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13 October 2011
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Latin America Military and Security Watch
Table of Contents
MEXICO
MEXICO
SPECIAL INTEREST Middle Eastern Terrorist Groups Attempting to Work with Mexican
Drug Cartels – 11 October 2011
SINALOA 86 Kilograms of Solid Methamphetamine and 280 Liters of Liquid
Methamphetamine Seized from Drug Lab in Culiacan, Sinaloa – 09
October 2011 TAMAULIPAS
Marines Conduct Large Scale Operation Targeting the Gulf Cartel in
Areas throughout Tamaulipas – 10 October 2011 NUEVO LEON
Soldiers Seize Nearly One Metric Ton of Marijuana Following
Confrontation with Gunmen near Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon – 09
October 2011
ZACATECAS Authorities Recover Bodies of Municipal Police Officers in Valparaiso,
Zacatecas – 09 October 2011 DURANGO
Soldiers Arrest Six Los Zetas Operators in Nuevo Ideal, Durango – 10
October 2011
CHIHUAHUA
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Nine Murders Reported on 09 October 2011 in Ciudad Juarez,
Chihuahua – 09 October 2011 CENTRAL AMERICA
Bulgarian National Arrested with Cocaine Pellets at the Juan
Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica – 10 October 2011 National Police Seize 315 Kilograms of Narcotics in Less than 24
Hours in Panama City, Panama – 11 October 2011 National Police Arrest Suspects with Safe Containing Over $(USD) 1
Million in Panama City, Panama – 11 October 2011
CARIBBEAN DNCD Seizes 1,434 Kilograms of Cocaine during Two Operations in
the Dominican Republic – 10 October 2011 Dutch National Arrested with 78 Cocaine Capsules at Las Americas
International Airport, Dominican Republic – 11 October 2011
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MEXICO
SPECIAL INTEREST Middle Eastern Terrorist Groups Attempting to Work with Mexican Drug Cartels – 11 October
2011
On 29 September 2011, U.S. authorities arrested Mansor Arbabsiar,
56, after it was discovered that he offered an undercover DEA agent
posing as a Los Zetas operator $(USD) 1.5 million to murder Adel al-
Jubeir, the Saudi Ambassador to Washington. The arrest in question
was carried out at the JFK International Airport following Arbabsiar’s
return from Mexico. Following his arrest, Arbabsiar, was identified as
a naturalized U.S. citizen who possesses both a US and Iranian
passport.
At this point, Gholam Shakuri, a second Iranian national believed to
have been involved in this incident has managed to allude authorities. Preliminary investigations indicate
that Arbabsiar and Shakuri may have also been in the initial phases of planning attacks to target
individuals and Saudi embassies on US soil.
FMSO Analysis of the Possible Involvement of Mexican Drug Cartels with Terrorist Organizations:
How an Iranian national managed to get involved with an undercover DEA agent posing as a Los Zetas
operator is not known, but it is possible that actual Los Zetas operators were contacted by the Iranian
nationals, and in an attempt to redeem themselves in the eyes of both U.S. and Mexican authorities, they
directed the Iranian nationals to the undercover DEA Agent.
Recent incidents that have brought negative attention to Los Zetas include:
The August 30, 2011 attack on the Casino Royal that left 52 individuals dead in Monterry, Nuevo
Leon. During this attack, Los Zetas operators discriminately opened fire on customers in the
Casino due to the fact the owner had not paid his extortion fees to the group.
The murder of 29 campesinos in the Peten Department of Guatemala in May of 2011. In this
instance, Los Zetas were actually looking for Otto Salguero, the owner of Los Cocos Ranch,
where the murders were carried out.
The murder of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata in San Luis Potosi on February 15, 2011. According to a
Los Zetas operator arrested following this incident, the attack was a case of mistaken identity.
The attack against US citizens on Falcon Lake on 30 September 2010 that resulted in the death of
David Hartely.
The incidents mentioned above clearly demonstrate that Los Zetas have begun to veer down a path that
deviates from committing murders related strictly to drug trafficking incidents in the sense that they do
not hesitate to involve innocent parties. However, Mexican drug cartels, even extreme groups like Los
Zetas, are far from likely to collaborate with terrorists for the simple fact that it would be incredibly
unbeneficial given the negative attention it would draw from both Mexican and U.S. authorities.
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Furthermore, even if Los Zetas would have earned $1.5 million dollars for the assassination of Adel al-
Jubeir, it would not be enough cash to mediate the repercussions of the decision had it really been
presented to them.
