Latest news with #Saucedo
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Arrests of Colombian ex-soldiers expose links to Mexican cartels
Ten Colombian former soldiers were among the suspects arrested after an improvised landmine killed six Mexican troops in a drug cartel heartland this week, authorities said Friday. Their capture shone a spotlight on the growing involvement of foreign ex-military personnel with Mexican drug traffickers. More than 40 explosive devices were seized along with other weapons in the western state of Michoacan, according to statements from the national and local governments. In total, 17 suspected members of a criminal group, including a dozen Colombians, were detained in the municipality of Los Reyes, authorities said. The blast late Tuesday destroyed the armored vehicle in which the Mexican troops were traveling, according to an internal military report seen by AFP. Military planes and helicopters were deployed to help the casualties, it said. The area is home to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the country's most powerful drug trafficking groups. The disarmament of the FARC guerrilla group in 2017 and cuts to Colombia's military budget are part of the reason for the presence of foreign former soldiers in Mexico, independent security expert David Saucedo said. Some come directly from Colombia, "and others were mercenaries in Ukraine," he told AFP. For years, Colombian mercenaries, mostly retired military personnel, have fought in conflicts including in Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq. In 2023, Colombian gunmen killed Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, while in 2021, Colombian hitmen assassinated Haitian president Jovenel Moise. Cartels are targeting former Colombian military personnel and guerrillas for their knowledge of explosives, Saucedo said. In October 2023, Michoacan security officials reported a "Colombian cell" dedicated to manufacturing explosives had been dismantled. The involvement of former Mexican and foreign military personnel with cartels is not new. Former members of an elite Mexican army unit founded the bloodthirsty Zetas cartel in the late 1990s and recruited deserters from the Guatemalan special forces. The recruitment of Colombians "is a reaction to the militarization process" that Mexico has been experiencing since the government launched a war on cartels in 2006, Saucedo said. Criminal groups in Michoacan have a history of planting improvised landmines and attacking security forces with explosive-laden drones. Several soldiers have been killed in similar explosions in the past. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. US President Donald Trump has designated six Mexican drug trafficking groups as terrorist organizations, fueling speculation that he might order military strikes against them. str-ai/dr/aha
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Police warn of used car scam as single mother reacts to theft
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Metro police investigators are warning the public about a social media scam involving used cars. Police say the online sellers, who often use Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, deliver the cars and cash payments. However, they then double back to the buyers to steal the car, keeping the money in the process. Overland Park single mom Daynara Saucedo bought a used car on Facebook Marketplace last Thursday. She said she drove it to her family's home near 87th and Conser when trouble showed up later in the evening. 'It happened so fast, you couldn't react,' Saucedo said. 20-year-old man convicted in 2023 I-70 road rage killing near Oak Grove Saucedo paid $2,700 for the 2012 used Kia sedan. The same night, the seller tracked her to that address and stole the car. Saucedo told Overland Park Police the alleged criminal kept the money, too. Saucedo also says she believes they used an Airtag placed inside the car to find her. 'I got the car for a reason because I really needed this vehicle. So not only did you take my transportation from me, but you took money as well, and you took my kids' car seats,' Saucedo said. 'It was a cowardly move, in my opinion, especially during tax season. A lot of these single moms are getting their income taxes back. They're trying to get a good deal,' Catlin Leonard, Saucedo's stepfather, said. OP Police report this scam is becoming more common. Overland Park Police Ofc. John Lacy said online buyers and sellers are welcome to do business in the Internet Exchange Space just outside police headquarters on Foster Street. Cameras look on from above, and you don't have to be an OP resident to use it. Lacy recommends not trusting online strangers who want to avoid the police department or doing business in suspicious or out-of-the-way locations. Lawsuit filed against KC Pet Project over 2024 deadly dog mauling incident 'If they're planning on doing any type of crime, or any type of scam, they're probably not going to come,' Ofc. Lacy said on Friday. 'That's a major red flag.'The car wasn't the only thing Saucedo lost, since two car seats for her kids were in the back and she learned about that from the next person who bought the car. If you know who might be behind these car thefts, please contact the Overland Park Police Department. Saucedo's loved ones have started a GoFundMe to help recover the money she lost in this theft. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Does Mexico's capo handover mark new phase in anti-drug fight?
