los herreras durango cartel
A recent episode involving two low-ranking American military personnel attempting to smuggle a group of Mexicans across the border near Tijuana may only be considered a singular episode (AFP, 10/13/00), but people smuggling has the potential to overtake the drug trade in terms of gross revenue and profitability in the 21st century. In addition to the murder charge, Raul Salinas is strongly suspected of being involved in various drug activities and masterminding several other political killings. AFP, "Mexican Congress files suit to force Zedillo to disclose financial deals," 9/9/99, internet. President Fox, however, has publicly stated that if evidence of criminal wrongdoing undertaken by his predecessor came to light, he would do what he could to institute legal proceedings against him (Weymouth, 2000, p. 35). Circulation and sales have plummeted. AFP, "Mexico's former drug czar sentenced to 13 years in prison," 3/3/98, internet. Reuters, "Fifth Mexican general jailed on drug charges," 1/23/98, internet. Benjamin, Jody A., "Human-smuggling ring interrupted," Lincoln Journal/Star, 10/18/00, p.3. Numerous accounts are filtering in of camouflaged Mexican military units crossing the "Rio Grande" and carrying out their business on the American side of the border (see AFP, 11/03/00). meeting held at the request of ' El Mayo' Zambada, also Javier Torres Felix They stayed with the lower figure in light of stiff complaints from the increasingly visible political opposition that the bailout was an attempt on the part of the government to protect rich bankers at the expense of Mexico's primarily poor taxpayers. Anxious to make the sale and knowing that the money orders are legitimate (ie., the dealership will get its money), the financial paper is accepted and the car is sold. The town of Los Herrera is located in the Municipality of Santiago Papasquiaro (in the State of Durango). Stopping them, however, has proved to be an extremely difficult task. As he was readying to enter office, the drug kingpins became legitimately worried that things would not be business as usual, and pulled their money out of the Mexican economy. A bodyguard of El G1 was said to have been shot in the arm during the ensuing confrontation however the soldier managed to get G1 to surrender. They have historically demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt, just as the American syndicates demonstrated in the post-Prohibition era, and unfortunately appear to have a bright future. "HEARST" and "Redlogarythm" for Borderland Beat This week, a pamphlet showing the rules of conduct given to hitmen in "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat The United Nations warns in a new report that insecurity in the capital has reached levels com "Sol Prendido for Borderland Beat The war begins in Tamaulipas. While there is little hard data, U.S. law enforcement officers stationed on the U.S.-Mexican border have long noted, "where the Mexican army goes, dope flows." Adding to the problem of rank-and-file officer corruption is an internalized and institutionalized mode of corruption within the police ranks. Recent works have begun to surface which speak to this issues (Morris, 1991; Nadelmann, 1993), though many are in Spanish. In the Reuters, "Clinton, Zedillo try to ease strain," 5/7/97, internet. As a result, the entire Mexican economic structure became de-stabilized. United States General Accounting Office, Drug Control: Counternarcotics Efforts in Mexico. Weymouth, Lally, "The End of An Era?" Institutions of public order are not effective unless they reinforce the dominant social view; they are viable only if they function as a supplement to social and cultural forces moving in the same direction. Out of a newfound need to maintain political credibility and obtain political capital and public confidence, significant law enforcement efforts were undertaken by the seated Colombian government to respond to the cartels. The President. Mexico also has another political institution in place that has historically protected PRI leadership and concomitantly provided a healthy climate for syndicates to grow and flourish. Consider the recent economic history of Mexico as an illustration of just how much the drug trade is enmeshed in the economies of these two nations. G1 is also known to have told a large number of politicians that they owed him allegiance, and not to be stupid, always to remember that the position they held had been won thanks to him.. The sentence was slashed from 50 to 27 1/2 years by Judge Hernandez in July of 1999 due to mitigating circumstances. Christian Science Monitor, "Mexico: drug justice deferred," 5/23/99, internet. The guy on crutches is Felipe Naranjo Seville. On the negative side of the anti-drug law enforcement efforts, the transfer of ownership of the Panama