Los Zetas Allegedly Responsible for Casino Attack
08/31/11 – Nuevo León’s governor Rodrigo Medina announced the arrest of five individuals believed to be perpetrators of last week’s Casino Royale’s attack in the state capital of Monterrey. Reports indicate that they are alleged members of the criminal group Los Zetas. Authorities traced handprints from the scene, gathered eyewitness testimonies, and used video footage … Read more
President Calderón Announces Internet Access to Certain Court Cases
08/26/11 — On Wednesday August 24, President Calderón announced that certain legal cases will soon be processed and available over the internet. All civil, tax, and administrative cases will theoretically be handled from start to finish utilizing this new system, which is said to be one of many upcoming reforms to the legal system intended … Read more
Over 50 killed in grenade attack in Monterrey casino
08/25/11 — In the second attack on a Mexican gambling establishment in a day, assailants killed over 50 people in a grenade ignited gasoline fire targeting the Casino Royale, located in the western portion of Monterrey, the capital city of the northern state of Nuevo León. The incident occurred just before 4:00pm on Thursday, August 25, one … Read more
Possible cartel-related gunfire suspends Mexican professional soccer game
08/23/11 – On Saturday, August 20, a professional soccer match in Torreón, Coahuila, a northern Mexican state that borders Texas, was indefinitely suspended after gunfire opened up directly outside of the Territorio Santos Modelo stadium. The general director of the Torreón Public Security (Seguridad Pública de Torreón, SSP), Adelaido Flores Díaz, reported that unidentified assailants … Read more
“La Reina del Pacífico” avoids extradition
08/20/11 — Sandra Ávila Beltrán, commonly referred to as the Reina del Pacífico (Queen of the Pacific) has escaped extradition to the United States based on charges of smuggling of narcotics and money laundering, at least for the time being. Detained in 2007 along with her then boyfriend Colombian Juan Diego Espinosa, Ávila was charged … Read more
Morelos Prison Ward and Guards Suspected of Aiding Adolescents’ Escape
08/17/11- Four prison guards were arrested after three adolescents who are considered highly dangerous escaped earlier this month from the State Center for Preventive Measures of Juvenile Freedom (Centro Estatal de Medidas Preventivas de la Libertad para Adolescentes, CEMPLA) in the state of Morelos. The guards, who have been identified as Julio César Maldonado Salgado, José … Read more
Sicilia’s March Continues Amidst Increased Scrutiny of Security Strategy
08/16/11—On Sunday August 15, over 1,000 people from Javier Sicilia’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity protested in the streets of Mexico City, voicing concern over the government’s strategy to combat drug trafficking while carrying banners and photos of victims as they silently marched from the Museum of Anthropology to the Presidential Palace. According … Read more
Disappearance of 4 Navy Officers Could Be Connected to Organized Crime
08/16/11 – Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina Armada, Semar) spokesperson José Luis Vergara revealed in a recent interview that new evidence has led Semar to believe that organized crime groups are possibly behind the disappearance of four navy officers who were reported missing this month from the state of Veracruz. According to Milenio, authorities were … Read more
‘El Compayito’ Arrested Despite Alleged Police Violations
08/13/11 – On Thursday, August 11, authorities in the State of Mexico (Edomex) announced the capture of Óscar Osvaldo García Montoya, alias “El Compayito,” an alleged leader of a splinter group called La Mano con Ojos (“Hand with Eyes”) that broke from the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. García Montoya was detained in Tlalpan, a neighborhood in southern … Read more
Baja California Celebrates One-Year Mark of the New Penal Justice System’s Implementation
08/13/11 – At a large ceremony on August 10, Baja California Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán celebrated the achievements and advancements made in one year since state officials began implementing the New Penal Justice System (Nueva Sistema de Justicia Penal, NSJP) in Baja California. Osuna and other government officials spoke of the importance of the … Read more
