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Caribbean-Latin America

Ovens, Bones and an Altar: Who Tortured 1,500 People in the 'Mexican Auschwitz'

2025-04-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Olga Kuznetsova

[REGNUM] The already turbulent crime chronicle of Mexico has been supplemented by the chilling story of the Izaguirre ranch in the state of Jalisco.

A group of activists searching for missing persons received several anonymous calls telling them that a ranch in a village outside Guadalajara was hiding some dark secrets.

The estate's territory has been under the protection of regional authorities since autumn and, according to their statement, has been thoroughly explored. Nothing interesting was found there - just another hideout for drug traffickers from the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

The searchers, however, were lucky. If that's what they found, of course.

Once at the ranch, they found evidence that it was not just a shelter, but a real base where they recruited and trained new fighters, as well as eliminated those who were undesirable.

HOLY DEATH
Several weeks ago, activists began excavations and quickly discovered charred human bones, as well as several underground ovens (three according to some sources, and even more according to others), in which, apparently, the bodies of the murdered were burned.

Personal belongings were also found near the remains: shoes, clothes, backpacks, notebooks, letters and much more. In the first days, forensic experts concluded that the items found could belong to at least five hundred different people.

After some time, they started talking about more monstrous numbers - almost one and a half thousand people. Moreover, most of them, judging by their clothes, were minors or a little over twenty years old.

Various parts of firearms and bladed weapons were also found, cartridges were lying almost everywhere, and near the wall there was an altar of Saint Death (Santa Muerte) with figurines, remains of candles and glasses into which alcohol could be poured during rituals.

Based on what they saw, the experts concluded that combat training was taking place at the ranch. Keeping in mind the usual practice of the major cartels - both the Jalisco New Generation and the long-disbanded Los Zetas - it was concluded that some hostages were brought there by force, forced to carry out tasks, and then, having failed to see any success or having met with a determined refusal to participate in the cartel's activities, were killed.

As for the altar of Saint Death, whose cult originates in the “regional version” of Catholicism, its presence here is quite logical: cartel fighters consider it good form to turn to the deity for support before going on a mission or to prison.

Interestingly, the training base also held hostages: many women's elegant dresses, relatively clean, were found among the personal belongings. Their owners, apparently, were kidnapped during public celebrations or parties.

News of the sinister discoveries quickly spread through regional and federal media, and the Izaguirre ranch was immediately dubbed the “Mexican Auschwitz.”

And quite quickly the commentators came up with the question: how “professionally” did regional officials search the ranch from September to October that they didn’t find a whole mountain of clothing and not very well hidden human bones?

THE JALISCO CARTEL'S RESPONSE
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called for a thorough investigation into the findings in Jalisco state, including a review of the legality of the actions of state authorities who have been in charge of the ranch in recent months.

Soon after, a video from the Jalisco New Generation cartel appeared on social media, in which the militants decided to “clarify some facts.”

And their first question: how did it happen that unknown activists got into the territory protected by the authorities, who, having found the remains of corpses, did not immediately contact the federal authorities, but organized a "promotion" on social networks? And why does no one care that in the fall there were no bodies, no clothes, no stoves on the ranch?

Yes, the Jalisco New Generation cartel are criminals, but they operate according to their own "code" and are not idiots, because only idiots would give a gun to a person they kidnapped. And that is exactly what the mysterious volunteers found.

The members of the criminal cartel also stated that such incitement and denigration provoke a conflict situation in the region and threaten to turn the state into a “second Sinaloa.” The presence of thousands of corpses and the very fact of creating a “death camp” in the cartel are categorically denied.

To be fair, there is some logic to what the criminals are saying. What is especially alarming is that many of the ranch captives' belongings are clean, not even slightly soiled.

In addition, love letters were found here, the authors of which are still very much alive and have long been found.

And here other versions of what happened began to emerge.

Several years ago, secret burial sites were already discovered in the state of Jalisco. And immediately after that, federal troops arrived in the region with a series of operations against the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

Then the leader of the organized crime group, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes , nicknamed "El Mencho", through his people stated that the burials were created by the state governor, who plans to clear the territory with the help of the feds and thus get rid of competitors.

