They recovered deleted material, which included death threats from the defendant and information regarding Zetas operations. The winners got to become Zetas recruits, while the losers got death. Relatives of the victims have begun a Go Fund Me campaign in order to take the bodies of Garcia and her two daughters Galilea and Mariana to South Texas for burial. Velazquez started out stealing cars in his hometown of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and was jailed there. This was back when Lazcano and Z-40 were still running the Los Zetas cartel. One official said, "The valley is the most dangerous region in Colombia in terms of drug violence. WebTubutama Gun Battle On July 1, 2010, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen clashed with their rivals from the Beltran Leyva and Los Zetas Cartel leaving more than 20 dead near the rural town of The witness said that the commanders kidnapped him and his two superiors until they paid what they owed for the seized load of marijuana. He frequently supervised killing experiments wherein new recruits were ordered to kill people with a machete or sledgehammer. Melissa is a 2016-17 Lannan Fellow at The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. Elizabeth Shell Piedras Negras, in the state of Coahuila, has a reputation as a hotbed for drug smuggling and violence. Millan-Vasquez was found guilty last July of murder, violence, drug and weapons trafficking, and employing minors in a drug crime a total of 10 counts. They were the victims of a brutal new evolution in Mexican cartel violence. Read more about illegal drugs and those who deal in them on 10 Atrocities Committed By Mexican Drug Cartels and 15 Notable Drug Traffickers. A rival of the Sinaloa cartel, the Juarez group has been responsible for thousands of murders across its territory, which included 21 states at the height of its power. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. Yet the Cali cartel was still a powerful drug cartel that used violence if it had to, especially during its conflict with the Medellin cartel, which took many lives on both sides. They also acted as lookouts for the cartel and turned a blind eye to their illegal activities. Los Zetas is a Mexican drug cartel known for its sophisticated crime machine and brutality. When Reyna didn't hear from his son for several days, he started making calls. It was a solid lead, as cartels were known to take over ranches and convert them into makeshift jails or execution chambers. I know that police and transit officials in San Fernando help the Zetas organization, because rather than take detainees to the Pentgano, which is to say the municipal jail, they would deliver them to the Zetas, said lvaro Alba Terrazas, one of the 17 detained police officials. SAN ANTONIO -- A father whose son went missing in 2011 took the stand Wednesday in the federal trial of an alleged war commander for Los Zetas drug cartel. newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. In August 2010, the Mexican military stumbled upon the bodies of 72 people bound and executed. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. Graphic from a 2011 NDIC national drug threat assessment. The 34-year-old, known as "Chano", was a regional boss in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras. The most dramatic episode of the weekend carnage took place on Saturday morning when gunmen with one faction of the Los Zetas cartel known as the Cartel Del Noreste burst into a home in order to murder four children, five women and two men. In 2015, U.S. law enforcement discovered a marijuana field in Texas with a market value of $2 million. According to World Atlas, Tijuana had the highest homicide rate in the world in 2020, with 138 murder per 100,000 residents. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. 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People began to disappear, said San Fernando priest Ramon Ruiz. De Leon said that Millan-Vasquez would smile and laugh as he performed these killings. Shortly after the brutal execution, the CDN faction of the Los Zetas struck once more. According to court testimony, from 2007 through 2011, Chavarria oversaw the shipment of enormous quantities of cocaine between Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas on behalf of the Los Zetas Cartel, in which he was a high-ranking member. Then, in May, SinEmbargo reported that the cartel had destroyed a military helicopter with an RPG, killing 5 soldiers. Since the war began, the fighting has resulted in daily kidnappings, shooting, drive by shootouts, beheadings, dismemberments and other gory executions. He was told to contact someone in Los Zetas to see if they had information. Who knows what is going on in American Samoa. The fact that Los Zetas was able to grow and nurture $2 million worth of marijuana in Texas is quite distressing. 