On Tuesday afternoon, FOX Business tracked down James Stanford, father of Robert Allen Stanford, the financier being investigated for an $8 billion fraud in connection with Stanford Financial Group.
The elder Stanford, James, who spoke to FOX Business in Robert Allen’s hometown of Mexia, Texas, is listed as the “Chairman Emeritus” of the Board of Directors at Stanford Financial Group. He was the founder of the company, and turned it over to his son in 1993.
The elder Stanford will travel to Waco, Texas, later this afternoon to answer questions posed by federal investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to the alleged Ponzi scheme that his son may be involved in.
The SEC is investigating whether Robert Allen Stanford’s Antigua-based bank illegally sold $8 billion worth of CDs through Stanford Financial Group based in Houston, Texas Stanford allegedly promised investors a 10% return on those CDs, amounting to a Ponzi scheme or fraud.
However, James Stanford told FOX Business it was “common,” to offer CDs at an interest rate a point or two higher than what banks in the U.S. were offering at the time. He insists there was no fraud in the operation at all.
“This is a rush to judgment on the part of the government,” James Stanford told FOX Business. “I feel that my son Allen Stanford and Jim Davis are completely honorable people. I have been associated in this affair with them for many years, and I want the country and the world to know I think they are completely above board.”
“Time alone will show that this whole thing is completely not a scam,” added the elder Stanford.
Mr. Stanford will speak to the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday afternoon without an attorney present.
Fox News
Friday, February 27, 2009
James Allen Father of Rorbert Allen Stanford to Testify to the SEC
Where in the World is Allen Stanford?
Caribbean, USA: Where in the World is Allen Stanford?
UPDATE: Barbadian diaspora blogger Keltruth Corp. links to mainstream media reports confirming that Mr. Stanford has been located in Virginia. He has not, at the time of this posting, been charged with any criminal violations.
- It's one thing for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to lay fraud charges against Texas billionaire-cum-Caribbean cricket magnate Allen Stanford - but first, authorities have to find him.
- As panicky investors flock to Stanford-owned banks from Antigua to South America to try and withdraw their funds, speculation is rife as to where Mr. Stanford might be.
- Live in Guyana, on hearing the news that “billionaire investor and cricket financier Allen Stanford has gone off the radar”, says that he has “done a Dataram”, comparing his flight tactics to those of “Guyanese drug accused and US fugitive, Barry Dataram”.
- This is not the only talk of this nature in the regional blogosphere - Barbados Free Press says:
Current and past allegations include drug money-laundering by Stanford’s companies.
…and goes on to post another entry which suggests that:
- United States federal authorities are putting out the word that as well as the Ponzi-scheme fraud charges, Sir Allen might be facing the music for money-laundering for a Mexican drug cartel and bribing public officials.
- Living in Barbados views these developments as “a very good reason to argue for politicians to disclose their assets…to remove as much as possible the taint of possible conflicts of interest.”
He continues:
"The recent financial troubles befalling CL Financial Group's Trinidad operations and now the leveling of fraud charges against Allan Stanford and his Antigua-registered Stanford Financial Group point to one aspect of the possible conflicts in our own back yard.
- To what extent are politicians personally tied to the ailing institution or those who run them?
- To the extent that such ties exist, how has it affected or will it affect political and policy decisions? .....
With Mr. Stanford going AWOL (reportedly in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands), the trail to find him and his assets may lead to some unwelcome doors.
Barbados Money Laundering Advisory meanwhile, sees parallels with “the ‘Lord Conrad Black' story” but some bloggers' main concern is still the potential effect of the fraud charges on the future of West Indies cricket:
The Rest From Sourced from.com who drew from this Barbados Money Laundering Advisory
Monday, February 23, 2009
7 Gulf Cartel Pistaleros Captured by Authorities After Gun Battle
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A Mexican judge ordered seven men who allegedly took part in a shootout with army troops in the northern city of Reynosa that left five dead and seven others wounded to be held for 40 days, the Attorney General's Office said Sunday.
The AG's SIEDO organized crime unit is investigating the suspects' role in the two-hour running shootout last Tuesday in broad daylight with soldiers and federal agents that featured rifles and grenades, terrifying residents of Reynosa, which is across the border from McAllen, Texas.
Five suspected gunmen were killed and seven federal agents were wounded in the shootout.
The judge's order will give prosecutors time to gather evidence against the suspects ahead of the next court appearance.
The security forces seized a 60 mm mortar, five rifle grenades, two fragmentation grenades, bullet-proof vests and two SUVs from the suspects.
The clash coincided with protests staged by hundreds of people - and allegedly paid for by the Gulf drug cartel - against the army's presence in the border city.
Reynosa is in Tamaulipas state, home to the powerful and violent Gulf cartel, which has been battling the Sinaloa cartel for control of the illegal drug trade.
todo de Valleycentral.com
NJ Blood Enforcer Coates Arrested
A man wanted in New Jersey for two counts of attempted homicide was arrested this afternoon by members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF).
Andrew Coates, 24, is wanted by the New York / New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) and the Trenton, New Jersey police department for two counts of Criminal Attempted Homicide, Aggravated Assault and Weapons Offenses.
On November 8, 2008, Coates allegedly shot two female victims as they sat on the porch of a residence in the city of Trenton. Coates, a known Bloods street gang member with a lengthy history of violent offenses, was considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Based on a lead from the NY/NJ RFTF, U.S. Marshals and Roanoke Police tracked Coates to 3764 Stratford Park, Apartment 12, in Roanoke and he was arrested at approximately 3 pm this afternoon without incident.
Coates was transported to the Roanoke City Jail where he was turned over to state authorities to await extradition proceedings for his return to New Jersey to answer to the charges.
The Rest from Background Now
Friday, February 20, 2009
Robert Allen Stanford being Investigated in relation to Gulf Cartel
++ The FBI is investigating whether Robert Allen Stanford was involved in money laundering activities for the Gulf drug Cartel… ABC News said Mexican authorities seized one of his private planes because they found checks inside that could be linked to the Gulf cartel.
Source Mexico Today News Feed
Assassin's Backpack found South of Guadalajara
El Informador (Guadalajara, Jalisco) 2/19/09
When firemen responded to a call about a swarm of bees in a residential area of Tlajomulco, they also found a backpack which had
- eight Mk60 grenades,
- three sets of handcuffs
- plus a clip and ammo for an 8 mm. pistol. (Tlajomulco is just south of Guadalajara)
Source Feed from the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers
Three Arizona SUVS Found In Mexicon with 3 Tons of Marijuana
The three SUV’s in which more than 3 metric tons of marihuana were found west of Nogales, Sonora, all had U.S. license plates;-
- Ford Excursion, Ariz. lic. 557WRH-
- Ford Excursion, Ariz. lic 758NPG-
- Ford Expedition, Ariz. lic. 747WCN
No arrests were reported.——— Reforma (Mexico City) 2/19/09
Source Feed from the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers
Decapitatin Becoming A Trademark in Juarez
They have decapitated 10 so far this year”“Decapitation is a practice that is becoming a recurring one among battling members of organized crime. At least in this city and the Juarez Valley there have been 10 cases from January to date, where, besides the separation of the cephalic extremity, the aggressors place warning messages on the human remains.” * Eighty-seven members of city, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been assassinated in the Juarez area since January 2008 to date. Forty-two of those victims, almost half, were city police officers. The tally for 2008 was 71, while so far this year the number has reached 16.
l Diario (Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua) via
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
South Of El Paso, Cartels Own Villa Ahumada
Drug gangs drive off cops, terrorize Mexican town
By JULIE WATSON – 1 day ago
VILLA AHUMADA, Mexico (AP) — For people caught inside Mexico's drug corridors, life is about keeping your head down and watching your back, especially when the sun dips behind the cactus-studded horizon.
