http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070713-1257-bn13rescue2.html
2:57 p.m. July 13, 2007
U.S. Border Patrol photo
An alert Border Patrol agent kept a van full of suspected illegal immigrants from plunging over this embankment.
SAN DIEGO – A Border Patrol agent got behind the wheel of a driverless van carrying a dozen suspected illegal immigrants and kept it from plummeting off a 50-foot embankment early Thursday, the agency said.
A Mazda MVP minivan carrying 12 people was first spotted by agents shortly after midnight traveling west on Old Highway 80 near Kitchen Creek Road east of Buckman Springs. An Acura sedan carrying two people was driving near it, Border Patrol agent Richard Smith said.
The agents attempted to stop the Mazda but it sped off, turned around, and headed east on Old Highway 80.
Plainclothes agents in unmarked vehicles followed the van until it reached Miller Valley Road west of Boulevard. The driver bailed out, leaving the vehicle in gear and heading toward a rocky cliff.
The agency said the agent was able to get in the driver's seat and stop the van before it plummeted off the road. None of the passengers inside were wearing seat belts.
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All of the people in the van and the driver were arrested and are Mexican citizens. A second agent suffered multiple injuries to his knee and back as well as face lacerations and had to be hospitalized after he fell down the embankment as he tried to catch the driver.
Two U.S. citizens in the Acura, which was stopped without incident, were arrested on suspicion of illegal-immigrant smuggling.
“This is another prime example of how an illegal smuggling organization prioritizes profits over human safety,” Smith said.
Smith said it is a common practice for drivers attempting to smuggle illegal immigrants to bail out of a moving vehicle because they know the agents will attend to the endangered occupants first. That means they get a head start as they try to get away, he said.
Debbi Baker: (619) 293-1710; debbi.baker@uniontrib.com
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Smugglers Attempting Entry at Campo as This is Written J J
Just got off the phone at 9:05 PM, Mountain time, from talking to
Kingfish. Mexican Military has been south of position 151 all day...
much activity. A large motorhome (Mexican) has pulled up on the south
side of the fence in an area that is blind to the Border Patrol, but
not to Kingfish situated on a high peak, with a commanding view of
dozens of miles in all directions. This area where the motor home is
at is the same general area where two fatal shootings have occurred in
the last few days, on the Mexican side of the Border, as the Narco
gangs battle it out for possession of some of the most lucrative
smuggling trails in California. Roofer, Gadget Dan, Checkstan, are
located near the Oaks, Kingfish is on high point, and rumor has it
that Jim Chase is to be in the area shortly! Border Patrol is on a
very high alert status at the present time, due to the killings just on
the other side of the Border, and because of the presence of large
numbers of Mexican Military within a mile or so of the Border... more
as it becomes available...
J J
Kingfish. Mexican Military has been south of position 151 all day...
much activity. A large motorhome (Mexican) has pulled up on the south
side of the fence in an area that is blind to the Border Patrol, but
not to Kingfish situated on a high peak, with a commanding view of
dozens of miles in all directions. This area where the motor home is
at is the same general area where two fatal shootings have occurred in
the last few days, on the Mexican side of the Border, as the Narco
gangs battle it out for possession of some of the most lucrative
smuggling trails in California. Roofer, Gadget Dan, Checkstan, are
located near the Oaks, Kingfish is on high point, and rumor has it
that Jim Chase is to be in the area shortly! Border Patrol is on a
very high alert status at the present time, due to the killings just on
the other side of the Border, and because of the presence of large
numbers of Mexican Military within a mile or so of the Border... more
as it becomes available...
J J
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Penthouse, Blackwater and Shooting at the Border, Campo, CA
Penthouse Magazine visited the Campo Minutemen for several days, July 1 - 3, 2007. Campo Minutemen Allegheny showed him around the border.
A Campo Minutemen arrived at Cameron Corners Store about 7 :00 am July 4. At the story were three men an camouflage, riding in a civilian looking mini van, with US Government Plates.
