Teocaltiche, Jalisco: Criminal Groups Video-Surveilled City With A C2 System

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Command and Control Centers (C2) are monitoring centers with access to video surveillance cameras that local governments install in a city to monitor incidents and crimes in real time.

Two clandestine video surveillance centers, equipped with drones and uniforms of police forces from Jalisco, Nuevo León and Zacatecas, were dismantled in the Jalisco municipality of Teocaltiche following an operation by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Guard and the State Security Secretariat.

In a press release, federal and state forces explained that the discovery of both monitoring centers was similar to the Command, Control and Communication Centers, known as C2, C4 or C5, operated by the state governments, which were used to monitor the main streets and accesses to the municipality.

Teocaltiche is a Jalisco municipality on the border of the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes, which are permanently disputed by the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), for which reason there have been dozens of armed confrontations between both groups in the last year.

In Teocaltiche there have been attacks with explosive-laden drones and just a couple of days ago there was an attack by criminal groups against state police, with no injuries or arrests.

In addition, stolen vehicles, firearms, drugs and IDs were seized, of which it is not known whether they are real or cloned.

The first seizure of the monitoring centers occurred when federal and state forces were patrolling along Rosa del Oriente street in Teocaltiche and they spotted three armed men who ran towards a farm.

However, once detained, the men revealed to the Mexican Army the existence of a clandestine monitoring center that was being used by one of the criminal groups disputing control of Teocaltiche's territory.

As a result, they entered the farm with the clandestine C2 and found inside multiple screens showing different parts of the municipality, as well as six vehicles with various irregularities, including three motorcycles without license plates and three vehicles without license plates or visible serial numbers.

In addition, they found in the vicinity of the clandestine C2 two abandoned vehicles with a valid theft report, this on State Highway 211 leading to Villa Hidalgo.

Three men identified as Carlos "L", 19 years old, Héctor Leonel "S", 28 years old, and Francisco "L", 21 years old, were placed at the disposal of the Jalisco Prosecutor's Office.

In a second event, a convoy of Sedena, National Guard and state police traveling on the Teocaltiche-Villa Hidalgo highway, at kilometer 3, at the Rancho Santa Maria junction, encountered a man in camouflage clothing riding a motorcycle who attempted to flee.

After a brief pursuit, the subject entered a house from which he later managed to escape, but inside the house more than 700 rounds for firearms, 120 high caliber magazines, seven ballistic plates and tactical uniforms were found.

In addition, a black RAM-type pickup truck, a jacket with the initials and logos of the Teocaltiche Municipal Police, a pickup truck with U.S. license plates and possible synthetic drugs were found inside the house.

In addition, a drone, apparently in poor condition, was captured during the operations of the authorities.

In a third event, at the intersection of Revolución and Ignacio Ramírez, El Tanque neighborhood, federal forces located a pickup truck with a theft report and a motorcyclist who quickly entered a house, which he left open when he tried to escape.

In this place, the officers noticed that another monitoring center was installed, equipped with plasma screens, computer equipment and four transmission antennas to capture official frequencies.

In addition, the search revealed the discovery of magazines, ballistic equipment, two jackets with logos of the Zacatecas Police and one more belonging to the Civil Guard of Nuevo Leon.

In all cases, the houses and objects found were ordered to be secured.

Aristegui Noticias  Manuel López San Martín