2021 The Texas Observer. The find is indicative of cartel operations in Texas and the United States as a whole. The rest of the video is a gruesome 40 seconds of cold-blooded murder, which caused international controversy recently when it was posted on Facebook. From the mid-1980s to his death in 1993, Pablo Escobar was the "King of Cocaine," earning an estimated $420 million a week, according to Insider. The cartel's influence has declined like many of its fragmenting peers, but their power remains strong inCiudad Jurez and the Valle de Jurez, which are key trafficking locations. Largely funded by the international drug trade, Mexican cartels wield military-grade weapons in firefights with Mexicos Armed Forces that often leave collateral damage. Three of them are Most are extorted and let go or sold into prostitution. It would occur to many as an unacceptable surprise that Los Zetas recruits members in the United States. Then, in December 2009, Arturo Beltrn Leyva was killed by Mexican marines. Jalisco New Generation, often referred to as CJNG, is another Mexican cartel that emerged in 2010. This time around, the horrific body count eclipsed all expectations with 193 people rotting in 47 mass graves. He also forced captured Mexican migrants into gladiatorial fights to the death. To protect himself from harm, Guillen hired a retired Mexican soldier as his bodyguard, who in turn solicited 30 Mexican Army deserters to form the cartels well-paid mercenary wing. WebLos Zetas have also carried out multiple massacres and attacks on civilians and rival cartels, such as: the 2010 San Fernando massacre (24 August), where 72 migrants were found The FBI and the IRS eventually built a case against Morales and others, leading to his arrest. How could such a tragedy occur in San Fernando not once but repeatedly? The rescue was made possible by an anonymous tip about gunmen bringing victims into a house in the Villas de la Fe neighborhood. WebCartel: Los Zetas Killed: Oct. 7, 2012 Lazcano was the leader of the Los Zetas cartel. The kidnapping and murder of the SEIDO agents resembles the type of actions of another infamous Mexican crime group, the Zetas. 330 76 comments Best Add a Comment ComfortableSoup5 2 yr. ago Multiple witnesses have testified that Millan-Vasquez controlled the region of Piedras Negras for Los Zetas and is responsible for hundreds of killings and disappearances. The Gulf cartel is among the oldest cartels in Mexico and has held varying degrees of power since its origins in 1984, according toInsightCrime. Most harrowing of all was the forensic evidence. Captured: Sept. 26, 2012 When it was Like Los Zetas, their bitter rivals, CJNG is known for terrible violence. Terrazas said the most corrupt was an elderly police officer and another named scar Jaramillo, who receive money from the organization to collaborate. Most troubling, however, is that The National Security Archive examining this memo stated that all 17 detained police officers had vanished from the public eye. Their operations in Colombia and Guatemala can be taken for granted because these countries have homegrown drug cartel problems of their own. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. The way in which the killers carried Reyna never heard back from the cartel, so he said that he contacted the Mexican government. [8] Los Zetas has been linked to several other mass murders in Mexico. Some believe the victims were simply killed for refusing to join the cartel but, ultimately, San Fernando had become so violent that few journalists ever entered to investigate. You have to keep up with the Joneses. However, Insight Crime suggests that the large traditional cartels may be over as Mexico's criminal underworld becomes increasingly fragmented and scattershot. Rodriguez said that when he asked a commander about Reyna's son who disappeared, the commander said for him to stop asking about it, because they just finished "cooking him". Los Zetas is indeed the worst Mexican drug cartel in history. His evil career was so incredibly successful that he made Forbes' billionaire list from 1987 to 1993. With the suspects revealing what they had done, excavations began. The two claimed credible fear, telling agents that they feared for their lives if they were to stay in Mexico. Their vicious feud affects ordinary people, too, such as Juan Manuel Delgado Crdenas, a 23-year-old student who was murdered for refusing to cook synthetic drugs (via Mexico News Daily). The Zetas were involved in 20 different criminal activities, George Grayson, an expert on the Zetas and professor of government at the College of William & Mary, said. Besides drug smuggling, the cartel is involved in every facet of trade in its territory including human trafficking. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Justicedefines cartels as, "large, highly sophisticated organizations composed of multiple drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)and cells with specific assignments such as drug transportation, security/enforcement, or money laundering.". Then, learn about the Mexican boys forced to eat human flesh as a cartel initiation. Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano (aka The Executioner) The cartel member he spoke with was Jose Luis Rodriguez. WebFrom March 24 to March 29, 2011, the Los Zetas drug cartel viciously slaughtered nearly 200 Central American migrants in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Rival gang MS-13 may have the most terrifying tattoos (see featured image), but Los Zetas wins the prize for violence. Cartels have dominated the international drugs trade since the 1980s, earning many billions of dollars and killing tens of thousands of people in Mexico and Colombia alone (via Al Jazeera and Britannica). Not only are groups like Los Zetas interested in influencing politics, but Mexican politicians are equally interested in the dividends of the drug trade. In the past year, gunmen from Los Zetas Cartel performed unique retaliatory killings in response to their allys videotaped sexual assault behind bars. The import of this for the American people is that no matter what measures the US government takes