Routes and Capos of the drugs trafficking cartels in Tijuana

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

Subject Matter: Cartels operating in Baja California
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

In the criminal struggle that has caused 1137 executions, 5 criminal cartel cells have invaded Baja California, all converged on Tijuana and fight for criminal control in Ensenada for the arrival of drugs. "El Checo" Flores, of Mexicali has expanded into Tijuana, "El Tigre" Soto started out in State capital and expanded into Tijuana and Rosarito in Ensenada, a town in which they are fighting against Victor Mejia "El Griego", of Los Aquiles

Reporter: Zeta Investigations and Cortesia

All of the drug routes in Baja Califorina converge on Tijuana, evidence of this is the ten tonnes of marijuana secured by the State Preventative Police and the Army in the Nueva Aurora colonia, discovered in a search by the PGR on the 18th of July.

Before, on the 2nd and 17th of the same month,  244 packets and 33 bags on a yacht, also in the Flores Magon colonia, inside a car they found 62 kilos of marijuana, 213 more kilos of marijuana in a house in the Xochimilco colonia, and 100 kilos of marijuana on a dirt road in the Playas de Tijuana delegation. They were counted among the many other captures of 1 to 5 kilos of the drug.

On July the 9th, following the assassination of Commander Antonio Garcia Garcia in Ensenada, the primary investigation of the coordination group revealed that the officer who was riddled with bullets by drug traffickers who were unloading in the San Quintin valley for the CJNG, Los Michoacanos de San Telmo, who initially were criminals for Alfonso Lira "El Atlante" and whose principal activity was the control and logistical transfer of drugs to the Tijuana frontier.



In this moment the authorities refer to the amplification in the zones of criminal influence of three narco traffickers, El Checo Flores, in Mexicali to Tijuana, El Tigre Soto, who started in Tijuana and expanded to Rosarito and who now bases his operation in Ensenada, and from Tijuana El Aquiles Arzate, and Victor Hugo Mejia Lopez, El Griego, who is fighting for the Ensenada plaza.

Tijuana divided and fought over by 5 cells

Between January the 1st and July 26th, the warring cells of drug traffickers have racked up 1137 lives in violent killings in Baja California

*844 in Tijuana
*92 in Ensenada
*90 in Mexicali
*48 in Rosarito
*23 in Tecate

In Tijuana, according to the Deputy Prosecutor for Special Investigation, Jose Maria Gonzalez, 90 killers have been detained, which if it were a hit man per victim, would mean a success rate in solving cases as 10%, 1 in 10.

To get an idea of the escalation in violence, suffice to say that last year, classified as the most violent since 2006, when statistical analysis began, 919 murder victims were counted; this year, 2017, without getting to the end of July, the total is 886 corpses in Tijuana.

In this context, Tijuana, the city with the highest criminal incidence, is being fought for by five criminal groups

*Cartel Arellano Felix, with influence in the north and northwest, in the Playas, Centro and Otay delegations. With pre-eminence in El Mirador, Los Laureles, Lazaro Cardenas, Soler, Herrera and La Mision.

*CJNG-CTNG, Jalisco and Tijuana Nueva Generacion, with presence in the centre, south, east and northeast of the city. With base of criminal operations in Sanchez Taboada, Camino Verde, Los Pinos, Sanchez Taboada and La Presa.

*Los Uriate, Sinaloa Cartel, in the centre, south and southeast of Tijuana, with preponderance in Altiplano, El Pipila, Camina Verde, Florido Delicas and Corredor 2000.

*Los Aquiles, Sinaloa Cartel, in the north, northeast, centre and southeast of the city. Major operations in Otay, Aeropuerto, Libertad, Villafontana, Lomas Taurinas.

*Los Tigres, Sinaloa Cartel, in the centre, north and southwest. They operate in La Joya, La Gloria, El Tecolote, Obrera, Santa Fe, Aleman and San Antonio de los Buenos.