July 4, a photojournalist from New York came out and spend the day with Kingfish. There was a attempted drug transfer, which resulted in a lot of law enforcement, activity including helicopters. The photojournalist was pleased, said it was the most "action" he has seen at the border.
July 2, 2007, at night Kingfish heard five rounds, fired very quickly, 9mm or less close to the fence on the south side. Border Patrol alerted the Mexican authorities.
We took a trip to Protrero to look the property Blackwater is considering. It is at the end of a narrow road, in the middle of ranch properties, which see very heavy traffic of illegals crossing.
The pictures show the road to the property and the property.
A Campo Minutemen arrived at Cameron Corners Store about 7 :00 am July 4. At the story were three men an camouflage, riding in a civilian looking mini van, with US Government Plates.
July 4, a photojournalist from New York came out and spend the day with Kingfish. There was a attempted drug transfer, which resulted in a lot of law enforcement, activity including helicopters. The photojournalist was pleased, said it was the most "action" he has seen at the border.
July 2, 2007, at night Kingfish heard five rounds, fired very quickly, 9mm or less close to the fence on the south side. Border Patrol alerted the Mexican authorities.
We took a trip to Protrero to look the property Blackwater is considering. It is at the end of a narrow road, in the middle of ranch properties, which see very heavy traffic of illegals crossing.
The pictures show the road to the property and the property.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Ocotillo training facility proposed Wind Zero
Ocotillo training facility proposed)
Source: UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
URL Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070703-9999-1m3wind.html
Published: Jul 3, 2007
Author: By Anne Krueger
A training camp for members of law enforcement and the military is being proposed in Imperial County that opponents say is disturbingly similar to a facility planned for the backcountry community of Potrero.
The companies behind both projects are led by former Navy SEALs, but their officials insist the similarities end there.
Wind Zero wants to build a 963-acre facility near Ocotillo, about 70 miles east of San Diego. The startup company has about 10 investors and is led by Brandon Webb, a San Diegan who said he left the Navy about a year and a half ago when he saw a need for more military training centers.
Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based company that wants to build a facility on 824 acres in Potrero, is a major defense contractor whose millionaire owner, Erik Prince, is a former Navy SEAL.
Jeanette Hartman, chairwoman of the Sierra Club's land-use committee, is among those who believe Blackwater is secretly pushing the Ocotillo plan in case the Potrero proposal is denied.
But a search of public records showed no link, and Hartman said she has not found any records to back up her claim.
Webb and Brian Bonfiglio, a Blackwater USA vice president, say Blackwater is not involved with Wind Zero or its proposal. Bonfiglio said the Ocotillo facility would be too far away to compete for business, but he'd prefer it not be built.
“There is no connection,” Bonfiglio said. “None at all.”
According to the state Secretary of State's Office, Wind Zero Ranges incorporated in August, with Webb listed as its registered agent. Its office is on Mission Gorge Road in the Grantville section of San Diego.
Blackwater's plans to build a training facility about 45 miles east of San Diego with shooting ranges, an armory and a defensive-driving track ignited protests when word of the project spread late last year.
Neighbors fear increased noise and traffic. Some also object to Blackwater's role as a contractor supplying private security guards – critics call them “mercenaries” – for the Iraq war.
Blackwater and other private security firms have come under scrutiny for their growing presence in war zones. More than 100,000 contractors are employed in Iraq, and their conduct is not covered by the code of military justice that governs soldiers.
Webb said the Wind Zero facility will not train private contractors. Its proximity to San Diego County will allow law enforcement and military members based in the county to train for the day then return home at night, he said.
He said Wind Zero's training center would have shooting ranges, a driving track, an RV park with about 150 spaces and a 100-room lodge. The facility would be open to members of the public, ranging from Boy Scouts to target shooters.
The company will soon close escrow on the desert property in Ocotillo and will submit its plans to the Imperial County planning department later this month, Webb said. Approval is expected to take about a year and a half.
Webb, 33, defended the project at a neighborhood meeting in Ocotillo on June 23. The meeting was videotaped and posted online by Raymond Lutz, an El Cajon resident who leads a citizens' oversight committee that opposes the Blackwater project.
