An Accidental Benefactor

As Mexico's two predominant criminal cartels, the Sinaloa Federation and Los Zetas, continue their violent competition for control over the country's drug trade, the Mexican government is compelled to contain that violence as well as it can. Some cartels benefit from the resultant government intervention, especially when the intervention is directed at one of their rivals.

Such is the case in western Mexico, where several incidents took place over the weekend that seem to advantage Los Zetas as they encroach on Sinaloa territory. On Jan. 18, Federal Police arrested Eduardo "El Lalo" Avila Ojeda, a weapons distributor for the Sinaloa Federation, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state. The arrest follows the Dec. 30 capture of Ramiro "El Ramy" Rendon, another alleged Sinaloa distributor, in Culiacan.

On Jan. 20, Luis Alberto "El Arqui" Cabrera Sarabia, a lieutenant of Sinaloa leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, was killed by Mexican soldiers in Canatlan, Durango state, during an operation that resulted in the arrest of at least 10 other members. Cabrera reportedly was head of the cartel's operations for all of Durango state and parts of Chihuahua state.

Then on Jan. 22, the Mexican army detained Sinaloa money launderer Jose Sanchez Villalobos in Guadalajara, Jalisco state. Sanchez is also wanted by the U.S. government for cocaine trafficking. The arrest was the result of an investigation stemming from evidence gathered from the November 2011 seizure of $15.3 million in Tijuana, Baja California state. Finally, on Jan. 26 authorities arrested Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, a head Sinaloa security operator.

As we noted in our 2012 annual cartel report, Los Zetas have a presence in more territories than the Sinaloa Federation, which operates in fewer states now than it did in 2005. It therefore comes as no surprise that the two cartel hegemons are coming into conflict with each other over a growing number of territories. In fact, the three states in which the above incidents took place — Durango, Jalisco and Sinaloa — are traditional areas of Sinaloa control in which Los Zetas are trying to establish a presence.

The military operations come at an inopportune time for the Sinaloa Federation, given the recent Zetas incursions into its territory. While the moves may not have been anything more than typical counter-cartel operations, Sinaloa financial operations and weapons distribution — money and guns are key elements of a criminal organization's infrastructure — were targeted. A decline in these assets could hamper Sinaloa's ability to combat the government forces (Sinaloa does not deliberately target government forces, but such engagements often are unavoidable in the cartel war). More important, a decline in these assets may hurt Sinaloa's efforts to counter Los Zetas as they continue their incursions into Sinaloa territory.

Municipal Police Dead in Ciudad Juarez

Over the past week, three municipal police officers were killed in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state. On Jan. 19, several municipal police officers responded to a motorcycle accident, during which they were ambushed by unidentified gunmen. One officer was killed and several others wounded. Then on Jan. 21, gunmen in a vehicle opened fire on a police supervisor and another officer traveling in the supervisor's personal vehicle. The supervisor was taken to the hospital, where he died from injuries sustained in the incident. His passenger is in serious condition.

Even though drug-related homicides claimed fewer lives in Juarez last year than the previous year — 1,700 people died in 2011, down from around 3,000 in 2010 — the city is still Mexico's deadliest. Cartel violence rarely discriminates among victims, but municipal police seem to be the most vulnerable of all Mexican authorities. This likely is because they are on the front lines of the conflict and are susceptible to collusion with cartels — and reprisals from rival cartels for that collusion.

That the victims in Juarez were targeted deliberately because of their station serves as a reminder that the authorities, especially municipal police, must still contend with cartel-related violence, even if levels of violence are lower than they once were.

Jan. 17

•  A municipal police officer was executed in Tepic, Nayarit state, by gunmen in the streets in the early morning. The attackers fled before authorities arrived at the scene.
• A gunman killed four individuals in a residence in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state. According to neighbors, one of the individuals killed had been released from prison six months prior to the incident.
• The Mexican navy captured Ariel "El Cepillin" Pineda Jimenez, a reported leader of the Knights Templar, in Xochimilco, Mexico City. According to Mexican authorities, Pineda was in charge of Guanajuato state.

Jan. 18

• A bronze statue of a rooster was left at a street corner in Reynosa, Tamaulipas state, in memory of deceased Gulf cartel leader Samuel "El Metro 3" Flores Borrego.
• The Mexican army announced that they arrested Jose Sanchez Villalobos, a chief financial operator for the Sinaloa Federation in Baja California and Jalisco states, in Guadalajara, Jalisco state. The arrest follows an investigation stemming from a seizure of $15.35 million in Tijuana in November 2011.
• Mexican soldiers killed three gunmen in Susupuato, Mexico state, during a gunfight. Several other gunmen escaped.

Jan. 19

• One police officer was killed and three wounded in an ambush by unidentified gunmen. The police were responding to a call about a motorcycle accident. 

Jan. 20

• Unidentified gunmen shot and killed three individuals along a highway in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state. Authorities found some 100 bullet casings among the victims.

Jan. 21

• Mexican authorities discovered the dismembered body of a man placed in three black bags inside a vehicle near the Federal Palace in Acapulco, Guerrero state.
• Gunmen killed Fabian Ramirez, a municipal police commander in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state. Ramirez was en route to work when the gunmen ambushed him.

Jan. 22

• The body of a young man bearing signs of torture was found in a public display in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state. A narcomanta, signed "Z," threatened similar fates to those who rob from the innocent.  

Jan. 23

• Five police died during a confrontation with gunmen in Ixtapaluca, Mexico state. The incident began when police arrested an individual for carrying an assault rifle issued to the military. Gunmen in two vehicles opened fire after they intercepted the police en route to police headquarters. The individual who had been arrested escaped.