Five LeBaróns are Arrested For Firearm Possession in Chihuahua

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat   

Five members of the LeBarón clan were arrested for illegal firearm possession in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua. The family members claim they were going to defend another relative who was about to be attacked by cartel hitmen and the illegal firearm was planted on them by municipal police officers.

The LeBarón Version of Events 

The version of events alleged by the LeBarón family is as follows: 

During the late night hours of Saturday, August 6, 2022, Yoli Johnson LeBarón contacted other members of the LeBarón family, asking for help because she said her house was surrounded by cartel hitmen who were about to attack her and her family. She alleged that her husband had been beaten and threatened by the hitmen and she was currently hiding out in a section of foliage near her house. 

Just after midnight on Sunday, August 7, 2022, Yoli’s cousin Adrián LeBarón tweeted out "It's urgent, urgent. They have a family under threat. Organized crime is about to arrive, it is Viejo Casas Grandes. They have Yoli Johnson LeBarón's house surrounded, hiding in a grove of trees. Please help us and avoid a massacre.” 

In response to a call from Yoli, five other members of the LeBarón family grabbed firearms, jumped into a Ford FX4 pickup truck with a Texas license plate, and drove in the direction of Viejo Casas Grandes from Galeana. 

Initially, they alleged that when they drove through the town of Nuevo Casas Grande, they spotted municipal police officers and they had approached them, asking for help defending Yoli’s family and in response, the officers refused to help them and, in fact, planted certain guns on them, using said guns as justification to arrest them.

The LeBarón family claims the men were only in possession of only hunting rifles, which are firearms that are legal to possess, and that the officers had swapped in heavier, more powerful weapons such as an AR-15 in order to frame them for an illegal act. 

The two most vocal LeBarón brothers, Adrián and Julián, claim they were also traveling to go help Yoli when they heard about the arrest of five of their family members. Adrián LeBarón said that "It was a trick to arrest me and all those who responded to the call for help. We left Galeana, where we were having fairs and celebrations, when they told us that a cousin was being threatened by an armed group. When we moved, we saw the municipal police and asked for help, but instead they arrested us and even planted a long-barrel gun.”

Adrián’s brother, Julián LeBarón also described it, saying  "My cousin's house was surrounded by hired killers. Some cousins with hunting rifles moved first and when they asked the corrupt authorities for help, they were beaten and arrested. My cousin and her children are fine. The situation is surreal.” 

It's important to note that Adrián directly alleges that the five men approached the police first and Julián leaves it ambiguous. 

Later, the family released a statement in which this version of events changes. In it, they no longer claim they approached the police officers first and acknowledge that they were stopped by police prior to asking for help.

The statement read: “In a first response, these five men went to the ranch facilities and were intercepted by the Nuevo Casas Grandes preventive corps and when they were asked for help, they were denied and then detained.” 

"By planting false evidence, elements of the Municipal Public Security Department of Nuevo Casas Grandes are trying to frame five members of the LeBaron family for committing the crime of carrying weapons for the exclusive use of the Mexican Army," the family said in a statement shared by activist Julian LeBaron.

The family’s official statement claims that a number of the officers within the Nueva Casas Grande municipal police were former Galeana officers who were dismissed from the force for their alleged ties to cartel organizations. It also alleges that cellphone video footage and statements made in interviews made by the five men will prove that they were only carrying legal firearms and not in possession of illegal firearms at the time of their arrest. 

The State Police Version of Events

The version of events alleged by state-level and municipal-level law enforcement is as follows: 

Municipal police officers in a patrol vehicle spotted a vehicle full of suspicious men, who appeared to be carrying firearms, so they signaled for them to pull over. 

The driver of the vehicle complied and the officers searched the individuals, finding them to be in possession of firearms that civilians were not allowed to possess, such as an AR15, so they detained them. The five men arrested are named Jesi Jesi Nefi LeBarón W, Jethro LeBarón S, Joel Nefi LeBarón S, Hiram Nefi LeBarón S. and Nefi Dayer LeBarón M. 

Later, the Secretary of Public Security was asked about the incident by reporters and he emphasized that no one in the LeBarón family - such as Yoli, Julian or Adrian - had called the police about the alleged hitmen surrounding the house. 

Secretary Gilberto Loya Chávez said “There was an incident that was reported through social media networks, where the family states that there was a problem in Casas Grandes. They mobilized and they did not alert the authorities. They only announced it on social media networks.” 

Brawl At The Police Station

Shortly after the arrest, word spread among the about the arrest of the five LeBaróns and a very large group of LeBarón family members to show up outside the Nuevo Casas Grandes municipal police department, where the five were being held. 

According to newspaper El Heraldo de Chihuahua, nearly 100 members of the LeBarón family gathered outside the police facilities, protesting and demanding the release of the detainees. 

La Razon reports the group physically brawled with police officers, Army soldiers, agents of the State Attorney General's Office and members of the National Guard (GN). Julián LeBarón uploaded to Twitter footage of some of the tensions and escalations seen outside the police station, shown below. 

Video Sources: Julián LeBarón

Adrián LeBarón described what they wanted, saying "We are going to seek the release of the detainees. There are no arguments. We are taking all the necessary steps. We have several lawyers who are looking into the matter, we hope they can be released in 48 hours".

Allegations About Condition of Their Detention 

The family’s press release claims the five detainees were subjected to beatings and discrimination by officers. 

The discrimination claim allegedly stems from officers who made “insults that made reference to their foreign ancestors and their physical condition”. This may allude to birth defects and physical deformities caused by inbreeding in small, insular communities. 

Adrián LeBarón gave a phone interview to the newspaper El Heraldo de Chihuahua and said  "We have been saying for a long time that the municipal police of Nuevo Casas Grandes is corrupt and helps and protects criminals.” He added that he had contacted personnel from the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) to ask for help with the municipal police and he filed an official complaint with the state police. 

Sources: Vanguardia, La Razon, El Heraldo de Chihuahua Article 1, Article 2, MVS Noticias, El Sol, Pulso SLP, Mural, Uno Mansuno