Following the murder of 72 kidnapped migrants in August 2010, a subsequent investigation revealed that some Mexican policemen assisted the Zetas in committing the slaughter. ", The Gulf cartel's control in the northeast state of Tamaulipas has seen many violent incidents, both against rivals and each other. Based in the western state of Jalisco, CJNG was founded by Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, whose ongoing leadership has placed him on Mexican and American most wanted lists, both of which offer millions of dollars for information. In June 2021, The Independent reportedinfighting between Gulf factions the Metros, the Scorpions and the Cyclonesresulted in 19 deaths, 15 of them innocent civilians. 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 witness said that the commanders kidnapped him and his two superiors until they paid what they owed for the seized load of marijuana. 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. Los Zetas operates in 17 states, while Sinaloa operates in 16 states. 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. 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. They would rape and kill the women and offer men a macabre choice. Los Zetas was formed in 1997 to serve as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. WebZetas behead and dismember four women from the Gulf Cartel. Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican, A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. CJNG have also committed several assassinations, including the June 2020 murder of Jalisco judge Uriel Villegas Ortiz and his wifeVernica, who were shot some 20 times, according to a El Pais report. Former Los Zetas worker: I was forced to witness brutal killings Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month, Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Reporter-producer Larisa Epatko contributed to this report. It is disheartening to hear that the founding fathers of a criminal organization like Los Zetas received training from US military officers. When Osiel Cardenas Guillen took over as the leader of the Gulf Cartel, it was in the midst of a violent turf war. There are a handful of drug cartels in Mexico, most of which run almost like corporations. 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. Jeffrey Morris is a researcher and freelance writer with a passion for history and rarities. The rest of us agreed.". The handful of passengers lucky enough to be rescued confirmed their captors intended to recruit them. GRAPHIC EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Border State Prison Navarro from Ciudad Victoria. Thank you. Aside from manufacturing illegal drugs and trafficking them, the gang is also into kidnapping and extortion. 4 He has been in detention since his arrest in Texas in 2015. Jesus Gonzalez/AFP/Getty ImagesFollowing the 2011 San Fernando Massacre, Federal Highway 101 was colloquially dubbed the highway of death or the devils road.. Sadist Los Zetas Cartel Set Brutal Standard in Drug War With the Medellin leader gone, Insider noted how the rival Cali cartel took the reins of Colombia's booming cocaine industry. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. An 18-year old Ecuadorian migrant who survived the massacre told officials that it was Los Zetas, a brutal drug cartel, that had kidnapped the group of Central and South American migrants. Extortion, smuggling, torture, possible harvesting of human body parts. Los Zetas called Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel Relatives of the victims have begun a Go Fund Me campaign in order to take the bodies of Garcia and her two daughters Galilea and Mariana to South Texas for burial. WebLos Zetas, originally founded by Mexican special forces deserters, some with US training, started as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel, a crime group from northeastern They immediately went to war with the Los Zetas and proudly claimed responsibility for a swathe of mass killings, including the massacre of 15 Mexican cops in a single ambush. In April 2019, CJNG killed 14 people in Minatitlan, a Zetas territory. On Wednesday morning, prosecutors called Jaime Abascal Reyna to the stand. However, despite their swift and brutal success, Insight Crime reports that Los Zetas has experienced fragmentation since 2012, especially when the Trevino brothers fell out and split the group into rival clans,the Northeast Cartel and the Zetas Old School. You cannot underestimate the capabilities of a cartel whose founding fathers were trained by the U.S. military. If Mexican governors have been indicted as Los Zetas collaborators, then there is a possibility that one day, the criminal organization could produce a governor from its ranks. Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty ImagesLos Zetas cartel members and San Fernando Massacre suspects being presented to the press on June 30, 2011. With their archenemy established, La Familia Michoacana set out to publicize themselves. