Posted on 08/22/2008 5:41:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
TIJUANA – A special federal task force captured several men believed to be high-ranking members of the Arellano Felix cartel amid gunfire in a pre-dawn raid Friday, according the local Mexican military command.
The suspects were gambling around 2 a.m. in a room at Caliente Casino, owned by former mayor Jorge Hank Rhon.
Alfonso Duarte Mujica, local military commander, said at a press conference Friday morning that one of those captured was Pedro Ignacio Zazueta, known as “El Pit,” believed to be one of the leaders of the Arellano cartel.
Zazueta is a lieutenant to Fernando Sanchez Arellano, known as “El Ingeniero” (the engineer), who runs the cartel since the death or capture of the Arellano brothers, Duarte Mujica said.
The task force was composed of agents from the federal police, the federal attorney general's office and the army. The agents also seized a car, high-caliber weapons, cartridges and uniforms of the municipal police department and the federal attorney general's office.
No other information was immediately known about the others arrested, only that they are believed to provide security for Zazueta.
Two of them were flown to Mexico City for questioning, said the military commander. He said that details of the operation would be provided from there.
A witness to the arrests, who requested anonymity, said that the special agents wore hoods and walked directly toward their targets – four men dressed in jackets and ties who were gambling in one of the rooms at the casino.
“Many people started to scream when the federal agents arrived,” he said. “One of the agents yelled at them to 'shut up!' or they would be taken, too.”
“I ducked when I heard gunshots,” the witness continued. “I stayed down until the agents ordered us to get up and began to asked our names and what were we doing there at that hour.”
He said no one appeared to have been injured.
The owner of the Caliente Casino (where the arrests occurred) ran for Governor of Baja California. He owns what I believe is a legally sanctioned monopoly on gambling in that Mexican state. The Caliente Casino has casinos (sometimes several) in every decent sized Baja California town.
It is suspected, though not proven, that drug money is laundered through the casino operations.
It is not surprising “king pins” were gambling there.
Somebody didn’t keep a good look out. Que Pasa?
PING
No. The Felix’s have been going down pretty regularly. The two founding brothers went down quite a while ago, and even the sister got busted a couple of months ago. Must be unable to keep the payments on time.
Your post puzzles me as I did not say anything about the Felix/Arellano cartel’s personnel not having been arrested previously, my remark concerned the mayor of Tijuana and one time gubernatorial candidate, Sr. Hank.
You must be eating popcorn and reading the Obama Biden threads more closely than my comments.
I am not offended.
Are these the guys that have been terrorizing police and government officials, or is that another group?
Pres. Calderon sent the army to parts of northern Mexico. The local police were too corrupt (involved with the cartels) to trust. (The Army has corruption too, but is federal, and under some control from Mexico City.)
To answer your question specifically, all the cartels/gangs are in turf wars with each other and with the police/army. It is all about control of smuggling routes and storage facilities and money laundering.
It has reached an absurd extent, even with the gangs/cartels posting videos taunting each other on youtube.
Or the videos brag about the new decked out Hummer they bought, or some other measure of power and rank.
One would think ISPs could be traced from these posts . . . perhaps they were.
Davey, thanks for the ping.
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