On the other hand, a possible reason Los Zetas may have considered this offer had it truly been presented
to them is their fight to maintain their territories in light of the offensive that has been mounted against
them by the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartel. Previously, Los Zetas dominated Veracruz in addition to parts of
Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. Now, all of these areas are under dispute which means that Los Zetas must
acquire additional resources to include weapons, ammunition, and an expanded work force if they are
going to be successful in defending their territories. These items directly correlate to a need for increased
cash flow which money from terrorist groups could provide. In an attempt to increase manpower, Los
Zetas have been known to kidnap migrants as evidenced by the mass kidnapping of more than 70
individuals in San Fernando, Tamaulipas in August of 2010. A second mass kidnapping was also carried
out by this group on June 23, 2011 in Medias Aguas, Verucruz. An estimated 80 migrants were
kidnapped in this instance.
The end point regarding drug cartels and terrorists is that any involvement between the two would
represent a certain demise for that drug cartel. Does this mean that drug cartels would never get involved
with terrorist groups? Absolutely not. The Sinaloa Cartel is known to conduct business with Afghan
heroin producers, but this does not mean they are willing to carry out assassination on Mexican or US soil
for these same groups. Still, the possibily should never be ruled out; especially when considering Los
Zetas as they are a very unpredictable and violent group whose leadership has undergone umpteen
changes over the past two years.
Spanish Source: http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/10272d7bee4dc600b9f16420ab6bf4f0
Photo Source: http://eleconomista.com.mx/sociedad/2011/10/11/inm-detuvo-irani-sospechoso-complot-
sre
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SINALOA
86 Kilograms of Solid Methamphetamine and 280 Liters of Liquid Methamphetamine Seized from
Drug Lab in Culiacan, Sinaloa – 09 October 2011
III Military Region and 9th Military Zone soldiers dismantled a synthetic drug lab in an area overgrown
by bushes in Culiacan, Sinaloa. Items seized from this drug lab included:
86 kilograms of solid methamphetamine
280 liters of liquid methamphetamine
535 kilograms of caustic soda
235 liters of an unknown liquid substance
80 kilograms of tartaric acid
No arrests were made in conjunction with the dismantling of this drug lab.
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Spanish Source: http://www.sedena.gob.mx/index.php/sala-de-prensa/comunicados-de-prensa-de-los-
mandos-territoriales/7826-9-de-octubre-de-2011-culiacan-sin
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TAMAULIPAS
Marines Conduct Large Scale Operation Targeting the Gulf Cartel in Areas throughout
Tamaulipas – 10 October 2011
Between the dates of 05-10 October 2011, Marines conducted multiple operations targeting the Gulf
Cartel throughout Tamaulipas. Details regarding these operations were reported as follows:
Operation one: Marines arrested the following individuals in the Villas del Roble [26.062604,-
98.386173], Las Haciendas [26.115408,-98.335576], and Chapultepec [26.053342,-98.283917]
neighborhoods of Reynosa:
Víctor JIMÉNEZ Ramos aka Marrano
Mario E. SEGURA Castillo
Jorge A. GÓMEZ Gómez
Ernesto VARGAS Bonilla aka Neto
Gabriela GÓMEZ Robles aka Gaby (pictured above left); an alleged accountant for the Gulf
Cartel
Along Mil Cumbres Avenue [midpoint 26.063838,-98.326693] in Reynosa, authorities detained the
following individuals after they were caught reporting on the activities of Marines:
Antonio ESTRADA
Juan LOZANO Vanegaz aka Bombón
Operation two: raids conducted in areas surrounding Reynosa led to the seizure of more than four metric
tons of marijuana. Of this quantity, 296 packages were recovered from the Arturo Flores village
[26.13633,-98.516464], while another 105 packages were recovered from the Argüelles village
[26.175198,-98.465889]. In both instances, the marijuana had been buried underground.
