Video: "Los Artistas Asesinos" Declare War Against "Los Mexicles"

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Vanguardia

              

Ciudad Juárez .- A new internal struggle between criminal gangs emerged on Sunday, according to videos circulating through social networks, where they warn that violence will increase in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua .

People who identify themselves as members of the gang "Los Artistas Asasinos" (AA) in a video posted on social networks show an arsenal and threaten to use it against members of ''Los Mexicles''.

According to an analysis of the  State Attorney General's Office  (FGE) and the Municipal Public Security Secretariat (SSPM) , both criminal groups are part of the Sinaloa Cartel and have their presence in the eastern part of the city.

If confirmed the veracity of the videos - which are already officially investigated - the Sinaloa Cartel would be the second criminal organization to be divided in the city this year due to conflicts in its organizational structure.

Since last May the gangs ''Barrio Azteca'' and ''La Línea'', which functioned as the armed wing of the Juarez Cartel , were also divided, according to reports provided by the FGE.

As a consequence, the control of their activities has been debated with blood in the streets, mainly in the northwest, where they concentrate their criminal structure.

The Prosecutor's Office points out that at least 600 executions have been derived from this first division here in the last four months.

Jorge Nava Lopez, prosecutor of the North Zone , announced yesterday that the Intelligence and Cybernetics Units of the Prosecutor's Office , opened an investigation to confirm or deny if the origin of the graphic material that began to spread last Sunday through social networks is real , where there is evidence of a break between the gangs ''Asesinos Artists'' (AA) and ''Mexicles''.

The AAs are granted the authorship of the video in which they exhibit the arsenal within a warehouse and mention that "the topón" -a confrontation, as far as possible, that is, until one of the opponents is dead- will use the weapon against gang members of " The Mexicles ", to whom as they claim they were taught to work, and now they" bite their hand ".

The prosecutor Nava said that, prior to this video, there are no signs that support an internal division between the two gangs, as was the case with ''Los Aztecas''.

 "We do not yet have the certainty that it is true but we do not rule out any possibility ... they are already under investigation (the videos) once we advance we can determine if it is true or if it is only a distractor with the intention of providing bad information" , the official mentioned.

He reiterated that there is no history of any struggle or reasons to suppose that rivalry has arisen between the groups known as ''AA'' and ''Mexicles ''.

In the case of the struggle between ''Aztecs'' several detained by the ministerial authority announced the existence of internal division, but not on this occasion, according to the official.

The video shows a dozen people who identify themselves with the "Asasinos Artistas" who wear masks and/or facemasks and hold long weapons. Behind them three vehicles with lighted strobes.

In a second film, 30 different-sized, long and short weapons are observed on the floor of the same place, and the voice of one of those who threaten the Mexicles group is heard. "They already forgot who the square is ... who taught them, who they learned from, shit dogs."

In another video the same voice mentions in front of a blanket the message addressed to ''Mexicles'': "The land belongs to the one who works it, here we are Los AA", he points out.