Canal emerges as a practical obstacle to American drug interdiction activities. Overall, Mexican officials estimate that there are 3 million undocumented Mexicans in America at present (AFP, 9/27/00). Arriba don jaime que llego a ser el chaka en un tiempo me dijo mi abuelo que hasta el chapo era chofer de el en un tiempo bien pesado puro durango de herreras a santiago. Wall Street Journal, "Mexico will close out its debt to U.S.," 3/16/97, p. A10. Jaime Herrera-Nevares was the patriarch of a huge criminal syndicate based in the mountain top village of Los Herreras, Durango, Mexico. Some success was achieved, but the Puerto Rican connection suffered a major blow however, in August of 1999 when 58 persons, including a number of American Airline personnel, local Puerto Rican law enforcement officials, a federal employee, and the son of Puerto Rico's chief law enforcement official were arrested on drug trafficking charges (AFP, 8/26/99). Unfortunately, there are still a number of details that remain to be worked out; what will American agents be allowed to do when in Mexico; how will extradition matters be handled; will American agents be permitted to carry their U.S.-issued firearms when on duty in Mexico? also he said a rifle, a handgun, two vehicles, communications El 02 and El 03 are said to be direct reports under El Mayo and his successor, Mayito Flaco. As far back as 1957, the From the standpoint of the business community, the need to move commodities in an expedient fashion is paramount, especially perishable goods which make up a significant portion of the Mexican-American trade. Scaramella, Gene L. "Cooperative efforts between criminal organizations," Crime and Justice International, November 1997, pp. El 03 took over leading the group. If you want to know more about how Post Codes are determined in Mexico, the first two postal digits of Los Herrera ("34") correspond to the state code of Durango, and the last three correspond to the people themselves. In the past few years, major inroads by opposition parties led to the presidential victory of opposition party leader Vicente Fox, ending a 71 year political monopoly of the PRI. The soldiers arrived at the residential neighborhood of Cortijo, inside three helicopters and a convoy of vehicles. Alexander, Herbert and Gerald E. Caiden, The Politics and Economics of Organized Crime, Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books, 1985. This, combined with the fact that Mexico was under intense pressure to show progress in its war on drug efforts lest it be de-certified, sealed Abrego's fate (see generally Sam Dillon, "Bribes and publicity mark fall of Mexican drug lord," New York Times, 5/12/96, pp. Gente Nueva - Wikipedia The Hank family - A second family syndicate, the Hank Family, has been emerging of late as a powerful player in the drug trade. Reuters, "Swiss link Raul Salinas, drug traffickers," 3/13/98, internet. Western civilization has moved in this direction, but the benevolent autocratic model may be the next phase in the evolution of political sovereignty. 84-101. 19, launched in 1979, targeted the Herrera family trafficking organization and AFP, "Latin American unemployment to rise to record levels: ILO," 2/28/99, internet. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, however, who called for a moratorium on the certification process to give time for the newly elected presidents of both countries to consider new proposals (AFP, 9/22/00). mountain top village of Los Herreras, Durango, Mexico. A12, A14. compartmentalized gas tanks and door panels to conceal the contraband. It will be some years before his "freedom of expression" assertion can be validated, and it will be longer still to see if the Mexican mass media successfully conquerors tradition and emerges with a new face with an independent and powerful democratic countenance. Durango haves a lot of factions, Herreras, Barreras, Barrazas, Canelos, Guanos, but la plaza es de los Cabrera. Abstract Background Introduction to the Drug Cartels and The Drug Wars The Mexican Drug Cartels Today The Rise of the Mexican Drug Cartels The Mexican Political Scene: An Historical Perspective The Mexican Political Scene: A Contemporary Perspective Institutionalized Corruption Certification Impact of the Drug Trade on the Mexican and American Economies The New Markets Stopping Them Conclusion: The Future The Unanswered Questions Post Script Endnotes References Index. Durango Becoming Ground Zero for Zetas-Sinaloa Cartel Battle COLEADERA LOS HERRERAS, Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango. - YouTube They, among many others, would also like to see DEA agents be allowed to carry weapons into Mexico while on assignment (Reuters, 10/22/97). This matter is of grave concern to the PRI at present. The United States and Mexico have entered into a number of