In response to questions from the audience, Webb repeatedly denied any affiliation with Blackwater. Some residents expressed concern about having what they saw as a Blackwater-type operation in their community.
“I'm worried you will bring the mercenaries here if we approve,” one resident said.
Terry Weiner, a conservation coordinator for the Desert Protective Council, said she is also concerned.
“I wouldn't be willing to say that they're a Blackwater spin-off, but I would say that they're a Blackwater wannabe,” she said.
Blackwater's project is undergoing a county environmental review, a process expected to take about two years. The final decision rests with the county Board of Supervisors.
Anne Krueger: (619) 593-4962; anne.krueger@uniontrib.com
Blackwater:
http://www.cbs8.com/features/special_assignment/story.php?id=94023
Al Jazeera In Potrero Covering Blackwater Training
Last Updated: 06-20-07 at 7:11PM
Blackwater USA is trying to bring a training camp for its private security forces to Potrero, and now a crew from Al Jazeera's English-language TV station has shown up at the site.
Former American network news correspondent Rob Reynolds greeted a News 8 camera as he interviewed a Potrero resident for his new boss -- the 24-hour Al Jazeera English TV channel, which launched last fall. The Washington-based reporter was in town to do a story on the controversial proposed Blackwater military training project, which would be built on a vacant 800-acre chicken ranch.
Once the three-person unit spotted our camera while they chatted with Blackwater opponent Steve Kowit, they quickly moved out of sight. Minutes after packing up their SUV, they left town after spending just three hours in the area.
"They understood that you guys wanted them to be the news story," Kowit said.
Kowit, who says the Blackwater project promotes fire danger and is environmentally disruptive, felt the crew was fair.
"They asked me absolutely appropriate questions, they were professionals like you are, and I suspect nothing will be slanted," Kowit said.
Gordon Hammers is the chairman of the Potrero Community Planning Group. He says he spoke to the Al Jazeera crew about how Blackwater would help revitalize the local economy. In the back of his mind, however, he had lingering questions about the objective of their visit.
"What are you doing here in the first place," Hammers said. "This is a local land use issue. You really have no business putting this into international politics."
It was unclear when a story about Blackwater would air on Al Jazeera. The news crew refused to speak with News 8.
Erik Prince is a billionaire right-wing fundamentalist Christian from a powerful Michigan Republican family. His wealth came from his father, Edgar Prince, who headed Prince Automotive, an auto parts and machinery manufacturer.
A major Republican campaign contributor, he interned in the White House of President George H.W. Bush and campaigned for Pat Buchanan in 1992, finding time to intern for arch-conservative congressman Dana Rohrabacher as well. Prince founded the mercenary firm Blackwater USA in 1997 with Gary Jackson, another former Navy SEAL
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/
Blackwater USA is the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world.
Source: UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
URL Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070703-9999-1m3wind.html
Published: Jul 3, 2007
Author: By Anne Krueger
A training camp for members of law enforcement and the military is being proposed in Imperial County that opponents say is disturbingly similar to a facility planned for the backcountry community of Potrero.
The companies behind both projects are led by former Navy SEALs, but their officials insist the similarities end there.
Wind Zero wants to build a 963-acre facility near Ocotillo, about 70 miles east of San Diego. The startup company has about 10 investors and is led by Brandon Webb, a San Diegan who said he left the Navy about a year and a half ago when he saw a need for more military training centers.
Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based company that wants to build a facility on 824 acres in Potrero, is a major defense contractor whose millionaire owner, Erik Prince, is a former Navy SEAL.
Jeanette Hartman, chairwoman of the Sierra Club's land-use committee, is among those who believe Blackwater is secretly pushing the Ocotillo plan in case the Potrero proposal is denied.
But a search of public records showed no link, and Hartman said she has not found any records to back up her claim.
Webb and Brian Bonfiglio, a Blackwater USA vice president, say Blackwater is not involved with Wind Zero or its proposal. Bonfiglio said the Ocotillo facility would be too far away to compete for business, but he'd prefer it not be built.
“There is no connection,” Bonfiglio said. “None at all.”