In an effort to take away a certain “business,” local officials are not too scrupulous in their means—they can even organize the shelling of a peaceful neighborhood in order to “draw attention to the problem.”

Almost the same thing is happening now: several special operations have been carried out in the region to capture members of the New Generation of Jalisco. However, the federal troops could not boast of any particular success, having lost three people during one of the shootouts.

The reported scale of the killings at the Izaguirre ranch also raises big questions.

People familiar with the process of identifying bodies claim that it is impossible to count, compare and conduct laboratory tests so quickly, and equating the number of dead to the number of all items of clothing found is at the very least strange.

And the people working in the cartel are not idiots who arrange burials of thousands of people in one place, and even within the boundaries of a populated area.

It cannot be ruled out that some of the bodies and clothing could have been delivered there by representatives of the federal authorities, who are in full swing fighting crime against the backdrop of Washington’s threats to impose higher tariffs on exported goods against the country.

And besides, Mexico's top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, considers hunting the Jalisco New Generation his personal matter of honor, since they have tried to kill him more than once. And in such cases, for certain people, as we know, all means are good.

Apparently, the cartel understands the situation perfectly well, but they can’t resist mocking their enemies: against the backdrop of a series of police operations, just an hour’s drive from Guadalajara, a grand concert was held in honor of the cartel leader, El Mencho.

The crowd chanted verses addressed to the drug lord, and the court mariachi minstrels made it clear who was the master of this land.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Cartels of Mexico

2025-03-19

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Cartels of Mexico

Some cartel groups, like Los Zetas & CJNG, have ex-military personnel with elite training.

Cartels use military-style strategies, roadblocks, and drones to counter security forces.

Top players: Sinaloa Cartel (~12,000 fighters), CJNG (~10,000 fighters), and… pic.twitter.com/SKOKrql9K7
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 18, 2025

…and Los Zetas (~5,000 fighters).

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Caribbean-Latin America

Veterans of White Powder: Why Mexico Gave Retired Drug Lords to the States

2025-03-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Olga Kuznetsova

[REGNUM] The crime chronicles of Mexico, and along with it the American borderland, sometimes resemble an action movie - and the figures of the Western film industry, not being fools, take advantage of this, dissecting local plots in every possible way.

It turns out so-so. Sure, there are hits like "Queen of the South," "El Chapo," or "Narcos" plus "Narcos: Mexico," but they all focus more on the biography of some legendary person (usually a criminal one) and explain with varying degrees of obsession that drug trafficking does not lead to anything good.

Sometimes the authors have an attempt to tell a story about how a criminal path is not chosen without reason and that there are many more people in the chain of drug trafficking interests than it seems from the outside. But nothing more.

There are exceptions, such as Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, which showcases a whole series of very human stories, as well as connections to big politics, social problems and eternal philosophical questions.

It is "Traffic" that can be considered one of the first attempts to seriously talk about the problem of drug crime, to analyze the fight against it and not slide into the framework of a cheap action movie.

And thanks to this attempt, fifteen years later, the film Sicario was born, directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Taylor Sheridan - a film that does not impress the viewer with its knowledge of technical details or facts about the cartels, but rather reliably reflects the picture of the balance of power and the eternal violence in this sphere.

TEN YEARS LATER
Now we have to rewatch Sicario in a new reality: US President Donald Trump has opened a “new era” in the fight against cartels. At least in words.

The number of special operations in the border area has increased. The hum of patrol helicopters over the Mexican state of Sinaloa is heard more often, drones buzz like flies over a corpse. Machine gun fire still often enlivens the outskirts of southern cities. And mass graves in the walls of houses or in the desert are replenished with new plastic bags with sinister contents.

Open threats are being made: Trump's team is promising economic sanctions against neighboring countries, demanding that they stop the flow of drugs and stop "poisoning Americans."

The Mexican president has responded by loudly demanding that American weapons be stopped from being sold to the cartels, and by recommending that the US public be curbed from consuming the same weapons that created demand for the cartels in Sicario.

Several major cartels and a couple of gangs have been declared terrorist organizations by the US government (and Canada and Argentina). The National Intelligence Service, the CIA and the FBI are predicting purges of both those who once ruined the lives of members of Trump's team and those who were involved in some unpleasant machinations. To demonstrate, so to speak, the healing of the ranks.