so-called side agreements with respect to NAFTA. ALL in Carreras town are in it since the 50's. General Jorge Mariano Maldonado's arrest was the fifth arrest of a general in Mexico since the arrest of Gutierrez Rebollo in February of 1997 (AFP, 1/23/98). He was very much a crusader and a reformer, and during his campaign indicated an intention to rattle the status quo. He would go to the local casinos and smoke his own stuff!!! A strong case has been made by a number of commentators that he was prepared to begin a clean-up in the PRI, and that his death was consequently arranged via an agreement between the cartels and the PRI. At present, it does not seem to be playing well in the Washington, D.C. political marketplace. There is no denying the need for such multi-national cooperative law enforcement efforts, but such undertakings alone will not be effective. AFP, "Mexican foreign ministry denies minister linked to drug traffickers," 2/6/98, internet. In a damning suicide note left by his side in September of 1999, Jose's brother, Mario Massieu, implicated President Zedillo in Jose's murder, a matter that will surely disrupt an already uneasy political situation in Mexico (AFP, 9/17/99). May and September are the rainiest months. The murder of the Federal Judicial Police commander in charge of narcotics investigations in Mexico City in July of 1996 was followed by the murder of the Federal Judicial Police commander in charge of narcotics investigations in Tijuana in September of 1996. Economic need also serves as a powerful factor in explaining institutionalized corruption. Los Herrera is at 1,696 meters of altitude. Less than 200 miles are currently fenced, and that fencing is literally full of holes. The Gulf Cartel is based in south Texas (Brownsville and Laredo) and northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) and controls the gulf region, as its name implies. This unilateral certification process is the quintessential example of condescending arrogance, smacks of blatant imperialism and is clearly based solely on American self-interests. AFP, "Mexican economic growth exceeds forecast: finance minister," 2/11/99, internet. The Zapatista's (or EZLN - Zapatista National Liberation Army), based in the southern state of Chiapas, are the only terrorist group of consequence at present. Sinaloa cartel. The figures will surpass 400 for the year 2000 (AFP, 9/27/00). With access to these vast sums of money, the Mexican government had no problem in meeting its international financial obligations. More substantively, he signed a free-trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association that will go into effect in July of 2001 . The small Colombian organizations used that time to re-assert themselves. The formation of a common counter-drug strategy between Mexico and the United States was a necessary and long awaited event. THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Many questions remain unanswered regarding the future of the Mexican cartels, and their role in the Meso-American organized crime scene. The PRI was founded by former Mexican President Plutarco Calles in 1929 and further developed and strengthened by President Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940). "All we can do is act as a voice of conscience to encourage these people to avoid danger, but the deaths will continue because people are desperate," says Grupo Beta coordinator Agua Preita (LaFranchi, 2000, p. 2). He and his family had drug syndicate connections, as noted above, and allowed drug money to flow into the country relatively openly. As much as $30 billion a year is now being laundered in Mexico (Reuters, 2/16/98). The Postal Code of Los Herrera consists of the following 5 digits: 34600. of chocolate bars. On July 23, 1985, as a In turn, parliaments, then the people, and today, I would suggest, multi-national corporations have taken their turn as the sovereigns of primary power. The Herrera's are just too well enmeshed in Durango, the poppies are grown there, and the family is too well connected. A March 1997 New York Times article detailed the Fuentes connection with governors of at least two Mexican states - Morelos and Sonora (Reuters, 2/16/97). UPI, "California man convicted in largest meth conspiracy ever," 4/23/97, internet. AFP, "Mexico lacks sufficient resources in fighting drugs: top US official," 6/3/99, internet. In Los Herrera there is a very characteristic age structure of the population, which you can see in the following population pyramid, with data from 2005. When asked by Mexican officials to put a stop to this illegal arms trade, American officials have indicated that the demand for the weapons is on the Mexican end, so they, the Mexicans, should stop it - an interesting bit of international diplomatic hypocrisy that the United States can engage