Two NG Soldiers Allegedly Helped a CJNG Member Cover-Up The Homicide of Another Soldier

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Two men dressed in National Guard uniforms were spotted on surveillance camera aiding a CJNG drug dealer right after he was involved in the shooting of a National Guard soldier named Jesús Francisco Ramos Labrador. 

Zeta Tijuana detailed on June 10, 2022, claims that two alleged soldiers were seen removing evidence and helping one of the perpetrators escape the area immediately after one of their fellow soldiers was shot down in the street. 

The Shooting of Ramos Labrador

At approximately 2:30 am during the early morning hours of  June 1, 2022, two National Guard soldiers were seen on surveillance cameras walking on Venustiano Carranza Avenue, in the Castillo neighborhood of Tijuana, when a CJNG drug dealer named Abdías Ojeda Sánchez, alias "El Dragón" approached them. 

He approached them in front of Abarrotes Las 24 Castillo, a 24 hour grocery/convenience store, which was locally known to be a common drug sales point.

One of the National Guard soldiers was named Jesús Francisco Ramos Labrador. He was 28 years old and had been working as a cook within the National Guard for the last three years. He allegedly lived on the military base located nearby, also in the Castillo neighborhood.

He was dressed in civilian clothes at the time as it was his day off. It is unclear if the other soldier with him was dressed in civilian clothes or in uniform. 

Some words were exchanged between El Dragón and the two soldiers after he approached. The interaction between the two soldiers and El Dragón became heated allegedly when Ramos Labrador told Dragón that he was a member of the National Guard. Ramos Labrador and Dragón began trying to wrestle each other’s firearms away, with Dragón ultimately succeeding. 

Zeta included the following photo along with their story but did not clarify which man is El Scrapy and which man is El Dragon.

Even though Dragón had disarmed Ramos Labrador, Dragón didn’t shoot him. However, another CJNG drug dealer named Víctor Núñez Burgos, alias "El Scrapy", approached the fight and shot Ramos Labrador at close range in the neck. Ramos Labrador fell to the ground and the two CJNG men fled the scene, running inside Motel Villa Don Carlos, which was right next door to the 24-hour grocery store where the shooting took place.

Weekly magazine Zeta Tijuana describes Motel Villa Don Carlos as “a safe house for CJNG criminals in the area; it is also used as a drug sales point and for human trafficking.”

Security cameras caught El Dragón entering a room in the motel, where he waited for under half an hour. According to witnesses who spoke to Zeta, he spoke to someone on his cell phone who told him he should play it cool because the crime scene was clean and “there was no government” forces present, investigating. 

The Alleged Cover-Up By NG Soldiers

El Dragón left the room he was hiding in and began moving to his own room, located on the second floor when two men, who appear to be dressed as National Guard soldiers on security footage, approached him. 

The two men, who were described as “green and hooded”, talked to Dragón and allowed him to take Ramos Labrador’s service weapon from his possession. They then accompanied him as he went to borrow 10 pesos for a cab ride and escorted him into a cab which whisked him away from the area. 

Law enforcement officers at the crime scene of the homicide of Ramos Labrador, with the illuminated signs of the Motel Villa Don Carlos which was right next door, seen clearly on the left side.

Then, at roughly 3:00 am, an emergency line call was placed that reported the shooting of Ramos Labrador which had taken place nearly half an hour earlier. Officers and paramedics arrived on scene and officially declared Ramos Labrador deceased as he no longer displayed vital signs.

By 8:00 am, law enforcement combed the area for evidence and documented the scene. The two CJNG members, El Dragón and El Scrapy were identified as the perpetrators and warrants for their arrest were requested. Search warrants for the motel were also requested and when they were granted, members of the National Guard were seen protecting the perimeter as investigators searched the premises for evidence.

Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez, the head of the FGE spoke to the press about the investigation on June 2, 2022. According to Cadena Noticias, he assured the press that Ramos Labrador was not carrying out any illegal action at the time of his murder.

Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez, head of the Baja FGE, speaks to reporters on June 2, 2022.

Sometime after the press conference, Jesús Francisco Ramos Labrador’s body tested positive for crystal meth and cocaine. Zeta writes “Regarding the participation of other members of the GN in the cover-up of the crime, as of press time, Thursday, June 9, no progress had been made in the investigations.”

They add that “Military authorities in Mexico City pressured the Army and the National Guard [forces in TIjuana] to find the weapon that was stolen from the deceased soldier, which the ‘green and hooded’ agents had allowed him to take.”

The disposed firearms found on June 6, 2022.

On June 6, 2022, the firearm was found. National Guard inspector Samuel Comparan Barriga reports that "through an anonymous complaint, he learned that the weapons related to NUC 23057 - the murder of agent Ramos - were found in the CESPT facilities. Therefore… a plastic bag was found, white with red lettering, and two firearms could be seen inside.”

Sources: Zeta Tijuana, Paudal, Dominion Medios, Jornada, Cadena Noticias, Notigram, Punto Norte