Cartels disputing prisons in BCS, Marines take over guarding

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

Subject Matter: Prisons in BCS, Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Custodians of La Paz prison refused to carry out guarding duties after alleged threats from the CJNG. "Everything went downhill like a snowball, since the confrontation on the 6th of January and the fall of a Sinaloa Cartel cell that weakened their structure", a mixed command told Zeta. The Navy has taken control of prisons in Baja California Sur.

Reporter: Zeta Investigations

On Saturday, January 13, at least 15 custodians of the morning guard of the Center for Social Reintegration (Cereso) of La Paz refused to enter the prison to perform their work, fearing reprisals to which they were threatened by groups of criminals who operate inside and outside said center.

"Everything fell like a snowball, since the confrontation on January 6 and the fall of an important body of assassins under orders of the Sinaloa Cartel, their structure was weakened, followed by this, members of Jalisco (CJNG) say that they took advantage of the momentum to seize the territory demonstrated in the penitentiary of La Paz and that of San José del Cabo, "said an officer of the Mixed Command in La Paz.

From September 13, 2016 it became evident who maintained the control of sale and distribution of drugs, cell phones, protection and other things, including water inside the Cereso de La Paz, when at dawn members of the Secretariat of the National Defense (Sedena), in the company of the Navy and police, entered each of the cells of the prisoners, managing to find on that occasion more than 150 thousand pesos in national currency, hundreds of dollars, drugs, several cell phones, scales grameras , weapons and other prohibited items.

Simón Guillermo Hernández Peña alias "El Simón" or "El Sepulturero" had all the aforementioned in his cell, hence his transfer by the Deputy Attorney General specialized in Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO), carried out three days after the find.

"But the power shifted to CJNG and today we realize that the mafia inside continued regardless of the presence of comrades," said a State Police agent in the entity.

Members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel carried out two crucial actions to try to recover the La Paz prison:

* On January 9, Raymundo Magaña Bautista, 43 years old, was killed, who was acting as general commander of custodians of the Cereso de La Paz.

* On January 12, the custodian identified as Ruperto Orozco, 42, was executed on board a vehicle in the streets of Rosaura Zapata between Rosales and Bravo.

According to witnesses, moments before being killed they heard whistles and bursts of automatic rifle fire.

According to members of the Public Safety Coordination Group, said " we are referring to warnings  given by criminal groups who intend to continue their criminal activities in the prison, but at this time Baja California Sur is seeking a return to peace, we all want tranquility and not an unholy mess, into which they have dragged the officials of all areas. "

On January 14 and 15, most of the custodians refused to continue working under these conditions, for which both the Municipal Police of La Paz and the Secretary of the Navy resumed control and operation of the penitentiary center.

Corruption Criminal Style

It had just dawned in La Paz, and the murder of the custodian Ruperto during Friday night and Saturday morning, when the staff refused to continue serving the Cereso. And on Sunday, alleged members of the CJNG posted a narcomanta very close to the Marina facilities in El Conchalito.

"To all the Custodians of Cereso la Paz, this has been building for years the Plaza is mine and it is clear that we are not playing. This has happened to all those who continue to support Arturo Flores Medinas Alias ​​El Gansy, your alliance is going to run with blood, " reads the manta signed by Moto Raton of CJNG, active member in Ciudad Constitución, Municipality of Comondú and part of Loreto, who also attributed the kidnapping of two businessmen in the town.

"This makes it clear that the mafia can not be eradicated, as soon as a front is attacked and the rival group arrives to try to establish itself. Therefore, we seek to lay solid foundations in all the corporations and giving priority to qualified, approved and new blood, "said the member of the Coordination Group.

The penitentiary crisis arising after the assassinations of the commanding general and the prison officer, of course concerns the elements that protect the prison, they immediately sent in the municipal police, "we are the most required, they use us as cannon fodder , but there are financial problems and we are the first to be fired or to not be paid or get bonuses, "denounced one of the municipal police.

But the refusal to work was increasing and the municipal police required rest, so from Sunday and part of Monday, perimeter security and interior, was taken up by the Navy Secretariat of Mexico not only in La Paz, also in Los Cabos, after that in the medium security prison there were two attempts to escape at the beginning of the year.

"Both the conditions in which the centers operate are important, as well as the strategy to follow to have a better operation, therefore, they reserve reports on what happened and the general state in which the prison is kept, until there is a strategy implemented. They confirmed that the control of the facilities has been resumed by the authority and they will maintain close surveillance, especially to avoid the recurrence of events of this nature, "said the Secretary of Public Security of Baja California Sur in a statement.

The placement of the mantas was attributed to organized crime, but especially the killing of two guards in less than a week, led to a crisis of insecurity in the La Paz prison. Given the refusal of the custodians to carry out their duties, elements of the Municipal and the Navy of Mexico maintain the operation, information which was confirmed by the spokesman of the Public Security Coordination Group and General Secretary of the Government, Álvaro de la Peña Angulo.

"A hiring of a greater number of elements of custodians is being carried out precisely to reinforce the security areas of the Cereso of La Paz and Los Cabos, but I repeat: the Armed Forces are contributing to the issue of perimeter security and the  same for the interior of the prisons, to safeguard the integrity of the inmates of both Cereso, "said De la Peña.

