Seven Alleged Members of La Union Tepito Arrested

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Following a chase, Mexico City police officers detained seven alleged members of the Tepito Union in the Morelos neighborhood, who were in possession of 21 kilograms of marijuana, doses of cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to the report from the Secretary of Security, these people were in the vicinity of González Ortega Street, and at that site, they exchanged packages for cash. The agents had already located that this was a point of drug dealing, for which they reinforced the patrol.

As soon as they became aware of the police presence, the five men and the two women ran to evade justice, however, they were persecuted and detained. Among these alleged criminals is a minor.

The detainees, together with the insured, were placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry to determine their legal situation. According to preliminary reports, the 20-year-old subject has a criminal record and entry into the penitentiary system for the crime of robbery.

The unit headed by Omar García Harfuch indicated that firearms, ammunition, as well as psychotropic pills were seized. Despite the fact that the alleged criminals entered the streets of the Barrio Bravo de Tepito, they were hit and officers seized 21 kilos of marijuana, 160 doses of the same drug, 105 pills of an unidentified narcotic, six doses of cocaine, 95 packages with methamphetamine, plus 400 grams of the narcotic. Also, they seized two handguns, submachine gun type 21, and ammunition. 

Unofficial reports indicated that the operation in the Morelos neighborhood had been triggered by shots fired. However, the authorities did not mention that detail in the statement. Presumably, two young men had been injured, but this was not confirmed either. Other versions said that they were relatives of Yair Altamirano Galicia, El Yair, one of the founding hitmen and leaders of La Union Tepito.

For decades, Tepito has been characterized as a place where the sale of stolen products, contraband, as well as drug dealing. It is often considered a lawless neighborhood because the authorities stay out of the day-to-day problems that this area faces.

The rare time's police were entering the Barrio Bravo, that most of the time living as an autonomous community where the strongest survive. Along with this lack of intervention is how criminal gangs have grown which, with the extortion of merchants, such as the drug trade, have gained the power to expand through neighboring delegations. This area saw the birth and expansion of the cartel that dominates the capital of Mexico.

Sources: Milenio; El Universal; La Jornada