Author Topic: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel  (Read 575 times)

Elano

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Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« on: October 07, 2008, 09:53:21 AM »
With dozens of bodies found in the last week, some in law enforcement see 'the tail end' of the organization. But others warn that elements of the ruthless cartel remain very much alive.

- Police officers investigate the scene of a shootout between drug gangs in Tijuana on Saturday. According to the police, at least one person died and four were injured. Just in the last week, more than 50 suspected organized crime members, many believed to be part of the Arellano Felix cartel, have turned up dead. -

TIJUANA -- The birthplace of one of Mexico's most infamous drug cartels looks more and more like its graveyard. Gunmen and associates of the Arellano Felix cartel, rulers of the city's criminal underworld for two decades, are being massacred by the score.

Their mangled bodies turn up in garbage-strewn lots, a dozen at a time. Killers cut out their tongues, slice off heads, and leave behind taunting messages. Two barrels of industrial acid left on a sidewalk last week are believed to contain liquefied human remains.

In all, at least 57 suspected organized crime members, a majority of them believed to be part of the Arellano Felix organization, were killed in the last week, including 12 dumped in front of an elementary school Sept. 29 and eight tossed in an industrial yard Thursday.

The carnage may be a sign that the cartel named for the Arellano Felix brothers is fractured and vulnerable to contenders, inside and outside the organization, who are looking to get control of lucrative trafficking routes into the United States, according to law enforcement sources.

Several forces have converged on the trafficking organization. The U.S. government has dedicated tens of millions of dollars over two decades to combating trafficking across the border with Baja California. The Mexican government also has intensified its efforts aimed at the cartel, which has splintered. Rival cartels have attacked, announcing their arrival with the savage killings and banners unfurled across busy intersections.


"El Mayo and El Chapo are the ones trying to enter Tijuana," read one banner, referring to alleged trafficker Ismael Zambada, and Mexico's most-wanted man, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

"We are now seeing the tail end" of the Arellano Felix organization, said John Kirby, a former federal prosecutor in San Diego who co-wrote indictments against several members of the organization. "They're losing what was left of their grip on Baja California."

Elements survive

Not so fast, others warn. Elements of the organization, which earned its ruthless reputation by turning back all challengers, remain very much alive. Some of its deadliest assassins still roam the region. Its reputed leader, Fernando Sanchez Arellano, nicknamed El Ingeniero, a nephew of the group's founders, is believed to have a large war chest. The organization retains strong ties to law enforcement. And a contender for control has emerged from within the Arellano Felix organization.

"Old cartels don't seem to go away; they just seem to morph into new variants over time," said David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego. "There's strong continuity for these organizations, dating back multiple generations of smugglers."

The cartel came to power in the 1980s when Colombian cocaine barons, shut out of traditional trafficking routes across the Caribbean Sea into Florida, began partnering with Mexican crime groups.

The Arellano Felix brothers -- Benjamin, Ramon, Javier -- moved in from Sinaloa and provided the perfect springboard. From their Tijuana stronghold, they controlled trafficking routes into California, the biggest drug market in a country that is the biggest consumer of cocaine in the world.

By the 1990s, the brothers were smuggling tons of cocaine into the U.S., mostly through the crossing at Mexicali, and killing anyone in their way. Authorities believe they killed hundreds, including prosecutors, police and judges.

The cartel suffered its biggest blows in 2002, when Ramon was gunned down by police in Mazatlan. With the feared enforcer out of the way, Mexican authorities weeks later arrested his brother Benjamin, the reputed brains of the organization.

Javier, often likened by authorities to the inept Fredo Corleone of "The Godfather" film clan, managed to keep the cartel together with the help of brutal and loyal lieutenants.

But after his 2006 arrest on a boat off Baja California, one associate after another began to fall. Gustavo Rivera, an alleged top lieutenant, was arrested outside a hot dog stand in Cabo San Lucas in March. Days later, Saul Montes, identified by authorities as an enforcer, was pulled out of his car by police at the Baja 250 off-road race. In August, another reputed enforcer, Ruben Rios Estrada, nicknamed El Pit, was dragged away from the bingo tables at a local casino by federal agents.