And it seems that the world that Sheridan and Villeneuve portray is no longer relevant – that is, the world where the American government and the cartels work together to prevent a hypothetical “greater evil.” The bright side, represented by Emily Blunt’s heroine, an honest FBI agent, has in reality won.

But is this really true?

NOT JUST A 'CARTEL STORY'
In one of his interviews, Taylor Sheridan admitted that he wanted to create not just a “story about cartels.” The goal was to show the American frontier and all its nightmares, and at the same time to show that “cartel” is just a name behind which stands an ineradicable and beneficial phenomenon.

As the Sinaloa cartel drug lord Ismail Zambada, who is in American custody, said : My arrest will not change anything. The cartel is a many-headed hydra that exists only because it benefits those in power.

They chop off the heads of some, and others take their place. The flow of drugs continues to reach the consumers, and the money for this activity continues to fall into the right pockets.

And so it is now: while verbally threatening Mexico, Trump’s team is simultaneously holding regular meetings dedicated to joint operations between the American and Mexican authorities.

At the latter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with members of the security cabinet sent by President Claudia Sheinbaum to improve "cross-border coordination."

They plan to share intelligence and conduct joint investigations, allowing the United States to quickly apprehend criminals on its territory and Mexico to do the same on its own.

Mexico, meanwhile, while promising to amend its constitution to prevent the United States from arresting Mexican citizens on their home soil and conducting secret investigations, has allowed a delegation of military advisers into its territory to train individual units of the local army for a month.

Along the way, literally “without declaring war,” on February 27, despite the requests of all lawyers, almost all the prototypes of the main characters of “Narcos: Mexico” were extradited to the United States.

Among them are one of the leaders of the long-defunct Guadalajara cartel, Rafael Caro Quintero ; the Treviño brothers from Los Zetas, leaders famous for their brutality ; the middle ranks of the now-defunct Juarez cartel; members of the Golfo, Northeast, La Familia Michoacana and other cartels captured several years ago. In total, they say, 29 people.

They have been left in detention centers in different parts of the United States and have already given regional authorities reason to discuss the possibility of applying the death penalty to them.

Some call this extradition the loudest in modern history, others shout about a sensitive blow to drug trafficking. And somehow they overlook the fact that the transferred persons are only second-tier leaders or drug world pensioners who have long since retired from real affairs. Their heirs are left free.

GOALS AND MOTIVES
One of the main characters of "Sicario", the mysterious Alejandro with a tragic past played by Benicio del Toro, works for the American government mostly with one goal: to get the opportunity to take revenge on the one who killed his family. And, naturally, to avoid punishment. In exchange, he is ready to provide all his "skills and abilities", which were clearly not acquired during his work in the prosecutor's office.

As it turns out, in Sheridan's original version of the script, the story began with Alejandro giving a heartfelt speech about the nature of violence. The hero then proceeded to explain his motives to Blunt's character, and in the end, having found the hated drug lord, he does not kill his children, but allows his enemy to make a sinister choice (the outcome of which turns out to be unimportant).

Later, director Villeneuve and Benicio del Toro himself made changes to the script, making Alejandro mysterious, silent and brutally dealing with the entire family of his enemy in the finale. In essence, having passed his point of no return and accepted the laws of the harsh world of drug dealers and fighters against them.

It is Alejandro who gently, almost mercifully, breaks Blunt's heroine, forcing her to accept a new paradigm and stop fighting. Or maybe he doesn't break her? He compares her to his little daughter, drowned in acid by a drug lord, and explains to her - albeit at gunpoint - the rules of the game.

In fact, the first person for the film who explains something to her about what is happening. And the special services employee, like a little girl, swallows her tears and refuses to continue the suicidal struggle.

She, an FBI agent from the kidnapping unit, is not needed here, because in this story no one is going to save anyone. She herself was invited to legalize some operations and, in fact, was used for "state" purposes, including sometimes as bait.

Interestingly, the actress was invited to the project after Denis Villeneuve saw her in the role of Queen Victoria, an example of the conservative values of the 19th century and the “moral standard of the era.”