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas government, the children have been identified as Galilea Garcia Amaya, Mariana Garcia Amaya (both from Texas), Maria Pizana Carrizales and Estephania Guadalupe Pizana Carrizales. Mexicos National Human Rights Commission estimated that 20,000 migrants were abducted in 2010, alone. Trevino Morales became head of the Los Zetas cartel after the death of long-time leader Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano in October 2012. Rodriguez said that when he asked a commander about Reyna's son who disappeared, the commander said for him to stop asking about it, because they just finished "cooking him". There is a popular consensus that Los Zetas is the most brutal and inhuman drug cartel in history. It was the first time the Attorney Generals Office declassified documents relating to the incidents, and proved authorities not only tolerated cartel activity but assisted it. She specializes in reporting on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. Whatever the motivations, the mass killings show just how little control the federal government exerts over Tamaulipas. Then, in May, SinEmbargo reported that the cartel had destroyed a military helicopter with an RPG, killing 5 soldiers. The two men who were also gunned down have been identified as Cruz Felipe Pizana Saldivar and Angel Carrizales Amaya. This is a unique and distressing fact about the deadly gang. Los Zetas cartel members and San Fernando Massacre suspects being presented to the press on June 30, 2011. Sadism was their brand. They were believed to have been killed for refusing to pay a ransom or join the https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/sadist-los-zetas-cartel-set-brutal-standard-in-drug-war, according to this graphic by the National Post, Mexican Marines Kill Drug Lord Known as The Executioner. CJNG's battles with the Los Zetas and CRSL cartels are similarly brutal. Some had been killed by sledgehammer. 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.". Alberto Islas, a Mexico City security analyst whos advised corporations in Tamaulipas, offers a more plausible and chilling motive for the massacres: Its just business. Imagine how tragic it would be for such a respected and honored organization to become an evil one like Los Zetas. Los Zetas are blamed for last week's brutal killings of the police chief in the southern Mexican city of Veracruz, his wife and four children. WebOn behalf of Los Zetas." In fact, CNNreported that Cali mobsters even invested in four 500-pound bombs, which they intended to somehow drop on Pablo Escobar. The fact that Los Zetas and other Mexican gangs sponsor politicians in Mexico is a huge problem. Jair Cabrera/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesTributes to the 2011 San Fernando Massacre. Locals also reported of the many corpses found in the Cauca River, which runs through Cali. Moreover, the extremely violent gang has made connections and collaborated with U.S. gangs all over the country since 2010. [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. You have to keep up with the Joneses. The gunmen used a large hammer to break down the door before storming the house shooting indiscriminately at the women and children inside. 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. Reyna never heard back from the cartel, so he said that he contacted the Mexican government. This article was written by M.A. Yarrington is reported to have allowed the Gulf and Los Zetas cartels to operate in his state without hindrance in return for bribes. It is practically impossible to list all the atrocities that this extremely violent group has committed. 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. The Gulf's cocaine business started when they brokered a deal with the Cali cartel, which was looking for new routes from Colombia to the United States. With nearly all of the bodies lacking identification, authorities transported them to the Matamoros morgue for family members to hopefully identify. The Most Brutal Execution Methods Used by Mexican Cartels Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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." The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes, A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC, An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution, A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors, State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya, A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California, Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. He also forced captured Mexican migrants into gladiatorial fights to the death. With that grim context in mind, here are the most dangerous cartels to ever exist. Killed: Oct. 7, 2012 The load belonged to De Leon. In the early 1990s, El Chapo steered the Sinaloa Cartel to dominance through his use of tunnel smuggling and widespread bribes. According to court testimony, from 2007 through 2011, Chavarria oversaw the shipment of enormous quantities of cocaine between Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas on behalf of the Los Zetas Cartel, in which he was a high-ranking member. The women have been identified as Lourdes Gregorio Garcia Amaya from Texas, Raymunda Amaya Contreras, Maria Del Rosario Carrizales Amaya, Griselda Carrizales Amaya and Maria Cirila Contreras Garcia. Terrazas said the most corrupt