A violent pre-dawn in Tijuana, at least 15 dead

A violent pre-dawn in Tijuana, at least 15 dead

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
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Foreign News Report

A violent pre-dawn in Tijuana


Frontera (Tijuana, Baja Calif.), El Financiero (Mexico City) & others 4/26/08

Around three a.m. today (Sat.) in Tijuana, two rival criminal groups began an armed confrontation which escalated, moved to other points of the city, then engaged police action and resulted in "at least" fifteen dead, six wounded and six others arrested. Each confrontation left either dead bodies on the street or in vehicles. One gang of thugs took a number of their wounded to a private clinic where they forced doctors to look after them. Police arrived, another confrontation took place and two more died. Hundreds of spent bullet casings, bullet proof vests and bullet riddled vehicles marked the various scenes. The "Municipal Secretary of Government" today asked Tijuana citizens to remain calm and not to leave their homes unless necessary. City police are on maximum alert.

Heads have begun to roll in Baja California's Att'y. Gen's. office after General Sergio Alponte, commander of Mexico's Military Region II, wrote a response letter to the state's Att'y. Gen. and to the press in which he named names and denounced corruption., (Our report of 4/24/08 relates) The state Att'y. Gen. has now asked two of his staff to resign: his own deputy A.G. as well as the head of the anti-kidnapping section; he has also ordered the dismissal of his own consultant.

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Milenio (Mexico City), El Porvenir (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon) 4/26/08

General Miguel Hidalgo, head of the Anti-Drug section of Peru's National Police, said that they are investigating the presence in Peru of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, including their activities in money laundering and investments in coca plantations and in the manufacture of cocaine. Four tons of cocaine were seized at Lima's airport last year and there are 66 Mexicans in Peruvian jails for drug violations.

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a.m. (Leon, Guanajuato) 4/26/08

In Venustiano Carranza, Michoacan, another car-to-car gun fire assault in broad daylight resulted in the death of one man but also in that of his four year old daughter who was riding with him. The man's wife survived.

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El Diario de Yucatan (Merida, Yucatan) 4/26/08

1. The state congress of Chihuahua issued a report criticizing the "irresponsible" travel alert by the U.S. Ambassador in Mexico which warned about not visiting the border area of this state. They said most of the problem is caused by drug traffickers who fight each other for control of the area to smuggle drugs into the United States, "the world's largest consumer." They also pointed out that the U.S. has not made advances in controlling the use of illicit drugs and that the U.S. is the point of origin of the firearms which drug traffickers use to kill Mexicans. They added that travel alerts and the border fence are contrary to "international right" and good relations between neighbor countries and "for that reason they are asking the "SRE" ( Mex. Dep't. of State) to deactivate the alert through diplomatic channels."

2. A report of a burglary sent "Preventive State Police" to some houses in Campeche, state of Campeche. (note: this is on the western shore of the Yucatan Peninsula) The officers were met with gunfire and a shootout ensued, but some six thugs managed to escape. Two "Zetas", one of them a Honduran, were arrested. A search of the houses revealed 4,000 rounds of ammo for AR15 rifles, 2 shotguns, 12 AR15 rifles, 12 bullet proof vests, 8 fragmentation grenades, a machine for counting paper money, 8 kgs. of cocaine and a scale.

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El Debate (Culiacan, Sinaloa) 4/26/08

Jose Luis Soberanes, head of Mexico's Human Rights Commission, said at a conference at the Univ. of Sinaloa that discrimination, poverty and low salaries are the causes which make Mexico the country with the largest emigration in Latin America, adding that Mexico is also a transit country since, between 2004 and 2006, 650,000 illegal Central Americans were arrested and had to be deported. He added that among Latin American countries Mexico is at the forefront of emigration with more than ten million, then follow Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Peru with a million each. "The number grows each year because the migration flow from Mexico to the United States is more than 400,000 persons."

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El Diario de Coahuila (Saltillo, Coah.) 4/26/08

The body of a female physician who had disappeared in February was found west of Torreon. Her throat had been slit. Her car was also stolen. And the body of a taxi driver was found in a condo also in Torreon; he'd been tied up and strangled.

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El Imparcial (Hermosillo, Sonora) 4/26/08

Last Wednesday after 10 p.m. a security camera just east of a border port of entry in Nogales revealed men carrying sacks towards a house from which a vehicle then departed and then traveled immediately along to the border; when Border Patrol Agents attempted to stop it, the driver fled into Mexico. Shots were then fired at the agents from the Mexican side but Mexican police were unable to find the shooter(s). The abandoned vehicle was found to have 71 kilos, 732 grams of weed.