The cartel's leadership is said to have passed to Sanchez Arellano, the son of an Arellano Felix sister. Not much is known about Sanchez Arellano and it's unclear whether Mexican authorities even know what he looks like. They have not released a photo, as they commonly do for drug suspects.

Sanchez Arellano's attempts at reviving the family legacy have been blocked by his chief rival, Teodoro Garcia Simental, nicknamed El Teo, a former cartel lieutenant who broke off earlier this year, according to law enforcement authorities.

Garcia often is blamed for the spate of abductions over the last few years, which have turned the city into one of the kidnapping capitals of the world. By April, the medical community, led by physicians who had been held for ransom, was threatening to stop treating patients in Tijuana.

Sanchez Arellano demanded a halt or cutback in the kidnappings because they were bringing down too much heat on the organization, according to Mexican media reports confirmed by Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Garcia allegedly refused, leading to an April gun battle between the rival groups that left 15 gunmen dead. Garcia fled to Sinaloa after the shooting. Tijuana enjoyed a relatively peaceful early summer.

Then in late August, four decapitated bodies were found in an empty lot. Their heads, charred from gasoline burns, were left at their feet, along with a message, "We are people of the weakened Engineer," referring to Sanchez Arellano.

Killing field

Since then, Tijuana has turned into a killing field of burned, decapitated and mangled bodies, many bearing similar messages.

"I think Teo's back, with a vengeance," said one U.S. federal anti-drug official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak with the media.


Garcia's fierce offensive suggests that he has formed alliances with outside organized crime groups, possibly the Sinaloa cartel. The powerful Gulf cartel also could be operating in the city, said Martin Rubio, the Mexican federal attorney general's top official in Baja California, who said the beheadings were the telltale signatures of the Texas-based organization.

The main battle for now appears to be between the cartel leader and the renegade lieutenant. Sanchez Arellano is said to control the coastal area; Garcia, the sprawling eastern part of the city. Each leader has an army of about 100 gunmen who roam in convoys of SUVs, according to the U.S. anti-drug official.

If Sanchez Arellano claims the intimidating pedigree, Garcia boasts the fiercer reputation. One of his top enforcers, Raydel Rosalio Lopez, is nicknamed Crutches because he has left so many of his victims disabled.

They're apparently the lucky ones.

Police found eight more bodies Friday. Two had been decapitated, their tongues cut out and their heads placed atop their torsos. The killers left behind another message, according to the Baja California attorney general's office.

"Here you go Engineer," wrote the killers.


A vehicle was shot up in the Tijuana confrontation between drug gangs. The main battle in the city now appears to be between the Arellano Felix cartel leader and a renegade lieutenant. Each has an army of about 100 gunmen who roam in convoys of SUVs, according to a U.S. anti-drug official.


A state police officer guards seized bullets and ammunition clips displayed to the media in Rosarito, Mexico, on Wednesday. A wave of apparent organized-crime violence has swept Tijuana, leaving scores of people dead in the last week.


Mexican forensic investigators work at the scene where 12 bodies were discovered in Tijuana on Sept. 29. The bodies of 11 men and one woman were found dumped in an empty lot next to an elementary school, an hour before students were scheduled to arrive.



 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2008, 10:06:41 AM »
"Police are targeted because drug traffickers require their cooperation to ensure that drug loads get through with minimal interference. Sometimes officers are killed because they stand up to traffickers, but often the reasons are more complex. Officers who receive money from the Arellanos are expected to fulfill certain obligations, and to not take money from other drug groups. "

« Last Edit: October 07, 2008, 10:16:37 AM by The Krasnoe Dinamo »
 

big mat

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2008, 01:44:36 PM »
if u cant beat em join em
 

2paclbc

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2008, 12:34:48 AM »
its been bad ever since alfredo beltran leyva "el mochomo" got arrested in january... all those dudes like el mayo and el chapo were cliked up but once el mochomo got arrested the bubble burst and the blame game began....remember the arellano cartel has been weak since the early 2000's when the brothers got arrested... its crazy down there though... we will see what happends in the next months
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2008, 12:47:51 AM »
its been bad ever since alfredo beltran leyva "el mochomo" got arrested in january... all those dudes like el mayo and el chapo were cliked up but once el mochomo got arrested the bubble burst and the blame game began....remember the arellano cartel has been weak since the early 2000's when the brothers got arrested... its crazy down there though... we will see what happends in the next months

the sinaloa cartel is stronger than the arellano cartel ?
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2008, 02:34:21 AM »
During all of calendar year 2006, over 2,000 Mexicans were slain in narco killings. In contrast, during all of calendar year 2006, there were 895 U.S. military personnel who died in Iraq.
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2008, 06:21:22 AM »
It's a fuckin war....

