Mexican Army Armed Cartel Involved In 43 Missing Students Case, Protected Witness Says

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

The mother of the missing student Adan Abarajan is sitting next to the feet of soldiers from the 27th Battalion, whose members were reportedly involved in the disappearance of her son and 42 other students (image credit: Felix Marquez from AP)

As part of the investigation into the 2014 disappearance of the 43 rural students in Iguala, Guerrero, a confidential informant testified that the Mexican Army were involved in selling weapons to the criminal group Guerreros Unidos.

Per the witness's account, Guerreros Unidos then proceeded to lend these weapons to a rapid response unit within the Iguala Municipal Police known as "Los Bélicos". This group is believed to have played a role in surrendering the 43 students to the drug traffickers who subsequently abducted them in 2014.

The protected witness, codenamed "Carla", provided this statement to Mexico's Attorney General's Office. In her statement, she outlined the interactions that took place between the criminal organization and members of the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Mexican Army in Iguala during the period when the students went missing.

Authorities utilized this testimony to secure arrest warrants this past June against 16 soldiers who are believed to have been involved in the events that transpired in Iguala.

Carla's Testimony

"I was aware, as I personally witnessed, that soldiers from that battalion were involved in the sale of weapons to the Guerreros Unidos group. I recall that among these weapons, there were G-3 rifles—similar to machine guns—9mm handguns, Uzi submachine guns, and even a Barrett rifle. Additionally, they supplied the group with ammunition. The intermediary for these transactions was El Profe, the leader of the sicarios, who had connections within the Army. He acted as the liaison, maintaining contact with the soldiers from that battalion."

"This weaponry was handed over at a site known as Escorpión, situated adjacent to the Chevrolet facility in Iguala. On other occasions, deliveries took place at the soccer fields of the Maracaná, situated across from the Ambrosio Figueroa Stadium. Substantial funds were paid to the guachos [soldiers] for these arms transactions. Interestingly, those very weapons procured from the military were lent to the Iguala Municipal Police, particularly to the faction known as Los Bélicos, in case their deployment became necessary."

Los Belicos are identified as the individuals accountable for surrendering the 43 students to Guerreros Unidos. In her testimony, Carla states that Los Bélicos functioned as a "cleanse" group, overseen by the former Mayor of Iguala, José Luis Abarca, along with Sidronio Casarrubias Salgado, the leader of Guerreros Unidos, and one of his associates.

"Los Bélicos were a rapid response group within the Iguala Police, tasked with executing and eliminating individuals as per orders from El Peyton or Sidronio [Casarrubias Salgado]. These orders involved targeting those who refused to pay for drugs or declined payment for protection. I recall that Los Bélicos included members such as El Gallo, also known as Efrén; Minsa; Rey; Pérez; Don Moy or Moisés; and El Güero, hailing from Cocula [municipality adjacent to Iguala]. These are the individuals I remember."

"Los Bélicos operated under the directives of José Luis Abarca and his wife María de los Ángeles Pineda. They engaged in money laundering for them, which involved the funds generated from the city's markets, cinemas, nightclubs, bars, and locations where drug transactions also took place."

Carla provides further details about the purported bribes they offered to the Mexican Army before the kidnapping. This topic has consistently appeared in the declarations from Carla and other witnesses.

Carla highlights that Guerreros Unidos maintained a payroll for approximately 20 soldiers affiliated with the 27th Infantry Battalion. According to her account, on the first day of every month, each soldier would receive an envelope containing 50,000 pesos (approximately $3,571 to $3,846 USD in September 2014).

In return, Guerreros Unidos enjoyed unrestricted freedom to transport narcotics and weaponry or gain access to advance intelligence about military movements.

According to Carla's account, at certain soccer fields in Iguala referred to as the Maracaná, specific hitmen nicknamed "El Monkey" and "El Reno" would deliver the money-filled envelopes to a group of soldiers known as "El Bóxer." Among these soldiers, one seemingly held the rank of Captain, while another went by the name Trino.

Another soldier referred to as "El Nuevo," aged around 22 at the time, independently pursued criminals to collect his bribe. Carla also mentioned that other soldiers such as Vladimir and Crespo (Captain José Martínez Crespo) were similarly on the payroll.

Sources: Reforma