Borderland Beat: Phone Calls Give Clues on Mexico Drug Gang Propaganda Tactics

 

Phone Calls Give Clues on Mexico Drug Gang Propaganda Tactics

 

By Patrick Corcoran
Insight
A series of recorded phone conversations between alleged members of the Mexican drug gang Caballeros Templarios offers insight into the group’s attempts to manipulate the media and organize protests against the police.

Milenio newspaper reports that it had access to recordings of suspected gang members talking about mobilizing residents of the town of Apatzingan to protest against the recent arrival of the Federal Police to the state of Michoacan, where the Caballeros are located. They also discussed seeking an audience with media outlets, and publicizing the arrival of the federal forces.

The government has long accused gangs of orchestrating protests against the security forces, arguing that those marching in the streets often represent the interests of the wealthy mobs, not the public will, but the recordings offer a clearer view of the nature of criminal organizations’ role in such events.

The Caballeros, as one of the gangs most deeply linked to society in its home turf, has a capacity to manipulate the public using both carrots and sticks that goes well beyond that of most gangs. However, the recorded conversations also seem to reveal a deeper concern for public relations than has previously been understood. While many gang leaders have sought to paint government forces in a bad light and have organized sporadic and mostly ineffective public relations efforts, the conversations between the Caballeros offer a picture of a group that views popular opinion as a vital source of its power.

This is likely due to the group's leader: Servando Gomez, alias “La Tuta.” Even while a member of the Familia Michoacana gang, before splitting to form the Caballeros earlier this year, Gomez showed himself to be unusually interested in communicating with the public and offering justifications for his actions. He attracted national attention in 2009 for calling into a television program and engaging in a lengthy interview.

What follows is InSight Crime's translation of three conversations, transcribed by Milenio, among alleged members of the Caballeros Templarios. The first is between a man known as "Pantera" and his subordinate, who goes by the nickname "Toy." The two men discuss ways to increase participation in an anti-government protest, so as to embarrass the Calderon administration. They seem to agree that they will impose fines on any stores which defy their orders and stay open.

P.- We gotta mobilize everyone, there’s an [expletive] march.
T.- Ah, it’s on Wednesday, right?
P.- No, [expletive] Wednesday, we need to do it now.
T.- I had everything ready, there was even going to be food...
P.- On Wednesday.
T.- Yes, food, barbecue, tortillas, water, drinks.
P.- [Expletive] it. I want you to close everything, stores, everything, on Wednesday, I don’t want a single store open and I want everyone marching, listen to me, if they don’t close, we will fine them, just so they know.
T.- The whole town closed.
P.- The whole [expletive] town closed, just so they know, everyone needs to go just like that, spread the word, [expletive] it all, there will be a huge protest, I’m going to dare to do this, and if they get angry at me, let them get angry at me.
T.- Ah, sounds good, sounds good.
P.- Please: I want all the stores closed and start telling people now, I want you to tell them that on Wednesday we will wait for them at 4 in the afternoon.

In the second conversation, two unidentified alleged gang members complain about the "blues," or the Federal Police. They appear to be discussing ways to encourage media outlets to cover the arrival of the force, and seeking a meeting with one media group.

— Those sons of [expletive] are around here already?
— Who got here already?
— Those blue [expletive].
— They are here again?
— Those dogs are around here, look here ... please, with cameras, put it on Televisa, on Milenio, everyone that came here, let’s get them to work ... please.
— Sounds good.
— And tell that guy from ABC that I was supposed to meet with them and we didn’t meet.
— OK.
— Right now we gotta go so that they meet with me please, with the boys ... let’s get rolling, with cameras rolling, it looks like they are filming ... please.

In the third conversation, two men discuss meeting with various prominent media outlets. It is not clear how far they are trying to manipulate the coverage, though the references to "our people" suggest that the group may have journalists they are in regular contact with, or even on their payroll.

— Talk to me.
— I mean, if you could take me over there with the boys to give them a little paper.
— I’m sorry?
— If you could take me over there with the boys to talk.
— Let me check with them to see what they are doing in the afternoon.
— Hey.
— Let me call them, I mean.
— Call them to see where they are.
— Where who is?
— The people on the outside or our people?
— No, buddy those on the outside.
— Ah, there are three.
— Who is it?
— One coming from El Universal, Telemundo, and Univision.
— The guy from Milenio, he’s coming too?
— Yeah, Tony is here covering, the guy from Televisa, he is sending stuff to Televisa and Milenio.
— No, no, no. Did the guy from Milenio come? Did he come or not?
— Yeah he came.
— OK, good, tell me where they are and I’ll stop by right now.

Video Links:  http://bcove.me/3m7bet2m  and http://bcove.me/3kknsgcd

Source:  Borderland Beat: Phone Calls Give Clues on Mexico Drug Gang Propaganda Tactics

Narcos Operating In Cyber Space? Are Mexico Drug Gangs Drafting Hackers?

Actual link to this article is posted at the bottom.

Comment:  If true, this appears to be the first time narco elements have expanded into another dimension that is much more harder to police.

Monday, 18 July 2011 17:26

Are Mexico Drug Gangs Drafting Hackers?

Written by  Ronan Graham

 

Recent claims that computer programmers are being forcibly recruited by Mexican drug gangs, if true, suggest that the criminal groups may be upping their efforts to reap the potential profits of cyber crime.

