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Wednesday, June 14, 2023

The Arzates and Rusos Alliance That Plans to Take Over Baja California

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat


According to Zeta magazine, the government’s Security Roundtable discussed an alleged alliance between the Sinaloa Cartel groups los Rusos and los Arzates. The unified force reportedly plans to try to take over the state of Baja California.




The Alleged Alliance

An article covering the San Vicente massacre written by Zeta Tijuana weekly magazine revealed that the cartel groups Los Rusos and Los Arzates have formed an alliance which aims to take control of the system if Baja California. 



Both Rusos and Arzates are Sinaloa Cartel groups associated with the El Mayo side of the organization - their alliance would seem only natural. However, their geographic locations, their organizational goals and the nature of their drug smuggling operations has led to the groups having diverging interests. 


Rusos are currently based out of the border city of Mexicali, in the far eastern part of the state, whereas Arzates are based out of pockets of the border city of Tijuana, in the western part of the state. 



Rusos exert full control over Mexicali, with no significant rivals within the city. The group has been primarily focused on gaining ground in the nearby city of San Luis Rio Colorado, across the state border in Sonora, which is controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel Chapitos group Los Salazars, who are sometimes aided by local groups like los Garibays and forces sent by los Chapitos directly from Sinaloa.



The nature of their conflicts tend to be larger scale and is more likely to involve multiple armored vehicles. 


Meanwhile Aquiles control some sections of some neighborhoods in Tijuana, a city which operates quite differently from Mexicali. Every neighborhood in Tijuana is contested by multiple street gangs. These gangs work under larger cartel organizations, such as CJNG, remnants of the CAF, CDS - Mayo, or CDS - Chapitos. 



Street gangs and individual members will often switch cartel association multiple times throughout their criminal career. Conflicts are usually smaller, hit and run style combat. 


Further dividing the two groups is the fact that the Arzates brothers "do not have the luxury of El Mayo's protection" - implying that the brothers are an autonomous group merely associated with Mayo. These circumstances make the two groups unlikely allies, with their enemies and goals rarely overlapping. 


However, an alliance was allegedly formed between the groups (according to Zeta Tijuana) because the Sinaloa Cartel Mayo faction is seeking to make a larger play to take over the state of Baja California. 


The article claims one of their first big moves was the attack at the San Vicente race which injured 10, and killed 10 more, including Alonso Arámbula Piña, alias “El Trébol.” They say an attempt to kill Pablo Edwin Huerta Nuño, alias “El Flaquito”, the leader of a CAF-Chapitos group, may have been the main motive for the attack.


The Zeta article specifically mentioned Rusos-associated figures Juan Carlos Félix Gastélum, alias "El Chavo Felix" and (strangely enough) Christian Alexis Mendoza Guillén, alias "La Plaga", who leads a Rusos subgroup called Los Zorros, as if they represented Rusos in these Alliance negotiations.



Plaga had (and possibly still has) a popular social media account where he showed off various aspects of his cartel lifestyle, which was reportedly looked down on by cartel leadership. 


Zeta does not mention Alfonso Peralta, alias "El P1", however it's likely that he would be involved in the negotiations of an alliance, due to his high level position within the Rusos organization.


The article specifically named the Arzate brothers - Alfonso Arzate, alias "El Aquiles" and his brother René Arzate, alias "La Rana", as the representative, naturally, of los Aquiles. 





The Tijuana Meeting


The state Security Roundtable discussed (according to Zeta) a meeting that had previously taken place which was “attended by at least a dozen cell leaders in Baja California.” The roundtable specifically mentioned the following as attending:


  • Alfonso Arzate, alias "El Aquiles" and his brother René Arzate, alias "La Rana" 
  • Jesús Rafael Yocupicio, aliases “El Cabezón” and “Cabo 27”
  • Carlos Adrián Casas Reyes, aliases “El 8” and “El Mercenario”
     
  • Edwin Antonio Rubio López, aliases “El Max” and “El Oso”

  • Ángel Antonio Olguín Carrillo, aliases “El Compa Wero” and “El M6”

It's worth noting that all of those listed above are associated with the Sinaloa Cartel Mayo faction and they all operate in the larger region of Tijuana.



The article continues, and writes that “after that meeting, Los Arzates allegedly made a request of [Mayo] Zambada: to unify Baja California under a single command, that of the Arzate brothers, in the same manner that they had previously recruited other groups to work for them, like how they recruited Leopoldo Lizárraga Ochoa ‘El Pantera’ of Ensenada, or Israel Alejandro Vázquez ‘El Goofy’ or ‘Cabo 50’, Cabo 100 and Edgar Pérez Villa, Corporal 89 of the CJNG in Tijuana.”



