Message Threatening Los Chapitos Allegedly Signed By Both Mayo Zambada & Rafael Caro Quintero In Sonora

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La Voz Del Pueblo has shared a message allegedly signed by both kingpins Rafael Caro Quintero and Ismael Zambada that threatens Sinaloa Cartel Los Chapitos aligned operators in the municipality of Cananea, Sonora. The message also seeks to impose a nighttime curfew on citizens living in Cananea, asking them to remain inside.

The people of Cananea are told not to leave their homes. 

We are going after all the kidnapping rats that harass the working people and the miners, taking part of their profits, robbing businesses, exchange houses and stores, harassing and beating people. And the government and the mayor of the town do nothing against them. 

The Cananea plaza belongs to the Z [for Zambada]. Kill the greedy fuckers. They are a bunch of abusive extortionists. Their game is over.

Dogs, just as we are cleaning up Magdalena and all the scumbags of the El Noveno and Salazares, we will finish you cowardly traitors because the people of Caro and Mayo Zambada will be the only ones left here.

They made a big mistake messing with the family and several innocent young people. Let's go get them.  All the plaza of Cananea will be ours, dogs. And release the young people that they kidnapped and leave the plaza because they already got their asses handed to them.

For Guero Cano, Tintin, Hash, K10 and for all their men, the cleaning has already arrived

Kind regards

Malas Manas / Caro Quintero / Mayo Zambada

Who Are They Talking About?

The “Tintin” named in the message likely refers to one of the aliases of Martín Alonso Siqueiros Acuña, who is the day-to-day operational leader of the Sinaloa Cartel faction Los Paredes.

It should be noted that Los Paredes is believed to be more aligned with Los Chapitos, than El Mayo within the Sinaloa Cartel. Tin Tin is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora and he is thought to currently reside in Agua Prieta municipality, Sonora.

Tintin allegedly leads on behalf of the alleged boss-in-name of Paredes, Marco Antonio Paredes Ponce, alias “El Junior”. El Junior is the son of Marco Antonio Paredes-Machado, who allegedly led the Los Paredes faction until his January 2011 arrest. El Junior is originally from the United States and he is believed to reside in Phoenix, Arizona currently. El Junior appears to live peacefully undisturbed in the US as there are no currently public (unsealed at least) US indictments against him. 

Guadalupe Cano who is thought to be the plaza boss of the municipalities of Cananea, Santa Cruz, and Naco for Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Paredes, according to this 2020 story written by Buggs. Güero Cano is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora and he is thought to currently reside in Cananea municipality.

The Possibilities Behind the Message

Curfews are not uncommon in areas of high cartel conflict. Sometimes they are self imposed, meaning it is implicitly understood by the local population that they should not go out at night due to the violence that often occurs at that time. Sometimes they are more explicitly expressed in the form of messages sent out and passed around local Facebook or WhatsApp groups, which warn citizens not to go out at night. 

There are a number of possibilities when it comes to this particular message: 

1. Authentic. The message is genuine and was approved by some level of high leadership within Los Gigios or the Caborca Cartel,  with access to the named capos of Ismael Zamabada and Rafael Caro Quintero. The curfew was imposed in order to keep civilians out of the cross fire and their battles against Chapitos aligned Sinaloa factions away from the public, lessening the chance of heat coming down on the plaza, which could hinder their business. 
2. Partially Inauthentic. The message is genuinely from a member of Los Gigios or the Caborca Cartel however the message was not approved by higher leadership. In this scenario, a local jefe possibly invoked the names of the two capos of Ismael Zamabada and Rafael Caro Quintero to lend authority to his personal wish for there to be a civilian curfew for similar reasons as option 1, to prevent further heat being brought down on the plaza. 
3. Inauthentic, by another cartel. The message is not genuine or coming from Los Gigios or the Caborca Cartel. The message originates from a rival cartel group, such as Los Paredes which sought to bring down heat and law enforcement fervor on the plaza by signing the message with the names of two of the most prominent cartel capos in a way that blatantly suggests a partnership.  Even though Mayo’s Los Gigios alliance with the Caborca Cartel has been discussed for sometime, many still see it as baseless rumors, so explicitly stating their alliance could be used by rivals to cause fear among law enforcement authorities. 
4. Inauthentic, by small-time local extorters. The message is not genuine or coming from Los Gigios or the Caborca Cartel. The message originates from small-time local  extorters who seek to capitalize on the current fear of the civilian population.  Although this message does not ask for money, it could be used by the group to lend credence to the reputation of the account which first posted the message as being the voice for the Los Gigios and Caborca Cartel. They may then use this same account in order to try to extort local businesses or citizens, while claiming to be a part of the Caborca Cartel or Los Gigios. Similar instances of small-time extorters impersonating larger cartels is not uncommon. 

