Gulf Cartel: Zetas killed ICE agent
In an apparent blame game, members of the Gulf Cartel and Carteles Unidos issued a detailed statement where they accuse a number of key Zeta members of a number of recent high-profile crimes, including the shooting of two U.S agents that resulted in the death of ICE agent Jaime Zapata.
According to the communiqué, which was released to The Brownsville Herald shortly after the death of Zapata, the Gulf Cartel and its allies separate themselves from a number of crimes stating that the “Mexican federal government is aware that several cowardly acts have been carried out by the criminal group the Zetas who try to confuse public opinion through messages denying any involvement.”
Carteles Unidos is made up of a number of enemies of the Zetas including the Sinaloa Cartel, La Familia Michoacana, Milenio and others.
The communiqué states that the attack against the ICE agents in San Luis Potosí was carried out by a group of Zetas under orders of Zeta lieutenant Jesus Enrique “El Mamito” Rejón Aguilar, who targeted Americans.
According a spokesman for Grupo Savant, a Washington-based intelligence company, the information listed in the message is mostly true in some of the cases and plausible in others. In the case of the ICE agents, the true responsible party is a toss-up because both cartels have a presence in San Luis Potosi, the spokesman said. Based on the company’s research, the perpetrators were more than likely Zetas.
Other violent acts mentioned in the communiqué include the death of 72 migrants from Central and South America in San Fernando who it said were killed under orders of Zeta lieutenant Jose Alberto “El Paisa” Gonzalez Chanate.
According to Grupo Savant’s spokesman, in the case of San Fernando research points straight to the Zetas, who are known to regularly attack civilians.
The Gulf Cartel and its allies, on the other hand, have been known to attack municipal police and state police in certain states such as Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. They do this because the police are allegedly working alongside the Zetas, the Grupo Savant spokesman said.
“Federal police are less corrupt,” he said. “Ministerial (state) police are about 50-50, and municipal police are for the most part working for the Zetas.”
The Gulf Cartel further blames Zeta members Juan Pedro “El 27” Saldívar Farías and José Manuel “El 31” Saldívar Farías for the death of U.S. citizen David Hartley in Falcon Lake and also for the murder of Juan Carlos Ballesteros whose head was stuffed in a suitcase and delivered to a military fort.
According to Grupo Savant, in the Hartley case, their research points to a hijacking gone wrong by low-level Zetas.
Also in this week’s communiqué, the Gulf Cartel blames Miguel Angel “El 40” Treviño for the death of retired Army Gen. Manuel Farfán, who served as the head of public safety in Nuevo Laredo. Treviño is further accused of being behind the murder of Homero Guillermo Salcido Treviño, who was the head of intelligence and security (C-5) in Nuevo Leon.
In the case of the Tamaulipas general in Nuevo Laredo, Grupo Savant stated that their research does confirm the allegations by the Gulf Cartel that the Zetas were behind the murder. The spokesman said Salcido Treviño’s death appeared to be payback after he failed to keep his part of a bargain with the Zetas.
The Gulf Cartel also blames the Zetas for the death of 18 “innocent civilians” in the Tamaulipas municipality of Padilla this past week, but the communiqué doesn’t identify anyone in particular. The trend set forth by the Zetas matches with their probable involvement in the murder, the Grupo Savant spokesman said.
