NUEVO LAREDO – A gunfight between military forces and alleged drug traffickers that lasted more than an hour in the predawn hours Wednesday left one soldier dead and at least three others injured, authorities confirmed Thursday.An unknown number of traffickers also were killed and injured, authorities said.
The assault occurred in Ciudad Mier, about 60 miles east of Nuevo Laredo, at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, said Gen. Rigoberto García Cortés, head of the border military forces headquartered in Nuevo Laredo, at a news conference Thursday.
The national Defense Department reported that after the gunfight, soldiers searched two sport utility vehicles abandoned at the scene and found 29 assault rifles, nine handguns, more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, 175 magazines, $138, 58 pesos, 16 cell phones, 10 walkie-talkies, seven Nextels and seven cartridge belts. Another four vehicles left at the scene also were confiscated.
García Cortés said gunmen went down, but their bodies were picked up by their companions and taken away, so exact numbers were not available.
According to officials, about 20 suspected drug traffickers riding in a convoy of five vehicles approached a checkpoint set up by soldiers on the highway going through Ciudad Mier.
Asked to stop, the men riding in the convoy instead attacked, sparking a major crossfire between the soldiers and the suspected traffickers.
Shortly after the gunfire ended, about an hour an a half later, the gunmen fled, taking their dead and/or injured companions with them. Meanwhile, the soldiers sought to take care of their own wounded.
Antonio Hernández Montalvo died of a bullet wound to the head while he was being transported to a local hospital, authorities said. Soldiers Mauricio Encino Pérez, Juan López Montalvo and José Demecio Martinez Pérez suffered unnamed injuries and were taken to a military hospital in Monterrey under heavy protection.
“The (traffickers’) vehicles were abandoned at different points, where we found enough blood that we know there were serious injuries,” the general said. “We did not arrest anyone. As they fled, they were covered by other groups.”
García Cortés brushed aside rumors that the battle was between rival Mexican military men.
“We understand that they are trying to conduct a campaign to disparage our military forces,” the general said. “But the truth is that we have vigorously pressed our campaign against organized crime. We are decimating their forces, their money and their drugs.”
He noted that while no arrests were made in this particular case, hundreds of people involved in illegal activities have been arrested across the nation.
“Our battle is direct. We are not going to cede territory that we have gained,” García Cortés said. “We are reaching the most important cells in these organizations.”
Editors Note: Despite what some of the “white trash” right wing blogs, whose mission in life is to trash Mexico is claiming, a US owned bus companies owners and employees came under indictment this week for using company equipment to smuggle drugs from the Rio Grande Valley to points north. Good catch, but why did it take so long?
Eighteen persons, including alleged drug traffickers and the owners/operators of commercial bus companies operating from Mexico into the Rio Grande Valley to numerous U.S. cities and their drivers, have been indicted for transporting large loads of marijuana and cocaine in specially modified commercial buses and money laundering.
The need for more marijuana rehab centers is becoming more apparent as the number of marijuana abusers grows each day.
The indictment is the result of a long-term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation Road King II.
United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced the unsealing of the indictment today at a press conference. The 16-count indictment returned by a Houston grand jury March 31, 2008, was unsealed today.
John P. Walters, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, on an official visit to the Houston area, attended the press conference and commented upon the positive impact the coordinated and cooperative effort federal, state and local law enforcement action has had on reducing the supply of drugs and the concomitant reduction in demand.
Special Agent in Charge Andrew Bland of FBI Houston, together with Special Agent in Charge Zoran B. Yankovich of DEA Houston, recognized their law enforcement colleagues in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) which, in this case, included the Houston Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for their long-standing commitment and outstanding contributions to this OCDETF investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service, also a member of HIDTA, was recognized for its extraordinary efforts during the arrest process.
The indictment, unsealed today, describes the use of specially modified commercial buses by alleged drug traffickers interested in smuggling contraband into the United States from Monterrey, Mexico, or transporting contraband from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston and Dallas, Texas; Allentown, Pa.; Joliet, Ill. and elsewhere. The indictment alleges the owners or managers of the Transtar, Neptune Tours, Los Primos, USA-MEX and Ameri-Mex commercial bus companies, with offices and terminals in Monterrey, Mexico and Rio Grande City, Roma, San Antonio and Houston, Texas, used their various companies as a front for their drug transport services, and hired drivers and loaders to transport the illegal cargo in hidden compartments built into the bus or in areas not accessible to the public. In exchange for the services, the indictment alleges the owners/managers of the bus companies received thousands of dollars in kickbacks from the proceeds of the drug loads from which they drew their share and paid the drivers and loaders.