No town knows this better than Villa Ahumada, where the entire police force quit after 70 cartel hit men roared through last spring, killing the police chief, two officers and three townspeople.
Residents were left defenseless again last week when gunmen returned and kidnapped nine people, despite the soldiers manning checkpoints far outside town.
"This was a mellow town where we would walk along main street at night. But now we're too scared to even go out," said Zaida de Santiago.
For this lanky 14-year-old, everything changed last May 17. She was dancing at a neighbor's ranch when gunfire shattered the night. The party's hosts turned off the lights and silenced the music. The guests stood frozen, ears trained to the sound of automatic weapons as the gunmen raced down gravel streets in their SUVs.
When the sun rose hours later, the party guests learned that armed cartel commandos had killed the police chief and five others. Soon after, the rest of the 20-member force quit in fear.
"That day will always remain burned in my mind," Santiago said.
Federal investigators say Villa Ahumada is a key stop along one of Mexico's busiest drug smuggling routes, where the Sinaloa cartel has been challenging the Juarez gang for control.
The military staffs checkpoints miles outside town, and soldiers and federal police roll through each day, but residents are largely left on their own.
Sliced by a railroad and the PanAmerican Highway heading straight to the U.S. border, the town is one of many outposts across Mexico — many of them too small to appear on maps — that cartels need to dominate in order to ensure passage of their U.S.-bound loads of marijuana and cocaine.
The town of 15,000 is about 80 miles south of El Paso, Texas.
"In the small towns, the narcos want to have an open sesame," said George Grayson, a Mexico expert at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. "They want to be able to pass through as they see fit, and they've got the muscle to enforce that, but it's unfortunate for the residents. This is where you've got enclaves of failure."
Cartels treat these towns as fiefdoms — in some communities, everyone from the furniture owner to the barman to local officials pay a kind of tax to the gunslingers, border expert Victor Clark said. The extortion not only gives gangs an extra income, it also makes clear who's boss.
"In land occupied by organized crime, society's rules are completely altered," said Clark, a lecturer at San Diego State University who has studied one such town in the Mexican state of Baja California. "This is their territory, and you pay them for protection, or they will kill you."
Villa Ahumada has been without a city police force since May, unable to find anyone brave enough to take the job. Even Mayor Fidel Chavez fled for a time to the state capital, Chihuahua City, last year. After the army and state police pledged to have more of a presence in town, he returned and put 10 residents in charge of reporting suspicious activities to the authorities.
But there was little these unarmed citizen patrols could do when heavily armed assailants in black ski masks drove SUVs into town last week, kicking in doors and carting off nine residents in blindfolds.
- They called state authorities, closed their office and fled.
- The gunmen had already executed six of the hostages near a desolate ranch called El Vergel, about 30 minutes north of town, by the time soldiers swooped in.
- The other three kidnapped men were rescued as soldiers rappelled into the desert from helicopters to chase those fleeing on foot.
- By the time the shooting stopped, 14 suspected pistoleros and one soldier were dead, and townspeople felt more desperate than ever.
"We want some authority here. They kill here and no one does anything," complained a frail 67-year-old woman, gripping a cane as she walked past crumbling adobe homes.
Her daughter stopped her from giving her name, warning: "They might kill our entire family if you do."
Villa Ahumada is a town where scruffy dogs amble down gravel streets alongside slow-moving pickups. The economy depends on highway travelers stopping to eat at countless wooden burrito stands, but business has dropped by 50 percent since last week's violence, and the mayor has criticized the media for harming tourism.
He declined repeated requests by The Associated Press for an interview.
Many townspeople have turned to God for answers, said the Rev. Fernando Nava, who presides over the Roman Catholic church.
"Fathers have lost sons, sons have lost fathers," he said. "This is affecting families, which is what the church is concerned about."
Some residents are stepping forward despite the risks to demand more safety. Nine men applied to be police officers this week as part of a renewed effort by the state of Chihuahua to establish a presence in town.
"These are all people from the town who want peace and security for their families," said Manuel Rodriguez of the Chihuahua State Public Safety Department. He was administering an exam Monday designed to evaluate their skills, character and psychological stamina, with questions like: "Do you consider men and women equal?" and "What would you do if there was an attempt on your life?"
Monday, February 16, 2009
Gang News Round Up
Weekly Gang Roundup:
- Mexican Mafia;
- Top-6;
- Ace Click;
- SUR-13;
- Valentine Bloods;
- Gangster Disciples;
- MS-13
*** In San Diego County, CA police arrested 40 people, including more than a dozen allegedly tied to the Mexican Mafia, on charges including attempted murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking after a year-long investigation dubbed "Operation Keys to the City" that targeted the notorious prison gang:
U.S. Attorney General Karen Hewitt described the Mexican Mafia and its connection to Latino street gangs as a rigid hierarchy comprised of "members," "associates" and "soldiers" whose criminal enterprise spills into the community.
Some of the alleged crimes involved paying "taxes," which officials say is the term used by gang members who use violent acts to extort payments from victims.
* * * FBI Special Agent-In-Charge Keith Slotter said the arrests in the operation have dealt a blow to the Mexican Mafia by disrupting the criminal enterprise.
"These operations are not just a bunch of low level criminals that were caught up in a sweep," Slotter said. "These are dangerous, extremely violent individuals."
- Hewitt said members of the Mexican Mafia are elected by fellow gang members and are the top of the hierarchy.
- They are followed by associates, many of whom are in custody and who are given the authority or "the keys," by members of the prison gang to order crimes in a neighborhood, city or prison yard, Hewitt said.
- Next come the soldiers, the low-level street gang members believed to be in the thousands who carry out and enforce the orders of the associates, she said.
Four men are being sought pursuant to the investigation and are considered fugitives:
- David Garcia, 43;
- Jorge Lerma-Duenas, 40
- Ernest Soqui, 32;
- Lance Agundez, 38.
- Top 6: A Lake Worth-based gang responsible for several homicides and shootings. The gang, which claimed to be a rap group, grew from six members in 2000 to more than 300.
- Ace Click: A West Palm Beach-based gang that has been in the city since 1998 and is known for drug trafficking and violence. The gang is also known for participating in a Gangstas & Thugs video. The video series show scenes of violence and gun flaunting in West Palm Beach and other areas.
- SUR-13: A gang that operated in the Westgate neighborhood west of West Palm Beach. The gang, known for robberies, drive-by shootings, beatings and drug dealing, originated in southern California and answers to a prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia.