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El Pulso (San Luis Potosi, SLP) 4/26/08

The public security structure of this state has been severely destabilized after the kidnapping and execution of Rual (sic) Santamaria Casas, the deputy director for investigations of the state's A.G.'s office. He was found dumped along a highway, "taped" and with a coup de grace shot to his head. The result has been that Mex. military and federal agents sealed the area with highway control points and have disarmed every "Ministerial Police" officer and arrested the area head of that agency and four of its supervisors.

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El Diario (Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, ed.) 4/26/08

In Juarez, Ricardo Arteaga, 23, went to answer a knock at his door. When he did so, he was shot some eleven times. Arteaga was described as a drug retailer. This brings Juarez' execution tally up to 14 in seven days and to 245 for the year.

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Norte (Ciudad Juarez, Chih.) 4/26/08

The month of March ended with 1,178 (one thousand one hundred seventy-eight) vehicle thefts in Juarez.

Public insecurity is "deteriorating Juarez' image among national and foreign tourists" and hotel managers complain that even though they show pictures and even videos of thieves there are no resulting investigations or arrests by police. Hotel occupancy is down to 30 to 40 % and there have been no conventions during the first trimester of the year. Ninety Juarez police officers have resigned in the last three days.

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- end of report
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Fourteen killed in Mexico drug battle on U.S. border

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:54am EDT

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Fourteen Mexican drug gang members were killed and eight others were injured in a gun battle near the U.S. border on Saturday, one of the bloodiest shootouts in Mexico's three-year-long narco-war.

Rival factions of the local Arellano Felix drug cartel in Tijuana on the Mexico-California border fought each other with rifles and machine guns in the early hours of the morning, police said.

The bodies lay in pools of blood, strewn along a road on the city's eastern limits, surrounded by hundreds of bullet casings. Many of the victims' faces were destroyed.

"By the way this happened and the guns used, we believe the men are from the same cartel, the Arellano Felix gang," said a senior police officer in Tijuana who declined to be named.

Two men were arrested but the remaining survivors escaped, the officer said.

The Arellano Felix gang was long the dominant drug-trafficking organization in Tijuana, smuggling drugs into California. Recently the group has been under attack from a rival gang from the Pacific state of Sinaloa, led by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

Some 190 people have been killed in Tijuana so far this year, as the military steps in to try to quell the violence.

President Felipe Calderon has been locked in a war with the drug cartels since taking office in December 2006, sending some 25,000 soldiers and federal police to fight cartels in drug hot spots across Mexico.

Last year, there were more than 2,500 drug killings and there have been more than 900 this year.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Bill Trott)

Arellano Felix Compound Across the Border From The Campo Minutemen

Report From Gaget Dan

*Save The Date - Next Highway Clean UP will be Saturday May 17, 2008*

I just reported to Wilma, (SDMM) by email what Lightningrod and I did
yesterday(4-24-08) near I-8 & E.Willow Rd. We had planned a litter
removal project approximately 1/2 mile East of E.Willow Rd. & I-8.

We were on our way by foot to the location when we spotted a suspected illegal
alien walking Westbound on a canyon trail approximately 20 feet below our
position. We reported the individual to the Campo Border Patrol around
10:05 AM. We made update phone calls every 10 to 15 minutes thereafter.

approximately one hour after our first phone call, we made the last reported
position when he crossed the freeway (North) into an old trailer park.
We lost sight of him after that. Then, we reported another suspected
illegal alien walking Eastbound along Alpine Blvd. We made updated
reports on him as he walked onto I-8 Eastbound.

We watched and made reports on him for approximately 1 1/2 mile. We had to break off the watch
(11:40AM) due to a planned lunch at the Campo senior center. All
total, we watched and reported for 1 1/12hrs. We did not see any
Border Patrol Agents prior to leaving for lunch. We have no idea if
they had a Border Patrol Agent to send or not. Dan PS - This is in Rep. Duncan
Hunter District.

Campo Minutewomen at their posts

These Campo Minutewomen man their posts alone.

Report from Dana from Colorado Part 2

Finishing my 'Minutemen in California' account ....

While I stayed in Czechstan's camp, I lunched at the Campo Senior Center each noon to get a $2.50 meal. The food was OK except for the day they served quiche.




On the way to lunch one has to pass the Campo Border Patrol Station. Each sector has 'cages' or detention areas where illegals are processed. I talked with one BP agent who said on the previous night that the Tecate Sector had 2 full cages and had to keep the overflow in three trucks (with cages). This is a busy area even when you consider they only catch 25-30% of border crossers.



