All journalistic credit is attributed to the Associated Press
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes - Head of Juarez Cartel Captured
Mexico arrests alleged head of Juarez cartel
By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO and MARK STEVENSON
9 October 2014
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Federal police arrested alleged Juarez drug cartel leader Vicente Carrillo Fuentes in the northern city of Torreon on Thursday, Mexican officials announced.
After investigators narrowed Carrillo Fuentes' whereabouts to a neighborhood of Torreon, he was taken into custody at a traffic checkpoint without a shot being fired, National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said.
Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam called the arrest "a capture of great importance."
Carrillo Fuentes, 51, purportedly heads the cartel founded by his late brother, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, and both the U.S. and Mexico had million-dollar rewards for his arrest.
Better known as "The Viceroy" or "The General," he took over control of the Juarez drug cartel after his brother Amado, nicknamed "The Lord of the Skies," died in 1997 in a botched cosmetic surgery. Amado got his nickname by flying planeloads of drugs into the United States.
It was the second capture of a major drug lord in as many weeks. Mexican authorities nabbed Hector Beltran Leyva as he ate fish tacos in a seafood restaurant in central Mexico on Oct. 1.
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| Vicente Carrillo Fuentes |
The back-to-back arrests come as Mexico's federal government is under international pressure over the forced disappearance of 43 students by police and a possible massacre of 22 suspected gang members by soldiers. Everyone from outraged Mexicans to the United Nations is demanding justice and accountability in the two cases.
"I think it's a little bit because of the pressure," Samuel Gonzalez, Mexico's former top anti-drug prosecutor, said of the sudden demise of long-time capos. "This is to say they're doing a lot of work."
The Pena Nieto administration has captured a string of high-profile capos since taking office nearly two years ago, the biggest of them being the arrest last February of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the elusive boss of the Sinaloa cartel.
Carrillo Fuentes, who like many top drug lords was from Sinaloa state, had a $5 million reward on his head from U.S. authorities and $2.2 million in Mexico. He faces a forty-six count indictment in Texas, charging him with, among other things, trafficking in cocaine and marijuana, money laundering and murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, according to the U.S. State Department.
Rubido said Carrillo Fuentes presented a false ID when stopped by police at the checkpoint, but then acknowledged his true name. He was taken into custody along with a suspected bodyguard, and two firearms and two vehicles were seized.
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| Drug boss Vicente Carrillo Fuentes is led towards a helicopter after his arrest. |
Both men were flown to Mexico city and shown being escorted across the wet tarmac to a waiting helicopter.
Carrillo Fuentes carried on trafficking on a more modest scale than his brother, but in a much more violent era for the cartel. Based in the border city of Ciudad Juarez across from El Paso, Texas, he led the gang in a battle for control of the area's trafficking routes with interlopers from the Sinaloa Cartel, engaging in a multi-year war that cost at least 8,000 lives. The area is estimated to be the route of passage for as much as 70 percent of the cocaine entering the United States.
Immediately after his brother's death, there were doubts among cartel members about Carrillo Fuentes' ability to lead, according to a profile provided to The Associated Press by the Mexican Attorney General's Office.
"He was not believed to possess the leadership and decision-making skills," according to the document, noting this created internal tensions in the group.
In the end, he was able to consolidate what the profile called "an iron grip" on the cartel, while leading it in new directions. As demand for cocaine declined in the United States, the gang took to selling more of it in Mexico.
"He overcame the initial perceptions about his personality," the document said.
Carrillo Fuentes initially allied his cartel with the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico's most powerful drug gang. But the alliance fell apart following the 2004 killing of another brother, Rodolfo Carrillo Fuentes, in Sinaloa. That killing was reportedly ordered by Guzman. In revenge, Carrillo Fuentes allegedly ordered the killing of Guzman's brother in a prison a few months later.
From that point on, the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels became locked in Mexico's bloodiest turf battle.
In recent years the violence in Juarez has dropped dramatically. The Mexican government cites better police work and more social programs, while some say it was because of a truce between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels.
Gustavo de la Rosa, a long-time Ciudad Juarez human rights activist, said it will be difficult to tell the impact of the arrest on the city. The Juarez Cartel has controlled two local gangs, La Linea and Los Aztecas, which could unite to form a stronger gang, or fight each other for leadership.
