Tijuana, Baja California: Four Bodies Found Throughout The City And A Narco Message

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

During Friday, August 26 and Saturday, August 27, four  bodies were located in different areas of Tijuana, most of them due to gunshot wounds; only one of the victims has been identified. The first of the events seems to be the so-called “floor collection”, since a canvas with a message and human remains was left at the scene.

The first body was found on Literatos street, in the Reforma neighborhood, in the facilities of the “Reforma” taqueria. According to information from the radio station, the discovery occurred at 11:00 p.m., when human remains were reported inside a backpack, as well as a cardboard in the facilities of a taqueria.

Preliminary information inside the gray suitcase there was a head region and a white canvas with the words written in black ink that read: "This is the first and last warning."

Just on the afternoon of Thursday, August 25, an armed attack was recorded at a taco stand located in the Tomás Aquino neighborhood, in Tijuana, in which three people were injured.

Information revealed to ZETA indicates that the events occurred around 1:19 p.m. at the Xolo Tacos La Cuesta stand, located on Calzada Tecnológico and Molino del Rey corner in the aforementioned neighborhood belonging to the Mesa de Otay delegation.

Elements of the Municipal Police arrived at the scene and saw three people with injuries caused by gunshots, who were taken to a hospital.

One of the employees informed the investigators that he was working in the taqueria, when a subject arrived and fired at them with a firearm, injuring a colleague and his mother, who were taken in a private vehicle to an IMSS clinic. 

At the scene of the events, they located six 45 mm caliber shell casings and a vehicle conditioned for the sale of food, which was damaged.

Witnesses pointed out that the alleged perpetrator, a tall, fair-skinned and thin man, was riding a black Italika motorcycle and was carrying a backpack from an online food delivery platform. So far the alleged perpetrator has not been arrested.

According to information provided to this Weekly newspaper by an investigator, in neither of the two cases is there a history of threats or extortion, however, in the case of Xolo Tacos, apparently it was a direct attack against an employee.

The second incident on Friday, August 26, was recorded at 1:35 p.m. in the Granjas Familiares neighborhood on Calle Primera, where the body of a young male of approximately 30 years of age was found, who died from 13 gunshots in different parts of the body.

It was the residents of the place who reported hearing gunfire and found the man injured, they called municipal authorities and paramedics from the Mexican Red Cross, who upon arrival confirmed the death of the victim.

Until this moment the victim has not been identified; and remains in the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo).

The third body was found at 2:05 p.m. in the Tijuana General Hospital facilities and was reported by telephone-C4, who reported that the death of the man identified as 48-year-old Omar presented injuries caused by gunshots in events that occurred at Infonavit Cachanilla.

The first body this Saturday, August 27, was found at 02:35 a.m. inside the Tijuana River canal, near the Chaparral bridge in the Zona Norte neighborhood of the central zone delegation.

According to the report made to the radio station, the body was in an advanced state of decomposition inside the waters, in addition to being burned.

The identity, sex and age of the victim are unknown.

With these four findings in Tijuana so far in August, 171 intentional homicides have been counted, while so far in 2022 there are already 1,269.

Zeta Tijuana