*** In Bradenton, FL the racketeering trial against alleged SUR-13 member Jimmie Sanchez has begun:
Sanchez . . . was arrested in July 2007 during "Operation Tidal Wave," an anti-gang racketeering case made by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and the statewide prosecutor's office against reputed members of the SUR-13 street gang.
The project signaled a new tactic by the sheriff's office to fight a gang population that reportedly numbers more than 600 members.
- The approach targets the gangs as ongoing criminal enterprises.
Of the 14 SUR-13 defendants charged, 13 of them avoided lengthy prison sentences by accepting plea deals with prosecutors.
*** In Pasco County, FL authorities have busted alleged members of the Valentine Bloods gang:
With Wednesday's announcement of eight members indicted on federal drug and gun charges, law enforcement officers are hoping the local branch of the nationwide gang has been crippled. *
* * The men face a total of 24 counts of federal firearms and drug charges, including trafficking. Some of those indicted could face as much as life behind bars.
* * * The eight indicted, according to ATF Special Agent in Charge Virginia O'Brien, have been arrested a total of 120 times and and have 20 previous convictions among them.
* * * Currently, it's thought that the local set of the Valentine Bloods has 50 to 60 active members and associates in West Pasco.
- Police had 22 of those charged under arrest and were looking for the others. Officers also seized an unannounced amount of drugs and at least 19 guns, including a half-dozen assault-type rifles.
- The accused have a total of 75 prior felony convictions, police said, and more than half are members of the Gangster Disciples street gang.
- Five have been convicted of robbery or aggravated robbery and more than half have been charged with firearm offenses. Three have convictions for second-degree murder.
Prosecutors in Los Angeles, CA have filed a lawsuit "aimed at curtailing gang and narcotics activity at a Pico-Union apartment complex that authorities contend is the epicenter of the Mara Salvatrucha gang's empire":
Four alleged members of MS-13 were arrested in Houston, TX:
- "The men are from Mara-Salvatrucha. This is a Central American gang that has come into the U.S. It is taking over different cities," said an undercover special agent from Houston's FBI.
- Mara Salvatrucha is also known as MS-13, and they are one of the most violent gangs in the United States.
- In Houston, authorities say there are up to 15 groups of MS-13 members committing violent crimes.
- The men were arrested following an investigation after a complaint by several women at a beauty salon who allegedly had been robbed and extorted by the gang: The women worked at a beauty salon near Fondren and Westheimer. They say that last month, MS-13 gang members held them up. Then they took their money, stole their property, and raped one of the victims. But before the gunmen left, the gang members told the women their salon would have to pay $100 a week for protection.
According to the undercover FBI agent, this is what worries law enforcement the most. "Once they come over, they get a hold of some of these businesses and they start receiving additional income.
- Then, the groups start getting stronger and they bring more people into the group," said the special agent.
- A week later, the MS-13 group returned to the salon to collect their extortion money, but the women locked the doors.
- Police say the gang members retaliated by driving by and opening fire. "It took us about two weeks to crack group. We kept on them," said the special agent. In all, seven people, including a 15-year-old boy, have been taken into custody.
- During the arrest, the task force found guns, ammunition, a machete and written plans to conduct another robbery.
*** Illinois legislators "hope to blot out inked criminals with legislation cracking down on tattoo parlors":
- Tattoo artists who draw gang symbols could be stuck with a fine and see their licenses revoked. The bill's author, state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, wants to cross out the growing influence of street gangs across Illinois.
In Chicago, IL violent crime, including murder, is up from last year, and "police believe one of the reasons for this is an increase in violence among gangs":
- Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis says the city's gang structure is changing and it's become more challenging to fight it.
- The police superintendent believes the up-tick in gang violence may - oddly enough - be the result of success in dismantling larger street gangs.
- "Where you might have a larger territory controlled by one gang, now that same territory may have multiple smaller cells, all very violent, but they're competing and fighting even between themselves or with rival gangs. You've got smaller independent gangs fighting over smaller turf," Supt. Jody Weis, Chicago Police Department.
Mas from Friends of Ours
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Peru Based Narcotics Runners Make the OFAC List
The following companies have been added to the US Treasury Deaprtment's office of foreign asset control (OFAC) list of prohibitied companies. This means that it is a Federal Offense to do business with any of them.
-Federico Garcia Ochoa
AERO CONTINENTE E.I.R.L., Avenida Jose Pardo 601, Int. 16, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20510752695 (Peru) [SDNTK]
AERO COURIER CARGO S.A., Avenida Jose Pardo 601, Edificio La Alameda, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20507531823 (Peru) [SDNTK]
ASOCIACION CIVIL LOS PROMOTORES AERONAUTICOS, Jr. Los Robles 152, Oficina 7, San Martin de Porres, URB Valdiviezo, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20336637733 (Peru) [SDNTK]
BELLOSOM ENTERPRISE, INC., Avenida Central y Calle 4ta, Edificio Plaza Central, Oficina 32, Panama City, Panama; RUC # 2991141409851 (Panama) [SDNTK]
BLISSEY PANAMA INC., Avenida Central y Calle 4ta, Edificio Plaza Central, Oficina 32, Panama City, Panama; RUC # 2989391409828 (Panama) [SDNTK]
CONTINENTE MOVIL Y SERVICIOS S.R.L., Urb. Residencial Santa Rosa, MZ G Lt. 20, Callao, Peru; RUC # 20383848483 (Peru) [SDNTK]
CORPORACION DE INVERSIONES EMPRESARIALES S.A., Jr. Bolognesi 125, Oficina 1002, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20503541727 (Peru) [SDNTK]
EDITORA TRANSPARENCIA S.A., Jr. Bolognesi 125, Dpto. 301, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20508146885 (Peru) [SDNTK]
EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES CHULUCANAS 2000 S.A., Jr. Augusto Gonzales, Olaechea 1311, Urb. Elio, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20458820989 (Peru) [SDNTK]
EMPRESA EDITORA CONTINENTE PRESS S.A., Avenida Javier Prado, Oeste 640, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20381427391 (Peru) [SDNTK]
LA CROSSE GROUP INC, Vanterpool Plaza, 2nd Floor, Wickhams Cay 1, Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands, British; Registration ID 268379 (Virgin Islands, British) [SDNTK]
LASA PERU S.A.C., Jr. Emilio Althaus 748, Int. 3, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20509588091 (Peru) [SDNTK]
LUCERO IMPORT S.A.C., Calle Soledad 113, Interior 301, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20432287221 (Peru) [SDNTK]
ORIENTE CONTRATISTAS GENERALES S.A., Jr. San Martin 707, Int. 201, Trujillo, Peru; RUC # 20167975616 (Peru) [SDNTK]
ORIENTE TOURS S.R.L., Jr. Soledad 113, Oficina 302, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20107539884 (Peru) [SDNTK]