As for the reality and extradition of 29 people, at least one of them already gives an idea of the approximate benefit to the American government.

Rafael Caro Quintero is set to handcuff DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who he tortured and killed in 1985, during a new trial. The move is cinematic, but it also hints at other aspects of the story.

Trump's potential purges of the FBI and CIA need at least a few triggers. The extradition of Agent Camarena's killer has revived the conversation that the cartel was merely the perpetrator in this case, and that the CIA was the main beneficiary of the murder. Camarena learned something - something about the drug world and the US government. Something that doesn't last long.

And Rafael Caro Quintero's testimony could be extremely inconvenient for a number of representatives of American law enforcement agencies. Who, if we are to be honest, in 1985 lived by the same laws as those shown in the film "Sicario". And now, for the sake of the cause, they may well pay for it, as Camarena did.

THE CAUSE OF THE TROUBLES HAS NOT BEEN ELIMINATED
When Villeneuve's film hit the big screen, the then mayor of Ciudad Juarez criticized how creepy it made the Mexican border town look. And he invited everyone to visit to prove that things had changed.

Much has changed since 2015, of course. But before former US President Joe Biden's visit last year, US troops were sent to the border to conduct a clean-up. Well, just to be on the safe side.

In addition, international organizations are loudly trumpeting the growth in the amount of psychoactive drugs consumed due to high demand among the planet's population, which, in the series of wars and cataclysms of recent years, is ready to accept a lot in attempts at escapism.

That is, the demand for drugs - the main cause of troubles in "Sicario" - has not gone away. And that means that those who control the saturation of American citizens with drug poison have not gone away and are unlikely to go away in the near future.

In this regard, anything can be said on either side of the border now - threats, tariffs, announcements about sending troops. The frontier as a grey zone, where official restrictions have always been very conditional, will continue to live by its own laws.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Mexico Abruptly Extradites 28 Cartel Bosses to U.S. -- Including DEA Agent's Killer

2025-02-28

It turns out leverage works. Who knew!

[Breitbart] In an apparent attempt to appease U.S. officials who have been pushing for tariffs and punitive measures against Mexico for their alleged role in protecting drug cartels, that country’s authorities confirmed the extradition of 29 criminals wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice. These include a top drug boss behind the 1985 murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, the two supreme leaders of Los Zetas Cartel, and the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation.

On Thursday afternoon, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed the extradition of 29 wanted criminals who were all in custody in various prisons across Mexico. The confirmation of the extradition came at the same time that Mexico’s security cabinet was meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his staff over that country’s response to drug cartels.

The extradited fugitives include Rafael Caro Quintero — one of the leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel. This criminal organization is considered to be the root of where most of Mexico’s western cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Tijuana Cartel, spawned. As Breitbart Texas reported, Caro Quintero is wanted in the United States for his role as one of the masterminds behind the kidnapping and gruesome murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985.

Breitbart Texas reported that the extradited criminals also included Miguel Angel “Z-40” and Omar “Z-42” Trevino Morales, the two supreme leaders of Los Zetas.

A fourth wanted crime boss who was also extradited is Antonio “Tony Montana” Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), one of the most powerful and sadistic drug cartels in Mexico.

Breitbart Texas reported that the extradited criminals also included Miguel Angel “Z-40” and Omar “Z-42” Trevino Morales, the two supreme leaders of Los Zetas.

A fourth wanted crime boss who was also extradited is Antonio “Tony Montana” Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), one of the most powerful and sadistic drug cartels in Mexico.

The extradition comes as part of several other moves by Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who, along with her cabinet, has been trying to avoid the imposition of tariffs by the Trump Administration over claims by the White House that Mexico has colluded and protected drug cartels.

Link

Caribbean-Latin America

Mexico May Request Jailed Cartel Kingpin 'El Mayo' Be Released by U.S.