Dan 'Gadget' of the Campo Minutemen combines a desire to clean up litter with a strong belief in securing the border. While he has patrolled, he has his own methods of hindering illegals. Gadget lives in San Diego and drives to Campo sometimes six times a week. He always cleans up the same two I-8 freeway exits and a rest area that are often relay points by human smugglers for illegals that have made the 15 miles trek from the border. Gadget films and reports suspicious activity, and then scouts for evidence of left by illegals while picking up trash.



A trail near an I-8 exit with three discarded booties




By the time Gadget reaches the line at Campo, he may have already reported some illegals. Now he begins cleaning up litter, repairing fences, filling holes dug under the wall, and looking for sign of crossings.





Gadget has filled and stuck rebar in this former hole under the wall. His car carries a hardware store's supply of fence-mending tools and materials. Gadget also beat the RMM by getting a Campo Minutemen adopt-a-highway sign 8 months before us.



I decided to go see the 'Ballard' double fence in San Ysidro below San Diego. This fence is also called the 'Hunter' fence after Rep Duncan Hunter who fought in Congress to have it built. Gadget agreed to meet me in San Ysidro and to call Ken Lester of the Independent Minutemen to see if Ken could give me a tour.



At this point, I need to make a correction. I stated in my last email that the San Diego Minutemen patrolled the border near San Diego. This is incorrect. Other than special events like Light up the Line, the SDMM do mostly political action and demonstrations. It is Ken Lester, Stew Reeves and other Independent Minutemen that guard the border near San Diego.



As Ken Lester had been up all night on border watch, I did not meet him. Gadget instead gave me the tour of the double fence in San Diego.




The Ballard fence consists of round, spaced concrete pilings with mesh on top. Note the cleared land being prepared to extend the fence westward toward the ocean. This extension will use the new fence design of mesh screening that I discussed being built in New Mexico. Tijuana, Mexico is on the rise above the original metal panel wall.



The infamous Smugglers Gulch. This is the location that Secretary Chertoff claimed that after two years of study the Army Corps of Engineers could still not come up with a satisfactory plan to build an additional fence. How about just north of old one?



When Gadget and I returned to Campo, I drove east to spend the afternoon with the head of the Campo Minutemen, Britt (kingfish) Craig. Britt maintains a post a couple of miles east of Czechstan. This highpoint commands a vast area on both sides of the border and includes heavily traveled Smith Canyon. Britt lives in Orange County but normally mans this post six days a week.



Britt Craig, aka 'Kingfish', head of the Campo Minutemen



The Campo Minutemen includes daily commuters like Gadget, non-residents like Kingfish, as well as locals like G-Man. G-Man's property is rigged so that few trespassers cross without being reported to the Border Patrol.



The Minutemen Civil Defense Corps of California's Camp Vigilance was my last stop. It is located on a fenced, six acre leased property that has a historic Stagecoach Station as its central headquarters. I arrived in the afternoon with plans to leave for Colorado in the morning.



Camp Vigilance Boulevard, California



Camp vigilance is maintained by Ken Dreger of the Border Patrol Alliance, a group concerned with border security. They partner with Bob Rodel of the MCDC of California to host border watch operations.



For those desiring a more structured border watch with full camping accommodations, Camp Vigilance is the place to be. This includes RV hook-ups ($25/day), parking/tent areas ($10/day), and even a bunkhouse and showers. Community meals are often prepared ($7). There is a central recreation/meeting room and internet access. A trailer serves as command center for border operations.



To remain in Camp Vigilance one must already be a MCDC member, or apply for membership ($50) and go through a vetting process.



Being a 2 year member and having participated in border operations in Three Points and Naco, AZ, I was included in the evening 7-11 pm watch. This night operation was confined to the existing property, though MCDC has permission to conduct operations on another 160 acres of nearby property owners.



My watch was equipped with technological gear I had previously not experienced. A thermal imaging camera was mounted on a ten foot pole in the bed of pickup. A screen monitor and movement control was available inside the cab. We also had a handy night infrared scope at our disposal. We did not spot any illegal traffic. A few days before 20 illegals were spotted on a nearby road.



I left Camp Vigilance early the next morning for Colorado. Halfway down the bolder-covered mountains on Interstate-8 between Jacumba and Ocotillo, I drove by six 'suspected' illegals walking alongside the road. I continued down to the first exit where I found a Border Patrol parked. I reported them. The agent thanked me and said he would check them out. I parked nearby for a breakfast snack. Within a few minutes, two BP cars and a plane headed up the mountains. Chalk up one for the A-Team!