"I can not give credit to a manta where they said things that the custodians never said, the custodians have been taken care of at all times. The events that occurred against some custodial elements here in La Paz have been regrettable, but this does not mean that all the elements working are under threat, we are going to give greater certainty to the workers of the Cereso, with the perimeter security and the inside with the Armed Forces ", acknowledged the state official.

LOADED AGAINST SINALOA

While criminal groups alluded to having the support of the "State and those of the Anchor (Navy)", the warning expressed in a narcomanta indicated:

"This is NOT for assholes. they do not want to believe the truth, every day we are going to kill people, we show them that we are worthy and that we bring all the support to clean up, will not stop hahahaha. . Atte Tegoripeños and Guzmanes ".

But the clash that occurred on January 6 in the Santa Rosa neighborhood of San José del Cabo, in Los Cabos, exposed the probable rupture with the Navy and the frontal attack on the cell with the greatest presence in the southern zone of BCS.

The Navy and bullies of the Sinaloa Cartel found themselves in a confrontation in the streets of Santa Rosa, the balance was seven gunmen killed, who had weapons and tactical equipment.

Afterwards, the fall of the Sinaloan Cartel cell was imminent, because "the Navy's troops went completely against the criminals because of the attack directed against their elements, they failed in the attack and the sailors hit back, liquidating the occupants of the trucks," said a member of the select Security group.

Evidence of the frontal attack against the cell was revealed after the securing of secure houses, weapons and more members of the criminal cell. These were the facts:

Safe house in Sea-San José del Cabo (January 9):

* Long weapon type rifle with magazine

* Eight magazines for AK-47's

* Seven boxes of useful cartridges 7.62 × 39 and .40 caliber

* A 9mm pistol-type gun

* Two bags with green and dry vegetable matter with the characteristics of marijuana

* Two vehicles.

Safe house La Paz (January 11):

* One thousand doses of crystal

* 2 thousand doses of marijuana.

* An accused

Safe house in La Playita-San Jose del Cabo (January 11):

* Two male suspects

* A rifle in .223 caliber

* A shotgun

* A 9mm handgun

Safe house in Mauricio Castro-San Jose del Cabo (January 13):

* Two trucks, a Honda CRV color gray, 2013 model, with several bullet impacts in the side and rear windows. A white BMW car , approximately 2010

* A 45 caliber weapon, Colt brand

* 13 tactical vests with the legend of Police and badges

* A uniform of the Municipal Police of Los Cabos

* 23 magazines supplied with caliber .223

* Seven 7.62 caliber magazines

* 880 useful cartridges caliber 7.62 x 39

* 43 x .45-caliber cartridges

* 17 x .38-caliber cartridges

* Black plastic bag with approximately 4 kilos of marijuana inside

Safe house Santa Rosa-San Jose del Cabo (January 13):

* An AK-47 rifle with magazine

* Four spare magazines

* Two cartons of 7.62 x 39 caliber cartridges

* A black bag, with apparently two kilos of marijuana.

"The assurances were obtained thanks to the information obtained from investigations related to the confrontation between sailors and assassins, in both cases those killed wore tactical equipment and had weapons for the exclusive use of the Army, for use in an escape if confronted by armed forces, "revealed the military source consulted by this Weekly.

The reference of the military personnel is that most of the violence came from the instability caused by that group, while the Attorney General of Baja California Sur, Daniel de la Rosa, indicated that the information that he gave with the assurances part of the investigations and searches made, for which it is in reserve, since the case is still open.

The same happens inside the prison of La Paz, because the current military running the prison operation also goes against the successors of "El Simón", but agents of the Navy intend to keep the prison clean and rid it of the impunity that is practised inside.

THE WAR CONTINUES

While in the PGJE the message is to continue with the rapid and timely attention to the citizenship, in the streets, gunfire is served up left and right, with 44 people killed until the close of this edition.

"It has to be immediately, from the moment we have knowledge of an act constituting a crime, we are administrating the respective charges, and not only in four months there will be charges that we are administrating practically in hours or in one or two days. I give some examples that we could report last week that are already administered, here the important thing is to give the timely and more immediate conclusion, especially with the sensitivity that each case requires, "said the attorney Daniel de la Rosa Anaya , before the crisis of law enforcement.

The problem now evidenced in the Cereso de La Paz is only the tip of the iceberg, "we even have complaints from addicted people who go to the penitentiary, or at least they mention it, supposedly because drugs are cheaper, that situation is already review and of course with pincitas ", said a member of the State Police, attached to the Coordination Group.

The security forces were barely dealing with a new threat on Sunday, January 14, in the Villas de San Lorenzo de La Paz colonia appeared early in the day: a 24-year-old man, identified as Jesús Adrián Cota, who it is alleged was tortured and killed with the use of a rope, which was still around his neck. He only wore olive green pants and white socks. He had tape over his mouth, eyes and hands.

At first there was talk of twenty assassins who have reinforced Sinaloa's Cartels presence, there are seven killed and two or three behind bars only in Los Cabos, but in La Paz the Sinaloa criminal cells maintain their activity in the light of day.

On the morning of Wednesday, January 17, two agents of the Ministerial Police requested urgent support via radio in the town of La Matanza, at Kilometer 18 of the La Paz-Los Planes highway. When conducting surveillance, those elements were attacked with gunfire.

"We are at a time when the hit men have no respect for authority, the attacks in which we have been victims, of course violate our rights as security agents, so we have to work as a team, to take care of each other, its in our interests, and the families of all those agents and that is priceless, "said a commander of the Municipal Police.