2025-02-24

[Breitbart] Mexican President Sheinbaum revealed that her government is studying a letter sent by jailed drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada asking for help as he faces a possible life sentence and even the death penalty for his crimes as one of the supreme leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. The letter comes just days after Sheinbaum filed a series of proposed changes to the country’s constitution that would impair foreign investigations and actions against drug cartels even though the U.S. government formally designated the Sinaloa Cartel and five other Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

On Friday, President Sheinbaum said that her staff was analyzing a letter Zambada and his attorneys sent to the Mexican Consulate in New York City, where he requested that Mexico’s government help get him repatriated. The drug lord claims he was not arrested but kidnapped and is facing capital punishment. In his letter, the famed kingpin contended that the methods used in his arrest were dangerous to international relations since the same could be done to anyone, including politicians.

During her news conference, Sheinbaum said that her government was concerned about not who made the request but how his detention took place.

The letter further muddies Mexico’s image since, as Breitbart Texas reported this week, Sheinbaum filed a series of proposed changes to the country’s constitution that would impair foreign investigations and actions inside the country unless the government authorized them. The proposed changes would add criminal penalties to foreigners and Mexican nationals participating in those actions and investigations. The filed changes come soon after the U.S. government formally designated the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel Jalisco New Generation, Los Zetas (CDN), the Gulf Cartel, La Familia Michoacana, and Guerreros Unidos as FTOs.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the arrest of Zambada took place when he was lured to a meeting by his godson Joaquin Guzman Lopez, only to be kidnapped and placed on a U.S.-bound plane into the waiting hands of federal agents. In the aftermath of the arrest, Mexico started a treason investigation over the drug lord’s kidnapping and arrest. The arrest set off a fierce turf war as Zambada’s son and his allies have been fighting against the Guzman Lopez brothers and their allies, who are known as Los Chapitos. The group got its name from being led by the four sons of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, who is currently in a U.S. prison serving a life term.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Arizona Teen and Mother Kidnapped in Cartel-Controlled Area of Mexico

2024-06-28

[Breitbart] The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for help in locating an Arizona teenage female and her mother who are believed to have been kidnapped while traveling in northern Mexico. The kidnapping is believed to have occurred along a stretch of highway where the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas has abducted dozens of innocent victims who have never been heard from again.

U.S. authorities are working with their Mexican counterparts to locate 17-year-old Jessica Garcia Rojo and her mother 56-year-old Juana Marcela Rojo who went missing shortly after crossing from Laredo, Texas into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the FBI revealed. Garcia Rojo was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She and her mother have family ties to Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey.

The women are believed to have been traveling to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, in a white Dodge Caravan with New Mexico license plates, when they went missing shortly before 9 p.m. on May 15. Relatives reported them missing on May 28.

Two weeks later? At that point, why bother.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas controls the area between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey. That hyperviolent criminal organization has been responsible for hundreds of forced disappearances in recent years. In addition to the kidnappings, the CDN-Los Zetas routinely set up highway checkpoints where they extort travelers and kidnap those who are unable to pay.

The ongoing violence and number of kidnappings led officials to call the highway connecting Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo the “Highway of Death.” In 2023, Mexican Senator, a state congressman, Waldo Fernandez called for government officials to put aside political differences and work to ensure public safety in the region, Breitbart Texas reported.

Despite Fernandez’s efforts, Mexican authorities have done little to stop the reign of terror that the CDN-Los Zetas and other cartels have spread through northern Mexico.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Mexican Government Does Nothing as Gulf Cartel Sets Fire to Border Town

2023-11-11

This seems familiar...
[Breitbart] Mexican authorities have abandoned the residents of two towns in the central part of the border state of Tamaulipas despite terrorist attacks by the Gulf Cartel. Gunmen continued to set fire to buildings, abducted innocent victims, and shot up homes.

The attacks began on Tuesday early morning when a convoy of at least 25 vehicles with cartel logos rolled into the towns of Abasolo and Jimenez in the central part of Tamaulipas. The vehicles had logos from the Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel, Cartel Jalisco New Generation, and Old School Zetas.

Once the vehicles rolled in, they began torching several businesses, shooting up homes, painting graffiti on the walls, and they reportedly abducted various individuals out of their homes.

Anonymous locals who spoke with Breitbart Texas revealed that Mexican authorities responded once the cartel gunmen left the area. The responders only helped put out the fires. Since then, authorities have not carried out any raids or enforcement operations in an attempt to target the gunmen responsible for the attacks.