According to the state Secretary of State's Office, Wind Zero Ranges incorporated in August, with Webb listed as its registered agent. Its office is on Mission Gorge Road in the Grantville section of San Diego.
Blackwater's plans to build a training facility about 45 miles east of San Diego with shooting ranges, an armory and a defensive-driving track ignited protests when word of the project spread late last year.
Neighbors fear increased noise and traffic. Some also object to Blackwater's role as a contractor supplying private security guards – critics call them “mercenaries” – for the Iraq war.
Blackwater and other private security firms have come under scrutiny for their growing presence in war zones. More than 100,000 contractors are employed in Iraq, and their conduct is not covered by the code of military justice that governs soldiers.
Webb said the Wind Zero facility will not train private contractors. Its proximity to San Diego County will allow law enforcement and military members based in the county to train for the day then return home at night, he said.
He said Wind Zero's training center would have shooting ranges, a driving track, an RV park with about 150 spaces and a 100-room lodge. The facility would be open to members of the public, ranging from Boy Scouts to target shooters.
The company will soon close escrow on the desert property in Ocotillo and will submit its plans to the Imperial County planning department later this month, Webb said. Approval is expected to take about a year and a half.
Webb, 33, defended the project at a neighborhood meeting in Ocotillo on June 23. The meeting was videotaped and posted online by Raymond Lutz, an El Cajon resident who leads a citizens' oversight committee that opposes the Blackwater project.
In response to questions from the audience, Webb repeatedly denied any affiliation with Blackwater. Some residents expressed concern about having what they saw as a Blackwater-type operation in their community.
“I'm worried you will bring the mercenaries here if we approve,” one resident said.
Terry Weiner, a conservation coordinator for the Desert Protective Council, said she is also concerned.
“I wouldn't be willing to say that they're a Blackwater spin-off, but I would say that they're a Blackwater wannabe,” she said.
Blackwater's project is undergoing a county environmental review, a process expected to take about two years. The final decision rests with the county Board of Supervisors.
Anne Krueger: (619) 593-4962; anne.krueger@uniontrib.com
Blackwater:
http://www.cbs8.com/features/special_assignment/story.php?id=94023
Al Jazeera In Potrero Covering Blackwater Training
Last Updated: 06-20-07 at 7:11PM
Blackwater USA is trying to bring a training camp for its private security forces to Potrero, and now a crew from Al Jazeera's English-language TV station has shown up at the site.
Former American network news correspondent Rob Reynolds greeted a News 8 camera as he interviewed a Potrero resident for his new boss -- the 24-hour Al Jazeera English TV channel, which launched last fall. The Washington-based reporter was in town to do a story on the controversial proposed Blackwater military training project, which would be built on a vacant 800-acre chicken ranch.
Once the three-person unit spotted our camera while they chatted with Blackwater opponent Steve Kowit, they quickly moved out of sight. Minutes after packing up their SUV, they left town after spending just three hours in the area.
"They understood that you guys wanted them to be the news story," Kowit said.
Kowit, who says the Blackwater project promotes fire danger and is environmentally disruptive, felt the crew was fair.
"They asked me absolutely appropriate questions, they were professionals like you are, and I suspect nothing will be slanted," Kowit said.
Gordon Hammers is the chairman of the Potrero Community Planning Group. He says he spoke to the Al Jazeera crew about how Blackwater would help revitalize the local economy. In the back of his mind, however, he had lingering questions about the objective of their visit.
"What are you doing here in the first place," Hammers said. "This is a local land use issue. You really have no business putting this into international politics."
It was unclear when a story about Blackwater would air on Al Jazeera. The news crew refused to speak with News 8.
Erik Prince is a billionaire right-wing fundamentalist Christian from a powerful Michigan Republican family. His wealth came from his father, Edgar Prince, who headed Prince Automotive, an auto parts and machinery manufacturer.
A major Republican campaign contributor, he interned in the White House of President George H.W. Bush and campaigned for Pat Buchanan in 1992, finding time to intern for arch-conservative congressman Dana Rohrabacher as well. Prince founded the mercenary firm Blackwater USA in 1997 with Gary Jackson, another former Navy SEAL
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/
Blackwater USA is the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Blackwater Coming to Potrero, a tiny rural town east of San Diego.