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Operation three: an armed man opened fired on marines in the Lindavista neighborhood [26.385027,-
99.034281] of Miguel Aleman. Arrested following this confrontation were seven suspects identified as:
Iván Antonio MEDELLÍN Díaz aka El Flaco
Luis Fernando MORALES López
Fredy Emilio CANO Carranza
Arturo DÍAZ Rodríguez
Armando ELÍAS García
Víctor ALVARADO Bolbito
Erick Omar GONZÁLEZ García
Operation four: Marines conducting operations in the San Germán neighborhood [26.399635,-
99.035654] of Miguel Aleman repelled an attack by alleged Gulf Cartel operators. During this attack, 10
suspects were killed while another 22 were arrested and subsequently identified as:
David Federico VIGIL
Jesús MATA Paz
Genaro HERRERA González
Genaro MARTÍNEZ Pérez
Melvin Josué VÁZQUEZ
José Alberto RÍOS Villanueva
Miguel Ángel PAZ Escalante
Alfredo ORTIZ Ríos
Jorge Rodolfo FÉLIX Ocaña
Juan Manuel DIMAS Acevedo
Fredy Yabani GONZÁLEZ Méndez
Osualo ZAVALA Vargas
Luis Slberto CHI Nic
Gerardo Daniel ÁVILA Ruiz
Israel PIEDRA Jiménez
Irvin Emanuel COMPAEN Guevara
Jorge Luis RUIZ Ovalle
Javier Alexis GAMEZ Silva
Milton Roberto NIÑO Méndez
José Manuel Matcher CHI Nic
César Salvador MARTÍNEZ Pimentel
Ricardo SALAZAR Pequeño (pictured above right); identified as the Gulf Cartel plaza leader in
Miguel Alemán
During the four operations combined, Marines seized the following items:
65 rifles
5 handguns
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780 magazines
3,000 rounds of belted ammunition
18,221 rounds of ammunition
2 anti-tank grenades
4 anti-personnel grenades
251 hand grenades
35 grenade launchers
10 grenade launcher tubes
Multiple improvised explosive devices
An RPG rocket launcher
324 RPG rounds
57 pixelated-camouflage uniforms
19 swords
47 VHF communications radios and 37 associated chargers
3 solar panels
20 ammunition vests
Spanish Source: http://www.semar.gob.mx/sitio_2/sala-prensa/comunicados-2011/1930-comunicado-de-
prensa-316-2011.html and http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/10/caen-36-integrantes-del-cartel-
del.html#more
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NUEVO LEON
Soldiers Seize Nearly One Metric Ton of Marijuana Following Confrontation with Gunmen near
Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon – 09 October 2011
On 09 October 2011 at around 1130
hours, soldiers were attacked by at
least 12 gunmen while searching a
residence located at El Rincón Ranch
near Sabinas Hidalgo [26.507447,-
100.179348], Nuevo Leon. During
the incident, four individuals were
killed to include three males and one
female. Those items seized from the now deceased individuals were reported as follows:
Nearly one metric ton of marijuana distributed (approximately 100 packages)
Multiple AR-15 assault rifles
An unreported quantity of magazines
An unreported quantity of ammunition
Radio communications equipment
Cell phones
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White Chrysler Town and Country minivan, in which the marijuana was seized from
Nissan Estaquitas
Nissan Sentra
Ford Lobo pickup
Dodge Ram pickup
Spanish Source: http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/10/abaten-sicarios-en-nuevo-leon.html#more
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ZACATECAS
Authorities Recover Bodies of Municipal Police Officers in Valparaiso, Zacatecas – 09 October
2011
During the early morning hours on 09 October 2011, authorities
recovered the charred bodies of nine Valparaiso municipal police
officers in the La Ameca community of [22.936895,-104.016495]
Valparaíso, Zacatecas. At this point, six of the nine officers have
been identified as:
Samuel Ochoa Padilla
Rogelio Ramírez Martínez
Pedro Oliveros Torres
José Refugio Alanís
Miguel Ángel Ramírez Fernández
Gerónimo Matilde Gutiérrez
Prior to the murders, the group of officers was providing security at a festival in La Ameca. While
returning to Valparaiso, they were intercepted and killed.
Spanish Source: http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/7bc7b5e3479926a2214b7202109355d6
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DURANGO
Soldiers Arrest Six Los Zetas Operators in Nuevo Ideal, Durango – 10 October 2011
Soldiers recently arrested six Los Zetas operators with
narcotics and weapons in Nuevo Ideal, Durango. Those items
seized from the now detained individuals were reported as
follows:
15 rifles
3 handguns
39 magazines
1,060 rounds of ammunition
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3 fragmentation grenades
31 packages of marijuana containing 13.5 kilograms
130 grams of opium gum
110 grams of cocaine
73 doses of crystal meth weighing 39 grams
Comment: The names of those individuals arrested were not reported in this article.
Spanish Source: http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=283758
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CHIHUAHUA Nine Murders Reported on 09 October 2011 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua – 09 October 2011
On 09 October 2011, at least nine murders linked to organized crime violence were reported in Ciudad
Juarez, Chihuahua. Details regarding some of these murders were reported as follows:
Murder one: three men between the ages of 35 and 40 were shot to death by a group of hitmen
while they were drinking outside a residence located at the intersection of 154 Soneto and Mesa
Central Street in the Fray Garcia de San Francisco neighborhood.
Murder two: at approximately 1500 hours, a couple was killed inside a room in La Fuente motel
located on Tecnologico Avenue and Vicente Guerrero Street.
Murder three: the dismembered remains of a male murder victim were found scattered in at least
12 different areas within neighborhoods to include: Mexico 68, 9 de Septiembre, and Oasis. One
of multiple narco messages left with some of the remains read as follows: “The clean-up has
begun. Sincerely, New Cartel of Juarez”.
