Tijuana Police Station On High Alert for Unknown Reason

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

An unusual amount of security forces from various military and law enforcement agencies are all guarding a Tijuana police station. It is being reported this is due to the arrest of a high value cartel member who is being held in the police station and whose identity is being kept secret at the moment for the purpose of security. 

This is a developing story and is based on the initial reporting being done. On July 20 2021, a large number of National Guard soldiers, municipal police officers and intelligence group agents were seen guarding the Margarito Saldaña police command building. Normally after the arrest of a cartel member, the arresting agency releases details or photos, although these are sometimes withheld when their is a security risk presented by releasing his identity.

The following was not originally intended but ended up being an exploration of how much variation can occur in the flurry of initial reporting around potentially important cartel related news.

The Four Versions

The number of soldiers, agents and officers was enough to merit four article from different news publications. Each vary slightly in their telling of events and speculation on the matter. 

El Imparcial writes that there was an important arrest of a cartel boss who is presumed to belong to the Arellano Félix Cartel (Cártel Arellano Félix, CAF or Cártel de Tijuana, CAT). The Margarito Saldaña police station is located in the Rosas Magallón area of Camino Verde neighborhood in Tijuana. They speculate the detainee is “El Mayel”. 

La Jornada writes that recently there was a joint military-police operation carried out on the Alamar Rapid Highway in Tijuana which resulted in five men being arrested. Along with the men, a shipment of 260 kilograms of cocaine and close to a million dollars in cash was seized. 

La Jornada also writes all five of the men were from Sinaloa, which may suggest they are possible Sinaloa Cartel members although it should be noted that there are cartel members from Sinaloa state who belong to other groups. 

Jornada details that the detainees, the drugs and the money are being kept at the municipal headquarters waiting to be turned over to the delegation of the Attorney General's Office (FGR). If this information is true, it may open up the possibility that the large presence of guards is in order to protect the seized shipment of cocaine and million dollars in cash rather than one of the detainees being of high value. 

AFN Tijuana writes a version very similar to La Jornada. They detail that following an operation, a seizure was made of 260 kilograms of cocaine and more then 900,000 dollars in cash. They differ from Jornada’s version of events in that they say that six people were arrested and are being held in the facility, unlike Jornada who writes there are five detainees. AFN writes the operation took place in Chilpancingo neighborhood of Tijuana. 

AFN wrote on July 20 2021 at an unspecified time that the drugs, cash and detainees have now been transferred to the Attorney General's Office, in the Río Urbana Zone of Tijuana. 

Cadena Noticias says that a man was arrested on July 20, 2021, while he was riding in a vehicle. They say SEDENA soldier and the Tijuana Municipal Police both participated in the events that led to the arrest. 

Cadena writes that the detainee was transferred to the Margarito Saldaña command, where he was sheltered for hours under a strong police operation and that later he was transferred to the premises of the FGR offices. They write that it is rumored the detainee is a member of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel. They also write that a second detainee was transferred.

In a second article from July 20, 2021, Cadena Noticias writes that the current rumor is the detainee is a man with the alias "El Mayel". They detail that El Mayel is the father of the people in charge of the plaza in the North Zone of Tijuana for the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).

The Possible El Mayels

Based on current reporting, the speculation between publications varies wildly on the cartel affiliation either being that of CAF, CJNG or possibly CDS. 

Of note, there was a CAF member named Ismael Higuera Guerrero who went by the alias “El Mayel” who was arrested in March 2000 and extradited to the US. In 2007, he reached a plea deal in the US on charges of racketeering and committing violent acts of racketeering which gave him a 40 year prison sentence, whether 40 years is the maximum is unclear.  

On left, Ismael Higuera Guerrero, on right, Ismael Quintero Arellanes

There was also Ismael Quintero Arellanes, "El Mayel" who is from the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS). He is a nephew of Rafael Caro Quintero who allegedly negotiated the release of Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar when CJNG held them captive in 2016. US intelligence suggested that El Mayel worked in a group that reported to Ovidio and Iván Guzmán. He was arrested in Culiacán, Sinaloa in January 2020. After his arrest, the US unsealed an indictment for him and is seeking his extradition. 

Although Ismael Higuera Guerrero from CAF and Ismael Quintero Arellanes from CDS can seemingly be eliminated as potential identities for the current Tijuana El Mayel, they are mentioned as it is possible that somewhere in the game of telephone that make up Tijuana rumors someone misattributed the cartel affiliation of the current El Mayel in custody based on knowledge of the other, unrelated El Mayels. 

Updates to follow as details emerge.

Update 07/21/2021 2:00pm CST:

Zeta Tijuana released an article which names the six detainees. They are Juan Muñoz Ayala, Sabino Soto Medina, Marco Antonio Solorzano Gurrola, Félix Tinajero Velázquez, Radames Guizar Ibarra and Jesús Adrián Acosta Urrea. There are no details on the cartel affiliation or aliases used currently available.

Zeta details the operation that led to the apprehension, writing that agents from the Special Tactical Unit, Canine Unit, SEDENA and the National Guard were doing surveillance tours in Chilpancingo when they stopped the drivers of a Jeep Patriot vehicle and a Ford Escape SUV for a traffic violation they observed on Río Alamar Street.

This stop led to a search, in which the seized goods were discovered. Zeta further detail the exact amounts of cocaine and cash seized which was 263 kilograms of cocaine and 917 thousand 680 dollars. In addition a 9mm pistol-type firearm and 18 bullets were secured.

The detainees were held in Margarito Saldaña station and then transferred to the FGR office. The FGR office is now reportedly under heavy guard.

Alleged photo of one of the detainees, as published by Zeta.

 

Sources: El Imparcial, La Jornada, AFN Tijuana, Cadena Noticias, Cadenas Article 2

Ismael Higuera Guerrero Sources: DEA, Infobae

Ismael Quintero Arellanes Sources: Justice.gov, Radio HRN, Notigram

Update Sources: Zeta Tijuana