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/hyDHNeJxazU" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/hyDHNeJxazU</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nz8k39p8z4U" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Nz8k39p8z4U</a>
 

LONDON!!

Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2008, 08:24:06 AM »
mexicans brothers and sisters ain't playing, but i don't like to talk on brothers and sisters that are still doing there thing on the roads on no computer boards, you don't know what type of people view these boards, you would be surprised, truss me on that, fuck snitches and feds, i only talk on people that are rip or ain't in the game no more or corrupt feds, dodgy police, but its crazy to see the position the arellano felix crew is right now, its common news to the media, they were big in the 80's and 90's, truss
"get this money by any means nessassary"
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2008, 09:01:49 AM »
mexicans brothers and sisters ain't playing, but i don't like to talk on brothers and sisters that are still doing there thing on the roads on no computer boards, you don't know what type of people view these boards, you would be surprised, truss me on that, fuck snitches and feds, i only talk on people that are rip or ain't in the game no more or corrupt feds, dodgy police, but its crazy to see the position the arellano felix crew is right now, its common news to the media, they were big in the 80's and 90's, truss

brothers and sisters ?
wtf are you talkin about ?
 

LONDON!!

Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2008, 09:16:16 AM »
what do you mean what i'm i talking about, all human beings thats on a level are my brothers and sisters, whats your problem wit that, i'm a international brother out this mudda fucker, my community is worldwide, what
"get this money by any means nessassary"
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2008, 09:36:05 AM »
what do you mean what i'm i talking about, all human beings thats on a level are my brothers and sisters, whats your problem wit that, i'm a international brother out this mudda fucker, my community is worldwide, what
i don't know how old are you,but we are talkin about criminals and fuckin murderers. :loco:
 

LONDON!!

Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2008, 10:13:58 AM »
you don't know what situation that has put those brothers and sisters in the situation where they have no other options wit the qualifications they have to get the same type of money they could wit the lifestyle there living than picking legal ones, because of circumstance, social ecomonics, poverty and so on and so on, we don't know what trials and tribulations there gone through to put them in these situations, to pick these options

i'm not promoting anything, its about staying in school and doing the best you can be, doing the best you can do, we can be anything you want to be if you put your mind and heart into it, no system can flop you, no matter the circumstance,

but if you do fuck up in high school and can't get a dead end job, or your circumstance dosen't permit it due to your enviroment you grew up in and you find yourselves living a a certain lifestyle, then everybody knows the rules, everybody knows the rules of the street game, live by the sword, die by the sword and if you do the crime, do the time

i wish brothers and sisters wern't killing each other like confetti, worldwide, like its nuthin or sumthin, i really do, i'm not glorifying brothers and sisters merking each other, i'm not, i wish brothers could take it back to the old school and scuff out there problems instead, live to play another day, you see what i'm saying, but i ain't stupid neither, when moneys involved in the capitalist world we live in, wit that type of system breeding a dog eat dog society, i overstand why shit pops off over money, you see what i'm saying, i just wish it was a last, last, resort, if at all, scuff it out ma niggas, fuck that shit, but i do overstand bizness, i ain't stupid

if you ask those real badman, i'd put money on it, that they don't really enjoy living the lifestyle there living, or the killing, no matter how much p's there making on a big boy level, you see what i'm saying, always looking over the shoulder for competition or feds, you see what i'm saying, facing down long sentences, doing long birds, you see what i'm saying, i ain't glorify it at all, its circumstance, i just overstand that shit, these mexicans brothers and sisters are my brothers and sisters, truss