to destroy the vast network of drug smuggling within the country, the effort may be fruitless, as it is no longer a case of fighting a foreign entity. Abstract. Marciano Millan-Vasquez, who was a member of the 'Los Zetas' organised crime gang, "brutally murdered anyone and everyone as it suited him and his cartel", the prosecuting lawyer said. One former member of the cartel told the court Millan-Vasquez had taken part in a 2011 massacre in which up to 300 people were allegedly kidnapped, with many never seen again. De Leon said that his two superiors were let go after they paid, but that he didn't have the $100,000 the cartel needed. (Watch our piece Mexican Marines Kill Drug Lord Known as The Executioner.). Based in northwest Mexico's Sinaloa state, the Sinaloa Cartel is widely considered to be the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, according to Insight Crime. Its origins are traced toEl Milenio, a group that was allied to the Tijuana cartel. The April 6, 2011, effort would eventually yield the largest mass grave ever found in Mexico. [6] Mexican drug cartels are currently operating in 47 countries around the world, including Colombia, Guatemala, and others. Countries militaries are dedicated to defense from external aggression and the protection of peoples lives and properties. WebIn 2010, the Zetas killed 72 undocumented immigrant workers in the San Fernando massacre. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Known for his brutality, one technique he allegedly favored was the guiso, or stew, in which enemies would be placed in 55-gallon drums and burned alive. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. Moraless most preferred method of killing was to stuff victims in oil barrels and set them ablaze. If Mexican governors have been indicted as Los Zetas collaborators, then there is a possibility that one day, the criminal organization could produce a governor from its ranks. As the two factions continue their fierce fighting, gunmen from the two groups have taken to social media and banners to deliver threats to each other. Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty ImagesLos Zetas cartel members and San Fernando Massacre suspects being presented to the press on June 30, 2011. A depressing fact about Los Zetas is that they are sometimes aided by Mexican police in the commission of unspeakable crimes. With nearly all of the bodies lacking identification, authorities transported them to the Matamoros morgue for family members to hopefully identify. Among these provincial traders and smugglers wasJoaqun Guzmn Loera, better known as "El Chapo.". On March 13, 2013, De Leon and his father were apprehended by Border Patrol agents about three miles from the border near Comstock, TX. The group was originally made up of 34 Mexican Special Forces soldiers. Mainly, Grayson notes a Zetalisation starting to occur among the other cartels. What should we expect from a heartless criminal organization put together by ex-military men? Today, the cartel retains a small presence in southern Mexico. Inside The Brutal 1955 Murder Of 14-Year-Old Emmett Till That Galvanized The Civil Rights Movement, 101-Year-Old Woman Who Began Trapping Lobster Before The Great Depression Has No Plans To Retire, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Following the 2011 San Fernando Massacre, Federal Highway 101 was colloquially dubbed the highway of death or the devils road.. In August 2010, the Mexican military stumbled upon the bodies of 72 people bound and executed. Cartel: Los Zetas Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin, Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. They ordered the informant be killed along with anyone and everyone associated with him. Los Zetas cartel members and San Fernando Massacre suspects being presented to the press on June 30, 2011. He claimed that he was blindfolded, handcuffed, driven to random locations around Piedras Negras, stripped of the blindfold, and forced to kneel and watch these brutal murders. The heartless drug lord is claimed to have personally killed 2,000 people, in addition to ordering and supervising thousands of other murders. The Zetas were notorious for their brutality, even by cartel standards. As part of the threats, the Vieja Escuela faction has ordered that the relatives of the CDN leadership leave Ciudad Victoria or face a sure death. While the Gulf cartel remains a danger to society, their influence has been diminished by Los Zetas, their wayward spawn. The gunmen injured 4 others in the attack. Traditionally, Mexican cartels like Los Zetas only grew and manufactured drugs in Mexican territory and other less advanced countries where government officials were collaborators or incapable of disrupting their operations. Partners must notify. Tamaulipas Lieutenant Governor Morelos Jaime Canseco Gmez admitted police were still looking for another bus of passengers. Eventually, this group broke away to become a drug cartel of their own, which is now the notorious Los Zetas. The women have been identified as Lourdes Gregorio Garcia Amaya from Texas, Raymunda Amaya Contreras, Maria Del Rosario Carrizales Amaya. In1997, PBS described the Tijuana drug cartel as "one of the most powerful and aggressive drug trafficking organizations operating from Mexico," adding that it is "undeniably the most violent." He was recruited to Los Zetas, where he rose to commander. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used.
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