According to the indictment, this drug transport service has been in operation since at least November 2001 and is responsible for transporting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, thousands of pounds of marijuana from the border to points north and millions of dollars in drug proceeds south to Mexico.
OCEDTF Operation Road King II targeted this organization beginning in 2001 and through the use of tried and true investigative techniques, communication, coordination and cooperation, ultimately established a more sophisticated undercover operation. Through that undercover operation, more than 570 kilograms of cocaine, 3,000 plus pounds of marijuana and the thousands of dollars in cash have been seized. Additionally, this multi-agency investigative effort has lead to arrests in and the seizure of 200 kilograms of cocaine in Allentown and 1,100 pounds of marijuana in Joliet. Information gathered through the investigation was shared with law enforcement agencies in other U.S. cities including New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Maryland.
The indictment identifies Abel Trevino Jr., 43, of Houston; Oscar Jaime Garcia Prado, 42, a resident alien residing in Brookshire, Texas; Miguel Montemayor, 39, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas; Victor Hinojosa, 41, a resident alien residing in Houston; and Eduardo Trevino, 40, of Linares, Mexico, as the owners/managers of the various commercial bus companies operating as fronts for transporting cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to various locations in the U.S. in exchange for cash payments. The amount of the payment often depended upon the kind of drug, the size of the load and its ultimate destination. For example, the indictment alleges the defendants charge from $500 per kilogram of cocaine bound for the U.S. side of the border to $7,000 per kilogram of cocaine bound for New York. The buses were specially equipped with hidden compartments to conceal loads of contraband from detection. According to allegations in the indictment, the owner/managers discussed ways to operate their buses to protect themselves from detection by law enforcement including changing the names of the bus companies as loads of cocaine and marijuana were seized to claiming the buses were leased to others. Abel Trevino, Montemayor and Hinojosa were arrested today in Houston. A warrant remains outstanding for the arrest of Prado and Eduardo Trevino.
Leticia Enedina Fournier, 58; Guadalupe Karr Cortez, 47, an illegal alien, Jesse Trevino, 48, a resident alien, and Alejandro Carmargo-Guerra, 59, a resident alien, all of Houston; Victor Rocha, 39, a resident alien residing in Dickinson, Texas, and Enrique Alvaro Saldana, 53, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas, are alleged co-conspirators hired by the owner/managers as bus drivers and loaders who were paid by the owners/managers to transport and deliver the drug loads hidden aboard the commercial buses as directed by the owners/managers. This morning, investigating agents arrested Trevino and Rocha in Houston, Carmargo-Guerra in Waco, Texas, and Cortez in Lake Charles, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Fournier and Saldana.
Guadalupe Castaneda, 46, of Roma, Texas; Eduardo Cirilo, 42, of Pharr, Texas; Eduardo Salinas, 29, of Mission, Texas; Jose Armando Muniz, 33, of Weslaco, Texas; Rafael Armando Ramirez, 32, an illegal alien residing in the Houston area; Luis Larios, 36, and Robert Salazar Rivera, 48, both of Monterrey, Mexico, are accused of utilizing and paying for the services of the bus companies to transport loads of cocaine and marijuana to various locations in the United States. Eduardo Salinas was arrested this morning in McAllen, Texas, while Cirilo was arrested today in Baton Rouge, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Castaneda, Muniz, Ramirez, Larios and Rivera.
All 18 defendants are charged in the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana and face no less than 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted. Most of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds and face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment if convicted. The remaining 14 counts of the indictment charge various defendants with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute varying amounts of either cocaine for marijuana and face punishment ranges upon conviction from a maximum of five years imprisonment to life imprisonment and millions of dollars in fines.
The indictment also serves notice on the defendants of the intent of the United States to forfeit their interests in a number of real properties located in east Houston, Texas, which were allegedly used to facilitate or obtained with proceeds from the crimes alleged in the indictment.
This case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Rodriguez.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.
Operation Road King II, a multi-agency investigation into bus operators who allegedly smuggled drugs, netted a 16-count federal indictment unsealed Wednesday against:
OWNERS:
Miguel Montemayor, 39, of Roma (in custody)
Abel Treviño, 43, of Houston (in custody)
Victor Hinojosa, 41, of Houston (in custody)
Oscar Jaime Garcia Prado, 42, of Brookshire
Eduardo Treviño, 41, of Linares, Tamps.
