Another Culiacan Birthday Party Gone Awry

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: El Debate

Extra Material from: Universal
By: Javier Cabrera Martinez

Feb 17, 2018

Culiacán, Sin.- Elements of the Military Police burst into a birthday party that took place in a auto workshop at 3:30 am on Friday, Feb 16 and held 62 attendees for 16 hours. The 62 people included men, women, seniors, children and the musicians, waiters and a taquero and his wife hired to cater the event. 

Unofficially it is reported that the auto shop "qualified as a ballroom ", the building was often used as a  salon for events and parties in the Colinas de Riviera neighborhood in Culiacan. 

The celebration had  entertainment provided  by the group of musicians , in the hall there were horns and mounted musical instruments similar to those used by "chirrines".

The Mexican Army arrested nine people , secured AK 47s, AR15s , pistols, cartridges , cash and a jaguar (a cat not car ). The nine men arrested were taken to the headquarters of the PGR.

The convoy of soldiers arrived at the location on Calle Liberalismo between the Bulevard Obrero Mundial and Calle Manuel Kant , across from Valladoloid  Private School where the birthday party had allegedly started on Thursday night.

Antonio Casteneda Verduzco, the Municipal President of Culiacan, Sinaloa, announced that due to the military operations it was necessary to suspend classes at the school. He also reported that the Municipal Police were not involved or required by the Military , so he had no more information to report.

The hours were long as the Military held the partygoers at the facility, later there were complaints of no access to water , food or bathroom facilities. 

Hours passed and it was eventually revealed that the guns were found inside vehicles parked outside the building, including a trunkful of automatic rifles in a gray Mitsubishi ASX.

The State Commission of Human Rights general spokesman , Miguel Angel Calderon Espinoza , gave a statement in response to complaints lodged by telephone from party goers, two of which came to the office to collect  reports to send to the National Commission for Human Rights. 

The CNDH has already been notified of the complaints received for the retention of all 62 attendees.

All persons not arrested were released to leave the festivity building in intervals of 10 minutes. Most left in groups of 12 - 15 in private vehicles and none gave a statement to the media.

Jose "N", a high school student who lived nearby was the only who volunteered the  information that near dawn gunshots were heard coming from the celebration and that was  when the Military intervened.

             No other local or Federal authority issued official information on the events either.