Why Is Cananea So Important? 

The Cananea mine in Sonora is Mexico’s largest open pit copper mine, one of the largest in the world and – having opened in 1899 – one of the oldest on the North American continent. With mining companies such as Buenavista del Cobre, Minera María and others, Cananea constitutes the most important mining center in the country of Mexico. 

Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea, Sonora

The Cananea mine is likely experiencing something very similar to another Sonora mine, La Herradura mine, which is located in Caborca municipality. 

La Herradura mine is owned by the Penmont mining company, which in turn is part of Grupo Fresnillo - the largest primary silver producer in the world and the second largest gold producer in Mexico. 

Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea, Sonora

According to figures provided by the mining company Penmont itself, on November 8, 2019 and March 23, 2020, there were multiple thefts of value transfer vehicles, which the company reported to the municipal authorities without specifying the total amount believed to have been stolen.

Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea, Sonora

"What the press has not mentioned is that the Caborca Cartel sicarios, led by Cara de Cochi, have been blamed for two large robberies of trucks transporting gold from the La Herradura mine. The groups from Altar [Los Salazar] and the coast entered Caborca to clean up, claiming that the regional agreement is that there will be no extortion of businessmen or robberies at the mine. Seen in this light, the dozens of deaths we saw recently in Caborca would not only be the result of a war ‘between narcos’, but also the cost of protecting a mine".

Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea, Sonora

But just how much money could be taken in stolen value transfer vehicles? Well, even if Penmont has declined to declare the amount stolen in the two recent attacks allegedly by Cara de Chochi of the Caborca Cartel, we do have information on the value of one vehicle from La Herradura from back in August 11, 2015, which was estimated to have a value at the time at more than 4.3 million pesos ($209,554.00 USD at the time, $245,294.57 USD adjusted for inflation). The one vehicle was said to contain 4 kilos of gold and 100 ounces of raw silver.

The Recent Cananea Kidnappings

The alleged messing with “several innocent young people” likely refers to (in part) the recent disappearance of three missing people that took place between September 20 - 24, named Hiram Villa, Bernabe Gamez Duran and one unnamed man. 

Those three added to the two earlier disappearances of Adrián Corella, 28 years old, and Germán Valdez, 24 years old, who were  traveling on the Sonora highway and disappeared in the municipality of Cananea, Sonora. Reportedly the last time their families contacted them was on September 17, 2021. 

Germán Valdez & Adrián Corella

According to Sonora Informativo, in local social media, the following message was pass around in regards to the disappearances: 

"I am very moved. In my CANANEA, today Monday, September 27, 2021.

Unforgettable day, 7 people disappeared, many families and friends are suffering. 

But you know, have you noticed something?  

-TODAY THERE WERE NO JOURNALISTS WHO COULD PUBLISH THE STORY. 

-TODAY THERE WAS NO MUNICIPAL POLICE THAT COULD ACCESS THE C4 CAMERAS 

-TODAY THERE WAS NO PRESIDENT ASKING FOR HELP FROM THE CITIZENS FOR THE SAKE OF THESE PEOPLE. 

-TODAY THERE WAS NO AMIC 

-TODAY THERE WAS NO GOVERNMENT, NOR JUSTICE TO HELP THEM LOCATE THESE PEOPLE 

-TODAY WE ARE THE PEOPLE ALONE OUR CANANEA ABANDONED 

BUT NOTICE ANOTHER SITUATION 

*You parked in a public way to do your needs and even the blind man looks at you.

*Turn on your horn at home at 10 o'clock at night nobody can sleep because 15 municipal units arrive. 

*Let the wives of former miners close the road because journalists arrive to broadcast live.

*The elections are coming and our president travels day after day under sun, water and the moon to beg for a vote.

-AMIC does not exist in Cananea 

-The National Guard does not exist  

 

WE ARE SORRY FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO HAD TO DISAPPEAR ON A DAY THAT CANANEA IS ABANDONED BY THE LAW AND THE GOVERNMENT WE HAVE NO PRESIDENT TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR A SOLUTION, THERE ARE NO CAMERAS, NO JOURNALISTS, NO MUNICIPAL POLICE, NO AMIC. "

Sources: La Voz Del Pueblo, Tribuna, Mining-Technology.com, PiedPagina, Zona Docs, Sonora Informativo  

Further Reading:

2020 Buggs Article - Los Paredes, Protected by the Government in Sonora 

Notable Figures - Los Paredes

Notable Figures - Los Salazares