DRIVERS:
Enrique Alvaro Saldaña, 53, of Roma
Jesse Treviño, 48, of Houston (in custody)
Victor Rocha, 39, of Dickinson (in custody)
Alejandro Camargo-Guerra, 59, of Houston (in custody)
Leticia Endedina Fournier, 58, of Houston
DRUG SUPPLIERS:
Guadalupe Castañeda, 46, of Roma
Eduardo Cirilo, 42, of Pharr (in custody)
Eduardo Salinas, 29, of Mission (in custody)
Jose Armando Muñiz, 33, of Weslaco
Rafael Armando Ramirez, 32, of Houston
Luis Larios, 36, of Monterrey, N.L.
Robert Salazar Rivera, 48, of Monterrey, N.L.
More than 2.5 tons of marijuana was seized in two raids in Miguel Aleman Tamaulipas this week.
Units of the First Motorized Calvary Regiment, headquartered in Nuevo Laredo, made the seizures after executing a warrant signed by a Federal Magistrate.
A total of 365 packages of marijuana, wrapped in brown paper and duct tape weighing 2, 608.9 kilos, was seized. No word of any arrests or detentions at this time.
Military spokesmen reported that, to date, Operation Nuevo Leon-Tamaulipas, an operation to combat the narcotic traffic on the border, has resulted in the seizure of 644 kilos of marijuana, 50.3 kilos of cocaine, 137 grams of heroin, 14 automatic weapons, 27 pistols, 41 shotguns and 3,337 rounds of ammunition.
34 arrests have been made, in addition to $20,816.00 pesos and $54,970.00 dollars, seized 52 vehicles and made four property seizures.
This operation is being spearheaded by the First Motorized Battalion Cavalry whose area of responsibility includes the municipalities of Laredo, Nuevo Ciudad Guerrero, Miguel Alemán, Díaz Ordaz y Camargo.
Good job guys! More evidence of Mexico’s contribution to helping stop the drug traffic and violence on the southern border.
PCorn
LAREDO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $1.8 million in cocaine and marijuana in three separate incidents recently, according to a news release from the agency.
The largest seizure occurred Feb. 17, at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge when a drug dog reacted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the rear rocker panel area of a 2007 Toyota Camry.
Officers found nearly 42 pounds of cocaine. A passenger in the car, Darrell Wayne Phillips, 43, of Clewiston, Fla., was arrested. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1.3 million.
On Feb. 15, at 6:40 p.m. at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, an officer noticed discrepancies in the rear trunk area of a 1997 Ford Taurus driven by Luisa Valdez Cantu, 20, a resident alien from San Antonio. A drug dog pointed officers to 87 pounds of marijuana behind the rear seat. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $87,000.
On the same day, shortly after noon at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge, a drug dog alerted officers to nearly 13 pounds of cocaine in the engine area of a 1996 Chrysler Town and Country driven by a 22-year-old Mexican citizen. The cocaine has an estimated street valued of $412,000.
Interesting. All four wheelers trying to smuggle the crap! Imagine that! And in other news,
One right wing website reported on February 16, that 85 illegal aliens discovered hidden inside 4 separate tractor trailers making it sound as if the trucks were coming direct from Mexico with their illegal cargo. This method of reporting has become increasingly common as websites continue to try and make Mexico and it’s citizens, scapegoats for all out problems in the US.
What is the truth behind this claim?
The first group of 15 Mexicans was discovered at about 7 p.m. hiding inside the cab’s sleeper compartment. At about 8:30 p.m. a second group of 12 Mexicans and three Guatemalans was also found hiding in a tractor trailer’s sleeper cab. Just before 11 p.m. another tractor trailer was stopped, and 32 illegal aliens were discovered in the locked trailer with no means of escape. The last truck was stopped just a few minutes later, and 20 Mexicans, two Hondurans, and a Salvadoran were found also locked in the trailer. All those discovered inside the trailers appeared to be in good health; they declined medical attention.
Charges are pending against the four truck drivers that attempted to illegally smuggle these individuals. On Tuesday, all four drivers will appear before a federal magistrate to be formally charged.
Quite simply, these were American truckers, driving American rigs trying to make a quick buck on someone else’s misery.
How do I know this? Well, the rigs in question, as of Sunday afternoon, are still sitting in impound at the mm28 interior check station on I-35. (Photos above)
With the security procedures in place at our commercial border crossings, it is virtually impossible to successfully smuggle anything, drugs or humans across without getting caught. This is proven time and again the length of the border.
Drugs and humans come across in 4 wheelers, some successful, others not. They are brought across the border on foot and stored in safe houses until enough is put together for a load and some stupid dumbass American trucker is found looking to make a quick score. And believe me, there are plenty of them out there.
Border walls, border fences, the militarization of the border will not stop this. Perhaps the next President will understand this, ignore the whining of the anti- anything to do with Mexico crowd and give us a sane, logical and workable solution.
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