This quote would seem to confirm that the CJNG figure Cabo 50 has left the organization and began working with Aquiles. This was mentioned in a narco banner back in December 2021 but later conflicted by Zeta articles which continued to list Cabo 50 as a CJNG figure. 


Last we heard, in January 2022, a police investigator said Cabo 50’s switching to working for Aquiles was “still under investigation.” But this latest Zeta article appears to confirm Cabo 50’s long suspected departure from the CJNG.



Returning back to article’s description of Arzate-Zambada meeting, the Arzate brothers reportedly said that if other groups refused to work under them, they’d kill just “the leaders to try to preserve the criminal structure,” implying they’d kill just the leadership and forcibly take over the cell, co-opting the existing structure.


The exact date of this meeting and their request to Mayo is unknown. Zambada’s answer is also unknown however if you believe the Security Roundtable’s reports about the Rusos and Arzate alliance it seems that Zambada did not agree to the Arzates’ request to singularly rule Baja California - rather he said he would support a unified Rusos-Arzate rule over the state. 


It cannot be overstated that Rusos, who control a major border city on and all the drug smuggling which goes through its port, would likely not agree to work underneath the Arzates. 


Furthermore, Zeta’s earlier allegation that the Arzates brothers "do not have the luxury of El Mayo's protection" helps to explain why Zambada might insist on Rusos being full partners in the rule.


Unlike the Arzates, Rusos are quite directly tied to the Zambada family (such as Chavo Felix being married to Mayo’s daughter Teresita. Rusos inclusion in the alliance will give Mayo a way to exert his (and his successor Mayito Flaco’s) influence and decision making.





Sources: Zeta Tijuana Article 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Radar BC, Notas Roja , N+ Sonora


43 comments:

  1. Chapitos getting pushed out every where

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    Replies
    1. Chapitos are done, og shadow bout to have a nervous breakdown

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    2. Didn’t the chapitos and the Azarte brothers had a. Alliance that’s why they are hiding out in mazatlan bc they weren’t working with Mayo any more ?

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    3. 8:07 well Ruso for sure is not and i highly daught he will ever work for or with chapitos

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    4. Cjng already kicked out of baja....mencho is a tweaker

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    5. 7:25 the arzates are ingood standing with the chapitos

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    6. 8:55 lol these kid are pretty funny. Ruso shows he's his own man and they think he's gonna work with the little brats

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    7. Ruso is no longer 100% active. P1 is in control. Aquiles and rana had fallout with Mayo previously and hid in mazatlan and formed alliance with chapitos. Big picture for them is to take over Tijuana but Mayo will never give them full control. He prefers different cells to make it harder to organize against him. He wants them to continue to work underneath him and never equals.

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    8. Since Beltran Leyva, the Sinaloa strategy is not strong plaza bosses

      But smaller cells so if one breaks away you don’t lose the plaza

      That’s what propelled the Beltran chapo wars

      Acapulco was lost and Nayarit
      And Guadalajara with Nacho

      Now they have a power base in Sinaloa and reps everywhere else

      It’s why Teo was taken out and no one took his place

      But aquiles and rana have been hitting for mayo for 10 years plus

      Tired of fighting other cells

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    9. @11:55 Este compa si que sabe como se mueven los negocios.

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    10. A lo mejor es la chota jajaja

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    11. 12:47 🤣🤣🤣 Nadie save como se mueve el negocios, te lo explico, si todos supieran como se mueve el negocio no uviera muertos, los negocios de el CDS no se mueven como los de los del CDG, o los del Z's, o los Beltranes, o los del CJNG, o los de LFM! Todo pinche cartel tiene su forma de moverse que al ultimo termina por cambiar y hacerse un cochinero! Es mas hasta la DEA que son los meros masizos siempre tienen que estar aprendiendo como se mueve el negocio, se va a escuchar extraño pero ese negocio esta vivo y siempre cambiando, por eso los que no se actualisan terminan en el camino

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    12. Chapitos gifting Mayo to the dea as payback for Chapo and to cut a deal like vincente did with the gvt!

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  2. This is a very interested article,I’m not saying you’re lying but this is not even close to it cause there’s been an article when EL INGE got arrested that alquiles took over, then mayo took over but when cjng kidnapped EL Licenciado Chuy Labra nephew CAF locked down Tijuana I was heading to rosarito I saw the Movement’s we’re heavy they released him within 40 minutes I found out later through people I know in Tijuana what had happened and then saw it in the news Tijuana will always belong to CAF and article’s like this causes violence in Tijuana cause rival’s think there’s no Familia here no more

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. According to Zeta weekly, Tijuana doesn't belong to CAF.