I made it to a roadside pullout about 25 miles south of Cortez. In the morning, I made coffee and took in my surroundings. Looking south as the sun snuck over the eastern horizon, I silently prayed that God Bless America and our mission.



Silhouetted on the horizon is Shiprock on the Navajo Reservation, New Mexico. This lone mountain was so named because of its resemblance to a yesteryear sailing vessel.

Two dead, 6 injured when car hits tree in Campo

Two dead, 6 injured when car hits tree in Campo

EAST COUNTY – Two people died and six others were injured when a driver believed to be smuggling undocumented Mexicans lost control of his car and slammed into an oak tree in Campo Thursday, authorities said.


The driver, Louis Alonzo Moreno, 20, of Chula Vista, faces charges of manslaughter and smuggling, California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings said.

Pennings said six men and one woman were in the car with Moreno. Two of the passengers were in the trunk.

The crash occurred about 6:10 p.m. as Moreno drove a Suzuki Esteem compact car west on state Route 94 “at an extremely high speed,” Pennings said. He said the car was not being pursued by law officers.

The driver lost control of the car on a curve about three miles west of Forrest Gate Road. The Esteem slid sideways into a large oak tree. A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s, in the back seat, were killed. Moreno and three passengers were critically injured, while two other passengers suffered moderate injuries.

Three medical helicopters and an ambulance took the victims to various hospitals. The road remained closed for more than three hours.

Report from Dana from Colorado

This second report on my border trip will describe the complex situation on the California border. I have many pictures but only can include a few to give you the general feel for things. Maybe sometime I will give a slideshow at a general meeting.

Background: The California border from Jacumba to San Diego is the major route used by the Arellano-Felix cartel to flood America with illicit drugs. Human trafficking is often in the form of coyotes giving illegals 'discounts' if they will transport drugs on their journey. In spite of Minutemen 24/7, 365 vigilance, this sector of our border remains a threat to the well being of America. If there was ever a place for secure fence, this is it.



There are 4 Minutemen groups that operate in the Campo/Tecate border sectors. The Tecate Sector is mainly patrolled by the Mountain MinuteMen lead by Robert Crooks (lildog). To the East in the Campo Sector is the camp of 'Czeckstan' who calls himself the California Mountain Minuteman Project. We then have the locale of the Campo Minutemen headed by Britt Craig (kingfish). Set back 2-3 miles from the Campo line in nearby Boulevard is found Camp Vigilance manned by MCDC of California.



The San Diego border 60 miles to the West is patrolled by Jeff Schwilk's San Diego Minutemen.

The variety of Minutemen groups, activities and methods is nothing short of befuddling to the casual observer. As is natural to all human endeavors, there is both cooperation and sometimes animosity between groups. While groups generally have a full-time presence in their perspective locations, understandably, most rely upon 'weekend warriors' or 'come when I can' volunteers from Southern California and elsewhere. If you are considering a California border trip, I would strongly suggest that you talk with me so I can explain the nuances of groups operating in this area.



(Disregard the incorrect dates on some pictures. I sometimes forget to set the date)

Minutemen have names for many locations along the border. Immediately below is Couch Wash where, believe it or not, illegals had placed an old couch on the Mexican side so as to be comfortable waiting to cross the border. The gap in the metal panel fence in the center of the picture is called 'Tank Trap'. In the immediate foreground are new vehicle barriers. The mountain in the upper right is called Hill 241. While receiving my tour from lildog, two illegals were spotted brazenly crossing Hill 241 in daylight. In the upper left is a dirt road going south out of the picture. I did an afternoon-dark watch and reported three illegals walking among the boulders above this road. They saw me and sat down. They were likely 'spotters' or scouts for a drug smuggling run that evening. We reported their suspicious presence to the Border patrol.

Typical trash left by passing illegals: water containers, backpacks, clothes and 'booties'. The two red objects and the darker one to their left are bootie scarves used to wrap around shoes to make tracking more difficult.




The US border is three/fourths of the way inside this RR tunnel. It is a popular crossing point.





I was a day late for a Light up the Line event held by Minutemen along the California border. I was told that there were up to a hundred cars lined up facing Mexico here, all turning on their car lights after dark to send a message. Minutemen from many groups and locales attended. The San Diego Minutemen had 17 cars lined up along the San Diego border. Symbolic, yes, but they damned well know there are still patriots left in this country. This spot on 'Grassy Knoll' was the muster location.




It was a warm S. California day by the time I drove over to Czechstan's location among a stand of Cottonwoods. There are no conveniences here but Stanley's hospitality made up for it. Czechstan emigrated from Czechoslovakia and is already fighting for his new country.