Murder four: two individuals were killed on Ejido de la Casa and Privada Ojo de la Casa Streets
in the El Papalote neighborhood.
Murder five: a man who had been shot five times (with a 9mm weapon) died on Rincon de las
Nieves Street in the Felipe Angeles neighborhood.
Spanish Source: http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=283685
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CENTRAL AMERICA
Bulgarian National Arrested with Cocaine Pellets at the Juan Santamaria International Airport in
Costa Rica – 10 October 2011
PCD officers operating out of the Juan Santamaria International Airport arrested an unidentified
Bulgarian national after he confessed to having swallowed cocaine pellets. At the time of his arrest, the
man was preparing to board a flight destined to Madrid, Spain.
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Comment: The total weight of the expelled capsules was reported as being nearly 1 kilogram.
Spanish Source: http://www.prensalibre.cr/pl/suceso/51697-cae-bulgaro-con-un-kilo-de-cocaina-en-su-
estomago.html
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National Police Seize 315 Kilograms of Narcotics in Less than 24 Hours in Panama City, Panama –
11 October 2011
Between 09-10 October 2011, National Police seized 315 kilograms of narcotics during two separate
incidents in Panama City, Panama. Details regarding these incidents were reported as follows:
Incident one: At night on 09 October 2011, police seized 147 kilograms of marijuana following a short
pursuit with a Nissan SUV (with plates 372403) along Corredor Sur [9.033104,-79.441967] in Panama
City. The suspects were able to flee after abandoning the vehicle in the middle of the roadway.
Additional items seized from the interior of this vehicle included an AK-47 assault rifle, 28 rounds of
ammunition, and a camouflage uniform.
Incident two: On 10 October 2011, police seized 168 kilograms of cocaine from a double bottomed
compartment that had been built into a small school bus/minivan in the Carrasquilla region [8.986098,-
79.5243] of Panama City. The suspects driving this vehicle were able to flee after abandoning it along
Vía España [8.979867,-79.529128].
Spanish Source: http://www.critica.com.pa/hoy/sucesos-
interna.php?edition_id=20111011&external_link=narcos_no_logran_coronar_vueltas
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National Police Arrest Suspects with Safe Containing Over $(USD) 1 Million in Panama City,
Panama – 11 October 2011
At night on 09 October 2011, suspects traveling in a blue Nissan Sentra (plates 508300) attempted to
evade a police checkpoint that had been set up in Vista Hermosa. This act led to an operation during
which time four Panamanian nationals were arrested along Vía Transístmica [9.009347,-79.51827] in the
Pueblo Nuevo district of Panama City, Panama. Seized from the interior of this vehicle was a safe
containing approximately $(USD) 1.2 million and a .38 caliber revolver.
Spanish Source: http://www.critica.com.pa/hoy/sucesos-
interna.php?edition_id=20111011&external_link=llevaban_caja_fuerte_llena_de_dinero
CARIBBEAN DNCD Seizes 1,434 Kilograms of Cocaine during Two Operations in the Dominican Republic – 10
October 2011
Two operations conducted in Alma
Rosa II neighborhood of Santo
Domingo and at the Port of Caucedo
led to the seizure of 1,434 kilograms
of cocaine over the weekend in the
Dominican Republic. Details
regarding these operations were
reported as follows:
Operation one: On 01 October 2011, authorities seized 344.36 kilograms of cocaine that had been
hidden amongst a shipment of medical supplies at the Port of Caucedo (in shipping container
SUDU7522562). The shipment in question was delivered by a courier service, and had it not been seized,
would have been shipped to Bill of Loading Company in France. The shipping company responsible for
this container was identified as Migrotek Dominicana S.A.
Operation two: Authorities seized 1,098 kilograms of cocaine from a residence located on 4 Club de
Leones Street [18.487983,-69.855035] in the Alma Rosa II neighborhood of Santo Domingo Este.
Arrested in conjunction with this seizure was Modesto ARAUJO Paniagua. This same individual was
previously deported from the United States.
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Spanish Source: http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2011/10/8/97707/Buscan-en-Romana-y-SD-
duenos-coca
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Dutch National Arrested with 78 Cocaine Capsules at Las Americas International Airport,
Dominican Republic – 11 October 2011
Customs Agents recently arrested Edward GUNO Lodik, a Dutch national,
after discovering he had swallowed 78 cocaine capsules before arriving at the
Las Americas International Airport [18.429456,-69.66897] in the Dominican
Republic. Had this individual not been arrested, he would have boarded
Iberia flight 6500 to Madrid, Spain.
Spanish Source: http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2011/10/11/97967/Detienen-holandes-con-droga
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