Latest news with #Sinaloa-based
Int'l Business Times
29-04-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Volunteer Groups in Mexico Keep Uncovering Human Remains in Clandestine Graves
A group of volunteers from Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco — a nonprofit organization dedicated to locating missing persons — reported the existence of unauthorized burial sites, or clandestine graves, in the municipality of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, a community located just south of Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital. Members of the group alerted authorities of their discovery, which included human remains found inside improvised structures they described as "little caves," where victims were allegedly incinerated using tires as fuel. According to their accounts, the remains were exposed to the elements rather than buried. During a Facebook live broadcast, members of Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco condemned the lack of response from authorities despite having alerted municipal and state agencies about their discovery. In the broadcast, volunteers displayed several bone fragments, confirming the remains were human. "You can clearly see molars, teeth, burned human remains, vertebrae, and parts of a skull," said one of the group's spokeswomen. According to the public complaint filed by the group, Tlaquepaque municipal police arrived at the scene, collected the volunteers' details, and left shortly after. "It's 9 p.m., and we're still waiting for the authorities who are supposed to be first responders," one woman said. "We notified the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences — they have the report. But no one has shown up. We also alerted homicide and missing persons units, and yet we're out here in the middle of nowhere. This is unacceptable." Sinaloa-based group makes similar discovery Just last week, a volunteer group in the northern state of Sinaloa uncovered multiple clandestine graves in the municipality of Culiacán. Members of Sabuesos Guerreras discovered the remains of at least 12 people spread across seven separate graves. "We were told there were bodies buried in secret... at first, they reported three, but we ended up finding more," said Belinda Aguilar, a member of the group. According to Aguilar, some of the remains appeared to be recent, while others showed advanced signs of decomposition. The Mexican government has stopped tracking clandestine graves According to El País , the Mexican government has largely "given up" on tracking the number of clandestine graves discovered across the country. The outlet notes that the last official effort to maintain an up-to-date record came in 2023, when the . Clandestine graves found in Mexico between 2006 and 2023 That number has likely increased, as communities across Mexico continue to report new discoveries on a near-weekly basis. For instance, in the northern state of Tamaulipas, members of the group Colectivo Amor por los Desaparecidos have identified more than 20 suspected sites this year in Reynosa, where criminal groups allegedly killed and incinerated their victims. Amid the growing controversy surrounding the Izaguirre Ranch case in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, the federal government quietly disabled public access to the website that had tracked the locations of clandestine graves nationwide. The now-inaccessible records showed that from Dec. 1, 2018, to April 30, 2023, a total of 2,863 sites were discovered. According to data collected by the Interior Ministry and cited by Infobae México , only Veracruz (668) reported more such graves than Tamaulipas (554) and Sinaloa (484). Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
DOJ: 22 charged for role in drug trafficking organization linked to Beltran Leyva Cartel
EL CENTRO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two dozen people are facing charges in Imperial County for their alleged participation in a transnational drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa-based Beltran Leyva Cartel, the Department of Justice reports. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California reports 22 people were indicted by a federal grand jury in Imperial County on Thursday for their role in allegedly importing and distributing more than a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into the United States, laundering the illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms from the United States into Mexico. The Department of Justice reports over 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado Thursday morning arrested 10 people and executed six search warrants in Imperial County. As of Thursday, the DOJ said search warrants remained active for 12 people. The DOJ reports seizures throughout the entire investigation total to more than 1,000 kilograms (about 2,204 pounds) of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and over 750 kilograms (about 1,653 pounds) of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in narcotics proceeds. According to search warrants, the defendants belonged to a Mexicali, Mexico, and Imperial County-based transnational criminal organization that operated as a distribution cell for the Beltran Leyva Cartel, specifically associated with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka El Chapo Isidro. The court reports undercover agents used wiretaps over the course of the investigation while conducing multiple controlled purchases, traffic stops of personal vehicles and tractor trailers, and searches of houses and stash locations leading to large seizures of narcotics. During that time, an Imperial County-based narcotics subdistributor was shot multiple times during one of the wiretap operations in Mexicali and died months later, in what investigators believe was a setup to lure that person from the U.S. to Mexico in relation to drug trafficking and money laundering activities. The indictment detailed several of the large drug busts that were made, including the seizure of 1.4 million fentanyl pills from a semi-truck shipment in January 2023, the seizure of 483,000 fentanyl pills from a semi-truck shipment in May 2023, and another seizure in May 2023 of 480,000 fentanyl pills, 72.29 kilograms of methamphetamine, and a loaded 9mm handgun with a 10-round magazine inserted and a round in the chamber. In October 2023, investigators also seized 139,000 fentanyl pills and 36.66 kilograms (80.82 pounds) of methamphetamine after federal agents watched the unloading and transportation of the narcotics. Then, in March 2024, 59.48 kilograms (131.13 pounds) of methamphetamine was seized during a traffic stop. Federal agents also seized firearms and ammunition during the investigation, including two gold plated AR-15 semi-automatic rifles hidden inside a 55-gallon barbeque grill in August 2023, and two rifles, two pistols, 2,182 ammunition rounds, and seven magazines destined for Mexicali-based drug traffickers. According to court records, five of the charged defendants are also tied to illegal smuggling activity. This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, and the prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged leader of Mexico-based drug organization added to FBI wanted list
Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The FBI on Tuesday added a known Mexican drug lord to its notorious "Ten Most Wanted" list of fugitives for a multitude of alleged drug-related crimes. Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, 42, is the purported leader of Mexico's Sinaloa-based Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization that purportedly is responsible for possession, distribution and importation of "large quantities" of a number of illicit drugs into the U.S. market. Also known to go by "Chapo Isidro," he is the 533rd addition to the FBI list. As its alleged chief, Meza-Flores "leads a group of heavily armed gunmen who use violence to maintain control of areas in Mexico used for the production and transportation of narcotics" destined for the United States, according to FBI officials. He allegedly conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the United States from roughly 2005 to 2019, according to an indictment. A reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction has been offered by the U.S. State Department's Narcotics Rewards Program. Meza-Flores, who officials said likely resides in Mexico, originally was indicted by a federal court in Washington on May 2, 2012. In 2013, the U.S. Treasury Department formally designated his cartel as a drug trafficking organization as American officials froze known U.S. assets. By 2017, the bureau initially was offering its $5 million reward for information. A federal grand jury returned on Nov. 26, 2019, a superseding indictment charging him with drug trafficking violations and possession of a firearm. Meanwhile, some 533 fugitives have been put on the list and 496 located since 1950 when the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list first was established. "For decades, the public has shared information with the FBI that has helped us capture dangerous criminals," Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan wrote in a release. Moreover, as a result of "citizen cooperation," according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 163 of those on the list were located. The alleged Mexican drug lord is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and has brown eyes, dark brown hair at approximately 160 pounds. The public is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), to contact a local FBI field office, the nearest U.S. ambassador or consulate or submit a tip online with any info on Meza-Flores.