in, because at present it has the biggest stick. The evidence seems to indicate that bribes were offered in exchange for the military leaders turning a blind eye to the drug operations (UPI, 3/26/98). He served as a senator for the state of Durango from 2019 to February 2022 and then won re-election and currently serves as one of Durangos three senators. Malherve is considered by the U.S. DEA to be the second most powerful drug trafficker in Mexico. THE NEW MARKETS The Mexican drug cartels gained their power by monopolizing the lucrative cocaine trade, but cocaine use in the United States has began to slide in the late 1990s, from 6 million users in the mid-1990s to an estimated 1.7 million in 1998 (Reuters, 3/19/98). El Blog de Los Guachos Share to Twitter Samuelson, Robert J., "The phantom superpower," Newsweek, May 31, 1999, p. 55. O'Day, Patrick and Rex Venecia, "An Ethnographic Study of Drug Trafficking in a Small Mexican Border Town," Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, November 1999, pp. A Federal Judicial Police officer was among the suspects arrested for the crime (Bulita, 1997). Minor changes in substance, but major in that they were the first real chip in the PRI shield and its party-state model. They quietly notified the Bolivian authorities of the shipments, leading to the seizure of 4.1 tons of cocaine by Bolivian authorities on September 26, 1995. UPI, "Clinton, Zedillo toast US-Mexico ties," 2/15/99, internet. branches in Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, and Pittsburgh. A number of human rights groups have become involved, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace recently issued a report that was critical of both governments. No doubt that CDS and CJNG are the most powerful syndicates in the world. Reuters, "U.S., Mexico unveil join plan to fight drug trade," 2/6/98, internet. For the past 70 years, the country has been ruled by a quasi-elected President who serves one, six-year term, and a two house legislative body. In September of 2000, deputy commerce secretary Raul Ramos was found dead in a rural area outside Mexico City. In its place, he proposes the development of a multilateral evaluation system. Reuters, "737 Mexican cops fired in cleanup of crooked force," 8/16/96, internet. AFP, "Mexican president testifies in Colosio murder case," 8/5/99, internet. THE MEXICAN POLITICAL SCENE: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE As has been noted, Mexico has been governed by one political party, the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional or Institutional Revolutionary Party), for 70 years. Office of National Drug Control Policy Director, Barry McCaffrey has indicated that "both sides are going to use off-set locations. In August of 1996, the President of American Sanyo Video Corporation was kidnapped and released after a $2 million ransom was paid. Jaime Herrera-Nevares was the patriarch of a huge criminal syndicate based in the mountain top village of Los Herreras, Durango, Mexico. People smuggling is now a $900 million a year enterprise - interestingly almost twice the budget of the U.S. Border Patrol. A third Amezcua brother, Luis, still faces drug-trafficking charges in the U.S. On May 21, 1999 the extradition of Oscar Malherve to the U.S. was also denied. The certification process has allowed the PRI leadership to play one cartel against another and enrich itself. Representatives of the coalition continue to emphasize that their goal in forming the united front was not only the defeat of the PRI party, but also "to achieve a peaceful transition to democracy, (and) to achieve the just political system that the majority of the citizens want," (AFP, 8/4/99). The family head gives to the poor, plays the role of loving community godfather at many funerals and weddings, builds water and sewer systems, puts in street lights, builds hospitals. This arrangement did not last long, and a number of meetings were held between Mexican and Colombian cartel leaders in the early 1980s, shortly after the connection was made. Among other voices, United States Senators Paul Coverdell and Dianne Feinstein want to see Mexico more aggressively cracking down on drug barons and assisting in extraditing them to America. This will bring the number of INS agents along the Mexican border up to 7,000, up from 3,500 in 1993 (Wright, 3/10/98). The article continued that the Mexican cartels have bought out the government, the police and the military. AFP, "Mexico turns down request for extradition to US of methamphetamine king," 7/20/99, internet. Favoritism, corruption, and bossism are simply an institutionalized aspect of Mexican politics. 5. 