02/16/2013 VIOLENCE BAJA CALIFORNIA: COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS REPORT; PLAN FOR PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME & UPDATES; BANK AND GAS STATION ROBBERIES ROSARITO BEACH AND TJ,SHOOTING AT POPOTLA ROSARITO BEACH, CHIEF AND OFFICERS SHOT IN MEXICALI AND ANOTHER ATTACK ON POLICE IN MEXICALI LEAVES ONE OFFICER DEAD ONE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED - MORE REMAINS FOUND AT POZALERO'S "LA GALLERIA" 02/18: PEPOS HUGE BUST IN ROSARITO BEACH MUCHO COCAINE AND ACTIVITY IN VILLA FLORESTA

Before listing the shootings, robberies and some of the arrests in our area I would like to present  recent articles dealing with the journalism in Mexico and the anti-violence plan by Presidente Pena Nieto's new government.  The first article was picked up by Animal Politico on 02/11/13 under the title "Misinformation Allows Narco Control: CPJ" adapted from Mike O'Connor's Essay "Attacks on the Press: Journalism Crossfire" which was due to be released 02/14/2013.  Mike O'Connor is a veteran journalist, contributing over the years to CBS, NPR and the New York Times among some of the major news sources.  He is also the Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).  If you haven't already read this, you may be in for a shock:

Mike O'Connor

The Zacatecas Rules: Cartel's Reign Cannot Be Covered
by, Mike O'Connor
02/14/13

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From Animal Politico: Miguel Alonso Reyes, Gobernador de Zacatecas y amigos 

On 02/13, Animal Politico picked up the La Jornada report of Zacateca's Governor Miguel Alonso-Reyes signing the "Por Nuestra Imagen" initiative to censor or prevent publication on front page news of reports and photographs concerning bloodshed, mass graves, crime and clashes between criminal groups.

This accord was agreed to and signed by the Director of the local broadcasters Silver Stereo and Super G, Juan Enrique Rivera and the CEO and General Director of the local newspapers Images and El Centinela, Luis Enrique Mercado Sanchez.  La Centinela is the only local daily "nota roja" 

The Governor commented that the purpose of this initiative is to improve the "perception" of the state of Zacatecas and Mercado Sanchez commented that this was not an effort to minimalize or hide reports on the drug war, but to keep these in the "Security" section where they belong.

However, after reading Mike O'Connor's report, it is doubtful if any reports will ever appear in the "Security" section.


Animal Politico
Medios y gobiernador de zacatecas acuerdan censurar notas sobre violencia
02/13/13

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The question is which states will be next in drafting similar initiatives ?  And if more states draft similar initiatives, how will that affect outsider/tourist perceptions of events in Mexico?  Will say despite recent reports of nearing  a debatable narco-state status, would tourists return to Guerrero completely unaware of the situation there or in any other problematic state?

Animal Politico
El-Palenque
Mexico ha perdido Acapulco? Es Guerrero un Estado fallido?

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From Animal Politico

Also of importance is the Federal government's plan for the prevention of violence and crime - which has already started in some states.  The plan was adopted in principle in 48 municipalities, two delegations of the Federal District (Iztapalapa and Gustavo A. Madero) and seven metropolitan areas.  All in all, fifty seven locations are committed to this plan, these are the areas where 40% of the crimes are committed in Mexico.  In Baja California, both Tijuana and Mexicali have signed on as well as La Paz in Baja California Sur.


The first stage of this plan is to address areas targeted for high levels of "crimes of violence".  The second phase of the program will integrate violence prevention in schools, in the family, support of addictions through a public heatlh approach and identification of learning problems in children based on visual, hearing and cognitive factors.


The third stage of this program is to include or incorporate 250 municipalities this year into the Safety Grant Municipalities (Subsemun).  900 million pesos are earmarked for prevention tasks.


This article lists the 57 Municipalities which are participating in this program, and I do not see Ensenada on the list, despite the recent article (last blog) describing Ensenada as a narco's paradise controlled mainly by the Sinaloa cartel:


Animal Politico
Los 57 municipios con que arranca el plan antivolencia
por, Mayra Zepeda
02/14/13

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THE UPDATES:


 - Mexicali: Antonio Heras reporting this morning that a Deputy Commander and two police officers shot when they ordered two vehicles to stop for review.  Occupants of the vehicles opened fire on the officers who were taken to the hospital.  This report states the officers were not seriously injured.  No arrests yet:

AFN
Atacan a subcomandante y dos policias

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 - Mexicali:  El Mexicano reports another attack on police officers in Mexicali leaving one of the officers dead and the other seriously injured.  This attack came at 4:00PM today, not a great deal of detail other than the police were wearing plainclothes, the attack took place in the Gran Hacienda neighborhood of Mexicali, and it is believed the gunmen were driving a Saturn vehicle.  No arrests yet:

El Mexicano
Muere agente municipal en atentado

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UPDATE/EDIT 02/17:  El Mexicano updates their report above stating there were two incidents late Saturday afternoon leaving two people dead including a Municipal Police Officer and one more person seriously injured.  Both incidents are linked to organized crime.


At 3:45PM on Anahuac Blvd a grey Saturn approached by another vehicle with four gunmen on board who open fire on the Saturn.  The attack was in broad daylight, escalating to a chase with gun fire where the victim's vehicle crashed after the driver lost control.  It was then the gunmen unloaded even more bullets on the occupants of the Saturn.  The victims were Jorge Armenta Sota who is believed to have a criminal record and who is also believed to have been the original target of the attack and off duty Municipal Police officer Francisco Castaneda Robles, who was killed in the attack and detailed to Special Services. The attack took place only a block away from the Police Station, the area was cordoned off but the attackers escaped abandoning their vehicle inside of which they left an AR-45, an R-15, a 9mm and a Nextel radio. Soto remains in serious condition.

At 6:00PM one man killed at a car wash while he was waiting for his car to be cleaned, shot several times in what is believed to be a drive by.  No arrests in either case.

El Mexicano
Ejecutan a dos e hirieron a uno

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UPDATE/EDIT 02/17:  Overall more quiet in Tijuana, Rosarito Beach, Tecate and Ensenada with the exception of many arrests and one execution very early this morning in the Las Delicias neighborhood:

AFN
Hallan ejecutado en Las Delicias

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From El Mexicano: another execution and another shoot out with police

 - Yesterday one man shot and killed in colonia Reforma on the street.  Other agencies have noted this was a daytime attack, bullets hitting a convenience store in a generally busy traffic and pedestrian area. The shooters then engaged in a shoot out with Municipal Police while being chased in their speeding vehicle. Three people were subsequently arrested; two men and one woman with an AK-47:

El Mexicano
Matan a hombre en "La Sanchez"

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 - Rosarito Beach:  Neighbors report  today Marinos at Calimax parking lot and one Municipal Police Squad car parked in the Calimax parking lot.  On Benito Juarez, two Municipal squad cars and two Municipal pick ups going north and south on Benito Juarez.



 - Rosarito Beach: This morning in the Popotla Restaurant area one man shot, taken to Hospital his condition is reported serious but stable.  No arrests:

Frontera
Disparan a hombre en zona restaurantera de Popotla

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From AFN: The Bancomer at Giramar Plaza Rosarito Beach 

 - Rosarito Beach and Tijuana:  Two bank robberies in each location which will represent the fourth and fifth bank robberies so far this year.  The first was at the Bancomer in Ruta Hidalgo (La Presa) in the morning of 02/15 where three armed men escaped with 15K dlls.

In Rosarito Beach at the Griamar Plaza next door to Calimax a little after 1:00PM in the afternoon a group of armed young men terrorized the customers. Frontera reported that at least thirty people were at the Bancomer Bank who were forced by the gunmen to lay on floor while their personal possessions, phones and bags were taken.  Five of the customers went into a state of shock and had to be treated by the Red Cross.  At this moment, the two robberies do not appear to be related.

AFN
Hombres armados roban dos bancos

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 - Rosarito Beach:  Today the agencies are reporting that three men have been arrested for the Rosarito Beach bank job.  AFN also adds that after they hit the bank, they held up a gas station in Rosarito.  According to the PGJE, the three were partying in an unnamed hotel in Rosarito Beach drinking and taking drugs.  No comments on this report which is unusual:

AFN
Atrapan a asaltantes festejando con droga

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 - Rosarito Beach:  On 02/14 an Army and Municipal Police operation acting on an anonymous tip seize more than a ton of dope in colonia Villas del Mar on calle Paseo del Mar, in the back of a truck.

Same day, on an anonymous tip in Otay more than 600 kilos of mota seized by Federal Ministerial police inside of a van.

Same day, PEPOS arrests one man carrying 40 kilos in colonia Altiplano and at La Mision on the free road from Tijuana to Ensenada, Federal Police locate an abandoned vehicle with over a kilo of ice inside.

AFN
Decomisan mas de 1.6 toneladas de mariguana

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 - Rosarito Beach: Today once again at colonia Villas del Mar Army and PGR elements seize an undisclosed amount of narcotics both inside of a house and two pick up trucks and a van which were loaded down with dope.  Authorities cordoned off the area.  So far, Frontera is only reporting this one:

Frontera
Decomisan mas droga en colonia de Rosarito

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From Frontera:  The search continues

 - At El Pozalero's "La Gallera" site in Maclovia Rojos where the search continues for missing people in the second pila or pit, 150 teeth (13 dentures) and 80 pieces of bone fragments have been found. President of the Association for the Disappeared of Baja California, Fernando Ocegueda Flores stated that both the PGJE and the PGR have confirmed this latest finding.  Prior to this finding, 800 teeth and 800,000 pieces of bone fragments were found in the first pit/pila.  The search will continue with 60% left to excavate in the second location and still a third pit/pila yet to be excavated.

Frontera
Encuentran mas restos humanos en 'La Gallera'

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UPDATES/EDIT 02/18:

From AFN

 - The third seizure of narcotics in Rosarito Beach within four days, and this one is really huge. In colonia Villas Floresta on Blvd. Benito Juarez, the PEPOS acting on an anonymous tip seize 33 packages of cocaine weighing in at 37 kilos and 900 grams and five big wrappers of "glass" weighing in at 2 kilos and 600 grams.  The dope was inside of an unattended vehicle's trunk, the vehicle still had the keys in the ignition.  All total, the cocaine's estimated worth is 37 million 900 thousand pesos and the glass worth is estimated at one million 300 thousand pesos. No arrests were made, no weapons mentioned and we have not been informed yet as to which cartel owned the narcotics:

AFN
Realiza PEP millonario decomis de droga

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So, when I or my neighbors say everything seems normal in Rosarito Beach or without incidents, massive quantities of narcotics are being moved through the city streets.  Well, I guess that is "normal".

 - Same location, in colonia Villa Floresta, Rosarito Beach yesterday, PEPOS working with Interpol and information from US authorities arrested Alfredo Garcia Luviano from the state of Guerrero.  Garcia Luviano has an extradition notice and warrant out for him in the USA on charges of conspiracy.  He is believed to maintain a relationship with a criminal drug cell from the state of Michoacan.  Normally I don't list all of the arrests because of the revolving door, but seems to be a lot of action these days in Villa Floresta and you can see the forces on the ground from PEPOS, Interpol and US Agencies working together - so they are in Rosarito Beach, hot and heavy.  No one has indicated yet that Garcia Luviano is connected to any of these recent drug seizures in Rosarito Beach, both at Villas del Mar or Villas Floresta.

Ensenada.net
Detienen a hombre buscado por la Interpol

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 - Although I noted that Sunday seemed quiet in Ensenada, El Vigia , El Mexicano and Ensenada.net reported today that on Sunday in Valle Dorado, Ensenada a citizen's complaint reporting a burglary in progress brings the Municipal Police and Swat Team on the scene. The offender shot twice at the authorities, but using a tactic of surrounding the thief, police did not have to return fire; the man was arrested:

El Vigia
Dispara individuo a policias

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Here are the links for all of the news, many arrests locally:

Animal Politico
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Zeta Tijuana
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AFN
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Frontera
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Tijuana Press
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El Mexicano
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Lindero Norte
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El Vigia de Ensenada
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Ensenada.net
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Justice in Mexico
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See you guys in a few days and be careful in the storm.