One of Mexico’s top military officials sparked a new wave of controversy by claiming the country’s judicial system works against them when it comes to going after organized crime figures.
Mexican police arrested six Sinaloa Cartel operatives including a suspected “plaza boss” late last month in the tourist hotspot of Playa del Carmen. The arrest came during a combined military and police operation. The Secretary of Public Security waited until this week to announce the news of the arrests which took place on June 29.
Elements of the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) seized just under two tons of methamphetamine, a quantity of heroin and fentanyl, and over five tons of marijuana during a naval security operation. The seizure took place off the coast of the popular tourist beach resort of Guaymas, located in the border state of Sonora. The port city of Guaymas is located approximately 260 miles south of Nogales, Arizona.
Mexican officials confirmed that an infantryman in a Mexican Navy helicopter operating near the Texas border shot and killed three members of a family caught in the crossfire of a fierce cartel gun battle. A woman and two children died from their wounds while the man survived. The battle occurred in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, immediately across the U.S.-Mexico border from Laredo, Texas.
Officials singled out six members of Mexico’s Navy as having been part of a group that carried ransom kidnappings targeting wealthy businessmen. The kidnappers operated in military uniform and in their military issued vehicle when they followed and took a businessman who was driving around Mexico City.
Mexican authorities confirmed the seizure of 40,000 pounds of chemicals used to manufacture meth on a ship from China.
Sicarios del cártel asesinaron a un infante de la Marina de México y secuestraron a otros tres. Los tres miembros de una unidad especial de inteligencia fueron torturados durante horas por miembros del Cártel del Golfo hasta su liberación este fin de semana. El caso ha sido suprimido por la Armada de México e ignorado por los medios de noticias locales.
Cartel gunmen murdered one Mexican Marine and kidnapped three others. The three members of a special intelligence unit were tortured for hours by members of the Gulf Cartel until their release this weekend. The case has been suppressed by the Mexican Navy and ignored by local news outlets.
A major gunfight occurred on December 26 between elements of the Mexican navy and drug traffickers in Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s hometown of Badiraguato, Sinaloa state. Some reports indicate military aircraft sustained minor damage, but two cartel attackers were killed and firearms, ammunition, and four and a half tons of marijuana were seized.
