Murder attempt on Harfuch was Menchos retaliation for capturing Puerto Vallarta's CJNG chief

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  TY Gus Source

Over two years ago, Omar García Harfuch was responsible for an operation to arrest Mauricio Valera Reyes, "El Manotas", a Colombian national and leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación ( CJNG ) criminal cell which operates in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

The arrest of “Manotas” would lead to the attack against Harfuch on June 26,2020  on Paseo de la Reforma.

According to security sources close to the case, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, founder of the CJNG, is allegedly  still seeking revenge since the March 2018 operation and wants García Harfuch dead.

It began with the abduction and execution of two federal agents

On Friday, March 18, 2018, the federal government reported that it detained 18 members of the CJNG for the kidnapping and murder of Alfonso Hernández and Octavio Martínez, members of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC).

Four of those captured are of Colombian nationality: three women and Mauricio Valera Reyes, “El Manotas”.

Omar García Harfuch, head of the AIC, said at the time in a conference that EL Manotas, investigated for drug trafficking, was the CJNG plaza chief in Puerto Vallarta and the material and intellectual author of the crimes against the two agents.

The capture of “El manotas” was carried out in the Las Ceibas subdivision, Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit.

During the operation, Mauricio Valera Reyes attacked elements of the AIC, who repelled the attack, El Manotas was injured in the attack and was transferred to a hospital.

That day, Omar García Harfuch explained that they had also secured Ubaldo "N", "El Cocho", deputy director of Public Security and Traffic Operation of Puerto Vallarta, and Carlos Rogelio "N", "El Pollo", municipal police.

The AIC investigation indicates that the two security elements participated in the kidnapping of the agents.

The arrest was carried out pursuant to 10 search warrants. In the operations conducted in the municipalities of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, three Colombian women were also captured.

On February 5, 2018, Alfonso Hernández Villavicencio and Octavio Martínez Quiroz, non-commissioned officers of the AIC, aged 28 and 26, respectively, were kidnapped by municipal police officers from Puerto Vallarta, who recognized them as federal police officers by a numerical code embroidered on the cap that one of them wore.

After 10 days, Alfonso and Octavio appeared dead. Their tortured bodies were in an abandoned car in the municipality of Xalisco, Nayarit.

The families of Alfonso and Octavio received their bodies on February 19, and a month later the alleged perpetrators of their murder were already in jail.

The authorities were able to identify and locate the alleged leader of the criminal cell in the region: a Colombian named Mauricio Valera Reyes, a man  who changed cars every other day, moved without body guards. 

To follow his trail, federal agents rented a house in front of his home.

On the night of March 15, the authorities deployed the operation in Bahía de Banderas and carried out the searches. In the Colombian's house, the authorities faced the attack of the alleged criminal, who fired his long gun at the agents. The special operations group responded to the assault and wounded him three times, but he did not die.

The action resulted in the arrest of 18 alleged members of the CJNG.

This 39-day operation has been the fastest, cleanest and most important in the federal government against "El Mencho" and that is why the CJNG leader put a price on Omar García Harfuch's head.