whats worse, fucking up in high school, no qualifications, wit two options, a dead end job or easy money living the street life, where there is rules and regulations, a street code that if you break, which everyone knows about, theirs repercussions,

or a highly educated person, that went to the top schools, had the best education, came out wit the best qualifications money can buy, became a politician and then invaded a whole nother country for its natural resources by any means necessary behind propaganda, black ops and lies to just enrich his and his circle of friends pockets at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives, pushing that said relatively advanced country back to the dark ages, just for a profit, to the extent that resource there stealing becomes more expensive worldwide, puting up food prices because of the fuel prices going up to make the food, bringing a recession to the whole world

which type of person is more civil to you, whose the real bad guy?   
"get this money by any means nessassary"
 

2paclbc

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2008, 11:04:25 AM »
its been bad ever since alfredo beltran leyva "el mochomo" got arrested in january... all those dudes like el mayo and el chapo were cliked up but once el mochomo got arrested the bubble burst and the blame game began....remember the arellano cartel has been weak since the early 2000's when the brothers got arrested... its crazy down there though... we will see what happends in the next months

the sinaloa cartel is stronger than the arellano cartel ?

yea the sinaloa cartel is stronger... but everyone is tryin to fuck with that tijuana route cuz they can smuggle the drugs thru the border by car and by boat THATS WERE THE MONEY'S AT... thats why things are hot, that dude el teo is about to take over tho hes... he branched out from the arellano cartel
 

2paclbc

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #13 on: October 08, 2008, 01:07:06 PM »
those vidz were intresting.... its obvious the US controls the drug trade the governement aint stupid ( the mexican one and the american one)
 

Elano

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Re: Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2008, 10:23:35 PM »
you don't know what situation that has put those brothers and sisters in the situation where they have no other options wit the qualifications they have to get the same type of money they could wit the lifestyle there living than picking legal ones, because of circumstance, social ecomonics, poverty and so on and so on, we don't know what trials and tribulations there gone through to put them in these situations, to pick these options

i'm not promoting anything, its about staying in school and doing the best you can be, doing the best you can do, we can be anything you want to be if you put your mind and heart into it, no system can flop you, no matter the circumstance,

but if you do fuck up in high school and can't get a dead end job, or your circumstance dosen't permit it due to your enviroment you grew up in and you find yourselves living a a certain lifestyle, then everybody knows the rules, everybody knows the rules of the street game, live by the sword, die by the sword and if you do the crime, do the time

i wish brothers and sisters wern't killing each other like confetti, worldwide, like its nuthin or sumthin, i really do, i'm not glorifying brothers and sisters merking each other, i'm not, i wish brothers could take it back to the old school and scuff out there problems instead, live to play another day, you see what i'm saying, but i ain't stupid neither, when moneys involved in the capitalist world we live in, wit that type of system breeding a dog eat dog society, i overstand why shit pops off over money, you see what i'm saying, i just wish it was a last, last, resort, if at all, scuff it out ma niggas, fuck that shit, but i do overstand bizness, i ain't stupid

if you ask those real badman, i'd put money on it, that they don't really enjoy living the lifestyle there living, or the killing, no matter how much p's there making on a big boy level, you see what i'm saying, always looking over the shoulder for competition or feds, you see what i'm saying, facing down long sentences, doing long birds, you see what i'm saying, i ain't glorify it at all, its circumstance, i just overstand that shit, these mexicans brothers and sisters are my brothers and sisters, truss

whats worse, fucking up in high school, no qualifications, wit two options, a dead end job or easy money living the street life, where there is rules and regulations, a street code that if you break, which everyone knows about, theirs repercussions,

or a highly educated person, that went to the top schools, had the best education, came out wit the best qualifications money can buy, became a politician and then invaded a whole nother country for its natural resources by any means necessary behind propaganda, black ops and lies to just enrich his and his circle of friends pockets at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives, pushing that said relatively advanced country back to the dark ages, just for a profit, to the extent that resource there stealing becomes more expensive worldwide, puting up food prices because of the fuel prices going up to make the food, bringing a recession to the whole world

which type of person is more civil to you, whose the real bad guy?   

 ???