As Breitbart Texas reported, Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarrea has allowed drug cartels to operate with impunity under his watch. Since his arrival to power late last year, the Gulf Cartel and the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas have largely been untouched by state police forces. Villarreal hails from Mexico’s ruling party, Morena, which, under the leadership of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has benefited from illicit funds being funneled into their campaigns and also allowed criminal organizations to operate freely. As Breitbart Texas reported, Lopez Obrador claimed in 2018 that Mexico’s war on drugs was over. The Mexican president pushed a rhetoric of “Abrazos No Balazos” (Hugs Not Bullets), where his government has worried more about protecting the rights of cartel gunmen and claimed that the answer to crime was to promote social programs instead of using law enforcement agencies to fight them head-on.

Another election financed by the Soros Open Society Foundations?

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Caribbean-Latin America

Free Ride's Over: Mexico Trying to Get Cuba to Pay for ‘Donated' Oil

2023-10-01

[Breitbart] The Mexican state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) oil company is evaluating ways to start charging Cuba for the multimillion-dollar oil shipments Mexico has been donating to the island nation’s communist regime, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Isn’t Cuba pretty much broke?

The decision reportedly stems from rising oil prices, as prices head towards the $100 barrel mark, as well as Pemex’s and Mexico’s own fiscal deficit problems. Mexican far-left President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government has so far donated over a million oil barrels in “humanitarian aid” to the Castro regime during 2023.

López Obrador is a vocal ally of the Castro regime. The Mexican president awarded the Castro regime’s figurehead president Miguel Díaz-Canel this year with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest decoration that Mexico awards to foreigners.

Cuba continues to undergo a severe fuel shortage, one of the many symptoms of the continued systematic collapse of the nation and the inhumane living conditions that Cubans have been subjected to after six decades of communist rule have left the country in ruins.

For the past two decades, Cuba has depended on consistent oil shipments from Venezuela’s socialist regime to cover its local demand as part of the agreements signed between late dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez in the early 2000s. Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba have significantly decreased in recent months as Venezuelan oil exports to the United States, which the regime profits from, have steadily increased thanks to oil sanctions relief granted by the administration of President Joe Biden last year.

According to information from the Mexican port authority and ship movements tracked by Bloomberg, the Mexican government sent 350,000 barrels of Pemex-refined oil as donations to Cuba in June and an additional 700,000 barrels in July. Both shipments are estimated to have been worth $77 million total, according to average Mexican oil prices estimates in those two months.

June and July’s shipments marked Mexico’s first oil exports to Cuba since 2019. Mexico did not renew oil donations to Cuba during August.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Pemex’s six oil refineries in Mexico are struggling to boost its oil refining output and are presently operating at barely half their capacity, which in turn is forcing Mexico to import fuel to supply its local market.

By August, Pemex’s crude oil processing amounted to nearly 797,000 barrels per day (bdp), down from last year’s 816,000 bdp. When it comes to gasoline, however, Pemex was only able to produce 242,000 bpd in August, marking the month with lowest output levels in 2023 so far. Pemex’s crude oil processing output has been progressively dropping for the past 15 years.

Pemex is also considered to be the most indebted oil company in the world. Pemex’s short-term debt has exceeded its own cash resources since 2020 and the company’s debt liabilities have surpassed $110 billion as of June.

The drop in crude oil and gasoline output has forced Mexico to increase its fuel imports by 17 percent last month. Coupled with Pemex’s own severe fiscal deficits, this has reportedly prompted the country to evaluate the possibility of charging Cuba for the oil it had so far been giving away for free to the communist Castro regime.

Bárcena explained that the oil donations to Cuba were made through the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation but, as crude oil prices have increased by up to 25 percent over the past three months, in addition to Mexico facing its largest fiscal deficit in more than three decades has forced the country to find new sources of income to offset is growing deficit and alleviate the pressure that the oil donations to Cuba represents to the Mexico’s public finances.

Mexico’s 2024 budget project, presented this month, expects a deficit of nearly 1.7 billion Mexican pesos ($96.5 million) for next year, an amount that is equivalent to 4.9 percent of the country’s GDP. Mexico has not experienced a deficit of this nature since 1989.