was an elderly police officer and another named scar Jaramillo, who receive money from the organization to collaborate. Most troubling, however, is that The National Security Archive examining this memo stated that all 17 detained police officers had vanished from the public eye. Officials exhuming the bodies noticed that many bore the marks of blunt trauma. Between January 2009 and July 2015, Millan-Vasquez was responsible for the murders of at least 29 people, according to testimony from the trial reported by local broadcaster KSAT. The largest two graves were 10 feet deep and each held around 45 corpses. In the same month, heavily armed gunmen fired upon Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico City's public security secretary, injuring him and killing two bodyguards and a passerby (via Insight Crime). Much of the cartel's drugs trade depended on theLazaro Cardenas port, an asset that La Familia killed some 1,500 people to protect. De Leon said that he didn't voluntarily start working with the cartel; he was kidnapped and forced to participate. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless, Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican, A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California, A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho, Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open, Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally, A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. The memo indicated that local police acted as lookouts and helped in the interceptions of persons across all cases. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics As the two factions continue their fierce fighting, gunmen from the two groups have taken to social media and banners to deliver threats to each other. However, the Gulf remains entrenched in theirTamaulipas stronghold, which provides steady revenue from narcotics and migrant smuggling (via Insight Crime). You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. He was told to contact someone in Los Zetas to see if they had information. This gang violence occurs in their stronghold of Ciudad Jurez, where 1,200 people were murdered in 2018. Los Zetas is a powerful Mexican drug cartel that has made special use of fear to achieve its business goals. Who knows what is going on in American Samoa. Families across Mexico reported that relatives had disappeared after boarding passenger buses bound for the Texas-Mexico border. He was recruited to Los Zetas, where he rose to commander. Instead, they became the drug cartel they were supposed to fight. Brutality and inhumanity are the most noticeable traits of drug cartels all over the world, but Los Zetas has taken them to a new high. Mexico's CJNG Following One former member of the cartel told the court Millan-Vasquez had taken part in a 2011 massacre in which up to 300 people were allegedly kidnapped, with many never seen again. About two dozen have been captured or killed, including some from Los Zetas: Ivan Velazquez Caballero (aka El Taliban) Inside The Brutal 2011 San Fernando Massacre That Left 193 Dead Since then, BLO members have either been killed, jailed or defected to new splinter groups, such as the Guerreros Unidos and Los Rojos, which dabble in extortion, kidnapping and lethal violence. Cartel: Los Zetas The rescue was made possible by an anonymous tip about gunmen bringing victims into a house in the Villas de la Fe neighborhood. The Zetas were notorious for their brutality, even by cartel standards. In the human smuggling business, migrants pay $100 to $200 upfront, then pay the rest once theyve reached the United States. She was known for being the crazy white one. San Fernando woman Alma Miriam Ruiz holding a photo of her daughter Dalia missing since 2010. the Mexican boys forced to eat human flesh as a cartel initiation. This radio communication technology has given them a edge over Mexican law enforcement agencies for years. Los Zetas called Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel The winners got to become Zetas recruits, while the losers got death. Los Zetas had begun to hijack buses along Federal Highway 101. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. More terrifying is their ease of operations in countries like the US. Among the first deaths in the conflict was Edgar Guzman, El Chapo's son. As part of the threats, the Vieja Escuela faction has ordered that the relatives of the CDN leadership leave Ciudad Victoria or face a sure death. 2021 The Texas Observer. The FBI and the IRS eventually built a case against Morales and others, leading to his arrest. Los Zetas is a criminal gang that manufactures and smuggles illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and marijuana, among others. WebThe 2011 San Fernando massacre, also known as the second massacre of San Fernando, was the mass murder of 193 people by Los Zetas drug cartel at La Joya ranch in the municipality of San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico in March 2011. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. Velazquez started out stealing cars in his hometown of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and was jailed there. With countless reports emerging of mayors and cops across Mexico collaborating with the cartels, it appears tragically unsurprising that many who knew the truth were either put into hiding or killed to keep them quiet. Violent drug gangs are waging a bloody war in the tourist haven of Quintana Roo - visited by millions of British and American holidaymakers each year. By 2020, the once leading cartel was wounded and facing competition from old rivals and new cartels, such as the Jalisco New General Cartel, often referred to as CJNG. The cartel leaders that subsequently took over after Moraless arrest were unable to stay in power for long, either being arrested or gunned down by a rival gang. The 2011 San Fernando Massacre was both disturbing and, tragically, far from a one-off occurrence. Los Zetass status as the largest drug cartel in Mexico carries additional implications. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. The Sun De Leon is now cooperating with authorities. The Juarez cartel's expansionist ambitions have been quelled in recent years, but they retain a strong grasp on their part of the US-Mexico border, which should maintain their threat to the region for some time. 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. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia, The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Los Zetas Former Los Zetas worker: I was forced to witness brutal killings Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. However, in the late 1990s/early 2000s, a set of El Milenio lieutenants rebelled and created their own cartel. If you support this mission, we need your help. If you dont pay them, they will take your merchandise, he says. Jalisco New Generation, often referred to as CJNG, is another Mexican cartel that emerged in 2010. Breitbart Texas Cartel Chroniclesare published in both English and in their originalSpanish. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin, Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Not only does Los Zetas control key drug smuggling routes into the United States, but it now controls much of the illicit trade of sneaking migrant workers to the US. Originally a security detail for the Sinaloa cartel, BLO seceded in 2008 and a fierce conflict ensued. 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. // ]]>. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The 2010 San Fernando Massacre bore similarities to the June 2011 confession of Zetas member dgar Huerta Montiel. WebLos Zetas is a powerful Mexican drug cartel that has made special use of fear to achieve its business goals. Its origins are traced toEl Milenio, a group that was allied to the Tijuana cartel. [8] Los Zetas has been linked to several other mass murders in Mexico. WebTubutama Gun Battle On July 1, 2010, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen clashed with their rivals from the Beltran Leyva and Los Zetas Cartel leaving more than 20 dead near the rural town of These are the top ten distressing facts about Los Zetas you dont want to know. The two claimed credible fear, telling agents that they feared for their lives if they were to stay in Mexico. Specific forms of torture are discussed as well as the most likely victims and perpetrators. Britannicawriter Richard J. Samuels defines cartels as, "An illicit consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition and control the production and distribution of illegal drugs," adding that cartels are, "extremely well-organized, well-financed, efficient, and ruthless." Somewhere near San Fernando, which lies on the interstate to Matamoros, the buses were hijacked, and convoys of armed men snatched passengers. Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty ImagesAn armored police vehicle carrying Los Zetas member dgar Huerta Montiel in June 2011. He was arrested by the Mexican Navy in 2012. Besides carrying $2 million in cash and eight guns, Trevino Morales, the alleged kingpin of the feared cartel Los Zetas, was wanted for a spate of crimes in the U.S. and Mexico, ranging from the mundane to the horrific. In 2017, the Mexican government extradited Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, a In the 1990s, the aforementioned Cali cartel took the mantle from their Medellin rivals, becoming the most powerful cartel in the world. 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. [7] As usual, theyve also brought an unprecedented level of violence to the trade. Alliances were formed on both sides, with the BLO allying with Los Zetas and the Sinaloa cartel working with the Gulf and Familia Michoacana cartels (via Insight Crime). There were only a few bullet casings at the scene, but one sledgehammer and bodies showing blunt trauma to the head. Then come the Zetas, with no background in narcotics, and they start chopping peoples heads off, Grayson said. An armored police vehicle carrying Los Zetas member dgar Huerta Montiel in June 2011. 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. When it was Some believe the victims were simply killed for refusing to join the cartel but, ultimately, San Fernando had become so violent that few journalists ever entered to investigate.

King Mswati Wives In Order, Fmolhs Human Resources, Articles L