I was lucky enough to stay in a vacant donated blue camper. The ladder was for repairing a leaky roof.




It was not difficult for Czechstan to show me areas of vulnerability in the wall. Minutemen have filled gaps with barbed wire but it is a mere inconvenience to border crossers.


Speaking of fences, this represents a misguided effort to stop the flow of illegals. Someone created a website and solicited funds to build a fence. While intentions were good, you can see the results. It slowed down crossers long enough for them to knock it over and continue inland. Let this be a reminder to only give contributions to known, reliable organizations.



I am going to end this email because of its length and bandwidth. I will send out a California Part 2 with a discussion of the Campo Minutemen, my jaunt to the wall in San Diego, 'Gadget' Dan, MCDC Camp Vigilance, and other stuff.

Update from G MAN

"Last night we got 2 more and today while hiking in a hot area I spotted 8 and stayed with them until the Border Patrol arrived. - 173 total To date this year.


G Man is a true unsung hero of the border, shunning publicity, just faithfully doing the job our government won't do.

Pics of Illegals waiting to be deported - maybe some of the ones spotted by G MAN!

Highway Clean up 4/12/08

Broken Fence at Buckman Springs Road



Recently Dropped Water Bottle



Found on A Trail



Border Bootie

Spot off Buckman Springs where illegal border crossers wait. There is a coffee can ash tray at the bottom of the picture.




Finds of the Day

Rocks Attack on Border Patrol - Report from JJ

Just talked to Big Bob on the Campo/Tecate Line. He was manning the point known as the "donut hole." He said that last night two B.P. Units came under heavy rock attack near position 241. The agents were forced to "open up" with their .223 Rifles to suppress the rock throwers. " After totally spraying the side of the mountain with gunfire in the direction the rocks were coming from, no further rocks were thrown," Big Bob said.

(personal comment deleted)

JJ

Report from G - Man - 163 to Date

"I spotted another group of 11 two days ago at 4:45 am Border Patrol picked up 10 of the 11 that makes 163 picked up year to date.

The only problem is 3x that made it through in my little area alone."

Campo Minutemen Light Up the Border Report From Minutewoman 1

LIGHT UP THE BORDER
April 4 - April 11
Campo, CA




Minutemen assembled along the Campo, CA border fence



AT THE BORDER FENCE
The goal is to light up the border fence - vehicle headlights, etc - to deter border crossers and send the message to the Mexican government to stop the illegal border crossings.



Just a few feet from the Campo, CA border fence, above truck driven by a Minuteman, shining enormous spotlight at the fence.
MMP National Rally Spokesman Raymond Herrera and "Gadget" Dan of Campo Minuteman stop to chat with the driver.



Herrera and Dan, above, at a three-car-light-up-the-border team - parked with headlights aimed at the border fence.



Saturday night, April 5, there were about 30 vehicles, along a 3 mile stretch of the Campo, CA border fence.



To the west, beyond the stationed vehicles, a group of border crossers entered the U.S. at about 11pm, and were spotted 100 yards inside the U.S.




Border Patrol agents were summoned.




2:00am, A Minuteman patrols the fence in his vehicle - spotlight on the border fence, at right in photo



At about midnight, half a mile east of our site, near post 139, a team of ladies - headlights aimed at the fence, reported activity. Gadget Dan paid the ladies a visit. Apparently, would-be border crossers popped their heads up above the fence, but did not venture forth.



Lights on the border fence served as a deterrent to border crossers - as only one group was recorded as crossing - to the west of the "lights" - on the night of April 5th.



BORDER CHECK POINT

The next day, driving home, after the border watch, Minutemen approached the Border Patrol checkpoint, on 8 East, near Campo. There appeared to be a lost illegal alien, alone, and walking alongside the freeway, a few miles from the border patrol checkpoint. He wore multiple layers of clothing and appeared disoriented.



When we arrived at the border check point on 8 East, we reported the man to agents and they said they would follow up.




At the checkpoint, there was a man whose SUV was being inspected by three border patrol agents, which also included one sniffing dog, in the hands of the border patrol agent at the left in the photo.



Close-up of the man whose vehicle was being searched by three border patrol agents.




If you would like more information on the Light Up The Border, contact Gadget Dan of the Campo Minutemen.

http://www.campominutemen.com/

Minutemen Meet With Local Elected Officials

Minuteman with Lupe Moreno of Latinos for Immigration Reform and Congressman Ed Royce, as they discuss Ramos and Compean.




Campo Minuteman Discusses the Success of the Orange, CA Day Labor Ordinance with the Mayor of Orange

Article:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/day-laborers-city-2011287-deberry-ordinance

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