The private security firm Blackwater USA is planning to build a new military training center on an 800-acre ranch near Potrero, a tiny rural town east of San Diego.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=12916§ionid=3510304
It recently opened a new facility in Illinois ("Blackwater North") and is fighting local opposition to a third planned domestic facility near San Diego ("Blackwater West") by the Mexican border. It is also manufacturing an armored vehicle (nicknamed the "Grizzly") and surveillance blimps.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=12916§ionid=3510304
It recently opened a new facility in Illinois ("Blackwater North") and is fighting local opposition to a third planned domestic facility near San Diego ("Blackwater West") by the Mexican border. It is also manufacturing an armored vehicle (nicknamed the "Grizzly") and surveillance blimps.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Mexican Drug Cartels Activity Possibly Moving North Of Border
http://www.10news.com/news/13600766/detail.html
SAN DIEGO -- A June 8 kidnapping in Chula Vista is raising fears that brazen crimes related to drug cartels south of the border are making their way north. Federal authorities rescued the victim earlier this month and took five people into custody, but are being especially closed-mouth about the crime because of its possible connection to drug traffickers, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The house where the man was held for eight days is about a mile from where Mexican-drug-trafficking suspects shot at a Chula Vista police officer in 2005 and about 3 miles from where a body was found dumped that same year, also suspected to be the work of Mexican drug groups.
Federal agents say investigators have been tracking a series of unusual crimes around the South Bay in which the primary suspects are former members of the Tijuana-based Arellano FTlix cartel. The renegade group, apparently seeking vengeance, has been kidnapping and killing suspected Arellano members north of the border in recent years, sources told The Union-Tribune.
Relatives of the 32-year-old man kidnapped June 8 paid $200,000 in ransom, and FBI agents rescued him June 16, the newspaper reported. Growing numbers of wealthy Baja California residents, including some of the gated community where the kidnapped man was held, are living north of the border for safety reasons, the Union-Tribune reported.
Some who live in San Diego County are business owners who have been kidnapped in Mexico because they have money. Others are involved in drug trafficking, the newspaper reported
SAN DIEGO -- A June 8 kidnapping in Chula Vista is raising fears that brazen crimes related to drug cartels south of the border are making their way north. Federal authorities rescued the victim earlier this month and took five people into custody, but are being especially closed-mouth about the crime because of its possible connection to drug traffickers, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The house where the man was held for eight days is about a mile from where Mexican-drug-trafficking suspects shot at a Chula Vista police officer in 2005 and about 3 miles from where a body was found dumped that same year, also suspected to be the work of Mexican drug groups.
Federal agents say investigators have been tracking a series of unusual crimes around the South Bay in which the primary suspects are former members of the Tijuana-based Arellano FTlix cartel. The renegade group, apparently seeking vengeance, has been kidnapping and killing suspected Arellano members north of the border in recent years, sources told The Union-Tribune.
Relatives of the 32-year-old man kidnapped June 8 paid $200,000 in ransom, and FBI agents rescued him June 16, the newspaper reported. Growing numbers of wealthy Baja California residents, including some of the gated community where the kidnapped man was held, are living north of the border for safety reasons, the Union-Tribune reported.
Some who live in San Diego County are business owners who have been kidnapped in Mexico because they have money. Others are involved in drug trafficking, the newspaper reported
Monday, June 25, 2007
Semitrailer was hauling 70 illegally
This vehicle has been spotted and reported by the Campo Minutemen numerous times.
Semitrailer was hauling 70 illegally
By Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 24, 2007
A truck driver was arrested Friday after U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered he'd hauled 70 undocumented migrants across the border in a semitrailer specially designed for human smuggling, authorities said.
The trailer was equipped with a large freezer chest, cool soda and bottled water, fans and a trapdoor in the floor to discreetly load and unload drugs or people, the Border Patrol said.