PERU GLOBAL TOURS S.A.C., Calle Soledad 113, Oficina 301, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20509567418 (Peru) [SDNTK]
PERU TOTAL MARKET E.I.R.L., Jr. Washington 1214, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20512036661 (Peru) [SDNTK]
PERUVIAN PRECIOUS METALS S.A.C., Jr. Comunidad Industrial 293, Chorillos, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20502799445 (Peru) [SDNTK]
REPRESENTACIONES ORIENTE S.R.L., Urb. La Arboleda, Mz. F Int. 10, Trujillo, Peru; RUC # 20275164675 (Peru) [SDNTK]
SERVICIOS SILSA S.A.C., Jr. Huantar 278, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20341067112 (Peru) [SDNTK]
TALLER DE REPARACIONES DE AERODINOS SUS PARTES Y SERVICIOS AEREOS S.A. (a.k.a. TRAPSA), Avenida Aviacion 650, Tarapoto, San Martin, Peru; RUC # 20104242244 (Peru) [SDNTK]
TRANSPORTES AEREOS UNIDOS SELVA AMAZONICA S.A. (a.k.a. TAUSA S.A.; f.k.a. TRANSPORTES AEREAS UCHIZA S.A.), Calle Soledad 111, Int. 302, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20110372320 (Peru) [SDNTK]
URANTIA SERVICES S.A., Avenida Jose Pardo 601, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20505575882 (Peru) [SDNTK]
VUELA PERU S.A.C., Avenida Bolognesi 125, Dpto. 1602, Lima, Peru; RUC # 20508991879 (Peru) [SDNTK]
The following deletions have been made to OFAC's SDN list:
LUGO VILLAFANE, Jesus Alberto, c/o INVERSIONES Y CONSTRUCCIONES VALLE S.A., Cali, Colombia; Calle 70N No. 14-31, Cali, Colombia; c/o CONCRETOS CALI S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INVHERESA S.A., Cali, Colombia; DOB 24 Jun 1951; Cedula No. 14977685 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT
See the Full List
Mexican Drug War Update
ol AgeUpdate bythe Former Border Patr
El Informador (Guadalajara, Jalisco) 2/12/09
The Chief of Customs at Guadalajara’s International Airport was abducted and held for several hours Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Cecilia Antillan Rosas and her driver, an active AFI [equiv. FBI ] agent were intercepted and abducted by armed men in two vehicles with license plates from the state of Colima. They were driven around for about three hours before being released at the Chief’s home. During those hours, she was threatened by at least eight armed men for the purpose of persuading her to “allow cargo” or there would be reprisals against her. In recent days, important seizures of drugs have been made at the airport.
- News Summary The Former Border Patrol Agents Association
(Monterrey, Nuevo Leon) 2/12/09
The Chief of homicide investigations for the Nuevo Leon State Police was assassinated while on duty in an official vehicle by several gunmen in Monterrey. He was hit by more than 14 impacts from firearms. The detective was in charge of a number of investigations into organized crime.
——————–
Novedades de Quintana Roo (Cancun, QR) 2/12/09
A federal judge ordered the ex-secretary of Public Security of Cancun, Francisco Velasco Delgado, alias “El Vikingo,” to be placed under arrest for his possible participation in the murders of retired Army General Mauro Enrique Tello Quiñones and two of his escorts.
The murders, February 3, were presumably carried out by Los Zetas. ”El Vikingo” is suspected of long association with organized crime in the area and giving protection to Los Zetas.
According to SIEDO [equiv. DEA], Los Zetas have the mission to assassinate any members of the Armed Forces believed to be obstructing the activities of the cartel.
——————–
El Porvenir (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon) 2/12/09
The Chief of homicide investigations for the Nuevo Leon State Police was assassinated while on duty in an official vehicle by several gunmen in Monterrey. He was hit by more than 14 impacts from firearms. The detective was in charge of a number of investigations into organized crime
——————–
Mexican News Update
++ Four the fourth consecutive day dozens of people wearing face masks and armed with sticks and stones and firecrackers took over the Fidel Velázquez avenue in Monterrey, Nuevo León, to demand the Army withdraw from the area.
++ Federal Preventive Police commissioner Rodrigo Esparza accepted that drug trafficking cartels are operating out of municipalities in the State of Mexico near the Federal District
.++ A judge indicted former Federal Preventive Police regional security chief Javier Herrera Valles… He will organized crime and drug trafficking charges for having allegedly offered protection to organized crime in Tamaulipas.
Mas from the Mexico Today Blog
Beltran Leyva Enforcers Aimed at la Familia Captured in Tultitlan
Drug Cartels War For Control of Narco Trade in Mexico Capital
MEXICO CITY -- The Sinaloa and Gulf drug cartels are waging "a war" to control the trade in illicit substances in this capital, Mexican federal police commissioner Rodrigo Esparza said."
There's a turf war and a war for the market between these two gangs in the metropolitian area," Esparza said when telling reporters about the capture of 10 people accused of being enforcers for the Beltran Leyva brothers, allies of the Gulf cartel.
- Those taken into custody allegedly told interrogators that they had instructions to murder members of La Familia, a group backed by the Sinaloa cartel
- The reputed hired guns, who were presented to the press Thursday, were arrested by federal agents in the municipality of Tultitlan, at some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mexico City
- Among the crime suspects are a woman and two minors.
- Seized from the group were six AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and six vehicles as well as significant amounts of cocaine and marijuana.
On Tuesday, also in the municipality of Tultitlan, police arrested another group of 10 individuals said to be linked to La Familia.
The Rest from Latin American TribuneFBI RICO Stratey Emerging
When you hear the words “organized crime,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Mafia and its five major crime families in New York City.
But have you ever heard of the notoriousThey’re involved in organized crime, too. Individuals associated with foreign-based criminal groups are targeting the U.S. as we speak, and they are a major focus of American law enforcement and a top priority of the FBI’s organized crime busting efforts.These groups have muc Thief-in-Law Vyacheslav Ivankov, the Solnstsevo organization, the Young Joon Yang gang, or the Black Dragons?
Eurasian criminal groups hail from dozens of countries spanning the
- Baltics,
- the Balkans,
- Central/Eastern Europe,
- Russia,
- the Caucacuses,
- Central Asia.
Although ethnically-based, they work with other ethnic groups when perpetrating crimes. Asian organized crime includes traditional enterprises like the Chinese Triads, Chinese Tong, and Japanese Boryokudan (a.k.a., Yakuza), as well as more loosely organized groups like the Big Boys Circle, the Asian Boyz Group, and Vietnamese and Korean criminal enterprises.
What they do. Both groups are involved in a range of illegal activities in this country, including drug trafficking, extortion, murder, kidnapping, home invasions, prostitution, illegal gambling, loan sharking, insurance/credit card fraud, stock fraud, and the theft of high-tech components. Chinese groups are also involved in human trafficking—bringing large numbers of Chinese migrants to North America and essentially enslaving them here. One of U.S. law enforcement’s chief concerns: the same criminal infrastructure that smuggles people into the U.S. could also be used to smuggle terrorists.
