On Monday morning last
week, the corpses of two municipal police officers were found in the municipality
of Guadalupe y Calvo. They were identified as 31-years-old Miguel Ángel
Armendáriz Rodríguez and 21-years-old Nancy Montañez Macías. Both were detached
to the community of Baborigame, located some 50 kilometers northwest of the
town of Guadalupe y Calvo. Their slain bodies, which showed several bullet
wounds, were dumped in a place known as Puerto del Aire, situated outside of
Baborigame. Reportedly, Miguel Ángel Armendáriz Rodríguez was a former State
Police officer. He had been working in his new role as commander of the
municipal police of Baborigame just for a few days. According to Chihuahua’s
Attorney General, César Augusto Peniche, the criminal group responsible for the
killing has already been identified. However, besides stating the obvious, namely
that a criminal group active in the region has conducted the execution, no
further relevant details allowing to draw conclusions about the group have been
revealed.
Oaxaqueño Analysis:
Generally speaking,
Chihuahua’s southern region has seen another spike in violence in recent time.
This is owed to the battle between rivaling criminal groups. Not only is the
Sinaloa Cartel fighting against La Línea, but also among themselves.
When it comes to
Baborigame, the community has repeatedly been a hotspot of violence since the
1970s. Known as the heart of the notorious Golden Triangle, its population have
been subject to a level of marginalization, inequality, and impunity, which has
hardly been seen in other Mexican towns. Due to its location, Baborigame is of
high strategic importance for the criminal cells operating in the region. The
town serves as a key route for the poppy and marijuana shipments which stem
from the numerous cultivation and production areas the Golden Triangle
offers.
Although it is very
difficult for somebody just standing at the sideline to precisely determine
which CDS cell held and currently holds power in and around Baborigame, I try
to sort things out as good as I can. Around the year 2014, a CDS cell known as
“Los Pintos” took control of the town. The group is led by a mysterious figure,
namely Héctor Román Angulo aka “El Pinto”. Not much is known about him – there
is not even a mugshot. Nevertheless, he is said to be a very powerful figure
within CDS. Purportedly, he was born in the town of San Javier (Sinaloa), which
is located in close proximity to the municipality of Badiraguato, home to
figures like “El Chapo”, “El Mayo”, and “El Azul”. In addition to that, he is
about the same generation, growing up alongside them. According to reports, he
had supplied “El Azul”, who allegedly died in 2014. As a side note; it is
remarkable what a low profile this guy has been able to keep over all these
decades, particularly against the background of the presumed power he holds
within CDS.
However, reportedly
somewhen in summer 2016, a splinter group of “Los Pintos”, dubbing themselves
“Los Azules”, emerged (I have not found any evidence of a relation to “El
Azul”; allegedly, they called themselves like that because of the color of the
clothing they typically wear). For the next about two years to follow, both
groups had fought a bloody turf war against each other, badly affecting
Baborigame’s local population. Eventually, somewhen in the beginning of 2018,
an apparent truce was allegedly reached, bringing the violence in comparison to
previous months down a bit. Since then, almost nothing has been reported about
the two groups. Just as “El Pinto”, they seem to have kept themselves out of
the “spotlight” (which is actually an improper word considering how
underreported the Golden Triangle is in general).
In light of the above,
it seems plausible that criminals affiliated or at least formerly affiliated
with "Los Pintos" or "Los Azules" have killed the two
municipal police officers. As there is a plethora of different potential
motives for the execution, including one of the victim’s former profession as
State Police officer, I won’t presume to make an assumption.
Obviously, the involvement
of another criminal cell in the killing cannot be ruled out. There are various
other CDS cells in Baborigame’s surrounding areas. These include, among others,
the cell of Melquiades Díaz Meza alias “El Chapo Calin” (some 50 kilometers
northeast in Guachochi), the cell of Servando Meza Osorio aka “El Servandito”
(some 50 kilometers northwest in Morelos), as well as the cell of Ruperto
Salgueiro Nevárez alias “El 37” (some 50 kilometers southeast in Guadalupe y
Calvo).
Without trying to
overcomplicate things – it could have even been La Línea sicarios responsible
for the execution. The reason for this (to be honest rather far-fetched theory)
is that at least to some extent, there is a La Línea presence in the
municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo. According to a statement made in April by
the Attorney General César Augusto Peniche, it was noticed that some CDS
members, mainly in the area of Sinaloa and Durango, have flipped side joining
La Línea. This has caused an increased number of clashes, including the one in
April in Atascaderos, located in Guadalupe y Calvo (reported by BorderlandBeat
on the 11th of April 2019). Another indication for the presence of La Línea
sicarios in the area was highlighted through a recent incident. In the end of
last month, six mutilated bodies were dumped in the town of San José del Sitio,
situated about 85 kilometers northwest of Parral. The victims, who showed signs
of torture, wore military-style clothes. A placed narcomensaje identified them
as La Línea members. It is assumed that Antonio Leonel Camacho Mendoza aka “El
300”, commanding the CDS cell in and around Parral, was behind the killing.
Interestingly, three out of the six slained presumed La Línea members were from
Baborigame, again outlining at least some sort of presence they must have in
the area.
Whoever is to blame for
the killing of the two officers, one thing can be taken for granted: the high
level of violence will continue unabated in Chihuahua’s southern region. At
least for the short term, or in other words, as long as so many cells are
operating in the area and continue to fight each other. The recent “Gente
Nueva” video showing dozens of armed sicarios, purportedly recorded somewhere
within the municipality of Parral, could not be more symbolic for the current
security crisis the region is facing.
Mexicles in Juarez once allies of CDS have begun an offensive against the latter group in the Valley of Juarez. Mexicles are said to be expanding and allied with La Linea. It is only a matter of time that CDS will begin crawling back to southern Chihuas to ask for help from those 600 sicarios in Parral.
ReplyDeletePeople from Juarez should not be underestimated in their fight against CDS even if the odds seem against them.
Oaxaqueño...Your analysis are always interesting and on point where the players are concerned,thanks for the work..
ReplyDelete