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“This is one of the most sophisticated I've seen,” Border Patrol agent Gabriel Guerrero said. “It was obviously equipped for a long trip.”
Agents received an anonymous call at 4:30 p.m. reporting a large group of people being loaded into a semitrailer in a trucking lot in Tecate near the port of entry.
The caller provided a detailed description of the red-and-white truck, down to the numbers on its side.
About two hours later, agents spotted a tractor-trailer matching the description trying to cross the Border Patrol checkpoint on state Route 94 near Dulzura.
The driver appeared nervous and was sent to a secondary inspection area, where he allowed agents to search his trailer, the Border Patrol said.
“At first, all you can see is a big wall of shredded cardboard haystacks,” Guerrero said.
Agents brushed the cardboard aside and uncovered 70 men and women hunched behind the wall.
The travel accommodations were much more comfortable than others that border inspectors have encountered in recent years. People have been smuggled in everything from piñatas and washing machines to gas tanks and hollowed-out car seats, border inspectors have reported.
In 2003, 19 immigrants died while being transported in a sealed tractor-trailer in Victoria, Texas. The trailer was not equipped with ventilation or a trapdoor, causing more than 74 people inside to swelter in deadly temperatures and claw at the insulation, gasping for air.
But Guerrero said even riding in the upgraded trailer can be perilous.
“Granted, it's more accommodating than six people being put into the trunk of a Civic, but it's still very dangerous,” Guerrero said. “On the 94, the road is very winding, and it is by no means a safe trip.”
It is unclear where the group was headed.
The undocumented migrants were taken into custody and processed at a nearby station.
The driver, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of alien smuggling.
Authorities say it is common for migrants to cross the Mexican border in small groups and gather at a safe house on the U.S. side, where they join others for the trip to Los Angeles or Northern California.
Kristina Davis: (760) 476-8233; kristina.davis@uniontrib.com
Semitrailer was hauling 70 illegally
By Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 24, 2007
A truck driver was arrested Friday after U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered he'd hauled 70 undocumented migrants across the border in a semitrailer specially designed for human smuggling, authorities said.
The trailer was equipped with a large freezer chest, cool soda and bottled water, fans and a trapdoor in the floor to discreetly load and unload drugs or people, the Border Patrol said.
Advertisement
Click Me!
“This is one of the most sophisticated I've seen,” Border Patrol agent Gabriel Guerrero said. “It was obviously equipped for a long trip.”
Agents received an anonymous call at 4:30 p.m. reporting a large group of people being loaded into a semitrailer in a trucking lot in Tecate near the port of entry.
The caller provided a detailed description of the red-and-white truck, down to the numbers on its side.
About two hours later, agents spotted a tractor-trailer matching the description trying to cross the Border Patrol checkpoint on state Route 94 near Dulzura.
The driver appeared nervous and was sent to a secondary inspection area, where he allowed agents to search his trailer, the Border Patrol said.
“At first, all you can see is a big wall of shredded cardboard haystacks,” Guerrero said.
Agents brushed the cardboard aside and uncovered 70 men and women hunched behind the wall.
The travel accommodations were much more comfortable than others that border inspectors have encountered in recent years. People have been smuggled in everything from piñatas and washing machines to gas tanks and hollowed-out car seats, border inspectors have reported.
In 2003, 19 immigrants died while being transported in a sealed tractor-trailer in Victoria, Texas. The trailer was not equipped with ventilation or a trapdoor, causing more than 74 people inside to swelter in deadly temperatures and claw at the insulation, gasping for air.
But Guerrero said even riding in the upgraded trailer can be perilous.
“Granted, it's more accommodating than six people being put into the trunk of a Civic, but it's still very dangerous,” Guerrero said. “On the 94, the road is very winding, and it is by no means a safe trip.”
It is unclear where the group was headed.
The undocumented migrants were taken into custody and processed at a nearby station.
The driver, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of alien smuggling.
Authorities say it is common for migrants to cross the Mexican border in small groups and gather at a safe house on the U.S. side, where they join others for the trip to Los Angeles or Northern California.
Kristina Davis: (760) 476-8233; kristina.davis@uniontrib.com
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