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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Mexican Cartel Weapons Found on Border Along Texas Bank of Rio Grande

2023-08-14

[Breitbart] Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents found a small cache of Mexican cartel weapons on the Texas bank of the Rio Grande. This is the second suspected armed cartel incursion incident in the South Texas border town during the month of August.

As migrant apprehensions surge along the Texas border, law enforcement officers face a growing threat of Mexican Cartel violence in South Texas. Border Patrol officials reported the seizure of two cartel rifles and ammunition found Friday on the U.S. bank of the Rio Grande near Fronton, Texas. There were no arrests made in relation to the incident.

In a Friday morning post on “X,” formerly Twitter, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Sector highlighted the seizure and stated, “Our U.S. Border Patrol Agents confront threats daily as they do their best to secure our border. Agents working jointly with our L.E. partners made a significant discovery of weapons and ammunition hidden by criminal organizations near Fronton, TX.”

The Border Patrol released photos of the weapons seizure of two rifles, several rifle magazines, and an ammunition carrier. The weapons appear to be an AR-15 style rifle and a Kalashnikov-style rifle. One photo shows the Kalashnikov rifle submerged in the river. The agency did not provide any other information regarding the multi-agency discovery other than to indicate no suspects were arrested in connection with the finding.

The small border town of Fronton, with a population of 167 residents, has been the scene of other cartel-related border activity in recent months. On Saturday, the images of three suspected Mexican cartel gunmen crossing the Rio Grande were captured by law enforcement cameras, according to Fox News report. One of the men depicted in the images on Saturday appeared to be wearing body armor. The three suspected Mexican cartel gunmen were not arrested despite a coordinated effort by the Border Patrol to locate them.

On Friday, an armed cartel gunmen crossed the Rio Grande with a group of migrants. He allegedly pointed the rifle at members of the Texas National Guard patrolling near the international railroad bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, a law enforcement source told Breitbart Texas. A video shows the gunman returning to Mexico dragging a barrel and carrying the rifle.

In June, Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol troopers working in the same area arrested five suspected Mexican cartel members and seized two AR-15 style rifles in the same area. In that incident, DPS Spokesperson Lieutenant Chris Olivarez told Breitbart Texas the men were believed to be connected to the Cartel Del Noreste faction of the Los Zetas cartel.

Olivarez told Breitbart Texas, “One of the men told CID special agents they came under fire from Mexican law enforcement and fled across the Rio Grande.” The men were wearing camouflage clothing, complicating the search to find them in the thick brush along the banks of the river.

In addition to the recent incursions by suspected Mexican cartel gunmen, law enforcement agencies are also dealing with a significant surge in migrant crossings in the area. Weekend migrant apprehension numbers provided by the Border Patrol for the Rio Grande Valley Sector show a nearly 200% increase over the last month. A total of 1647 migrants were encountered during the weekend ending July 8. During the weekend ending August 6, the agency reported migrant encounters had climbed to 4,660.

During the first ten days of August, RGV agents apprehended more than 10,000 migrants, according to a confidential law enforcement source. During the same period, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended more than 6,000 migrants.

Link

-Lurid Crime Tales-

Mexican Cartel-Style Violence Spreading in California over Marijuana Grow Fields

2023-02-07

[Breitbart] Contrary to political rhetoric, Mexican cartel-style killings and gun battles appear to have already reached the U.S. and are spreading — particularly in California. The region experienced an explosive growth of cartel marijuana grow operations that are taking advantage of legalization and lax laws.

This week, federal authorities clashed with one of two gunmen who are accused of killing a family of six — including a 16-year-old female and her baby. The murders took place last month in Tulare County, California, in what some authorities have dubbed a cartel killing.

On early Friday morning, federal agents arrested Noah David Beard, 25, and Angel “Nanu” Uriarte, 35, the Los Angeles Times reported. The article identified both men as Sureno Gang members. Uriarte clashed with federal agents in a gun battle. He sustained multipole injuries and had to undergo surgery. He is expected to survive. Authorities arrested Beard without a shootout.

The two men are facing six murder charges and several enhancements filed by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office over the January 16 mass killing. Authorities also carried out several raids at homes and prison cells targeting the Nuestra Familia gang. Both the Nuestra Familia and the Surenos have a history of working with Mexican drug cartels.