El Tigre on the Ensenada-Rosarito-San Ysidro California route

This group of Jose Antonio Soto Gastelum, El Tigre, dedicated to the transit of marijuana, crystal, ice, and cocaine. In the last few months they have notably amplified their influence in Ensenada, as well as having incremented their participation in territorial struggle in Rosarito and Tijuana, where they already had a fortified presence.

Map of the deaths and injuries in Tijuana from 1st to 24th of July

He is not part of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, but follows Sinaloa, but they have an non-aggression pact, they are on the same side against Los Aquiles, detailed an investigator, and complemented, "they receive drugs from Ensenada, as well as controlling the sale of drugs in some zones of the port, they send drugs to Tijuana, in trucks and cars, with the United States as the end destination."

The areas where they operate actually are; Ensenada, Rosarito, and in Tijuana las colonias La Joya, La Gloria, Lazaro Cardenas, El Tecolote, Genearo Vazquez, Obrera, San Antonio de los Buenos, Del Prado, Santa Fe, Cuesta Blanca, Aleman and Jardin.

Under El Tigre in the criminal structure are Los Erres, headed by Javier Beltran Cabrera "R4", El Tigre also sent to the following to Ensenada to participate in the bloody struggle for territory: El Unico, and Jose Luis Aramburo Mondragon "El Mongus", and in Tijuana and Rosarito, Salvador Zavala "Chavita" and Armando Miramontes "El Cogo".

Soto has no arrest warrants against him, but was identified by local authorities in 2008, as a member of the Sinaloa cartel, coming originally from the group of Ignacio "Nacho: Coronel, with operations in Mexicali, and who supports Eduardo Garcia Simental "El Teo", for a relationship that works with with other drug dealers and traffickers in other states and countries, when he flipped from the Cartel Arellano Felix and started an internal war.

Between January and February of 2010, Eduardo and Manuel Garcia, El Teo and El Chiquilin, were captured. According to the version of events from the coordination group, Soto stayed in Tijuana as   head of this group together with Armando Robles "El Patotas", brother in law of "El Teo".

After moving some weight, in May of 2013, the DEA and the FBI denominated "El Tigre" as one of their most sought after criminals, and published a poster with his image and another four alleged traffickers from the Sinaloa cartel, and proportioned a telephone number for citizens to give information relating to his criminal activities and to offer data so he could be found.

In 2014, in defining the narco trafficking map of Mexico, the PGR referred to the existence of 9 cartels with 37 cells, in Baja California and designated Jose Antonio Soto Gastelum as head of one of the bands.

In November of 2014, the detention of Jehova Israel Ilhuicatzzi Morales "El Cuervo", informed that in Rosarito, Los Guichos, headed by Rosa Hernandez, had allied with "El Tigre". In 2013, Javier Beltran Cabrera "R4" was promoted to second in command of the cell of "El Tigre", when rival bands assassinated his brother Antonio.

In regards of "El Unico" the authorities have nothing more than his image and his nickname.

In respect of "El Mongus", he was detained in June of 2016 in Mexicali with a packet of ice, 2 thousand dollars and a 9mm pistol, the weapon was ballistics tested and found to be used on the homicide of a State Preventative Police officer Juan Fernando Ramos in 2010, but "El Mongus" was released.

Salvador Eduardo Zavala Narvaez was detained then set free for robbery on two occasions in May of 2008, and in the same month was pursued by the bodyguard of the then Municipal Public Secretary of Tijuana, Alberto Capella; he was wounded by PEP officers when he entered the building of that corporation.

Miramontes Ordaz was captured for kidnapping with another nine subjects nicknamed "Los Erres" in January of 2010, in an operation where the military rescued a kidnap victim, and secured two AK47's, 264 rounds of ammunition, one magazine, nine vehicles, 32,000 pesos, 85 grams of crystal and 20 grams of cocaine. He had been running criminal operations in 2008 under the orders of Saul Montes de Oca Morlett "El Ciego", head of the Cartel Arellano Felix. Lawyers paid by Soto Gastelum secured his release in July of 2014.