Mexico's handover of some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the United States is part of a more confrontational approach by President Claudia Sheinbaum against ultra-violent cartels, experts say. The mass transfer of 29 alleged drug traffickers has sparked concerns of a potential violent backlash from some of the world's most powerful criminal organizations. It comes as Mexico seeks to avert sweeping tariffs that US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose on its exports next week. What are the implications of the surprise delivery to US authorities of senior figures in several drug cartels, a number of which have been designated terrorist organizations by Trump? - Turning point in anti-drug fight? - While she ruled out declaring "war" on drug cartels after taking office in October, Sheinbaum has quietly dropped her predecessor's "hugs not bullets" strategy, which prioritized tackling the root causes of criminal violence over security operations. Mexican authorities have recently announced a series of major drug seizures and the capture of suspects including two prominent members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is gripped by bloody internal fighting. "The number of arrests, drug seizures and now extraditions is increasing significantly. There is a strategy of absolute confrontation with the cartels," said David Saucedo, a security consultant. The increased pressure from Washington represents an "ideal moment" for Sheinbaum to shape her own security policy, since it is a "frankly critical" problem, said Javier Oliva, a defense and security specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In November, outgoing US ambassador Ken Salazar said former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's "hugs not bullets" policy strategy had failed. Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen around 480,000 people murdered across Mexico since 2006. - How will cartels react? - Mexican cartels have a history of violent responses to detentions or extraditions of their leaders, and experts fear this time may be no different. "It's highly likely that there will be a furious reaction. It's not the same for a drug lord to be imprisoned in Mexico as it is to be in a high-security prison in the United States," Saucedo said. In Mexico, many drug lords are able to run their organizations from behind bars. "High-security prisons quickly become comfortable prisons for drug traffickers," Saucedo said. The prospect of life imprisonment in a US jail could also make it harder to capture more drug lords, he said. "They will shoot until the last bullet and spill the last drop of blood to avoid being taken to the United States," Saucedo warned. The fall of kingpins could also further fragment their organizations, said Oliva, leading to bloody turf wars. - Politicians exposed? - The possibility of the suspects becoming protected witnesses in the United States has raised speculation that they could lift the lid on high-level corruption in Mexico. Their testimonies could expose not only their own organizations, but also "the circles of political, police and military protection that support the cartels," Saucedo said. Such revelations would allow Trump to increase his demands on the Mexican government, which he has accused without proof of colluding with drug trafficking, Oliva said. "The pressure will continue" both to capture criminals and to expose "complicity in political power," he added jla-yug-dr/st
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Fugitives from San Antonio, Bryan added to Texas' 10 Most Wanted lists
Feb. 11—AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added Brandon Hartfield to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List and Salvador Saucedo Jr., to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Texas Crime Stoppers is now offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to either of their arrests. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. According to a DPS news release, Brandon Troy Hartfield, 37, from San Antonio, has been wanted out of Bexar Co. since August 2024 for sexual assault of a child and a parole violation. His criminal history includes past convictions for aggravated robbery and burglary of a habitation. Hartfield is 6 feet 3 inches tall, and he weighs about 235 pounds. He has tattoos on his chest and both arms. More information about Hartfield or updates in the event of his arrest can be found here. Salvador Saucedo Jr., 37, a convicted sex offender from Bryan, has been wanted out of Gonzales Co. since March 2024 for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Additionally, in May 2024, a warrant for harassment was issued for his arrest by the College Station Police Department, the release said. On Jan. 23, 2025, Saucedo was arrested and escaped from custody while in Bellville, Texas. The following day, warrants were issued for his arrest out of Waller Co. for escape while arrested, assault on a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify as a fugitive and resisting arrest. Then, on Jan. 27, a warrant was issued out of Brazos Co. for Saucedo's arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. In August 2022, Saucedo was convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact following an incident with an 11-year-old girl. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years' probation. Saucedo is 5 feet 11 inches tall, and he weighs about 190 pounds. He has tattoos on his face, neck, chest, both arms and both legs. More information about Saucedo or updates in the event of his arrest can be found here. Funded by the Governor's Public Safety Office, Texas Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas' 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders or Criminal Illegal Immigrants. So far in 2025, DPS and other agencies have arrested seven Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants, including two sex offenders and two criminal illegal immigrants — with $10,000 in rewards being paid for tips that yielded arrests. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods: — Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). — Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture. — Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the "SUBMIT A TIP" link (under the "About" section). All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name. DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants Lists. You can find the current lists — with photos — on the DPS website. Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Bryan fugitive added to Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list
BRYAN, Texas (FOX 44) – A Bryan man has been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List, according to the Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS says 37-year-old Salvador Saucedo, Jr. is a convicted sex offender and has been wanted out of Gonzales County since March 2024 for Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact. A warrant for harassment was also issued for his arrest in May 2024 by the College Station Police Department. Saucedo was arrested on January 23 and escaped from custody while in Bellville, Texas. The following day, warrants were issued for his arrest out of Waller County for Escape While Arrested, Assault on a Peace Officer, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Failure to Identify as a Fugitive and Resisting Arrest. A warrant was then issued out of Brazos County on January 27 for Saucedo's arrest for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration Requirements. In August 2022, Saucedo was convicted of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact following an incident with an eleven-year-old girl. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years' probation. DPS says Saucedo is 5'11' and weighs about 190 pounds. He has tattoos on his face, neck, chest, both arms and both legs. Do not attempt to apprehend Saucedo. He is considered armed and dangerous. If you know of his whereabouts, you can: Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture. Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the 'SUBMIT A TIP' link (under the 'About' section). Texas Crime Stoppers is now offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Saucedo's arrest. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
