Mexican soldiers arrest 3 'La Linea" hitmen in Juarez

KVIA ^ | Sep 3, 2009 | Joe Villasana

[SwinneySwitch]

JUAREZ -- The Mexican Military dealt a blow to the "La Linea" criminal organization Wednesday as they arrested three of its alleged hitmen. La Linea has been known to be the "street enforcement" branch of the Juarez Cartel.

The three suspects were presented to the media at once but were arrested in two separate incidents.

Juan Gerardo Hernandez Del Real, 24, a.k.a. "El Moreno," was arrested Wednesday. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of two firearms and crack cocaine, according to officials with "Operation Conjunta Chihuahua," a joint law enforcement operation involving Juarez Municipal Police, Chihuahua State Police, Mexican Federal Police and the Mexican Military.

Del Real confessed to being a hitman for La Linea and said he operated mainly in the Colonia Babicora, officials said, adding he also confessed to participating in the killings of 33 people and the ambush and slaughter of a Mexican Army Captain in the "Bol-Bol Billiards Bar" last month.

In a separate incident Wednesday, army soldiers patrolling a south Juarez Colonia arrested Javier Martinez Gomez, 39, a.k.a. "El Tijuas;" and Armando Rosales Arteaga, 44, a.k.a. "El Mandis."

Martinez Gomez and Rosales Arteaga were arrested after a brief car chase, said officials. They were eventually apprehended and soldiers found several pistols, a rifle, a semi-automatic weapon, cocaine and pot.

Both suspects confessed to being La Linea hitmen and to running a drug trafficking operation out of Chihuahua City, officials said. According to investigators, both men were also paid $50 to smuggle narcotics inside backpacks into the U.S. on foot from the Colonia Anapra, which is across the border from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Officials said Martinez Gomez confessed to killing 12 people in and around Juarez and Rosales Arteaga confessed to killing 24 people.

All suspects are currently being held pending the outcome of an investigation. They have not been charged.

[bgill]

both men were also paid $50 to smuggle narcotics inside backpacks into the U.S. on foot from the Colonia Anapra, which is across the border from the University of Texas at El Paso.

But, but we were promised the bad guys would play by the rules and stay on Mexico's side of the river!!!

[bcsco]

Del Real confessed to being a hitman for La Linea and said he operated mainly in the Colonia Babicora, officials said, adding he also confessed to participating in the killings of 33 people and the ambush and slaughter of a Mexican Army Captain in the "Bol-Bol Billiards Bar" last month.

And I'm sure this was after a friendly chat where finger sandwiches were served. After all, that's how we get people o talk in the 21st Century...

[bgill]

I case people don’t know, the UTEP campus is right on the border with nothing separating it from Mexico but the highway.

[SwinneySwitch]

Sicarios ping!

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[La Lydia]

Swinney, it is a frightening sign of the times that we have a Sicarios ping list. Qué barbaridad!

[milagro]

Am very happy to hear about this--I lived in El Paso for a little over a year, and the violence in Juarez not only destroyed the lives of a lot of innocent people--it destroyed the economy of that city by making people too scared to go there to shop.

Bravo to the soldiers who made these arrests!

[SwinneySwitch]

RR tracks and Rio Bravo/Grande.

[SwinneySwitch]

Could have used the Asesinos or Pistoleros ping list?:^)

[La Lydia]

Sicarios is the most precise. The non-Spanish speakers among us would take the “Asesinos” the wrong way. And “Pistoleros” doesn’t include the ones who use shotguns and rifles. “Francotirador” isn’t precise enough either. Let stick with sicarios.