"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat
An Arizona man was shot Christmas Eve when he was caught in the crossfire of rival smuggling gangs in northwestern Sonora as he drove north to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
Craig Ricketts was shot twice, once in his arm and once in his left leg, near Oquitoa, Sonora, a town just outside of Altar, Sonora, according to reporting from Arizona’s Family, the outlet that first reported the shooting in the Phoenix market.
Ricketts’ car was shot at least 16 times as he attempted to bypass the Lukeville-Sonoyta Port of Entry closure and cross the border through Nogales. Instead of crossing through Nogales, Ricketts’ GPS led him on a route through Altar to cross through the Sasabe Port of Entry, an area that has been the epicenter of an ongoing turf war between rival cartel gangs.
Sasabe, Sonora, is only about 66 miles north of Oquitoa, resulting in an hour-and-a-half drive.
Northern portions of Sonora have become entrenched in intense violence stemming from rival gangs battling for prized migrant smuggling routes near the southern border. Sasabe, Sonora, has been largely abandoned by residents as cartel fighting has spilled into the streets.
The entire state of Sonora is classified under a level 3 travel advisory, which means citizens should reconsider travel because of crime and kidnapping.
Ricketts has been working in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, to build a real estate development for the past seven years and has worked in Mexico for over 20 years, he told Arizona’s Family. Ricketts was traveling to Tempe to visit his son for the holidays.
At the time of publication, Google Maps still guides travelers from Puerto Libertad to drive through Sasabe on their way to Tempe.
Ricketts’ was shot just over a week after one U.S. resident was killed and two others were injured in a shooting on Federal Highway 2 in Sonora. The shooting happened on Dec. 16 at about 2 a.m. as the group drove in a truck with Oregon plates between Altar and Santa Ana.
The group, which came from Utah, was heading to Michoacán, Mexico, on the highway that also serves as an alternate route to reach Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, known as Rocky Point, from Nogales.
The U.S. Consulate General strongly advised U.S. citizens against traveling to Rocky Point and warned about using alternate routes to reach the tourist destination as the Lukeville Port of Entry remains closed. The guidance was issued on Dec. 20, advising people not to travel to Rocky Point until the Lukeville port reopens.
The Lukeville port has been shuttered for nearly a month after U.S. Customs and Border Protection resigned officers to help Border Patrol with asylum seeker processing on Dec. 4.
His car was shot 16 times …from being caught in a crossfire? Was we Tokyo drifting in a circle, around the guys shooting or what ?😄
ReplyDeleteThey don't call it travel advisory for nothing. I mean really what is in Sonora?
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was not his first time.....doubt that he was lost.
ReplyDeleteYup
DeleteDid y’all read the article. It warn a dire warning for US citizens to find a safer route. There is a war between criminal groups over human trafficking route. They don’t want anybody there and even those that live there all left. The guy had been working on a real estate venture is Mexico for 7 years farther south. I don’t know why I am explaining this because your comprehension is very low so you won’t be able to understand this either.
DeleteVery vague details on actual location of where this Americano got shot. It’s common sense to check your travel route, and if you have no business there, then don’t travel there, period. Te American way of thinking is… “I am an American, nothing can or should happen to me.” That’s not even a point of contention today. From Hermosillo to Nogales, is bad. From San Luis RC to Nogales, is worse; there’s NO way to travel peacefully. Stop blaming Google Maps, (Northern) Sonora, México is a war zone right now
ReplyDeleteFafo
ReplyDeleteIf you play KOMMANDER music then they will leave you alone!
DeleteA municipal women cop repeld and ambushed from supposedly CDS sicarios and killed one in TJ
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/-UE9Tf0mc58?si=iAVJtrKJUhPnUn7z
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I think what its saying is that he was rerouted after the border crossing he intended on using was closed, which google maps was not aware of, neither was he
ReplyDeleteso, he was rerouted through Altar, and Sasabe which are extremely violent
someone clarify if that sounds right
Thats what happens when you take another route google maps tell you. They don't have crimes statistics engraved in thier routing data.
Deletebut part of it, is that the crossing is now closed and google maps didn't have that update. I read some other story about Sonora recently and the travel advisory.
Deletehttps://tucson.com/news/local/border/arizona-mexico-sonora-travel-warning-violence-gunfire-highway/article_9e5cb3e2-a024-11ee-968d-eb5971456cea.html
Another potential pitfall for travelers is Google Maps: Tourists have reported that since the Lukeville closure, the map application is suggesting routes to Rocky Point that are unsafe or impossible.
DeleteOne recent search on the application, from Tucson to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, shows a primary route through the Sásabe port of entry, crossing into the Mexican border town of Sásabe, Sonora.
This area is facing high levels of gun violence that recently prompted a mass exodus of nearly all the Mexican town’s 2,500 residents. The road going south from Sásabe is surveilled by criminal groups, who have detained and violently interrogated Mexican travelers trying to flee the town, former residents have told the Star.
Confucius say:
ReplyDelete'dont drive at night down ol' mesico-way'..
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@6:19😂🤣
DeleteDon't drive the highways at night in Mexico, ever. The route from Santa Ana, Altar, Caborca, Sonoyta, San Luis, to Mexicali is dangerous If you're going to Arizona or California cross at Nogales.
ReplyDeleteI remember when you could just drive either on the east or west side of the fence and off road through the desert 🏜....I guess you can't do that no more
ReplyDeleteHe was an American developing real estate in puerto libertad? Great cover for Drug trafficking. Many americans do same thing.
ReplyDeleteWell I live in PHX and saw the interview on the news from his hospital bed. Dude isn’t a trafficker. He’s just an idiot for taking that route
DeleteMore american criminales, Child predators. Money launderers, drug dealers, theives, fraudsters, rateros in Sonora state of Mexico than in entire USA.
ReplyDelete7.32. Puerto peñasco has the worst americans and canadians.
ReplyDeleteLukeville crossing was closed at the time. His GPS sent him to a diffrent point of entry that is not uses by general population since it's a Native American Reservation in Sasabee. He was told to stop by local cartel and he refused. Once he stopped gunmen seen he was an American and left. (After getting shot) Lukeville crossing was shut down for about 30 days and caused havoc with people traveling to Sonoyta, Caborca and Rocky Point. People tried to find short cuts instead of driving to Nogales or San Luis.
ReplyDeleteWhy Didn’t you cover the big shoot out in Sonoyta? I heard over 30 dead or missing. N Sonora is Muy caliente right now! It’s going to get worse!
ReplyDeleteWe're not an instant coffee website. Hello. We all have our own private lives to live also. But if you want something covered here then send some links. We will either get around to it or we won't because we're too busy at times.
Delete8:42 send the link, instead of complaining.
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