Mexico Trucker Online Articles

Mother’s Day massacre in Cadereyta N.L leaves 49 dead. Toll could rise in coming days.

Mother's day dawns and with it, the discovery of 49 bodies dumped at the entrance to San Juan NL

Sunday morning, Mother’s Day in the US, 49 bodies, most decapitated, some missing limbs and others in an advanced state of decomposition, were found on a highway east of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, according to various news sources.

The grisly find was made at Kilometer 47 on Mexico Federal Highway 40,which leads to Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Police were dispatched to the area based on a telephone call. Mexican Policia Federal agents were the first on the scene and found several black garbage bags containing the remains of 49 individuals. The actual location is 10 kilometers east of Cadereyta, near the village of San Juan. Cadereyta itself is about seven kilometers east of Monterrey.

It is being reported that six women and 43 men were among the dead. Some reports have said a narcomanta was left at the scene but had been removed, reportedly said “100 percent Zetas”

At this point in time, authorities still don’t know who the victims are and rumors are flying. Some are saying that the victims were migrants heading to the United States because some of the victims had the facial features of individuals from South America. The report also said the narcomanta had the symbol of Los Zetas only, probably the letter Z, suggesting Los Zetas likely committed the crime.

Jorge Domene, spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state Secretaria de Seguridad Pública (SSP)

Jorge Domene, spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state Secretaria de Seguridad Pública (SSP), also that some of the victims had gang tattoos, suggesting the deaths were a settling of accounts between gangs. He also said that most of the victims had been killed two days prior to their discovery. Due to the arrangement of the bodies, it appears the bodies were transported and dumped by a large dump truck in the early dawn hours when traffic was light.

Mexico Highway 40 is the “free road” used by motorist and truckers that want to avoid the toll road between Monterrey and Reynosa.

Let’s keep in mind as we explore this story, that very little official information is forthcoming from the agencies investigating this crime due to the blackout on releases from government agencies during the 90 days prior to the voting July 1, for Mexico’s next President. However, due to the nature of this crime, the large number of victims, some in government are ignoring the mandate of Article 41, and speaking out, such as Jorge DOmene. Last night, the government of Mexico announced a $30,000,000.00 mxn reward for information leading to the capture of those responsible. In US dollars, that comes to $2,201,446.12. (Hell for that amount of money, I’d turn my own mother in and give them a map showing where she’s buried.)

Anyone having information on this crime and possible claim the reward can do so by calling 01 800 831 3196 or by email  denunciapgr@pgr.gob.mx 

People are assuming that members of Los Zetas are responsible for this because of grafitti featuring the letter “Z” found on the gateway into the city and the narco banners which were removed. Others are saying the victims are in fact members of Los Zetas, murdered by the Sinoloa TCO. And some are also saying it could be retaliation against the government for their recent arrest of Marco Jesus Hernandez Rodriguez aka Jesus Ruiz Marcos Rodriguez, nicknamed “El Chilango”, jefe of sicarios (boss of Zetas’s assassins), who is credited with masterminding the kidnapping, torture and killing at least four Mexican Marines on April 18, 2012. For those of you who are not aware, Mexican Marines are the baddest of the bad in this country, and like our Special Forces troops, they take care of their own.

Personally, I think the scenario that this was a planned statement by Los Zetas for Mother’s Day is more believable as reported by Borderland Beat.

It just makes sense. Whatever it is, it’s a scouring of the gene pool from the bottom up.

There’s several reasons I’m writing this on a blog that generally has to do with trucking. First of all, James P. Hoffa’s Teamsters are using this as yet another reason that Mexican trucks should not be allowed into the US. Although no American’s were involved nor truckers, either Mexican or US, the truth doesn’t matter to Hoffa in the least.

In an article titled “49 more reasons not to open the border to Mexican trucks” an unidentified Teamster, thought to be Hoffa himself writes;

Trade deals are supposed to be two-way streets. The U.S. is supposed to give Mexican truckers access to our highways, Mexico is supposed to give U.S. truckers access to its highways.

But if the Mexican government can’t guarantee the safety of U.S. citizens, then Mexico isn’t giving the U.S. equal access to its highways. Mexico isn’t living up to its part of the deal.

The good news is that only a handful of Mexican carriers are allowed to travel beyond the border zone as part of the second cross-border trucking pilot program. And even fewer trucks are actually using our highways.