"It could drop the violence or increase it," he said.
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This is as significant an event as the previous capture of of Hector Beltran Leyva in September. Nay-sayers are always quick to point out that these events are of little value because the outlaw groups simply fight it out over the newly openned-up territory, have a two-month "turf war", and then settle back into business as usual.
Several points here. Evil must be fought. We can say, "Why bother? Nothing will really change." But that is like saying, "Don't worry about washing the dishes....". Or mowing the yard, pruning the tree, checking on Granny, picking up litter and garbage, working at the Salvation Army, and the like.
The sophisticated, Obama Fund Raiser attendee, whose children are sneaking into the clubs with fake IDs, smoking their dope and doing their lines...are so sophisticated....and besides the bail money is only 10% of the face value...and the judge will just add on another 20 hours to the community service thing....I found someone to sign her in (don't tell anybody) ....the people there just look the other way, and wink....after all it's a victimless crime....and we really aren't the kind of people who should be bothered with these little distractions.... after all, we've been invited to 6 of Obama's fundraisers. One time we sat at the same table as Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand both. It's not like anyone is being hurt..."
We feel like with the beer, spirits, wines, whiskeys, and other substances, along with tobacco, legalised gambling, and the lottery there is enough of the vices to entertain anyone. The drugs really do not lead to any good solutions to anything. The reefer madness devotees can fool themselves, but anything that is 20 times more abrasive to the pulmonary system than a common tobacco cigarette cannot be all good. That is not to mention the peculiar degradation to intellectual capacity of a regular marihuana user....who always assures the listener that "It has not slowed me down mentally or physically one bit! Turst me, Eye no whatt he's talking from, or whatever!"
But, I diverge. The degradation of these cartel leaders has had a profound effect on the operational extent and tonnage of 'estupefecantes" as they are called in Mexican legalese. The lower elements of their organisations are never quite capable of sewing together something of equivalence to the previous order. The various factions of the same cartel will begin to fight and then wind up killing off about 30 to 50 per cent of their numbers. It is rather much like the rule of the circular firing squad....not a good tactic or strategy either one. During the confrontations the Mexican Army will come up, and with their armoured pick-ups mounted with 50 - cal. belt-fed's and Berrett Rifles with engine block penetration ability as well as explosive rounds, they put in all the finishing touches, dotting the "I's" and crossing the "T's". They almost always add a few volunteers to the body count...and few, if any, weep.
And the citizenry takes more charge, drops more dimes (does anyone under 25 years of age know what 'dropping a dime' means, anymore?) and the Army , and Naval Infantry, and yes....the newly formed Federal Civilian Police (very militarised) put into place by Felipe Calderon Hinojosa will invade safe houses full of illegal aliens being held hostage for more shakedown money from Honduras or El Salvador, or three tonnes of cocaine will be captured along with ten or twelve dolts who thought that, since the boss was killed, we might as well sell all this powder.
There are always those who will look at a take-down like this Carrillo Fuentes thing, and say...."So what? No big deal."
But, yes Virginia, it is a very big deal. As imperfect people it is still incumbent upon us to fight against people who are even more imperfect and who revel in untimely death, who care nothing about limiting collateral damage during their confrontations, and who profit by purposefully causing pain, addictions and poisonings or by destroying the good order.
As we depart, we give thanks to an OROG contributor who lives way over in East Texas....in some place called South Carolina....I think it's a coastal county over there somewhere. He sent us a 'heads up' on this article. I had dallied, waiting for affirmation of the identification because there have been three or four times when big name captures were announced and then it turned out that it was not the case....no DNA match.
What is true, however, is that there was considerable excitement in Torreon, Coahuila last night due to this take-down. Torreon is an important farming (cotton, fine vegetables), and mineral refining (gold, silver, trace metals) and transportation....it is mid-way between Chihuahua City to the north and the Saltillo / Monterrey complex to the east. COLD in the Winter. Nice clean city. Great food.
By the time he sent the article over, I had failed to check on the verification for about 5 hours....and that is my fault. But our readers keep our wheels on the track, and I charge all of you to keep me oiling the gears of the water-mill. It is a complement and we really appreciate the OROGs investment in this blog.
