Los Mata Salaz "Uncover" Alleged Wrongdoing in Cajeme, Sonora

  "Enojon" For Borderland Beat 

Image By: Ocran Leaks (Still Image of second interrogation)

On July 13th, two video communications would circulate through social media where members of the ‘Mata Salas’ or ‘Gente de la Rueda’ would interrogate two captives, self identified as Omar Garcia Camacho and Carlos Manuel Camacho Ruiz, who they allege of operating for 'Los Salazar' and to be behind various violent incidents through various points of Sonora. 

During the first message, Camacho and Ruiz would claim they had been kidnapped from a store located near the "Charly Mechanic" shop along Colima street (Coordinates: 27.48541062241688, -109.94071032241708) where they allegedly sold methamphetamine for the criminal organization, with their captors showing off a rifle they obtained during the incident. 

Video By: Ocran Leaks (First interrogation of Camacho and Ruiz)

A translation is as follows: 

“This video is intended to get the attention of society and the authorities about the situation in Cajeme, and to stop supporting those trash who are sick from power and ambition and who don’t care to [kill] innocent people.” 

Camacho: “My name is Omar Garcia Camacho.” 

Ruiz: “Carlos Manuel Camacho Ruiz.” 

Unintelligible…

Camacho: “ I’m from Nogales, Sonora.”

Ruiz: “I’m from Esperanza, Sonora” 

Camacho: “They grabbed us from a store where we sold [methamphetamine] along the 6th of April and Colima street, near the Charly auto repair shop.”

Ruiz: “I was the shooter…unintelligible…”

“Look what this group of idiots gifted us…” 

The video would then transition into the second message where the captives, under duress, would claim responsibility for a series of killings in various points of Sonora, and divulge information regarding the alleged collaboration between personnel of the Ministerial Agency of Criminal Investigation and Los Salazar. 

Video By: Ocran Leaks (Second interrogation of Camacho and Ruiz)

A translation is as follows: 

“...Name,age, place origin”

Camacho: “My name is Omar Garcia Camacho, I’m 21 years old and I’m from Nogales, Sonora.” 

Ruiz: “My name is Carlos Manuel Camacho Ruiz and I’m 17 years old.”

“How were you recruited?”

Camacho: “I was recruited by Manuel Palma, he was helping out his Uncle carry out a carpentry job, there I met him and he recruited me.” 

Carlos: “I was recruited by the gunman of Esperanza.” 

“What were your duties?”

Camacho: “My duty was to monitor and to distribute reports [from information] that points and the government would send me.” 

Ruiz: “My duty was being a lookout.” 

“How much money did you make the entire time you were working?”

Camacho: “The money I made working around 6 to 7 months in Navojoa was $12,000 Pesos, and here in Obregon where I lasted three months I was paid around $8,000 Pesos.

Ruiz: “I made $4,000 pesos in two weeks.”

“What were your duties in Navojoa and who did you work for?” 

Camacho: “My duty in Navojoa was to monitor, Juan Manuel Palma also worked sending reports that I’d received from the points and from people of the government where they’d send us a chain of command. 

“How many innocent people have you killed and what was the motive?” 

Ruiz: “Of the innocent people that have been killed that I’m aware of have been the brothers Tapias that were killed nearby the Chorro, where the bridge canal and the train passes by, there our people killed them because I think they were seen as suspicious. They were minor’s and students, they were innocent. 

Same with the two minor’s killed in Alameda, one sixteen years old and the other seventeen, because it was said that they were going to shoot [others] in Leandro Valle, but it wasn’t true they were minor’s, innocent and students.” 

Ruiz: “I’m aware that they’ve also killed the clown in the Colombia alley.” 

“What Police Agencies are supporting you?” 

Camacho: “The Police Agencies that are supporting us are the [Ministerial Agency of Criminal Investigation], State and Municipal [Officers]. As well as the Charger [units] of the National Guard.” 

“After one of you fails to [make them] money or when you are useless, what do they do to you?

Ruiz: They’ll kill us, surrender us to the government, or send us out to the conflict to the [killing field].” 

“What was the motive for killing ‘Vicky’ and the other person in the El Esperanza Cemetery, and who killed them if they were your people?”