How sad is it that people like James P. Hoffa feel the need to use the deaths of 49 individual human beings to continue to push their isolationist agenda.

Units from Mexico Federal Police seal of crime scene where 49 bodies were discovered outside of Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon

The second and perhaps most important reason, for me anyhow, is that this story is being picked up internationally, and some in the mainstream media, thousands of miles from Mexico continue to portray Mexico as a crime ridden wild west 24/7 shootout which of course it’s not. Only a small fractions of Mexico’s municipalites (counties) have been effected by the ongoing was between the TCO’s (Trans-National Criminal Organizations) And civilians for the most part, are not the targets. Most of the victims in this period of violence have been found to have some connection, however minor to the bad guys.

A heightened presence of military units is seen in Cadereyta after the Mother's Day massacre that claimed 49 lives

People in the locales where the violence has been occurring continue with their lives as usual. What else is there to do. In Cadereyta, where the latest occurred, people haven’t lost faith in the military or the belief that their city and country will return to the safety it has known in the past.

One day after the slaughter which shocked this town and the nation, the main square of Cadereyta lived another day.

The park opposite the town hall was full of people, couples with their children enjoying a snack from street vendors or just talking.

Street vendors, clothing store owners, elderly people and even the street sweepers talk of the fear they feel about the violence.

Still others said nothing, just calmly observing the movement of people and vehicles around the main square of Cadereyta.

Because of this latest incident and others, the army has stepped up its presence in and around Cadereyta, with military patrols more frequently patroling the outskirts of the city.

And on Monday, the military took up positions opposite the town hall and around the square, watching and giving the citizens a feeling of security with their presence

Some of the troops got down from from their units and entered some of the businesses to interact with the owners and make purchases. Just another day as life continues in Mexico as it has for a 1000 years.

Texas trucker sentenced to 50 years for smuggling marijuana

Trucker Ronnie Earl Ricks, 61, of Pasadena, TX – 50 years for marijuana smuggling

A Texas trucker caught hauling around 2,400 pounds of pot through Montgomery County (Tx) in July probably will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Judge Fred Edwards, of the 9th state District Court, sentenced Ronnie Earl Ricks, 61, of Pasadena, to 50 years in prison during a sentencing hearing Thursday morning. A Montgomery County jury had convicted Ricks of first-degree felony possession of marijuana.

Ricks’ 18-wheeler was brokedown in the northbound main lanes of U.S. 59 July 6 when a Precinct 4 Constable’s deputy happened upon it. When the deputy questioned Ricks, his story didn’t add up, Precinct 4 Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden previously said.

Ricks’ log books did not match his story, Hayden said, so deputies searched the trailer. They found 2,400 pounds of marijuana,worth millions of dollars, hidden among produce in the trailer.

The truck was loaded down near the Texas-Mexico border and went through a Border Patrol checkpoint in Saritas Texas.

During the investigation, authorities checked records at the checkpoint, at a motel in the valley that Ricks supposedly stayed at and nothing matched what he said to investigators and prosecutors.

The entire time, Ricks and his family lied and were generally uncooperative with investigators and the Court.

Landeline Now , the in house rag of OOIDA, picked up on this story, presumably to use to to continue their opposition to Mexican trucks in the US. But to the contrary, this continues to prove our position that drugs don’t come across the border in great quantities in trucks, but instead, are crossed by other methods, stored in a stash house on this side of the border until a greedy US trucker such as Ricks, is found to haul them.

Other stories covering this event claim that Ricks was being “used as a drug mule by a Mexican cartel”. Certainly, the drugs were owned by a TCO (Trans-National Criminal Organization), not a cartel, but Ricks certainly wasn’t being “used”. He was in it for the profit, claiming he had three young children to support after the death of his wife. Still no excuse.

The sentence while stiff, is just, even though Canadian trucker Gaston Danjou received a sentence last week in Las Vegas Nevada of six years in prison for his role in an operation that smuggled more than $1.2 million dollars worth of cocaine through Nevada. Danjou, who will be allowed to serve that sentence in a Canadian prison, will be eligible for parole in 17 months, counting time already spent in custody.

