Calera, Zacatecas: Three Taxi Drivers Abducted, Their Vehicles Burned, CJNG Suspected

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Three taxi drivers and their cabs were taken by cartel members in the town of Calera, in the state of Zacatecas. 

On the night of Monday, January 17, 2022, two cab drivers who work in the municipality of Calera went missing. Their vehicles, numbers 4 and 10, also went missing at this time.

The next morning, at approximately 8:00am, on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, a third taxi driver and vehicle, number 15, went missing. All three drivers worked primarily around the town of Calera which is in the municipality of the same name, which lies in between two large cities: Zacatecas city and Fresnillo, as seen below. 

The exact circumstances and manner in which they were abducted has not been determined by members of law enforcement at this time. Their vehicles, numbered 4, 10, and 15 also went missing at this time.  

Later that same day, at around noon, three cabs were found burning in a field near the town of Rio Frio, which is within Calera. The vehicles, evidently driven there by hitmen and set on fire in order to destroy them, were burnt beyond repair.

In photos, the number 15, which corresponds to one of the missing vehicles and drivers, can be seen on the door of one of the current cabs. 

According to the statement provided by law enforcement authorities, no human remains were found within the vehicles and the three cab drivers are still considered missing.

The state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) collected evidence from the scene once it was reported to the emergency line and the area was cordoned off by police officers. The FGE agents are said to be looking to account for the whereabouts and names of all the local taxi drivers in Calera. 

It should be noted that taxi drivers are often recruited by cartel organizations to work partially as “halcones”, or “hawks”, which is a term for cartel lookouts who collect information. Such information may have to do with the movements the drivers observe of law enforcement or rival cartel members. The taxi drivers can also share information on wealthy visitors to the area, who therefore make prime targets for kidnapping and extortion attempts by a cartel group.

Twitter user Pedro has pointed to a recent narcomanta found in this same region which read as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido:

This will be the fate of all the fag cab drivers who refuse to work for the roosters. You’re either our friends. Or you chose to be out enemies. We are on a purge. 

CJNG The Lord of the Roosters

The Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation (CJNG) threat against taxi drivers extends beyond Calera municipality, as Today In 24 reports that 12 taxi drivers were violently assaulted in the nearby city of Zacatecas during the same week as the burned cab discovery. 

Calera, itself, though has seen plenty of the CJNG versus Sinaloa Cartel (Cártel de Sinaloa, CDS) fighting within the last year. On August 3, 2021, seven dead men, who all had gunshot wounds, were discovered at two different locations within Calera municipality. Three were found near the municipal dump, on the Calera-Santiaguillo state highway and the other four were found at a private ranch called El Cermo.

Photo from Milenio which shows one of the locations of the 7 bodies found on August 3, 2021. 

Then on August 29, 2021, footage showing the bullet ridden exterior of a series of houses within Calera emerged. It was reported by La Opinion that the bullet damage had been done during recent fights between CDS and CJNG hitmen.  

Video Source: La Voz de Pueblo

The year prior, in October 2020, 14 cartel members were killed when the hitmen attempted to ambush patrolling State Preventive Police (PEP) officers. The officers expelled the attack and chased after the fleeing hitmen who tried to move north. Eventually it led to a 3 hour gun battle which left 3 officers injured and 14 alleged hitmen dead. For more details on that story, please see this previous post on Borderland Beat.

Sources: La Jornada, El Sol de Zacatecas, Imagen Zac, NTR Zacatecas, Today.In24, EJE Central, Zacatecas Online, Diario Cambio  

August 3 2021 Seven Bodies Sources: Milenio, Lopez Doriga Digital, El Comentario

August 29 2021 Bullet Ridden Homes Sources: La Opinion, La Voz de Pueblo

Photo Credit: Pedro967506833, Calvarie Locus, Antonio Aranda