Camacho: “What I think is that they killed them to show they’re working…It was our people and it was Roman and Vicky who they killed.” 

“How much money are you paying the [Ministerial Agency of Criminal Investigation] in Obregón, who gives them the payment and what support do they give you?” 

Camacho: “The one’s in charge of the Commander’s shift at the Obregón Base of the [Ministerial Agency of Criminal Investigation] and the ones from homicide [are payed] $150,000 Pesos a week, and they help us by locating rivals, raiding points we give them and sometimes giving people up to our bosses. And when those of the [Ministerial Agency of Criminal Investigation] need to show work we, our bosses, will put up the people we no longer need or have been messing up.”

“Apart from selling drugs and killing people, what other duties were you given?”

Camacho: “Recently a new boss came in and they have us locating the houses of the owners of [retail stores], Oxxo’s, and other stores to threaten them to stop selling beer after 6 PM and during the weekends after 3 PM, this is how they do it for the Valley and for Navojoa.” 

“What Commander of the Municipal Police is supporting you?” 

Camacho: “Well, I don’t know the name of the Commander but he’s the Commander of the Rural Police, the Commander of the town of Yaqui, and the Commander of Quetchehueca who goes to the Navajoa meeting because he’s been [disempowered after] they killed his brother, someone who over the radio I heard be called ‘Norberto’ or ‘Oaxardo’ and is in Urbi, he’s the one who locates ‘Los Azules’ to be killed. 

The Killings 

In the second video Camacho and Ruiz would disclose the alleged involvement of Los Salazar in a series of killings throughout Sonora, and would repeatedly state that they attacked based on the wrong information, resulting in the death's of innocent people. Although three attacks are mentioned, information could only be obtained on one incident. 

According to the news publication Tribuna, a Code Red alert was issued following the reports of a shooting along Colombia alley in the Centro community of Cajeme, Sonora where initial reports indicated gunmen had intercepted Ángel Trinidad V. Z 'Mamito,' a local Clown Entertainer, and began firing before fleeing the scene. 

In response, Cajeme Municipal Police, State Police, and Paramedics of the Mexican Red Cross were dispatched to the scene and transported Trinidad to a Hospital in Ciudad Obregón where he would be declared deceased. 

Photograph By: Agencia ICE Cazando la Noticia (Trinidad photographed at local event)

 The Captives 

Camacho would be declared missing by the Search for Missing People Commission of Sonora who lists him as last seen on July 7th in Ciudad Obregón (Case Number: SG/CBPESON/448/2024). Although Ruiz would not be listed as missing by the Commission, a family member would repeatedly publish posts through social media imploring people to contact the provided phone number if they spot Ruiz or have any information that may lead to his discovery. 

Screenshot of social media post published by family member of Ruiz

Both victims would be pictured on digital missing flyers by the search collective "Rastreadoras De Ciudad Obregón,Sonora", a group of women dedicated to locating missing family members and other individuals who had been reported missing within Ciudad Obregón. Similar search collectives operate in various regions throughout Mexico in an attempt to locate their loved ones who may be among the reported 114,926 missing people in the country, with criminal organizations playing a part in the crisis by forcefully disappearing victims and at times their rivals in a bid to eliminate possibility of any legal persecution, as commonly said "If there's no body, there's no crime". 

An aspect many people will routinely overlook in these type of communications is the method of how the information is being disclosed, and the underlining intent of its publishing. As often seen in these videos an individual would be presented as a rival member, or someone affiliated with a rival criminal organization, without any form of proof and would be forced to make whatever statement their captives desire. When discussing this reality the usual question of "why would they kidnap an innocent person for this?" would arise and the answer remains the same, because they can't fight back. 

In contrast, when attempting to kidnap rival members they face the possibility of a gunfight or larger confrontation depending on the status of the individual, along with the difficulty of locating them if they have established precautionary measures to avoid their capture. Not to say every individual presented in these communications have been innocent, but one must always take the information they present with a grain of salt. 

Missing poster of Ruiz published by the Rastreadoras De Ciudad Obregón,Sonora Search Collective

Missing poster of Camacho published by the Search for Missing People Commission of Sonora 

Sources: Hyperlinked In Text