Officials in Ciudad Juárez are on alert after several videos surfaced this week from a Sinaloa Cartel-aligned gang which threaten violence against a former ally.
The videos indicate a schism between “Los Artistas Asesinos” or “Doble AA” and “Los Mexicles,” operating throughout the El Paso-Juárez Metropolitan Border Area, according to local media.
In one video, individuals identify themselves as members of Doble AA–dressed in tactical gear with rifles. They pose before several vehicles with strobe lights and an arsenal to threaten Los Mexicles. In another video, numerous rifles and handguns are displayed on a tarp while a narrator issues vulgar threats.
According to a spokesman for the state attorney general’s office, both gangs are part of the Sinaloa Cartel and maintain strong footprints in the eastern section of Juárez. The official downplays the videos by explaining they are still analyzing the contents and recommended they not be shared on social networks.
Ciudad Juárez is in the midst of a bloody cartel war with high casualties. The bloodshed triggered a security alert prohibiting U.S. government employees from traveling downtown without authorization.
The escalation in violence was caused by a split between Juárez Cartel aligned-gangs Los Aztecas and La Linea. Línea and Aztecas were allied against Los Mexicles and Doble AA. Now, all four sects threaten attacks against each other for varying motives.
Breitbart Texas law enforcement sources note that security agencies are on heightened alert in anticipation for new turf violence between Doble AA and Los Mexicles.
From January 1 to July 31, 2018, Ciudad Juarez recorded 713 homicides. During the same period of 2017, a total of 412 were recorded while 2016 yielded 241.
2018 Homicides by Month in Juárez:
- January — 72
- February — 44
- March — 56
- April — 65
- May — 124
- June — 180
- July — 177
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com
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