      In fact, according to their reporting, CAF doesn't even control one neighborhood in Tijuana.

      https://zetatijuana.com/2022/04/el-asesinato-de-el-griego-y-el-mapa-criminal/

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    2. These caf wankers are already so tired, them need to remember that now is not the 2000s

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    3. Ok not everything the media states is accurate.. Caf obviously is deep rooted in tj.. but like they say money makes the dog dance.. some gov may favor either or.. makes that a gov beef aswell cops may support eithr or.. its a shit show like in every other state/country

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    4. @8:20
      Not really, no period kid.👶

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    5. Caf been long gone I’m sure 2014 was thier last year around in tj

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    6. HEARST take what you read from Zeta having to do with the ‘family’ with a grain of salt. Mrs. Adela Navarro has a ‘hard on’ for the family ever since the tried taking out Mr. Blancornelas and killed Mr. Ortiz. Don’t confuse Tijuana with Zacatecas or Tamaulipas 👎

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    7. Like I’ve said don’t believe what is posted also awhile back it was posted La Familia Michoacá was done, Juarez cartel,Beltrans,huge organization never go away they just become smarter and out of the radar if you’re smart and when you show off you get removed

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    8. HEARST you don't need to run neighborhoods inside TJ to control the border. For like 6 years now the war goes all the way south of Ensenada, you know when you're past it. And those TJ families are all over SoCal on the other side and talking legally to people about things going on.

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  3. Where’s the story of the 7 bodies found in pickup truck in TJ and the mayor moving onto military base for her protection?let’s go to TJ tonight and party!!💀

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    Replies
    1. I'm working on it right now.

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    2. Hearst still working on it, must be 10 pages long.

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    3. Then write your own fucken report ese. For your thing sister Hearst. Thank you for all you do. Saludos y un abrazo desde Los Angeles-El Nemesis

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    4. @1.04. I think the comment you're angry at was a compliment. Fukn hope so anyway..

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  4. Toda la baja es del Aquiles y de la rana ya saben también quien manda en la Tía y en toda la Sánchez! Pura gente del 5to mes..

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    Replies
    1. Tal Vez en Tijuas pero en Chicali es otro pedo compa.

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    2. "thats a negative" Ahhaa ha ha ughh blurt

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    3. connor
      Got that chief

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  5. Zorros corrido is sick

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  6. I live in tijuana soler área . I would say CJNG owns tijuana

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  7. I live in Tijuana Zona Rosa area, I know for a fact CAF, still has a strong presence.

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  8. CAF is really just independents, who either buy from CJNG or Sinaloa, or people linked to them across the supply chain

    to be an actual organization, or a even a loose structure like Zambadas and Rusos, or whatever, there has be some structure, some contacts in the government, contacts in Colombia and elsewhere

    it can't just be t shirts and hats and social media posts

    Look at the charges of drug cartels out of Central and Southern District, it's all CJNG and Sinaloa, and way more SInaloa than anyone else

    The last CAF one was in 2010, it was Inge's faction, and I think that was the end of the line for most of it. That had political connects, and decent size drug shipments, a structure, but it wasn't like the CAF in 2000. Mostly selling meth and marijuana in San Diego, and sending cocaine to Los Angeles.

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  9. I am the Mayor of Tijuana. I Say CDS owns TJ

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    Replies
    1. 4:02 im your underling and i regret to tell you we sold the plaza to CJNG 😢

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  10. I live in Tijuana. I say that the regular folks don't have a clue who is running things. They just know things have changed and not for the better. Things have been bad since Sinaloa made a deal with Teo Garcia S. When he broke with CAF things went south for Tijuana. It eventually opened the door for Mencho, and everybody knows that brings bad news.

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  11. I’ve never been to see Tía Juana, but I bet multiple cartels operate in that area. Depending on the plaza

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  12. Outstanding article Hearst. Do you know any article here in BB that shows which group works for which person. For instance: los rusos works for el mayo faction and los salazar works for los chapitos faction, etc, etc the same way with CJNG

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    1. I've been trying to create an overview like that for years. It's difficult. CJNG and CDS are in so many states and both organizations also tend to franchise local groups but I was trying to focus on the groups more directly tied to Jalisco leadership.

      I keep shelving the story every time something important happens in the news though. I can give you two links that might help though.

      This covers some of their groups in Michoacan but it's a bit outdated:
      http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/notable-figures-cjng-in-michoacan.html

      And this is from the Guacamaya leaks:
      https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-10-18/mexicos-defense-ministry-leaks-highlight-blowback-effect-of-hacking.html

      Delete

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