Investigative strategies. Over the past few decades, U.S. law enforcement has had a great deal of success against the major Mafia families using a full suite of investigative methods. Now, we’re using the same set of tools to combat Eurasian and Asian crime groups, including:
Intelligence gathering;
- The enterprise theory of investigation, which focuses on the entire criminal group rather than on isolated members;
- The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act (both the criminal and civil provisions of this law can help dismantle criminal organizations);
- Cooperation, lots of it, with both domestic and global law enforcement partners;
- Time-tested techniques like undercover operations, court-authorized electronic surveillance, informants and cooperating witnesses, and consensual monitoring.
Investigative accomplishments.
Thief-in-Law Vyacheslav Ivankov’s conviction in New York in 1996 represented the FBI’s first major victory against the new wave of Eurasian organized crime entering America. Subsequent successes included Operation “Trojan Horses,” which dismantled a violent New York City Albanian criminal enterprise that had taken traditional racketeering activity away from the established La Cosa Nostra crime families.
And undercover investigations in Newark and Los Angeles uncovered an Asian criminal organization that was smuggling, or attempting to smuggle, nearly every form of contraband imaginable—counterfeit currency, cigarettes, illegal drugs, pharmaceuticals
L.A. City prosecutors Sue MS-13 Headquarters
-- Richard Winton
2:51 PM, February 13, 2009
file lawsuit aimed at MS-13 gang
Los Angeles city prosecutors filed a lawsuit today aimed at curtailing gang and narcotics activity at a Pico-Union apartment complex, which authorities contend is the epicenter of the Mara Salvatrucha gang’s empire.
- The drug abatement and public nuisance lawsuit seeks a court order forcing the apartment owner to curtail criminal activity at the property.
- It also seeks an order appointing a receiver who would assume control of managing of the property.
The lawsuit is the latest effort by City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo’s office to use the civil courts to crack down on alleged gang hangouts.
Prosecutors allege owner Jacob Libman allows the gang -- known as MS-13 -- to live in, and use, the building as a stronghold for illicit activity.
“We are using every tool against this gang,” said Bruce Riordan, the city’s top gang prosecutor. “We want to keep MS-13 guessing what is going to happen next.”
The property, at 833 Fedora St., is part of the city attorney’s Project TOUGH (Taking Out Urban Gang Headquarters), which already has targeted several gang-controlled properties. One of those properties was a residence used by the Avenues gang on Drew Street. It was demolished last week.
Prosecutors allege the 24-apartment building on Fedora Street has become a magnet for criminal activity.
- Since October 2004, dozens of crimes have been committed at or near the property, Riordan said.
- The suit also alleges that the landlord permitted the gang to run an “after-hours club” where alcohol, drugs and sex were available for purchase.
- Libman is already facing a felony drug charge in connection with a December 2008 arrest, according to prosecutors.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Zetas Connected to Grenade attacks in Multiple Locations
- the U.S. Consulate,
- a Mexican television station and
- a bar in South Texas.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Violee nce Against Americans to Increase on the Mexican Border
Drug-related violence in Mexico, already at unprecedented levels, is expected to escalate further this year, with targets likely to include top Mexican politicians and law-enforcement agents and possibly even U.S. officials, according to diplomats and intelligence experts on both sides of the border.
By Alfredo Corchado
WASHINGTON — Drug-related violence in Mexico, already at unprecedented levels, is expected to escalate further this year, with targets likely to include top Mexican politicians and law-enforcement agents and possibly even U.S. officials, according to diplomats and intelligence experts on both sides of the border.
The warning underscores the difficult choices confronting President Felipe Calderón as he takes on drug cartels while weighing the implications of growing casualties in a year of midterm elections and a slowing economy.
It also reflects rising concern among U.S. officials and analysts about the deteriorating security situation, corruption among Mexico's top crime fighters, and the vulnerability of the military to possible corruption in battling cartel gangs.
As the war against cartels escalates in 2009, so will threats, particularly against U.S. officials and other Americans, said officials, analysts and diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza.
"Calderón must — and will — keep the pressure on the cartels, but look, let's not be naíve: There will be more violence, more blood, and, yes, things will get worse before they get better. That's the nature of the battle,"
Garza said. "The more pressure the cartels feel, the more they'll lash out like cornered animals."
He advised Americans traveling to Mexico to check State Department travel alerts at
www.state.gov.
- A U.S. intelligence official based along the Texas border warned that U.S. officials, American businessmen and journalists will "become targets, if they're not already."
- The official, citing information from informants and other intelligence, said attacks against Americans may include car bombs placed outside consulate offices and embassies or attacks on "specific individuals."
- The threats, the intelligence official said, are a result of "growing frustration" among cartel leaders and the internal dynamics of cartel organizations.
- He described the drug gangs as "transnational, with deep financial, cultural and social ties to Mexican and U.S. cities, whether Ciudad Juárez; Culiacán, Sinaloa; as well as El Paso, Houston or Dallas."
The soaring level of violence has led the United States to develop plans for a "surge" of civilian and perhaps even military law enforcement should the bloodshed spread across the border, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday.
Chertoff said he ordered specific plans to confront the violence last summer.
"We completed a contingency plan for border violence, so if we did get a significant spillover, we have a surge — if I may use that word — capability to bring in not only our own assets but even to work with" the Defense Department, Chertoff said.
Evidence of Mexican drug cartels has spread across the United States. Federal agents in Western Washington last year took down two drug-distribution rings with such links, according to court records.
In May, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents arrested 17 people connected to a cocaine-distribution ring in Burien. The ring was based out of a Mexican restaurant and was moving as much as 36 pounds of cocaine a month, said Arnold Moorin, the special agent in charge of the DEA's Seattle field office.
In September, agents "dismantled" a large-scale drug operation tied to the Sinaloa cartel, seizing $1 million in cash, more than 150 pounds of cocaine and 30 pounds of methamphetamine, Moorin said. The ring had been distributing drugs in Idaho and Washington for years, according to agents.
Violence also is crippling regions and cities in Mexico. Some top U.S. officials and analysts describe these cities, including Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso, as "failed cities," in which cartels — not city or police officials — have control.
Ciudad Juárez, whose mayor and other elected officials have moved to El Paso in recent months and commute, ended the year with more than 1,600 drug-related killings. Nationwide, more than 5,700 — criminals, soldiers, police, journalists and bystanders — were killed. That's more than twice the estimated 2,300 slain in 2007.
Philip Heymann, a Harvard law professor and expert on terrorism, characterized the ongoing violence in Mexico as "narcoterrorism, given the tactics used," including beheadings and efforts to silence and intimidate society through threats, gruesome videos and text messages.
"I think the situation in Mexico is very, very dangerous for everyone, including the United States," he said. "The situation hasn't yet registered in the mind-set of Americans, but it will, especially when Americans become the target. All you need are two, three Americans killed and the issue will suddenly become important."
Frustration among senior U.S. officials over Mexican corruption is acute, particularly after the arrest of drug czar Noe Ramirez Mandujano. He is alleged to have been receiving $500,000 a month from the Arturo Beltran Leyva drug gang in exchange for intelligence, some of which originated with U.S. officials at the U.S. Embassy.
Frustration comes as the U.S. expands its role this year under the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 billion program over several years aimed at providing Mexico with new technology, training and military equipment.
