Man Kidnapped in Laredo, Texas & Driven to Mexico Had Stolen $50,000 from Cartel Del Noreste
https://www.mysanantonio.com/local/article/fbi-man-kidnapped-south-laredo-taken-nuevo-17872991.php
Excerpt:
Erik Tadeo Ramirez “bragged” about stealing $50,000 from the Cartel Del Noreste and was kidnapped in Laredo and taken into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, states an arrest affidavit filed in federal court.
FBI agents arrested Jonathan Cavriales on the charge of the kidnapping. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Erik Tadeo Ramirez remains unknown, authorities said.
Ramirez was at a party at a residence on the 3400 block of Queretaro Loop in Las Americas neighborhood in south Laredo, Texas. “Witnesses stated that Ramirez also bragged that Ramirez stole approximately $50,000 from the Cartel Del Noreste,” states the affidavit.
Witnesses overheard Ramirez telling a female on the phone that he was in Laredo and was not in danger or afraid of her because he was in the United States, the affidavit states. Ramirez gave the female his location on Queretaro.
12:45 AM CST March 24
A blue four-door Dodge Ram truck arrived at the location on Queretaro. Two to three masked men armed with firearms exited the vehicle and assaulted Ramirez. Then, at gunpoint, they forced Ramirez into the truck, authorities said.
1:09AM CST
The Ram truck then crossed into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. Authorities determined that the vehicle was registered to Jonathan Cavriales’ mother out of the 200 block of Palo de Rosa Loop by the Laredo Ranchettes area, the affidavit states.
A video recording showed a male with blood on his face opening the front passenger door of the truck while the vehicle was in motion. The male was attempting to exit the truck but was pulled back inside, states the affidavit.
They then bypassed the bridge attendant and drove straight into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, according to court documents.
.....1:30AM CST March 25
FBI special agents and task force officers conducted a knock and talk at the residence on Queretaro. Authorities verified via a mobile app that had last pinged him at the 3400 block of Queretaro during that evening and night of March 23. Two individuals stated they witnessed Ramirez being kidnapped by two to three armed individuals.
The description was given on the blue Ram truck, authorities said.
2:15AM CST March 27
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Jonathan Cavriales when he crossed into Laredo via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.
In a post-arrest interview, Cavriales stated he drove the Ram truck into Mexico in the early morning of March 24 with a kidnapped victim, who was identified as Ramirez. Cavriales added that three other people also took part in the kidnapping, according to court documents.
“Cavriales stated that he was aware that the victim had stolen approximately $50,000 from (the) Cartel Del Noreste,” states the affidavit. Cavriales went before US Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga who denied him bond on the charge of kidnapping.
Ramirez was still listed as missing, according to police.
Cavriales is set to appear in court again on April 4 for a pretrial hearing and material witness detention hearings.
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Brazenly kidnapping someone in Texas and taking them to Mexico. How many of the missing in South Texas have met similar fates? Thanks to FJB cartels have no fear and with Mexico’s AMLO dictating a policy of hugs not bullets they can act with impunity because they are a de facto part of the Mexican government.
FBI Bought Spyware from Israeli Hi-Tech Blacklisted by Biden
Excerpt:
The Israeli cyber intelligence firm NSO Group sold the FBI its powerful geolocation tool that tracks mobile phones around the world without the user’s knowledge, the NY Times reported Monday (A Front Company and a Fake Identity: How the U.S. Came to Use Spyware It Was Trying to Kill). The purchase was made five days after the Biden administration had placed NSO on a Commerce Department blacklist, declared it a national security threat, and warned American companies against doing business with it.
According to the Times, the secret contract that violated the Biden administration’s public policy is still active, under a contract that spells out that the “United States government” is the ultimate user of the tool, allowing it government to test, evaluate, and deploy the spyware against targets of its choice (in Mexico).
A White House official told the Times: “We are not aware of this contract, and any use of this product would be highly concerning.”
The Israeli-made weapons offer governments the power to conduct targeted, invasive surveillance that was never available in the past. The Mexican government used it to spy on journalists, and Saudi Arabia used the technology to hack into devices belonging to political dissidents. Most EU countries had contracts with NSO, according to the company: 14 countries did business with NSO in the past, and at least 12 are still using its Pegasus spyware for intercepting mobile calls.
NSO’s goods are just too useful to put down, never mind the US ban. Or as the Times put it: “Even as the Biden administration has showcased its efforts to drive NSO out of business, it was clear even before the revelation of the latest contract that some agencies have been drawn to the power of these cyberweapons.”
It appears that no one in the US security apparatus has been paying attention to Biden’s ban on the clever Israeli spyware. Agencies of the US government have bought the programs, deployed them against––most notably against drug traffickers––and worked clandestinely to consolidate control of them to keep them out of the hands.....
An NSO spokesperson said the company’s programs “are only sold to allies of the US and Israel, particularly in Western Europe, and are aligned with the interests of US national security and governmental law enforcement agencies around the world.”
Even if the US administration is trying to force the company out of business, NSO is still pro-American and legal. The FBI, on the hand, according to the Times used Riva Networks, a small, New Jersey-based contractor, that used the cover name “Cleopatra Holdings,” to procure the Pegasus.
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Wonder if Mexico is the only country the FBI is using Pegasus for targeted spying?