Mexico Security Memo

The Arrest of Carlos Montemayor

Mexican Federal Police arrested Carlos “El Charro” Montemayor Gonzalez and five accomplices in an operation in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Mexico City the night of Nov. 23. Montemayor was reportedly the No. 2 man in the criminal organization led by Edgar “La Barbie” Valdez Villarreal. In addition to being business partners, the two reportedly became related by marriage after Valdez Villarreal wedded one of Montemayor’s daughters in 2003 in Acapulco, Guerrero state. After Valdez Villarreal’s arrest in late August, Montemayor reportedly took over the organization. As leader, Montemayor focused primarily on the port of Acapulco and on wresting control of the region away from the Cartel Pacifico Sur (CPS) and La Familia Michoacana (LFM). Most notably, Montemayor allegedly ordered the October kidnapping and execution of 20 tourists from Michoacan. According to Ramon Eduardo Pequeno Garcia, the head of the Federal Police Counternarcotics Division, Montemayor confessed he mistakenly thought LFM sent the group in a bid to take control of the Acapulco region.

Montemayor’s arrest is a damaging blow to the Valdez Villarreal organization. He is the third high-ranking leader in the organization to have been arrested after Valdez Villarreal and Jose “El Indio” Gerardo Alvarez Vasquez in April. The Valdez Villarreal faction of the former Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) already had limited resources, especially in the leadership department, when the group defected and began fighting against the Hector Beltran Leyva faction of the BLO (later renamed CPS). His arrest does not bode well for the organization’s claim on the Acapulco region, and it is unclear who, if anyone, will replace Montemayor.

After his arrest in August, reports emerged that Valdez Villarreal had been an informant for the Mexican government since 2008. He reportedly revealed the location of his former boss, Arturo “El Jefe de Jefes” Beltran Leyva, leading to the latter’s death in a Mexican Marine raid in December 2009. Valdez Villarreal also is thought to have given Mexican authorities information on several other high-ranking cartel members. Information from Valdez Villarreal also could have led to the arrest of Montemayor.

With yet another empty spot atop the Valdez Villarreal organization, the other two primary organizations, CPS and LFM, in the Acapulco region likely sense an opportunity to move in. This could once again lead to an increase in violence as these two organizations attempt to push the remnants of the Valdez Villarreal organization out of the region and vie with each other for supremacy.

The Arrest of Arturo Gallegos

Federal Police arrested Arturo “El Farmero” Gallegos Castrellon, the presumed leader of the Los Aztecas street gang, and two other members of Los Aztecas in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, the night of Nov. 27 in a residence in the Paseos del Bosque neighborhood. Los Aztecas are aligned with the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) organization, also known as the Juarez cartel, and its armed wing, La Linea. All are fighting against the Sinaloa federation and its local Juarez street gang allies, the Artistas Asesinos and Los Mexicles. Gallegos, known for his violent tendencies, allegedly has confessed to being responsible for 80 percent of the murders and executions in Juarez — a staggering claim given that Juarez has seen more than 2,700 murders to date in 2010. The most notorious of this year’s killings included the shootings of 14 teenagers at a party in January and of U.S. Consulate employee Lesley Enriquez in March.

Gallegos claims to have ordered or signed off every single execution carried out by Los Aztecas. The Los Aztecas gang is structured in a very hierarchical manner, making it likely that someone within the organization will replace Gallegos (assuming they have not already). It remains unclear who Gallegos’ replacement would be, nor is it clear whether Gallegos’ low threshold for ordering executions will remain in place. During this transition period, the group will likely be somewhat exposed. As new chains of command are put in place, confusion within the group could emerge, along with a perception of weakness by the group’s rivals. This confusion and perceived weakness quickly could escalate into violence — especially if Sinaloa and its street gang allies attempt further inroads against Los Aztecas and its VCF allies.

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Nov. 22

• Eight people were injured when a group of people in a car being chased by gunmen crashed into a store in northern Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state.

Nov. 23

• An unidentified gunman shot and injured a ministerial police officer during an attempted arrest in Metepec, Mexico state. The suspect and three other people fled aboard a taxi.
• Two state security agency agents opened fire on each other in the Ciudad Satelite neighborhood of Naucalpan, Mexico state, after a personal dispute. One of the men was killed and the other was injured.
• Police arrested Carlos “El Charro” Montemayor Gonzalez in the Santa Fe district of Mexico City. Montemayor is the suspected successor to alleged drug trafficker Edgar “La Barbie” Valdez Villarreal.

Nov. 24

• Soldiers in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon state, arrested four suspected cartel lookouts after being followed by three unidentified vehicles.
• Soldiers in Patzcuaro, Michoacan state, dismantled two methamphetamine labs. No arrests were made.
• Police in Tijuana, Baja California state, arrested five suspected kidnappers and freed four kidnapping victims, including a woman who had been beaten and held for approximately a week.
• Authorities discovered seven bodies in a grave near the municipalities of Abasolo and Villa de Casas, Tamaulipas state. Some of the victims bore signs of torture and others had been shot.

Nov. 25

• Police in Ixtapaluca, Mexico state, arrested a woman suspected of leading the “Las Pumas” criminal group, which is believed to cooperate with LFM.
• Police arrested 13 people during a traffic stop in the Cumbres San Angel neighborhood and a raid in the San Bernabe neighborhood of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state.
• An unidentified gunman killed a Federal Electricity Commission employee at a bar in Guadalajara, Jalisco state. The suspect reportedly shot the victim in the head after arguing with him.

Nov. 26

• Mexican soldiers seized approximately 4 tons of marijuana from a smuggling tunnel in Tijuana, Baja California state. After the seizure, U.S. authorities found approximately 13 tons of marijuana on the U.S. side of the border.
• Unidentified gunmen freed two suspected members of the Valencia cartel being transported by prison guards in the municipality of Tonaya, Jalisco state. Four guards were killed during the attack.
• The body of a kidnapping victim seized in October from a Red Cross clinic by unidentified gunmen was discovered in Los Huizaches, Sinaloa state. The victim had been taken to the clinic after having been shot.
• Unidentified gunmen killed a used car salesman in Molocotlan, Hidalgo state, after kidnapping him in Zacualtipan. The victim was shot twice in the back. Police fired on the suspected kidnappers in the municipality of San Felipe Orizatlan, but no arrests were made.

Nov. 27

• Soldiers in the municipality of Jiutepec, Morelos state, arrested a close associate of the suspected chief of the CPS gunmen. The suspect, identified as Jesus Radilla, is accused of being involved in approximately 200 murders.
• Unidentified attackers threw a grenade at a security forces headquarters in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. No injuries were reported in the attack.

Nov. 28

• Soldiers in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state, shot and killed one suspected criminal and injured another during a firefight. The soldiers reportedly came under attack while investigating reports of gunshots in the area.
• Banners hung by unidentified people in Acapulco, Guerrero state, accused suspected drug trafficker Carlos Montemayor Gonzalez of mistakenly ordering the deaths of 20 Michoacan tourists in Acapulco. The banners were signed by the Independent Cartel of Acapulco.
• Police in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, arrested Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, the suspected head of the Los Aztecas criminal group.