According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities found the 16-year-old mother in a ditch cradling her baby in her arms. Both victims were shot in the head. Initially, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux called the murder the work of a cartel, however, he later tried to walk back the claim, the Times reported.

Tulare County and other counties in Northern California have seen a dramatic rise in cartel presence due to the legal marijuana trade and lax laws around it. Additionally, various cartel figures who have become famous in Mexico are actually U.S. citizens. Among these is Jose Maria “Z-43” Guizar Valencia a top leader with the Los Zetas cartel who was born in Tulare California and is currently awaiting sentencing on various federal drug trafficking charges in Texas.

According to a report from USA Today, since California legalized marijuana for recreational use, Mexican cartels have moved their grow operations to the U.S. where they can hide among legal farms. The publication reported that in 2021, there were 10,000 illegal grow operations in Mendocino County alone. The issue has already led to various high-profile cases similar to the one in Tulare County last month.

One of the main draws for cartels is that operating an illegal grow is only a misdemeanor offense in California and that business is cash only. Additionally, the region does not have enough law enforcement officers to patrol those grow sites and enforce laws against illegal growing operations, USA Today reported.

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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Mexican Cartel Nets $100K for Smuggling Three Chinese Nationals into Texas

2023-02-03

[Breitbart] Three Chinese nationals were encountered crossing the border in South Texas by Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers. Each reportedly paid Mexican cartel smugglers $35,000 to be ferried to Mission, Texas, on Tuesday.

According to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the arrests were part of a joint operation conducted in the Rio Grande Valley with Border Patrol.

According to the DPS, a recent cold front did little to stem the flow of migrant crossings near Mission. In the first few days of the operation, several arrests were noted, including human smuggling guides, and several gang members in addition to the three Chinese nationals.

The Gulf Cartel controls most of the crossing points from Reynosa, Mexico, into Mission. They also hold other Mexican cities across the border from the Texas. Despite recent skirmishes with the Cartel del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas, they continue to maintain firm control over major crossing points in the region. Although they are not exclusively in the business of human trafficking, they do control anyone trying to illicitly cross the border.

Migrants are charged a “piso” or fee to cross. The fee may vary based on a migrant’s nationality. The three Chinese nationals paid significantly more than those coming from Mexico or Central America.

In a 2019 Rand Corporation study, fees paid to cartels for crossing the Rio Grande were estimated between $300 and $700 per migrant and only covers access to the immediate border area. Local guides may collect another fee of roughly $100 per migrant to use inflatable rafts. These fees are not inclusive of the journey from the home country.

Once paid, migrants are provided a multi-colored bracelet as proof of payment. Different colors distinguish between how many crossings the migrant has selected.

In the first three months of the current fiscal year, more than 84,000 migrants made landfall in the Rio Grande Valley. Based on the lowest estimate of fees charged for migrant crossings, the Gulf Cartel has seen more than $30 million in proceeds during the period.

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-Lurid Crime Tales-

Baby boy shot in head execution-style alongside his mom, 16, and four other family members murdered in California cartel massacre

2023-01-17

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]

Six people, including a six-month old baby, a teenage mother and an elderly woman, were killed in a California, Central Valley farming community

The local sheriff said it was likely a targeted attack by a drug cartel

Massacre occurred around 3:30am Monday in and around a home in Goshen

Authorities said they were searching for two suspects and that the killings may have been related to a search warrant carried out last week at one of the homes

Sheriff said the level of violence and the manner of the attacks suggested experienced killers

Tulare County, a small agricultural region with a population of less than half a million, has historically played a significant role in the transnational drug trade, transporting drugs from Mexico to various markets in the United States.

The county, which is bisected by the 99 Freeway and has a limited law enforcement presence, acres of open land, and a highly mobile population of farmworkers, has been a haven for drug traffickers since at least the 1970s.

In recent years, the area has also become known for the production of methamphetamine and the cultivation of both legal and illegal marijuana.

Notable and violent figures of Mexico's drug wars, such as former leader of the Zetas cartel, Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, have connections to Tulare County as he was born there.

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