But the assistance may trickle in more slowly, over six years, instead of the three originally planned, a result of the U.S. economic crisis, sources familiar with the program said. Moreover, the initiative, under the incoming administration of President-elect Obama, may be "tweaked" to address the issue of U.S. demand for drugs, a U.S. Senate aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Ultimately," the senior administration official said, "we're not trying to wipe out drug trafficking in Mexico. We're trying to reduce it from the existential problem threatening democracy in Mexico and law enforcement. And you can't really do that until you weaken drug traffickers and strengthen the security forces."
Friday, February 6, 2009
Hiding Guns in Bumpers and Under the Hoods in Florida
Feb 4, 2009 (2 days ago)
Gang gun-hiding tactic
from Police Gangs by Investigator F.P.Figueroa, Miami State Attorney’s Office
The trend in Miami, Florida for gangs are to hide their weapons in the front or rear bumpers of their vehicles. They also hind weapons under the hood in the engine area. They know that officers will only check the inside of their vehicles and the trunk area. Officers in general will never get on their hands and knees to check under the vehicle. So remember that sometimes you need to get a little dirty ...
Sinaloa Trying to Reconstruct Pacific Nacaraguan Drug Trade
El Universal (Mexico City) 2/1/09
After suffering destructive blows to its Caribbean operations, the Sinaloa cartel is said to be trying to reconstruct its trafficking network along the Pacific area of Nicaragua.
- The head of the Nicaraguan Army, General Omar Halleslevens, said that arrests of 20 Nicaraguans and Salvadorans this year who were engaged in trafficking operations in the Pacific area indicated that the cartel is trying to recover the coastal route that they abandoned last year for the Atlantic side.
Anti-drug sources confirm that 90% of the cocaine that arrives in the US passes from Colombia to Mexico through Central America over the Pacific side.
Drug War 31 Killed In Ciudad Juarez in the Last 72 hours
The death tally in Juarez and its neighboring lower valley area is setting new records: up until Tuesday afternoon (3rd) there have already been 31 homicides in 72 hours. Last year the total for the entire month of February reached 46.
Norte (Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua) 2/4/09
Source : NAFPO
Monday, February 2, 2009
2009 National Gang Assessment - FBI Summary
Gangs have long posed a threat to public safety, but as this study shows, gang activity is no longer merely a problem for urban areas. Gang members are increasingly moving to suburban America, bringing with them the potential for increased crime and violence,” said Assistant Director Kenneth W. Kaiser, FBI Criminal Investigative Division.
Other key findings are as follows:
- Local street gangs, or neighborhood-based street gangs, remain a significant threat because they still constitute the largest number of gangs nationwide.
- Most engage in violence in conjunction with a variety of crimes, including retail-level drug distribution.
- According to NDTS data, 58 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies reported that criminal gangs were active in their jurisdictions in 2008 compared with 45 percent of state and local agencies.
- Gang members are migrating from urban to suburban and rural areas, expanding the gangs’ influence in most regions. They are doing so for a variety of reasons, including expanding drug distribution territories, increasing illicit revenue, recruiting new members, hiding from law enforcement, and escaping from other gangs.
- Many suburban and rural communities are experiencing increasing gang-related crime and violence because of expanding gang influence.
- Criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities, according to law enforcement officials throughout the nation. Typical gang-related crimes include alien smuggling, armed robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions, identity theft, murder, and weapons trafficking.
Gang members are the primary retail-level distributors of most illicit drugs. They also are increasingly distributing wholesale-level quantities of marijuana and cocaine in most urban and suburban communities.
Some gangs are trafficking illicit drugs at the regional and national levels; several are capable of competing with U.S.-based Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
U.S.-based gang members illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border for the express purpose of smuggling illicit drugs and illegal aliens from Mexico into the United States.
Many gangs actively use the Internet to recruit new members and to communicate with members in other areas of the U.S. and in foreign countries.
Street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs pose a growing threat to law enforcement along the U.S.–Canada border. They frequently associate with Canada-based gangs and criminal organizations to facilitate various criminal activities, including drug smuggling into the United States.
Tango Blast Break Down
THE TANGO NAME GAME
The four biggest Tango Blast groups – called the “Four Horsemen” – are in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin.
Houstone – Their hometown is Houston. They use the Houston Astros star and the area code 713 as their main symbols.
D-Town – Their hometown is Dallas. They use the Dallas Cowboys star and the area code 214 as their main symbols.
Foritos, Foros or Funky Town – Their hometown is Fort Worth. They use various nicknames and the area code 817 in tattoos.
A-Town or Capirucha –Their hometown is Austin. Frequently seen tattooed symbols are ATX, the Capitol building and A-Town.
Elsewhere in Texas: Tango Blast groups also formed in West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Those two, along with the original four groups, became known as “Puro Tango Blast.”
There are also Tango groups in other parts of the state.
The look: Tango Blast tattoos typically depict the hometown sports team or its logo, a city skyline, area code numbers representing gang members’ hometowns or slang terms for their hometown. Sometimes they brand themselves with the tattoo “16-20-2″ to represent the letters in the alphabet for “PTB,” which stands for “Puro Tango Blast.”
The Rest @ Athensboy Blog
Cubans try to pass as Mexicans in Chiapas
Cuarto Poder (Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas) 1/28/09
Twelve Cubans who attempted to pass off as Mexicans by presenting fraudulent Mexican voter I.D.’s were arrested in Chiapas by Mex. federal police. The group was being transported in two vehicles, one driven by another Cuban and the other by a Russian. The drivers, Fabian Robaian Zajarov, 34, a Russian, and Yoel F. Escalante, 36, were both said to be permanent residents of the U.S.
Gulf & Zetas, Arellano Felix, Folowed by Sinaloa
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
Visit our website: http://www.nafbpo.orgForeign News Report
Milenio (Mexico City) 1/29/09 A report by the “PGR” (Mex. Dep’t. of Justice) about weapons trafficking in Mexico specified that the Gulf Cartel and its hired “los Zetas” killers are the organizations with the largest “criminal and violent activism.” They operate out of the northern state of Tamaulipas and also in at least seven other states.The report added that these organizations have had the largest number of firearms seized including those of special characteristics due to their versatility, firepower, penetration and fire volume. They include fragmentation grenades and also weapons capable of penetrating powerful armor. One of the handguns is known as a “cop killer.”
The war between cartels for dominion of routes toward the United States left more than 5,700 dead last year, including persons beheaded or dissolved in chemical substances inside barrels.
The second place among the cartels is the one by the Arellano Felix brothers, in Tijuana. It has also used rifles and rocket launchers.
The Pacific, or Sinaloa, cartel is third and it has also used rocket launchers and grenades.———
Mexican Drug War Update
The killings continue...Twenty killings took place over the weekend: 12 in Chihuahua; 6 in Guanajuato; another 2 in Guerrero and one in Querétaro...
