, Carlos Loret de Mola in his televisa program cited unofficial sources from the Federal Government that another son of El Chapo, Cesar Guzman Salazar had also been among the kidnapped.

Contrary to what had been said, Los Menores, as the sons of El Chapo had been called, did have a bodyguard with them but he was easily overcome by the sicarios.

Inside, close to 16 sicarios took control of the Guzman's, but the group of attackers was in total some 50 armed men. Another of the Guzman brothers, Ovidio, was not at the party, but he was in Puerto Vallarta, and he had opted to stay at the Marriott hotel where all of the brothers had been staying.

The reunion at La Leche was for the birthday of Ivan Archivaldo, on the 15th of August, and he had arranged for friends and family to attend, some 16 in number.

On the night of Friday the 19th they were set free. At first only Ivan and his bodyguard were set free, but he decided to remain in Jalisco until his siblings and friends had been freed as well.

Working Meeting

On Thursday night, there was a working meeting in Culiacan, of the highest level members of the Sinaloa cartel controlled by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada who were summoned to a ranch near the Sinaloa capital city.

The Mayo operatives came from various regions of Sinaloa and other States, In small groups with bodyguards and close associates.

Outside the ranch was a security cordon of heavy weapon mounted technicals. The reason for the meeting was to analyze what was happening in Puerto Vallarta, with the kidnapping of the Guzmans by the heads of the CJNG. The negotiations, possible consequences, and the possibility of going to war with the CJNG, that could reach new levels of blood and death.

One associate was so frightened by the hardware on show in the security cordon that he chose to leave quoting "this feels like Iraq".

War Drums

Operatives within the Sinaloa cartel warn that the kidnappings of Guzmans sons, the escalating tension and negotiations, threats, is the prelude to a new narco war Sinaloa vs CJNG.

Apparently, Sinaloa, with Ivan Archivaldo at its head, is preparing a series of strong offensives, and is expected to move family members to safe locations to reduce their vulnerability to attack. (Otis: this happened when Sinaloa went to war with the BLO in 2009).

Any attacks would be carried out in regions controlled by the CJNG where they border Sinaloa. In the case of Sinaloa the forces of El Mencho could make alliances with cells from the BLO operating in Los Mochis, El Fuerte, Choix, Sinaloa and Guasave, in the North of the State, Navalato, in the centre and South, Mazatlán, Concordia, Escuinapa and Rosario.

The so called "Mazatlecos" have already launched a series of attacks against Sinaloa operatives in the South of the State, where there have been dismembering and burning of corpses such as in Concordia.

In just one day, Sunday the 21st, seven men were killed in the Port, one of them had a manta against Ismael Zambada, Chapo Guzman and Damaso Lopez Nunez. Four more were executed and abandoned near the Privanzas fraccionamiento.

This happened, in spite of strengthening of security in recent weeks, directly coordinated by the chief of ministerial police, Jesus Antonio Aguilar Iniguez, who was sent by the Governor, Mario Lopez Valdez, to give some assurance to the port.

While the author was writing this article, two men were killed in down town Culiacan, they were in an armored vehicle. One of them was the nephew of Ismael Zambada, ( Otis: see link to my article on the slaying of Giovanni Parra Zambada.)

Original article in Spanish at Riodoce