Attack on Monterrey casino leaves 63 dead and is an act of DOMESTIC TERRORISM

The attack on a popular Monterrey casino yesterday afternoon that left 63 people dead and dozens more injured, mostly women, has elevated the narco violence into Mexico into a de facto act of DOMESTIC TERRORISM and the response to this cowardly attack against innocent civilians should be treated as such.

An attack on the Casino Royale in the upscale enclave of San Joronimo, a wealthy suburb of Monterrey Nuevo Leon, left dozens injured and 63 dead, mostly women, can only be described as an act of DOMESTIC TERRORISM.

A $30 million peso reward has been offered by the PGR for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved. One of the cars used by the gunman, a Cooper Mini has been found and is undergoing forensic examination and a sketch of one of the gunmen, based on witnesses, has been released. Surveillance video has also been posted.

Unlike most acts of violence in Monterrey and the rest of Mexico which to many have become commonplace, although far from the “wild west” scenario painted by most in the American media, this particular act of terrorism has elicited literally thousands of comments of outrage and protest on blogs and newspaper websites in Mexico. The people are finally fed up it seems and are speaking out.

Of course, President Calderon expressed his outrage at this “act of terror” as did President Obama. President Calderon is finally asking the US for help, a request long overdue. No one knows yet in what manner or form this help will come but it needs to be quick.

In my opinion, shared by others, Calderon needs to ignore entities such as the Mexico Human Rights Commission, the UN and any other “kumbaya” pacifists and release the military and Federal Police forces to put this down once and for all. Forget arresting the bad guys, parading them before the media and holding them for 45 days while a judicial system rife with corruption decides whether there is enough evidence to continue holding them for trial. Forget about holding them in prisons (Mexico doesn’t have county jails) awaiting trial, where they can live a life of luxury if they can afford it and leave at will. ARREST and SUMMARILY EXECUTE! PERIOD! From my 15 years living in this country and more than 30 years traveling Mexico, Federal law enforcement is very capable, rarely make errors and are amongst the most honest of the LE agencies in Mexico. That’s just my personal opinion and observations.

There is no death penalty in Mexico and a life sentence is 30 years, so let’s eradicate the trash and be done with it. Perhaps the others who would follow, would realize that Mexico and it’s citizens are fed up and mean business.

Around Mexico, we’re seeing citizens rising up and doing the job the local gendarmes can’t or won’t do and the same needs to happen in Monterrey. Time will tell.

A comprehensive gallery of photos of this massacre is available for viewing at IMMIGRATION CLEARINGHOUSE where they’ll be following this tragedy closely.

One thing people have to remember though is that no truckers were involved or harmed in the execution of the terrorist attack. In other words, for all those who try to use the violence in Mexico as an excuse to ban Mexican trucks from the US, don’t go there. This is an entirely separate issue..

Did you survive ROADCHECK 2011?

Main building of SCT Weigh station with offices for SCT, Federal Police, onsite drug, alcohol and medical testing and even a couple of jail cells

Roadcheck 2011 is one for the books for the most part. So, did everyone survive?

From Canada to Mexico, there was supposed to be scores of Federal, State and local truck inspectors working round the clock in the annual CVSA 72 hour blitz known as “Roadcheck”, or to some of us, “Vacation Time”.

I fall into the former category for the 25th year in a row. I learned my lesson early on. Stay the hell off the roads during this revenue enhancement effort. It helps that my birthday always falls in the middle of the “blitz”.

Time to go back to work, sunburned from a week under the palms, by the pool, kicked back and relaxing in Monterrey. Got to get back to work to get some rest, as most of us do.

Mexico, it’s Federal Police, SCT, State and local transit police participated this year once again. They’ve been full partners in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration (CVSA) program since 1991. The level of participation? It’s hard to determine at this time. They were out doing roadside checks. The SCT “Sooper Coop” south of Nuevo Laredo on MX-85 was open on Wednesday June 8. It looked to be a combination inspection blitz and driver appreciation effort, as they had the grills fired up and a good number of rigs off to the side and under the inspection sheds. Coming back yesterday evening, everything locked up tight, similar to reports coming in from across America.

It’ll be interesting to see the numbers once they’re released, considering Mexico’s law enforcement apparatus is currently involved in trying to settle down the warring cartel factions and the wannabes. Although the “Big Boys” are doing a fine job of cleaning up their own houses.

Take note the violence is between cartels or gangs and has nothing to do with the Mexican trucking industry despite what others might claim.