"El Checo", from Mexicali to Tijuana with Los Aquiles

Even though "El Checo" had some problems in 2013, the year that his friend criminal associate Gustavo Inunza Inunza "El Macho Prieto" was killed, because he killed family members of the heads of the Sinaloa Cartel, he controlled Mexicali for many years, but not only to carry drugs to the United States through the frontier with Calexico, he had agreements in place with the Arzate brothers to cross drugs through Tijuana as well.

The most common method is to send the product from Mexicali to Tijuana already hidden inside trailers ready to cross into San Ysidro, he is not fighting for control of the other towns because he has the state capital, he does have some problems with Los Garigay, but in general he doesn't have problems with internal struggles.

He operates with a low profile and has no arrest warrants against him, however in 2010, Gerardo Ortiz, the narco corrido singer in his album "Ni Hoy ni Manana", dedicated a song to "the plaza boss of Mexicali and Sonora" "El Checo" or "Clave 6".

In May of 2013, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury (OFAC) issued an alert against seven Sinaloa cartel operators and accused Cenobio Flores of illegal operations in Mexicali.

That same year, but in April, the PEP made a failed operation to capture the trafficker, they showed up at a house in the Vista Hermosa sub division in Mexicali, however due to formalities of access, Flores was notified and fled, the Police only found his family members at the address.

The criminals operating under these capos are identified by authorities as:

*Jesus Antonio Parra Camargo "El Condor", former Sergeant in GAFE, identified as an operator of "El Checo" from October 2011, when he was detained with other subjects in Mexicali after two murders through drug disputes. He was included in a cell that contained municipal and ministerial agents as part of the criminal activities. He was arrested for 218 kilos of cocaine, 2.7 kilos of heroin, 2.1 kilos of ice, a pistol, a rifle, 372 rounds of different calibre ammunition and 17 magazines for various weapons.

* Luis Gabriel Medivil Avila, he was also detained as part of the Camargo group, his name is included in previous investigation by the PGR for his probable responsibility in the commission of crimes against health, violation of the Federal firearms act and explosives. He appears in the yellow pages of Mexicali where he announces himself as a bodybuilder.

These in turn has as assistants three men not identified by the State Security Council, who are only known by their nicknames; El Tony from Mexicali, Charly and El Ruso. In the transit from Tijuana to the United States, those from Mexicali rely on protection of Sinaloa: Ivan Pena "El Turbo" and Juan Carlos Parra Dominguez "300".

"El Furcio" doesnt operate in BC, as reported by the Federation

The Federal Government informed that on 21st of July, in Tijuana a building of apartments in the La Rioja Fraccionamiento, and in the operation participated Sedena the Criminal Investigation Agency and SEIDO they achieved the capture of Jorge Alberto Santos Gastelum "El 90" or "El Furcio". In the apartment the forces secured 260 dosis of crystal, in the same operation they detained an American national Jesus Fernando N, with a plastic bag with crystal.

MEXICALI

Federal authorities located one of the participants of the attack where five military were assassinated and eleven were injured on the 30th of September of 2016 in Culiacan, Sinaloa. In a communication they indicated that he was presumably responsible for the transit of heroin, cocaine and crystal, employing the route between, Culiacan-Tijuana-Los Angeles, California and that he carried out diverse functions for the Cartel del Pacifico in Tijuana, Baja California.

The detained is considered one the principal operators in the State, and his capture forms part of the objective detentions relevant to Miguel Angel Osorio Chong had promised on the 17th of July.

However, diverse personnel consulted in areas of investigation and intelligence of the State Security Council, informed:

He does not operate in Baja California, nobody detained has mentioned him, not for transit or for killings, and he is not considered as one of the objectives relative to anything of the local corporations, he came for refuge in Tijuana but he operates out of Culiacan.