The Rest @ Mexico Today
13 Letters with White Powder Sent to the Wall Street Journal
For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 21, 2009
FBI KnoxvilleContact:
Media Representative Stacie Bohanan(865) 544-3518
Suspicious White Powder Letters Postmarked from Knoxville Received in New York and Massachusetts
On Wednesday January 21, approximately 13 powder-laden envelopes were received at the office of the Wall Street Journal in New York City. The letters reportedly bear a Knoxville, Tennessee postmark. New York City Police Department's Emergency Services Unit and the FBI responded to the scene and are testing the letters to determine whether they contain a hazardous substance.
An additional letter was also received today at Harvard Law School addressed to Alan Dershowitz. This letter was also postmarked Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Right now our first priority is the safety of our citizens,” said Richard Lambert, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Knoxville. “We take these matters seriously and will investigate all leads to determine who sent the letters and why.”
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in New York, Boston and Knoxville in partnership with the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Anyone with information concerning who may be sending these letters is requested to contact the Knoxville FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force at 865-470-0007 or at www.fbi.gov.
If you receive a letter, please notify the FBI and your local authorities. Information on how to handle suspicious mail can be found at www.fbi.gov.
OFAC New People Added
These people have had their assets frozen in the United States, and the organizations listed have had assets from as well.
It is a violation of US federal law to engage in businesses with any of the indivudals or organizations listed here.
-Gochoa
AQUILEA S.A., Carrera 21 No. 13B-21, Cali, Colombia;
Carrera 21 No. 13B-33, Cali, Colombia;
Carrera 23 No. 12-41, Cali, Colombia; NIT # 900061351-6 (Colombia) [SDNT]
MEGAPLAST S.A., Calle 0 No. 2-276, Palmira, Valle, Colombia; NIT # 815002727-1 (Colombia) [SDNT]
The following changes have been made to OFAC's SDN list:
GIL RODRIGUEZ, Angela Maria, c/o AMPARO R. DE GIL Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia;
c/o DROBLAM S.A., Cali, Colombia; DOB 21 Feb 1980;
Cedula No. 52721666 (Colombia); Passport 52721666 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT] -to- GIL RODRIGUEZ, Angela Maria, c/o AMPARO R. DE GIL Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia; c/o DROBLAM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o AQUILEA S.A., Cali, Colombia; DOB 21 Feb 1980; Cedula No. 52721666 (Colombia); Passport 52721666 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]
LOPEZ VALENCIA, Oscar Alberto, c/o FLEXOEMPAQUES LTDA., Cali, Colombia; Carrera 6A No. 11-43 501-2, Cali, Colombia; c/o PLASTICOS CONDOR LTDA., Cali, Colombia; DOB 30 Aug 1960; Cedula No. 10537943 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT] -to- LOPEZ VALENCIA, Oscar Alberto, c/o FLEXOEMPAQUES LTDA., Cali, Colombia; Carrera 6A No. 11-43 501-2, Cali, Colombia; c/o PLASTICOS CONDOR LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o MEGAPLAST S.A., Palmira, Valle, Colombia; DOB 30 Aug 1960; Cedula No. 10537943 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]
RODRIGUEZ MONDRAGON, Humberto, c/o ALERO S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o LATINFAMRACOS S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o FUNDASER, Cali, Colombia; c/o VALORES CORPORATIVOS ESPANOLES S.L., Madrid, Spain; c/o REPRESENTACIONES Y DISTRIBUCIONES HUERTAS Y ASOCIADOS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o PROSALUD Y BIENESTAR S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FOGENSA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA SANAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FARMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o DROCARD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DECAFARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o COSMEPOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o COPSERVIR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o COMERCIALIZADORA INTERTEL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o CODISA, Bogota, Colombia; c/o BONOMERCAD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o ASESORIAS PROFESIONALES ESPECIALIZADAS EN NEGOCIOS E.U., Cali, Colombia; c/o ADMINISTRADORA DE SERVICIOS VARIOS CALIMA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o CREDIREBAJA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MONDRAGON Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia; c/o INDUSTRIAL DE GESTION DE NEGOCIOS E.U., Cali, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o
CLAUDIA PILAR RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S.C.S., Bogota, Colombia; c/o
MARIELA DE RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S. EN C., Cali, Colombia; c/o FARMATODO S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o ANDINA DE CONSTRUCCIONES S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INTERAMERICA DE CONSTRUCCIONES S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o GRACADAL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o RIONAP COMERCIO Y REPRESENTACIONES S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o RADIO UNIDAS FM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o MAXITIENDAS TODO EN UNO, Cali, Colombia; DOB 21 Jun 1963; Cedula No. 16688683 (Colombia); Passport AD387757 (Colombia); alt. Passport 16688683 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT] -to-
RODRIGUEZ MONDRAGON, Humberto, c/o MAXITIENDAS TODO EN UNO, Cali, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o RADIO UNIDAS FM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o RIONAP COMERCIO Y REPRESENTACIONES S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o GRACADAL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INTERAMERICA DE CONSTRUCCIONES S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ANDINA DE CONSTRUCCIONES S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FARMATODO S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o MARIELA DE RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S. EN C., Cali, Colombia; c/o CLAUDIA PILAR RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S.C.S., Bogota, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INDUSTRIAL DE GESTION DE NEGOCIOS E.U., Cali, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MONDRAGON Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia; c/o CREDIREBAJA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ADMINISTRADORA DE SERVICIOS VARIOS CALIMA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ASESORIAS
PROFESIONALES ESPECIALIZADAS EN NEGOCIOS E.U., Cali, Colombia; c/o BONOMERCA
S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o CODISA, Bogota, Colombia; c/o COMERCIALIZADORA INTERTEL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o COPSERVIR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o COSMEPOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o DECAFARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DROCARD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o FARMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA SANAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FOGENSA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o PROSALUD Y BIENESTAR S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o REPRESENTACIONES Y DISTRIBUCIONES HUERTAS Y ASOCIADOS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o VALORES CORPORATIVOS ESPANOLES S.L., Madrid, Spain; c/o FUNDASER, Cali, Colombia; c/o LATINFAMRACOS S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o ALERO S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o MEGAPLAST S.A., Palmira, Valle, Colombia; DOB 21 Jun 63; Cedula No. 16688683 (Colombia); Passport AD387757 (Colombia); alt. Passport 16688683 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]