PHOTO GALLERY
The following photos were taken in and around and enroute to Monterrey from Nuevo Laredo this week.

Again, photos of a Mexican “Super Coop”, automated, weigh in motion technology, that doesn’t exist according to some critics of Mexican trucks, who have LOST ALL CREDIBILITY on the issue. Because how could a facility exist if regulations don’t exist to enforce the non existent regulations. Something to think about here.

It was also interesting to note that the Texas DPS was out in force at the border crossings in Laredo, checking intercity buses crossing the border. It appeared that all passed their Level I inspections.

Mexico sends more troops to reinforce borderlands

Military patrols the deserted streets of Cd. Mier Tamaulipas, where 4 soldiers were killed in an ambush with Los Zetas

Almost 3,000 members of the Army, Marines and Federal Police reinforced military operations in the Tamaulipas municipalities of Nuevo Guerrero, Ciudad Mier, Miguel Aleman, Camargo and Diaz Ordaz in an attempt to stem the spiraling violence and the growing exodus of residents as rival bands of heavily armed criminals contest that area of the Texas Mexico border.

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And with the arrival of the reinforcements, The First Casualties reported in “La Frontera Chica” offensive around Cd. Mier.
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Is this the “New Mexican Revolution”? – Uprising and lynching in Ascension Chihuahua!

The good people of Mexico have has enough and the attempted kidnapping of a young woman in Ascension, Chihuahua, a small town south of the New Mexico border, could well be the catalyst for Mexican citizens to begin to take back their country from the grips of the narco terrorists.

The blatant abduction attempt abduction of a 17-year-old female worker of a seafood restaurant  touched off a burst of mass outrage that left two suspected young kidnappers dead and a small town in open rebellion.

Alerted to the kidnapping, townspeople and soldiers mobilized, freed the victim and detained five alleged kidnappers; one suspect reportedly escaped. Hundreds of angry residents beat two of the detainees, teenagers, and blocked police from rescuing the suspects, who were later pronounced dead. Reportedly, the mother of one of the suspects witnessed her son’s demise.

“La Chona Lights the Fuse,” headlined Ciudad Juarez’s La Polaka newsite, whose director was just granted political asylum in the United States. The news organization couched the report in historical and contemporary terms: “The new Mexican Revolution could have begun this Tuesday in Ascención…”
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Arturo Beltran Leyva, Cartel “Boss of Bosses”, killed by Mexican Navy

A Navy Marine stands next to the body of Arturo Beltran Leyva in this AP/El Universal photo

MEXICO CITY — Mexican troops acting on information from U.S. officials took out drug kingpin Arturo Beltran Leyva in an assault that provided a rare victory for President Felipe Calderon but left a power vacuum that could lead to more violence.

In a carefully executed attack, heavily armed Mexican marines quietly evacuated an upscale apartment complex in Cuernavaca Wednesday before some 200 troops stormed the building and demanded the surrender of Beltran Leyva, one of the world’s most brutal drug lords.

Gunmen fired on the marines who then launched an attack that lasted nearly two hours.

Nicknamed the “boss of bosses,” Beltran Leyva is the biggest drug lord to be taken down in Calderon’s drug war, which is ending its bloodiest year yet. His absence is expected to shake up Mexico’s narcotics trafficking networks eager to take over his billion-dollar business, as well as set off an internal struggle within his gang, said Mexico’s Attorney General Arturo Chavez.
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Mexican Federal Police arrest 5 in drug rehab executions

Federal agents escort alleged cartel hitmen, front to back: Roberto Salas, Luis Alfredo Galindo, Fernando Monte Godina,partially seen, Sergio Estrada Gutierrez and Julio Cesar Aleman in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. Police said Friday the men, who are accused of dozens of murders, including two mass killings at drug treatment centers in this northern Mexico border city, are members of the Sinaloa cartel. (AP Photo/Raymundo Ruiz)

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Police have arrested five men accused of dozens of murders, including two mass killings at drug treatment centers in this northern Mexico border city.

Police say the men were members of the Sinaloa cartel, a violent gang entrenched in a brutal turf war for control of drug routes to the United States.

The men are accused of 45 different executions in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’s most violent city. They were arrested by law enforcement agents during a routine street patrol, according to a statement released Friday by federal police.
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