01/03 VIOLENCE TIJUANA BAJA CALIFORNIA CONSIDERED HIGH RISK BY AGENCIES OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT FROM ZETA: 28 CARTELS NATIONWIDE

Lidia Gallegos Aguilar found dead in Maneadero, Ensenada:

Excelsior rocked the world here with with their article which has been reprinted by several Mexican news agencies regarding high risk areas due to violence throughout Mexico, including Vanguardia. If you think our U.S. State Department is just full of ninnys and alarmists based on false warnings from the thank-god-past-Condi-Rice- days claiming there were weapons of mass destruction perhaps you need to consider the findings of the Executive Secretariat of National Public Security of Mexico, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development of Mexico.


For our purposes here, we will zero in on Baja California, although this article does break down political parties which govern the most insecure areas, for the most part that would be the PRI. According to these Federal agencies, thirty four of the most important tourist areas of the country among which are Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Mexico City, Acapulco, Mazatlan, LA PAZ and LOS CABOS are in the group of the 186 most dangerous cities in the country.


It is within these 186 Municipalities that sixty percent of the population lives, roughly 66.8 million people. In other words, sixty percent of the Mexican population lives in unsafe areas. Of these 186 Municipalities with the most violence, 109 are governed by the PRI, 29 by the PRD and 48 by the PAN.


And here is something you simply will not read on any Baja travel forum: All of the Federal District (Mexico City) and all of BAJA CALIFORNIA are considered to be high risk. In fact, according to these studies, BAJA CALIFORNIA and the Federal District are considered to be HIGH HAZARD.


Billions of pesos are earmarked to assist these Municipalities in 2012. Officials are hoping this will create safe environments by improving police departments and security agencies, educational facilities and recover entire public areas which have been overcome by organized crime. Tijuana is specifically mentioned for these super funds as is the entire BAJA CALIFORNIA and BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR.

Here is the entire article reprinted by Vanguardia and also I'm giving you the link to Excelsior: (you can also google in the title)


Crimen ataca a turismo, afecta 34 zonas de descanso
por, Leticia Robles de la Rosa

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Excelsior

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So what are the authorities up against in Baja California? We've spoken about organized crime fragmentation here before, according to Zeta Magazine not only Baja California but the entire country of Mexico is now facing such fragmentation which we can attribute (although they didn't use this term) to the "Kingpin Strategy."


Zeta reports that at the end of the Fox administration it was believed that seven cartels dominated Mexico. Last year, Presidente Calderon recognized eleven cartels; these eleven were considered to be the armed wings of the big cartels, but with no control or management from the big bosses. As wild cards they were involved with the movement of drugs, domestic sale of drugs within the Municipalities, kidnapping, extortion and the trafficking in persons. Now there are twenty eight nationwide.


Given the fact that each time a big named capo is either arrested or killed (i.e. "The Kingpin Strategy") there are three to ten more attempting to replace him. In a scenario much like the Borgia and other political families of 1492 Italy, it is ambition and betrayal and the struggle for territorial control plus the expansion of the drug trafficking alone which has propelled Mexico from seven reigning cartels to twenty eight criminal groups in operation throughout the country, and that number Zeta anticipates will rise beyond thirty in 2012.


Zeta lists these groups, let's look at what they had to say about Baja California: Fragmentation of Mexican organized crime has encouraged the expansion of these "cartelitos" which are extensions of the Sinaloa, Juarez, Gulf and Los Zetas...and they are here.


For example, La Familia and Los Zetas were known to operate in the Tecate region. It was Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas aka "El Chango" the leader of a group of La Familia who allied themselves with Los Zetas who had staked out territory in Tecate. He was arrested in Aguascalientes in June of 2011 - but keep in mind the rule of thumb of fragmentation - one leader or capo goes down, three to ten others vie to take his place.


El Achilles of the Sinaloa cartel has become according to this report more active than ever in our area, with the Sinaloa cartel in domination. Also in the coastal zone of Baja California there are independent groups from the Guadalajara Cartel who pay Sanchez Arellano (CAF) to operate, they are under the protection of Manuel Lopez Nunez aka "Don Balas". Consider the fact that during 2011 the PEP captured three hundred and four criminals from Jalisco, Michoaca and Sonora in Baja California. And of course in the Baja Coastal Zone seven cells of the CAF are still in operation.


As a military strategist, would it be more difficult to fight one or two or three large unified organizations or many different criminal cells ? And despite their apparent contempt of each other and individual disloyalty to their leaders after arrested, would it be a possibility that these many different organized crime cells would unite? Whatever the projections may be of the future of these armed cell groups, it is clear why the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development have designated Baja California and Baja California Sur high risk and high hazard.


Although the stats on high impact crime from 2011 for Baja California will most likely show a drop of several hundreds when they are released, will this growing trend of fragmentation result in a resurgence of high numbers in 2012 as the "cartelitos" establish themselves ? Here is the entire article, google in title if URL doesn't come up:



Zeta Magazine
Edicion 1970
"28 carteles en Mexico"

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Here are the updates:

- Someone left a message asking for the report on crime increase in Rosarito Beach; Frontera reported that violent deaths caused by firearms in Rosarito Beach grew by almost fifty percent compared to last year. According to Bertilla Ontiveras who is the coordinator of Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO), from January of 2011 to December 31, 2011 forty eight deaths were reported as a result of shootings compared to 2010 where twenty eight of the same type were recorded:

Aumentan 50% muertos por arma en Rosarito:

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- The first homicide or execution of 2012 reported by all agencies, according to Frontera the body was found burned with signs of torture in colonia Torres de Lago. El Mex reported that gunshots were heard shortly before the body was set afire and that witnesses report the victim was set afire while he was still alive:


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- El Mex reports this morning in Mexicali two people reported shot and killed, this was a man and a woman at the Rancho El Peligro which seems to have lived up to its name. AFN notes that the man who was killed was American citizen Kenneth Lyle Jones of Arizona, with pics:


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- AFN reports in the Salvatierra neighborhood of San Antonio de los Buenos one man shot to death on the street, 13 spent shells found at scene. One person has been arrested and is under investigation, although it is unclear if this person was involved with the killing:


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- In the Villa del Campo neighborhood an attempt on the lives of two police officers who arrived at the scene to break up a fight between four men. The men disarmed the police and attempted to kill them; during the struggle one of the attackers was shot and wounded, all four were subsequently arrested:


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- In Ensenada at the Rancho San Jorge en La Encantada one man dead and another seriously injured from gunfire; this report states were two people arrested, El Mex is saying one person was arrested:


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- Something you would never expect to read about ten to twenty years ago, but the second instance of a child killing in the past few months in Maneadero, Ensenada; little Lidia Gallegos Aquilar aged 15 who was reported missing earlier in December, found with her hands and feet bound, strangled. AFN notes that forensic work is still being done to determine if in fact this is Lidia. This is the other side of the violence which prevails in our area aside from the drug violence:


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Here are the links with all of the news:


Zeta Tijuana

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AFN

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EL MEXICANO

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FRONTERA

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Noticias Ensenada.net - Ensenada News

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Encuentro 29.com - Mexicali News

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Mundo Narco

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LA Times

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