Murder City_ Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields - Charles Bowden [137]
El Paso Times, April 4, 2008
U.S. authorities have indicted a suspected Mexican drug cartel leader who officials believe was one of several men dressed in military uniforms during a high-profile border incident two years ago. Jose Rodolfo Escajeda is identified as one of several men appearing to be Mexican soldiers who had crossed the Rio Grande and were helping suspected drug smugglers elude U.S. law enforcement during a chase. He remains a fugitive. . . . According to DEA officials, the Escajedas, based in the village of Guadalupe across the Rio Grande near Tornillo, are believed to control a 120-mile corridor east of El Paso.
El Paso Times, April 4, 2008
The city of Juárez has unveiled a new official hymn for the city, “Ciudad Juárez, Valor de México,” loosely translated as Juárez, Jewel of Mexico, city officials said. The song praises the work ethics and pioneering spirit of Juarenses and will be taught in elementary schools. The hymn opens with the line, “Juárez is our city, the best of the borders, because it was born with courage and built its history with great faith and hope.”
El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, April 4, 2008
CHIHUAHUA—General Jorge Juárez Loera, commander of the 11th Military Region, was interviewed at the State Government Palace, accompanied by the Attorney General Patricia Gonzalez. The general issued a call to the media. “The media are very important to us. Tell the truth, say what you have to say, but say it with courage. And I know that the media are sometimes afraid of us, but they should not be afraid. I hope they will trust us. And I would like to see the reporters change their articles and where they say ‘one more murder victim,’ instead say, ‘one less criminal.’” Army troops arrived early and took up their strategic positions around the government buildings, ready for action along Calle Libertad.
El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, April 5, 2008
Three state police officers, José Guadalupe Rivas González, Juan Ramón Durán Robles and Luis Carlos Aviña Corona, were apparently tortured by the military while held at the headquarters of the 20th Motorized Calvary Regiment. “We were surprised when we saw our three companions, they had been severely beaten, one was taken to the hospital as his legs were seriously injured,” reported another police officer being held by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. He said that the women arrested were blindfolded and stripped for a supposed medical examination. “It was denigrating what they did to the women.” The anonymous source said that most of his fellow officers who were detained will not talk to anyone for fear of being picked up again by the army.
El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, April 5, 2008
After a visit yesterday to the border, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza expressed concern about the “narco-violence” here and that this insecurity may lead to raising the level of the travel alert to U.S. citizens in Chihuahua. “Obviously, we support the President Calderón’s initiatives and we also take this criminal activity seriously. Narco-violence and crime affect the lives of the citizens on both sides of the border. . . . ”
El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, April 5, 2008
Municipal police who joined the force last March 8 said that as of yesterday, they had not yet received their paychecks and that they were going out on patrol without firearms, due to a shortage.
El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, April 5, 2008
HIDALGO DEL PARRAL, Chihuahua—Gun battles in the area yesterday afternoon left at least 14 dead and 7 wounded, including two persons identified as Federal Investigative Police. The shoot-outs began in nearby Villa Matamoros, where an armed commando assassinated Francisco Barron. The armed forces later patrolled the city of Hidalgo del Parral, where businesses shut down as if under martial law. It is presumed that this bloody afternoon was caused by “the cockroach effect,” after the launch of the Joint Chihuahua Operation last Monday in Juárez. Preliminary reports indicate that the confrontation broke out between gangs led by Tacho Puertas and Kiko