Sonora/Chihuahua: Confrontations Between Narco Groups Cause Panic

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Diario.mx

Extra Material from: El Herald de Chihuahua By: David Pinon May 20, 2018
See Otis's BB Post from May 18

A confrontation occurred between Yécora and Maycoba communities located in the limits of the state of Sonora near the border with Chihuahua, left a balance of five dead and 11 vehicles damaged, mostly burned. 

The confrontation was recorded on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning when an armed group from Chihuahua tried to enter Sonora, hours before Carlos Arturo Quntana, alias "El 80", 35, and leader of "La Línea", was captured in  the western region of the state, which reinforced the police presence within the limits of both states. 

Yesterday, it was announced that the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) of Sonora, in coordination with the Mexican Army, increased intelligence and operational tactics by air and by foot  in the mountainous area of ​​Yécora.

After the shooting, inhabitants of the region reported the deaths of at least five people and more than a dozen cars burned in gaps and roads, in which multiple impacts were observed by firearm projectiles. 

Adolfo García Morales, head of the Sonora SSP, reported that ground and air travel is carried out with aircraft of the Mexican Army and the State Government to discourage the presence of these criminal groups. 

"We are shielding the areas with population, since the best interest is to protect the citizens and that they feels safe against possible confrontations due to rumors of a possible entrance of an organized crime group from Chihuahua."

He added that patrols are being carried out in the region to maintain presence and not give space to the entry of organized crime groups in Chihuahua, after the operation by the Federal Police and the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena), which on Thursday past resulted in the capture of the leader of drug trafficking in the municipalities of Namiquipa, Bachíniva, Matachí, Santa Ana , Soto Máynez, Babícora, Buenaventura and Ignacio Zaragoza. 

García Morales reiterated that in that mountainous area bordering Chihuahua, recently there was a confrontation on the side of Chihuahua State line, since these criminal cells are looking for unpopulated areas or with a small population to carry out the transfer of drugs.

The same day of the capture of Caralos Arturo Quintana "El 80", in Namiquipa, there was a confrontation between members of "La Línea " and the Sinaloa cartel in the limits of Madera, which led to the semi-paralysis of activities in the Dolores mine , since for both days both groups maintain presence in the region and the employees have not been able to leave their place of work.

The clash last Thursday, which left as official balance two deaths, but there are reports that the criminals picked up other bodies, which happened on the road to Yepachi and was the last of several that have been recorded in recent weeks, which is scaring hundreds of employees of the mining company, who work shifts of 14 days of work for 7 days of rest, generally to travel to their places of origin, outside this municipality.

On the road that leads to Yepachi, which is on the border of Chihuahua with the state of Sonora, during the morning of Thursday, several gunmen were shot on the road, the participating groups were the Sinaloa Cartel through the cell  controlled by Roberto Soto, "El Jaguar" and the Juarez Cartel, through "Los Linces", a group of "La Línea".

Photographs and videos of that day, captured by people who were driving along the road hours after the scuffle, account for two bodies, firearms, grenades, cartridges and seven damaged units, with samples of bullets and even one burned, which was armored with steel in some parts to avoid bullet impacts.

According to residents, the confrontation lasted almost an hour in a section of several kilometers of the road, where the agents of the Federal Police and the Army took about two hours to arrive. Agents also arrived stationed in the Sonora limits, in the same region that both groups dispute.

Officially, the Attorney General's Office did not report the facts, nor did military or federal authorities, but corporate personnel took the next 5 hours to collect the evidence and move the vehicles to wooden corrals to secure them.

The burned unit was able to consume some grasslands that were captured in the videos of people passing through the place, while in turn there were bodies thrown away, some with military-type clothing, which are accessories commonly used by criminals, as well as the armored vehicles.

Psychosis in Dolores Mine

The Dolores Mine, within the municipality of Madera, Chihuahua was partially closed after detecting the presence of criminal groups that have taken the accesses and have unleashed several clashes in recent days, on the exit road to Cuauhtémoc, Temósachic and other towns.

According to workers who were in the mine until yesterday, they have not been able to leave because they have received threats to the plant that they are going to kill employees who supposedly work for one of the groups that are fighting over the territory, "El Jaguar "and " El Linea ", so those who are on their days off have not been able or wanted to return to their jobs and those who are working their regular shifts and are do for their days off  have not wanted to leave the mine facilities because the area is being "patrolled " by the warring  groups.

"The managers of the mine enter and leave by air, but they do not take care of us, they ignore our fears, we are cornered and we do not know what to do, who to turn to, because here there is no government that exists," said one of the workers. but who can not leave the facilities because of the threats that exist and the presence of criminal groups.

The employees have contacted their relatives in Chihuahua and Cuauhtémoc and have asked them to request assistance from the authorities.

Both employees and relatives, who ask to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, assured that this new dispute is also related to the operation of the Dolores Mine, where the workers have had to suspend work in the face of this strong armed confrontation, as they can not leave the labor area in the presence of armed groups.

In recent weeks, the miners say that the two groups have begun to harass employees, the area of ​​the mining complex is supposedly the territory of one gang which is now being disputed; the miners claim they have been threatened that they may get caught up in the crossfire of the warring factions.

The environment of insecurity is scaring away the workers of the mine, who prefer not to leave the municipality in the face of constant confrontations and threats that arise between the antagonistic groups, in addition to sustaining the fear that one day they will be affected by these attacks due to lack of control.

Executives of Pan American Silver mining company, have not commented on their position on the events or the semi paralization of mining activities in the camp, and they do not have representative offices in Chihuahua. As for the miners: "We live here in this place".

Social Media Threats

On May 15, a user of social networks posted a threatening message against "the gangs that work in the Dolores Mine" and stated that he would "clean up his area, including all the pigs in La Gente Nueva ", which led to the two-day clash of what was announced on the internet by the supposed member of "La Línea ".

This message increased the psychosis in the region and then, on the 17th, the confrontation took place, after weeks of reports that the area was patrolled with large convoys of the two groups with impunity and shoot at the least provocation or intimidate civilians who must circulate in the region.