RODRIGUEZ MONDRAGON, Jaime, c/o FLEXOEMPAQUES LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o GRACADAL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o MARIELA DE RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S. EN C., Cali, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o RIONAP COMERCIO Y REPRESENTACIONES S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FARMATODO S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o CORPORACION DEPORTIVA AMERICA, Cali, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MONDRAGON Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia; c/o CREDIREBAJA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ASESORIAS DE INGENIERIA EMPRESA UNIPERSONAL, Cali, Colombia; c/o BONOMERCAD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DECAFARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DROCARD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES Y CONSTRUCCIONES COSMOVALLE LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o JAROMO INVERSIONES S.L., Madrid, Spain; c/o PROSPECTIVA EMPRESA UNIPERSONAL, Cali, Colombia; c/o REPRESENTACIONES Y DISTRIBUCIONES HUERTAS Y ASOCIADOS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o SERVICIOS DE LA SABANA E.U., Bogota, Colombia; c/o FUNDASER, Cali, Colombia; c/o LATINFAMRACOS S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o ALERO S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o PLASTICOS CONDOR LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 30 Mar 1960; Cedula No. 16637592 (Colombia); N.I.E. x2641093-A (Spain); Passport AE426347 (Colombia); alt. Passport 16637592 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT] -to- RODRIGUEZ MONDRAGON, Jaime, c/o PLASTICOS CONDOR LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o FLEXOEMPAQUES LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o GRACADAL S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o MARIELA DE RODRIGUEZ Y CIA. S. EN C., Cali, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o RIONAP COMERCIO Y REPRESENTACIONES S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o FARMATODO S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o CORPORACION DEPORTIVA AMERICA, Cali, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MONDRAGON Y CIA. S.C.S., Cali, Colombia; c/o CREDIREBAJA S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ASESORIAS DE INGENIERIA EMPRESA UNIPERSONAL, Cali, Colombia; c/o BONOMERCAD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DECAFARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DROCARD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES Y CONSTRUCCIONES COSMOVALLE LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o JAROMO INVERSIONES S.L., Madrid, Spain; c/o PROSPECTIVA EMPRESA UNIPERSONAL, Cali, Colombia; c/o REPRESENTACIONES Y DISTRIBUCIONES HUERTAS Y ASOCIADOS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o SERVICIOS DE LA SABANA E.U., Bogota, Colombia; c/o FUNDASER, Cali, Colombia; c/o LATINFAMRACOS S.A., Quito, Ecuador; c/o ALERO S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o MEGAPLAST S.A., Palmira, Valle, Colombia; DOB 30 Mar 1960; Cedula No. 16637592 (Colombia); N.I.E. x2641093-A (Spain); Passport AE426347 (Colombia); alt. Passport 16637592 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]
RODRIGUEZ OREJUELA DE GIL, Amparo, c/o DROBLAM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o CORPORACION DEPORTIVA AMERICA, Cali, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o RADIO UNIDAS FM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o CREACIONES DEPORTIVAS WILLINGTON LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; DOB 14 Mar 1949; Cedula No. 31218703 (Colombia); Passport AC342062 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT] -to- RODRIGUEZ OREJUELA DE GIL, Amparo, c/o DISTRIBUIDORA MIGIL LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o CREACIONES DEPORTIVAS WILLINGTON LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o DEPOSITO POPULAR DE DROGAS S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o RADIO UNIDAS FM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o CORPORACION DEPORTIVA AMERICA, Cali, Colombia; c/o D'CACHE S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o DROBLAM S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o AQUILEA S.A., Cali, Colombia; DOB 13 Mar 49; Cedula No
. 31218703 (Colombia); Passport AC342062 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]
The Rest @ OFAC
Latin Kings and MS-13 in Milan, Italy
This is from the Chronicle, a Milan Newspaper, posted February 2nd, 2009.
-Gochoa
After the aggression between Latin Kings the last week and Mara Salvatrucha, o MS-13 , after the October incident in which three young South Americans had taken a hammer a 19-year-old Ecuadorian who had not "had lowered his gaze" (not including the shares of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, the gang attacked Ricardo, a boy of 22 years, rubbing his face and making him lose an eye.
After the first two arrests had been arrested the head, the "Pirate")on charges of attempted murder. They assaulted two other South Americans on October 5 who were minors.
- The arrests were made on 22 January 27 last for two different episodes.
Come racconta il Corriere la prima aggressione è avvenuta il 19 ottobre alle 20.30. - The Courier was told that the first attack took place October 19 at 20:30. V
- the Victim was Barrientas Flores, a 24 year old Peruvian
- The man was wounded in the head with pieces of bottle in piazza Monte Titano.
- a 17 year old Peruvian was aressted (with a record of fighting, attempted theft and official resistance to the public),
- an 21 yeal old Ecuadorian (with previous record for fighing and damge)
- and a 19-year-old Ecuadorian (innocent).
Two young people (two of 17 innocent Salvadorans and 23 years) of the Ms18 have stabbed an arm Tajada Nino Daniel, one of El Salvador 18 years.
In the first case, Flores is a member of Latin King "New York" and consequently those who attacked belonged to the rival gang, the "Chicago", while in secondo case Nino Daniel was a sympathizer of the "Commando".
In Milan there is a problem of gangs as organized criminal cartels that share control of the area and are fed with criminal activities.
MS-13 Assasin Bounces Between Canada, US and El Salvador
Member of notorious MS-13 clique slated to return to El Salvador
Kim Bolan, Vancouver SunPublished: Monday, February 02, 2009
A member of the brutal Mara Salvatrucha gang convicted in a Seattle shooting was ordered out of Canada for the third time Friday at a Vancouver immigration hearing.
- Jose (Shadow) Granados admitted he had committed crimes while active in an MS-13 clique in Seattle, but said he had little choice when he arrived in the U.S. as a 16-year-old from El Salvador.
Testifying via a video link from jail, Granados, 23, said he came to Canada because he feels safe here and wanted to start fresh.
But immigration minister representative Janis Lof argued that Granados was inadmissible as an admitted member of a criminal organization who had committed violent crimes for the notorious gang.
She said in addition to admitting to firing at a rival, Granados twice hid guns used in other shootings, including one in which his brother Elmer (Popeye) Granados is accused.
Elmer remains in a B.C. jail pending a U.S. extradition hearing later this month.
Lof described how former MS gang members, who had cooperated with Seattle police, said Jose Granados attempted to carry out a "green light" on them.
She said a "green light is a go-ahead to kill a person who has been marked to be taken out."
"Green lights are sometimes put on rats or traitors to the gang," Lof told Immigration and Refugee Board member Otto Nupponen.
One of the former gangsters told police that Granados had put a knife to his stomach and that he only managed to escape by racing away from the scene as Granados tried to grab him through the car window.
Another time, the two ex-MS members saw Granados following their car when they were with their small children.
"Eventually the victims were able to evade Mr. Granados when he got stuck behind a bus at an intersection," Lof said.
She said that when Granados entered Canada illegally the first time, he came to the attention of the Vancouver police department in 2005 after a girl at Britannia secondary reported a sex assault.
"The suspect was reported to be an MS-13 member who the victim only knew by his street name Shadow," Lof said.
The girl said the man was featured on a website and the police found the link.
They also contacted the Seattle police who knew "Shadow" as Granados.
Granados was arrested, though never charged in the sex attack. He admitted to the Canada Border Services Agency that he had been "MS in Seattle for about a year and a half," Lof said.
"He said he had left Seattle because people wanted to kill him," she said, quoting from the CBSA report.
Granados was extradited to the U.S. to plead guilty to the shooting and released back into Canadian custody.
- He was deported to El Salvador in 2007, but showed up here again a few months later.
- Last May, he was sent packing a second time after being ruled inadmissible for criminality.
- But he returned to Vancouver last fall, calling the CBSA to say he was back without disclosing his location.
- He was arrested in December and has been in custody ever since.
- Granados was convicted criminally of returning to Canada illegally and will complete a sentence on that charge today.
- He will then be returned to immigration custody to await deportation.