El Gringo Viejo
_____________________________________________________
We feel like with the beer, spirits, wines, whiskeys, and other substances, along with tobacco, legalised gambling, and the lottery there is enough of the vices to entertain anyone. The drugs really do not lead to any good solutions to anything. The reefer madness devotees can fool themselves, but anything that is 20 times more abrasive to the pulmonary system than a common tobacco cigarette cannot be all good. That is not to mention the peculiar degradation to intellectual capacity of a regular marihuana user....who always assures the listener that "It has not slowed me down mentally or physically one bit! Turst me, Eye no whatt he's talking from, or whatever!"
But, I diverge. The degradation of these cartel leaders has had a profound effect on the operational extent and tonnage of 'estupefecantes" as they are called in Mexican legalese. The lower elements of their organisations are never quite capable of sewing together something of equivalence to the previous order. The various factions of the same cartel will begin to fight and then wind up killing off about 30 to 50 per cent of their numbers. It is rather much like the rule of the circular firing squad....not a good tactic or strategy either one. During the confrontations the Mexican Army will come up, and with their armoured pick-ups mounted with 50 - cal. belt-fed's and Berrett Rifles with engine block penetration ability as well as explosive rounds, they put in all the finishing touches, dotting the "I's" and crossing the "T's". They almost always add a few volunteers to the body count...and few, if any, weep.
And the citizenry takes more charge, drops more dimes (does anyone under 25 years of age know what 'dropping a dime' means, anymore?) and the Army , and Naval Infantry, and yes....the newly formed Federal Civilian Police (very militarised) put into place by Felipe Calderon Hinojosa will invade safe houses full of illegal aliens being held hostage for more shakedown money from Honduras or El Salvador, or three tonnes of cocaine will be captured along with ten or twelve dolts who thought that, since the boss was killed, we might as well sell all this powder.
There are always those who will look at a take-down like this Carrillo Fuentes thing, and say...."So what? No big deal."
But, yes Virginia, it is a very big deal. As imperfect people it is still incumbent upon us to fight against people who are even more imperfect and who revel in untimely death, who care nothing about limiting collateral damage during their confrontations, and who profit by purposefully causing pain, addictions and poisonings or by destroying the good order.
__________________________________________________
As we depart, we give thanks to an OROG contributor who lives way over in East Texas....in some place called South Carolina....I think it's a coastal county over there somewhere. He sent us a 'heads up' on this article. I had dallied, waiting for affirmation of the identification because there have been three or four times when big name captures were announced and then it turned out that it was not the case....no DNA match.
What is true, however, is that there was considerable excitement in Torreon, Coahuila last night due to this take-down. Torreon is an important farming (cotton, fine vegetables), and mineral refining (gold, silver, trace metals) and transportation....it is mid-way between Chihuahua City to the north and the Saltillo / Monterrey complex to the east. COLD in the Winter. Nice clean city. Great food.
By the time he sent the article over, I had failed to check on the verification for about 5 hours....and that is my fault. But our readers keep our wheels on the track, and I charge all of you to keep me oiling the gears of the water-mill. It is a complement and we really appreciate the OROGs investment in this blog.
El Gringo Viejo
_____________________________________________________
(ADDENDA)
This is a small diversion. Remember that Hidalgo County is about 90% Latin now, and KURV - AM Radio - 710 is the Rush and Hannity and Levine station, 24 hour programming, George Noory for overnight. The listenership I would estimate would be about 60% Latin during these times. The OROGs might be interested in what present day Latins think about "Hispanic Issues" and "immigration". Among GOP leaning Latins in Texas, it is not what Jeb Bush thinks.
This is a small diversion. Remember that Hidalgo County is about 90% Latin now, and KURV - AM Radio - 710 is the Rush and Hannity and Levine station, 24 hour programming, George Noory for overnight. The listenership I would estimate would be about 60% Latin during these times. The OROGs might be interested in what present day Latins think about "Hispanic Issues" and "immigration". Among GOP leaning Latins in Texas, it is not what Jeb Bush thinks.
KURV People Poll