8. Both were "conveniently" assassinated; one in March and the other in September, and Zedillo was subsequently "elected" President. (Zarembo, 2000, p. 36). Finally, in early 1998, Mexican and American officials began working out the first ever bi-national drug control strategy (Reuters, 2/6/98). Perhaps the most interesting recent development in the drug wars is that for the first time, officials on both sides of the border have recognized in an official ground-breaking agreement that the drug matter will be "best tackled not just by arresting top traffickers but also by cutting demand" (Reuters, 3/26/98). In 1963, the much loved Mexican President Lopez Mateos instituted measures that permitted new voices to enter the Chamber of Deputies. External attempts to control the cartels will be ineffective unless they are supported by the populous, the body politic. Reuters, "Mexican Cardinal mourned amid questions about his death," 5/25/93, internet. Some financial operators under El 02 & 03 are said to be named: Candelario Beltrn, aliases "El Grande" and El Cande. The Herreras disappeared? Given the level of corruption within the Mexican leadership and the certain leaks that would be forthcoming, this agreement effectively closed down any such undercover/intelligence operations by American officials for the time being. Yet to pass the House, this bill is clearly modeled after the drug certification law (Chapter 8 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961), and is designed to take on companies that launder money for organized crime interests. Associated Press, "Mexico head urges lower oil prices," 10/6/00, internet. In the beginning, the Colombians would pay the Mexican groups as much as $1,000/kilo to smuggle cocaine into the United States. , Sinaloa. arrest and long-term incarceration of three key Chicago-based members of the 1, 21. It completely insulates high-level government officials from liability for their actions. He had been under house arrest in New Jersey for nearly four years, detained in 1995 as he was attempting to flee to Spain. They currently represent a legitimate threat to the sovereignty of the Colombian government. Subsequently postal money orders and cashiers checks are written on those accounts and mailed to the Colombians, who then may use these financial instruments to purchase commodities in Colombia. White, Jonathan R., Terrorism. American aid has poured into that beleaguered nation to the tune of $250 million this year, ranking it third behind Egypt and Israel. After experiencing some success in its fight against the Medellin and Cali cartels of Colombia, American law enforcement and military officials began to focus their efforts on the Mexican drug cartels in the mid-1990s. It was not lost to U.S. following information is in the DEA Historical website for the years to Special Agent Michael J. Tobin displayed how the cocaine had The army detained 34 police officers along with him on suspicion of protecting him. You are the ones who consume all the drugs!" When Fuentes passed away, the cartel probably had $25 billion in assets hidden away. Originally designed to prevent wars and unsavory politics between rivals, the rule has outlasted its usefulness and has now become a major obstacle to effective drug enforcement efforts. The bells and whistles were brought out, Congressional Committees examined the issues, and numerous public relations statements were released by the Clinton Administration. Schrader, Esther, "Traffickers Lure Kids to Do The Dirty Work of Smuggling Drugs from Mexico," Los Angeles Times, August 15, 2000, pp. Meyer, Michael C., and William L. Sherman, The Course of Mexican History, New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. Abrego and company had been transshipping as much as 1/3 of all the cocaine used in the United States, but that number has dropped a bit of late. For more information on the drug certification process, see http://www.state/gov/www/global/narcotics_law/certify.html 12. Amado Carrillo Fuentes - Wikipedia The raw materials are smuggled into the United States, where meth labs, typically made up of both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants, produce the finished product. Will the Colombian narco-terrorist groups realize success in their current struggles against the seated government? In a chilling video, aired for the first time on American national television by PBS on October 10, 2000, a squad of elite Mexican national police officers who came upon a shipment of marijuana, are gunned down by a squad of Mexican army personnel. Drug money was, and still is, literally ingrained in the socio-economic structure of Mexico, as it is in so many other countries in this world. AFP, "U.S. neighborhood currency exchanges to send money orders back to Durango. Amezcua Contreras was released from a Guadalajara Prison on May 19, 1999 after a judge ruled that the state was trying him under a new drug-laundering law that did not exist at the time of Contreras' alleged offense.