For events that Santos Gastelum has registered in his previous two captures:

At the start of January 2008 in La Paz, Baja California South, when the Army detained him in the port terminal of Pichilingue together with five other subjects all from the Sinaloa Cartel in possession of nine radio comms sets, a 65,000 volt stun gun, gps satellite navigation, 14,996 dollars, a satellite telephone and 22 cell phones. He was accused of theft from a vessel, since they had stolen an oxygen tank of the ship that moved them to La Paz.

The second arrest was in Sinaloa, on the 16 of November of 2016, after the attack on the Military, for crimes against health and violation of the Federal firearms act, and he was released.

Municipals capture two priority objectives of the CJNG, PGJE frees them

Last week, Noe Rios and Raymundo Hidalgo were detained by elements of Secretariat of Municipal Public Security in Tijuana, in both cases the Police reports detailed that they were captured in possession of drugs; the first with a bag of half a kilo of marijuana and .38 calibre pistol with five rounds of ammunition, and the second in possession of 20 doses of crystal.

In both cases, the amount of drugs was considered more than that considered for personal use but both men were set free without charge.

Although that was not the reason for not prosecuting them, the two men argued in their defence that the Municipal Officials had planted the drugs on them, and that the arrest reports did not reflect the true manner of their capture.

On Sunday the 23rd of July, the Secretary for Public Security in Tijuana gave out a bulletin about the capture of a "recruiter for a criminal group", they detailed that the corporation had detained him during a patrol in Calle Palmas and Bulevar Diaz Ordaz in the Naranjos colonia, in possession of a .38 special pistol and a bag of marijuana.

Unofficially elements of the coordination group of Baja California informed Zeta that this youngster, 19 years old, is being investigated, and even though the principal objective is his brother, an alleged member of the CJNG, at the moment of his detention, he tried to make out that he is a member of the criminal cell of Jose Luis Mendoza Uriate, El Guero Chompas.

He is also being investigated for his possible involvement in the murder of Diego Araujo, who's body was found be-headed on Tuesday morning, July 11th, in Corredor 2000, on a plot of land in the Altiplano colonia, accompanied by a narco message " puro CTNG this is going to happen to all of the people of Guero Chompas and Lucas together with all the dirty dogs here and follow your Paulina and Alex , CTNG HAHA".

On the side of Rios, who is an Uber driver with no criminal antecedents, he gave out a version of events before the Municipals that the officers who detained him planted the weapon, and the drugs and lied in the homicide police report, and affirms that he has a witness.

Zeta requested confirmation from the Municipal Audit Office the complaint and information of it, but at the close of this edition, the administrator Marcela Guzman has not responded despite repeated insistence.

As for Raymundo Hidalgo Mendoza, previously captured in August of 2012, with a pack of marijuana and some scales, and in May of 2014 in possession of 70 doses of ice, and two bags of marijuana, the State Security Council has him denominated since 2016 as a member of a cell of CJNG. "We know he has lost some power because he is consuming a lot of the product he has for sale, but he continues in the business."

However the Attorney Generals office of the State, insist he is not involved and have no current investigations on him. "He said, and the corroborated it, that he works in a Maquiladora and that the police pick him up for no reason every time they see him.

For lack of coordination, "El Pizarro" also freed when accused of homicide

When interviewed on Monday 17th of July, Deputy Attorney General Jose Maria Gonzalez informed Zeta that a Judge had granted the PGJE an arrest warrant  against Arturo Pizarro Morales and or Armando Qunitero Bue "El Pizarro", alleged to be responsible for the murder of Agent R Uben Sydney Robles, committed in front of a witness in April of 2017. The man was arrested and released for the assault and attempted murder of an Uber driver during the second week of June this year.

However the State Prosecutors office did not register the pending arrest warrant in the National Registry of Official Commandments, so on Wednesday, July 26th, "El Pizarro" was arrested by Municipal agents in Tijuana and released because, in reviewing shared information, the homicide did not record any injunction against the individual.

*According to Mexican Law, all those mentioned in this jounalistic work, are presumed innocent, as long as they did not declare the responsibility to the judicial authority, Art.13, CNPP

Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana