Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy, Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead, People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad, An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel, Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai, People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California, Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu, A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Los Zetas control a wide swathe of territory ranging from the Texas border to Guatemala. 2021 The Texas Observer. Mainly, Grayson notes a Zetalisation starting to occur among the other cartels. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. De Leon said that his two superiors were let go after they paid, but that he didn't have the $100,000 the cartel needed. Jeffrey Morris is a researcher and freelance writer with a passion for history and rarities. Authorities had been notified of missing passengers from Highway 101 on May 24 and May 29, with soldiers following a tip that led them to the La Joya ranch a few miles off the road. In April 2019, CJNG killed 14 people in Minatitlan, a Zetas territory. The gunmen murdered a young girl by the name of Estefania Martinez Diaz, a woman by the name of Mara Campillo Mata and a man by the name of Miguel Angel Mendoza. This was back when Lazcano and Z-40 were still running the Los Zetas cartel. He said that cartel members kidnapped him again and held him captive for 13 days until he found the money. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Mexican government security spokesman Eduardo Sanchez (C) speaks during a press conference, accompanied by Mexican Navy General Jorge Victor (L) and Mexican Army General Martin Terrones (R) to present details of the military operation in which Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, the alleged drug lord behind the cartel Los Zetas, was arrested. The 2011 San Fernando Massacre was both disturbing and, tragically, far from a one-off occurrence. FROM brutal beheadings to violent kidnappings, the cartel wars of Cancun have unleashed horror on Mexico's Caribbean coast as gangsters wreak havoc yards away from luxury resorts. The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. As La Familia Michoacana expelled Los Zetas, they took territory across Guerrero, Morelos, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Jalisco and Mexico City. When prosecutors asked if De Leon feared police while en route to deliver firearms to "Chano," he said that he wasn't worried because the majority of police were bought out. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Justicedefines cartels as, "large, highly sophisticated organizations composed of multiple drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)and cells with specific assignments such as drug transportation, security/enforcement, or money laundering.". Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy, Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq, A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France, A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. In1997, PBS described the Tijuana drug cartel as "one of the most powerful and aggressive drug trafficking organizations operating from Mexico," adding that it is "undeniably the most violent." In August 2010, the gang massacred 72 kidnapped migrants at a remote ranch in Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. WebSoon after the murder, Guzman became known as Z-1, and would become the founder of Los Zetas, literally The Zs: an organization that began as an elite security detail and would evolve across 12 years to become one of Mexicos most powerful criminal organizations. The rest of the video is a gruesome 40 seconds of cold-blooded murder, which caused international controversy recently when it was posted on Facebook. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. How could such a tragedy occur in San Fernando not once but repeatedly? Los Zetas operates in 17 states, while Sinaloa operates in 16 states. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. You have to keep up with the Joneses. They also acted as lookouts for the cartel and turned a blind eye to their illegal activities. People began to disappear, said San Fernando priest Ramon Ruiz. Melissa del Bosque joined the Texas Observer staff in 2008. Facebook beheading video: Who was Mexico's Jane Doe? They were forcibly recruited and haven't been paid or fed by their bosses. Articles must link back to the original article and contain the following attribution at the top of the story: This article was originally published by the, Articles cannot be rewritten, edited or changed beyond alignments with house style books. After the group's 1985 murder of DEA agentEnrique Camarena, the US and Mexico closed in on the cartel, causing several leaders to disperse across Mexico, leaving El Chapo and his partnerHctor Luis Palma Salazar as the Sinaloa chiefs. The largest two graves were 10 feet deep and each held around 45 corpses. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Aside from manufacturing illegal drugs and trafficking them, the gang is also into kidnapping and extortion. He created a company, Tremor Enterprises, to purchase racehorses for American contests, winning millions in prize money through fixing races and doping horses. In the early 1990s, El Chapo steered the Sinaloa Cartel to dominance through his use of tunnel smuggling and widespread bribes. Lazcano was the leader of the Los Zetas cartel. His body was stolen from the funeral home. This has led to savage fighting between some 400 splinter gangs, each killing and maiming for scraps of territory (via Business Insider). Authorities investigating the massacre reported numerous hijackings of passenger buses on Mexican Federal Most harrowing of all was the forensic evidence. Traditionally, Mexican cartels like Los Zetas only grew and manufactured drugs in Mexican territory and other less advanced countries where government officials were collaborators or incapable of disrupting their operations. De Leon said that he helped Los Zetas stash drugs, transport firearms and deliver marijuana to drug mules along the river to be smuggled to the U.S. The 34-year-old, known as "Chano", was a regional boss in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras. Melissa is a 2016-17 Lannan Fellow at The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. Former Zetas members testified Tuesday, claiming the cartel is responsible for a bloody massacre in Piedras Negras in 2011. In August 2010, the gang massacred 72 kidnapped migrants at a remote ranch in Northeastern Mexico after they refused to pay a ransom for their release or take jobs as hit men. De Leon will serve time in jail after pleading guilty to a marijuana charge. Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano (aka The Executioner) You have to have cartel cred being known as the meanest, most savage criminal organization in the Americas.. // ]]>. They robbed stores, they broke into an auto repair shop and stole cell phones and several vehicles, all with the goal of spreading terror.". Like Los Zetas, their bitter rivals, CJNG is known for terrible violence. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. Reyna never heard back from the cartel, so he said that he contacted the Mexican government. Led by the Beltran Leyva brothers Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, and Hctor, the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO)was a vicious drug cartel in the Mexican state of Sinaloa (via Insight Crime/Wilson Center). Read more about illegal drugs and those who deal in them on 10 Atrocities Committed By Mexican Drug Cartels and 15 Notable Drug Traffickers. Mostly Central American immigrants, they were traversing the state of Tamaulipas to cross into Texas. However, despite its success in cocaine and methamphetamine, La Familia Michoacana's power was curtailed by yet another splinter group, The Knights Templar. [2] It is a fact that some of the cartels initial members were elite Mexican troops who were trained in the early 1990s by Americas 7th Special Forces Group. There were only a few bullet casings at the scene, but one sledgehammer and bodies showing blunt trauma to the head. Rival gang MS-13 may have the most terrifying tattoos (see featured image), but Los Zetas wins the prize for violence. The April 6, 2011, effort would eventually yield the largest mass grave ever found in Mexico. Then, on April 21, 2011, police arrested San Fernandos police chief and got a little closer to the truth. He sent soldiers into San Fernando after the massacre to protect migrants and Mexican families, but they soon withdrew unlike the cartels. "[The government] told me not to go asking questions about my son. Captured: July 15, 2013 Busloads of people were declared missing in 2011 when their luggage went unclaimed in Reynosa and Matamoros. In the end, the legacy of the 2011 San Fernando Massacre is one of blood money, corruption, and wanton murder. According to World Atlas, Tijuana had the highest homicide rate in the world in 2020, with 138 murder per 100,000 residents. Former Los Zetas worker: I was forced to witness brutal killings Founded by the Orejuela brothers, the Cali cartel earned billions a year, inheriting the Medellin cartel's 80% market share and multi-ton shipments to the United States (via Seattle Times/Insider). This savagery is nothing new. The 6 most infamous crimes committed by Mexico's Zetas cartel ", The Gulf cartel's control in the northeast state of Tamaulipas has seen many violent incidents, both against rivals and each other. It would occur to many as an unacceptable surprise that Los Zetas recruits members in the United States. WebThe Los Zetas used improvised weapons like knives, rocks, and burning mattresses. The defendant in this case is Mariano Millan-Vasquez, known to everyone as "Chano." De Leon said that during his captivity, he witnessed Zetas commanders dismember people while they were still alive and throw the body parts into a flaming barrel. If you support this mission, we need your help. WebZetas behead and dismember four women from the Gulf Cartel. Facebook beheading video: Who was Mexico's Jane Doe? - BBC There have been several criminal organizations in the world that have perpetrated destructive acts against humanity without any form of military training, either formal or informal. [1] The deadly organization started out as the enforcement branch of the Mexican Gulf Cartel. The field was linked to the Los Zetas cartel. The cartels have now moved beyond drug violence to murdering busloads of civilians, and the government seems incapable of stopping it. It is disheartening to hear that the founding fathers of a criminal organization like Los Zetas received training from US military officers. SAN ANTONIO -- A father whose son went missing in 2011 took the stand Wednesday in the federal trial of an alleged war commander for Los Zetas drug cartel. The Most Brutal Execution Methods Used by Mexican Cartels However, recently, theyve taken their drug manufacturing activities to highly advanced countries like the United States. However, Insight Crime suggests that the large traditional cartels may be over as Mexico's criminal underworld becomes increasingly fragmented and scattershot. The gunmen used a large hammer to break down the door before storming the house shooting indiscriminately at the women and children inside. The LA Times found that from January 1988 to November 1991, drug traffickers killed up to 219 people in this area, disposing of their bodies in rivers. Among the first deaths in the conflict was Edgar Guzman, El Chapo's son. The rest of us agreed.". Piedras Negras, in the state of Coahuila, has a reputation as a hotbed for drug smuggling and violence. Millan-Vasquez faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute narcotics, enticing minors to sell drugs, giving a false identification to authorities, and charges for at least nine murders in South Texas and Northern Mexico. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. With all this being said, the power and brutality of the gang seem to be waning. They were believed to have been killed for refusing to pay a ransom or join the In 2010, Los Zetas established itself on its own terms, terrorizing the country with torture, beheadings and massacres (via Irish Times/Britannica). Upon his release, he was put in charge of the cartel in Nuevo Laredo but then relocated to Zacatecas and rose through the ranks of Los Zetas. The FBI and the IRS eventually built a case against Morales and others, leading to his arrest. Based in the western state ofMichoacn, La Familia Michoacana is known for its history of violence as well as its quasi-religious trappings (via Insight Crime). Most are extorted and let go or sold into prostitution. The 2010 San Fernando Massacre bore similarities to the June 2011 confession of Zetas member dgar Huerta Montiel. Tamaulipas Lieutenant Governor Morelos Jaime Canseco Gmez admitted police were still looking for another bus of passengers. I know that police and transit officials in San Fernando help the Zetas organization, because rather than take detainees to the Pentgano, which is to say the municipal jail, they would deliver them to the Zetas, said lvaro Alba Terrazas, one of the 17 detained police officials. If the lawmakers are puppets to drug cartels, then there is very little hope that the war against the cartels will be won. The Sun From the mid-1980s to his death in 1993, Pablo Escobar was the "King of Cocaine," earning an estimated $420 million a week, according to Insider. If you dont pay them, they will take your merchandise, he says. Inside bloody world of Cancuns cartel wars as gangsters behead They ordered the informant be killed along with anyone and everyone associated with him. In the past year, gunmen from Los Zetas Cartel performed unique retaliatory killings in response to their allys videotaped sexual assault behind bars. Thats bad for the bottom line., Drug cartels have famously eluded capture by the Mexican government as the problem has crossed the border and headed north: 1,000 U.S cities reported the presence of a Mexican cartel in 2010, according to this graphic by the National Post. There is a huge consensus that Mexican drug cartels are responsible for the drug epidemic in the United States. It is practically impossible to list all the atrocities that this extremely violent group has committed. Partners must notify. Today, the cartel retains a small presence in southern Mexico. The rest of the video is a gruesome 40 seconds of cold-blooded murder, which caused international controversy recently when it was posted on Facebook. WebLos Zetas have also carried out multiple massacres and attacks on civilians and rival cartels, such as: the 2010 San Fernando massacre (24 August), where 72 migrants were found Then come the Zetas, with no background in narcotics, and they start chopping peoples heads off, Grayson said. We rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. Instead, they were raped and beaten to death or vanished into a new life as cartel soldiers. In this ghastly murder, the CDN faction appears to have struck first murdering the relatives of a state police officer and a farmers union leader. In 2015, U.S. law enforcement discovered a marijuana field in Texas with a market value of $2 million. They told me to stop doing that," Reyna said in court. All of the Texas Observers articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. The macabre bloodsport was detailed in The Houston Chronicle. Months after the casino attack, 49 decapitated bodies were dumped on a Monterrey highway (via Insight Crime/The World). Thank you. President Felipe Caldern deployed the military against Mexicos cartels in 2007, and despite $1.6 billion in U.S. support, 35,000 civilians were now dead by 2011, with thousands missing. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories, Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland, Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk, AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix, Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio, Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Spanish electro-pop band return home after being kidnapped in Mexico, Marijuana legalisation in US dents drug cartel profits, Mexico cartel members arrested in hunt for 43 kidnapped students, Cartel leader who dismembered six-year-old girl jailed for life, 5% off all bookings with this Travelodge discount code, Save 200 on 2023 holidays with this TUI discount code, Extra 10% off hotel bookings with this Barcelo discount code, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. In August 2010, Zetas executed 72 migrants in Tamaulipas, which was followed by 2011 attacks in San Fernando and a Monterrey casino, killing a combined 245 people. The Zetas were notorious for their brutality, even by cartel standards. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo, A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota, Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Arson investigation underway after cars catch fire at west Houston apartment complex, Mother of 15-year-old shot at a house party wants someone held accountable, Houston forecast: Grab your jacket as you head to the rodeo, it's a cool and breezy Friday, Damage reported throughout North Texas area during severe weather. In August 2010, the Mexican military stumbled upon the bodies of 72 people bound and executed. The way in which the killers carried Rogue policemen are believed to have played a role in the deaths of 193 people, whose bodies were found in hidden graves in San Fernando in 2011, and 49 in Cadereyta in the state of Nuevo Leon in 2012. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Drug cartels influencing politics paints a picture of total disaster. Former Los Zetas worker: I was forced to witness brutal killings These are the top ten distressing facts about Los Zetas you dont want to know. During their enforcer period, theUS Drug Enforcement Agency(DEA) described Los Zetas as perhaps "the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and violent of these paramilitary enforcement groups.". No one charges under $2,000 these days to get into the United States and [the Zetas] get $400 to $500 for each migrant smuggled through their territory, he says. There have been several arrests of purported Zeta members in the region but no trials. The traditional cartels buy off politicians, establish traffic routes for smuggling and make money. The kidnapping and murder of the SEIDO agents resembles the type of actions of another infamous Mexican crime group, the Zetas. Do you think free access to journalism like this is important? Initially formed by about 30 former members of an elite Mexican army unit, the gang used fear and intimidation to conduct business in defiance of government operations. Islas suspects the kidnappings and brutal murders are a warning to smugglers who havent paid their dues to the Zetas. First it was people with money, then it was anyone. More terrifying is their ease of operations in countries like the US. By the early 1990s, Medellin was the most violent city not just in Colombia but the entire world, and much of that was because of the Medellin cartel's war with the government (via Rapid Transition). Abstract. Led by the infamous Pablo Escobar, the Medellin cartel is said to have killed thousands of people, including three Colombian presidential candidates, many judges and over 1,000 police officers (via Biography). De Leon said that his mother sold her house for $20,000 to help him, and that the Zetas let him loose with the stipulation that he must pay $100,000 more in one week. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education, Border Security Is a Financial Black Hole that Will Consume Us All, Two Executions, Many Questions about Mental Health, Innocence, Remembering a Social Justice Lawyer Extraordinaire. Los Zetas is a powerful Mexican drug cartel that has made special use of fear to achieve its business goals. Photo by Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images. It had only been a year since officials in the Mexican city found 72 victims of the Los Zetas drug cartel buried in the dirt. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. He was arrested by the Mexican Navy in 2012. Officials exhuming the bodies noticed that many bore the marks of blunt trauma. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics The handful of passengers lucky enough to be rescued confirmed their captors intended to recruit them. The Los Zetas cartel gunmen even executed the family dog. Cartels have dominated the international drugs trade since the 1980s, earning many billions of dollars and killing tens of thousands of people in Mexico and Colombia alone (via Al Jazeera and Britannica). To set the records straight, Los Zetas was formed by Mexican ex-military men. On Tuesday, Rodriguez testified about a bloody massacre involving more than 300 people. Inside The Brutal 1955 Murder Of 14-Year-Old Emmett Till That Galvanized The Civil Rights Movement, 101-Year-Old Woman Who Began Trapping Lobster Before The Great Depression Has No Plans To Retire, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Following the 2011 San Fernando Massacre, Federal Highway 101 was colloquially dubbed the highway of death or the devils road.. The chief and 16 of his 25 men were questioned under suspicion of helping the Zetas abduct, kill, and bury the passengers. Based in northwest Mexico's Sinaloa state, the Sinaloa Cartel is widely considered to be the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, according to Insight Crime. Perhaps the most heinous La Linea crime occurred in Bavispe, where the group attacked a Mormon family inNovember 2019, killing nine people including several children, according to ABC. They were given map reading courses, communications, and standard Special Forces training and instruction on how to use light and heavy weapons, machine guns, and several other automatic weapons. Jesus Gonzalez/AFP/Getty ImagesFollowing the 2011 San Fernando Massacre, Federal Highway 101 was colloquially dubbed the highway of death or the devils road.. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In the human smuggling business, migrants pay $100 to $200 upfront, then pay the rest once theyve reached the United States. De Leon said that he didn't voluntarily start working with the cartel; he was kidnapped and forced to participate. Eventually, this group broke away to become a drug cartel of their own, which is now the notorious Los Zetas. With their archenemy established, La Familia Michoacana set out to publicize themselves. WebDuring a particularly emotional testimony on Wednesday, a former worker for Los Zetas said that he was kidnapped twice by the cartel and was forced to witness several violent acts. In early April, Mexican military officials made another grisly discovery in the once sleepy farming community of San Fernando: a series of mass graves among the mesquite brush. The heartless drug lord is claimed to have personally killed 2,000 people, in addition to ordering and supervising thousands of other murders.

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