The story of Fernando Ernesto Villegas Alvarez recently featured in Mexican newspaper Excelsior. A 24-year-old intern at a research center in a Mexico City college, Villegas was, according to his parents, delighted to be offered an attractive job at company known as “Productos Foca.” However, things turned sour when he was enticed into working on an out-of-office project in Acapulco with the promise of a 10,000 peso bonus ($850), equivalent to his monthly wage. His final task in Acapulco was in a house in the Brisas del Marques area, where he was supposedly required to help set up email accounts for his client. However, he soon found out that this client was Edgar Valdez Villareal, alias “La Barbie,” an infamous, now-captured, drug lord from the Beltran Leyva Organization.

According to Villegas' mother, her son was gripped by fear and felt compelled to do as he was told, although he wanted to return home. However, Villegas, never did return home. On July 31, 2010, police raided the residence where he was working and sleeping. He was accused of carrying weapons belonging to the army and was told that the Mac computer he was using was stolen property. The exact nature of the work he undertook for Valdez Villareal remains unclear, and he now stands accused of possession of a grenade, with no charges relating to cybercrime. After spending 80 days in police custody, he was transferred to a federal prison in Veracruz State, where he remains. He is, according to his supporters, an innocent computer programmer who was held against his will by a violent drug boss.

According to some reports, Villegas claims that police forced him to throw a grenade in order to implicate him in being a member of the gang.

Dmitry Bestuzhev, a Latin American specialist with the global Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab, told news channel RT that he was not surprised by allegations that criminal gangs were coercing Mexican computer programmers. Bestuzhev believes these gangs are increasingly demonstrating a desire to make money from cybercrime but lack the technical knowhow within their ranks to do so. He said that they turn to computer programmers to help them to, among other things, steal information to clone credit cards and passports.

There are certainly many reasons why these gangs would be desperate to recruit programmers with the expertise to break into the world of cybercrime. Mexican drug trafficking organization are unsurprisingly attracted by the high profits and minimal risks, offered by cyber crimes like fraud, theft, and piracy. "I strongly believe that if drug dealers see [profit] in abusing kidnapped cyber-criminals, they will keep doing it,” Bestuzhev said.

It’s not clear whether Fernando Ernesto Villegas Alvarez is an innocent computer programmer, intimidated into using his expertise to help criminal gangs, but the story sounds plausible. As InSight Crime has noted, Mexico is becoming a global hub for cybercrime, due to its growing population of computer users and large number of pre-existing criminal networks. Many of these groups have seen their drug trafficking profits squeezed by President Felipe Calderon’s crackdown on organized crime, and are turning to other illegal activities to bring in income.

Full article:  Are Mexico Drug Gangs Drafting Hackers?

300 Acre Pot Farm Found in Baja: California BBC News - Mexico finds huge marijuana farm in Baja California

 

Excerpt:

The Mexican authorities said the plants would have yielded marijuana with a street value of about $160m (£99m)

Soldiers were patrolling the area, some 300km (190 miles) south of the US border, when they found the plantation.

The field near the town of San Quintin, measuring 1.2sq km (300 acres), was surrounded by a hedge of cacti. It is the largest marijuana plantation ever found in Mexico, officials say.

They say it would have yielded a harvest worth about $160m (£99m).

Source article and Video Link:  BBC News - Mexico finds huge marijuana farm in Baja California

Warning issued for city of El Paso - Rochester, News, Weather, Sports, and Events - 13WHAM.com

 

Excerpt:

The U.S. consulate in a Mexican border city warns that a drug cartel may be targeting its facilities or other U.S. entry points and is urging Americans there to be vigilant.

The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez says information of a possible attack came after the recent capture of key members of cartels active in the city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Source: Warning issued for city of El Paso - Rochester, News, Weather, Sports, and Events - 13WHAM.com

Mexican Court Orders Civilian Trials For Troops Accused Of Rights Abuse

 

Comment:   The 2004 piece, “Reassessing the Causes of Nongovernmental Terrorism in Latin America”, by Andreas E Fieldmann and Maiju Perala identified that one of the three key findings in states suffering from nongovernmental terrorism stems from human rights abuses.  This came along with poor governance and ineffective rule of law. Latin American Politics and Society, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Summer, 2004), pp. 101-132. Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3177176.

Excerpt: 

(RTTNews) - Mexico's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that soldiers accused of torture, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killing and other violations of civilian human rights should be tried in civilian courts instead of military tribunals.

The development came amid increasing cases of military personnel violating rights of civilians in Mexico, where thousands of troops are deployed in cities and towns across the country as part of an intensified military campaign against powerful drug cartels.

Full article:  Mexican Court Orders Civilian Trials For Troops Accused Of Rights Abuse

Cartel Smuggling Techniques

The American Backyard.NET: FBI: Border drug smugglers use unsuspecting motori...: "Comment: This report contains clandestine techniques and procedures used by drug cartels to infiltrate drugs into the US. Excerpt: by An..."

Sinaloa Cartel Has Government Sanction? - Mexico Not in League with Sinaloa Cartel, Insists Government

 

Comment:  It’s hard to say what is actually true, however, there is likely some collusion between government officials and the Sinaloa cartel.  Despite this however, the Mexican government is wise to target what they can now before engaging the hard problem…Sinaloa Cartel.  Doing this follows a concept once taught in the US Marine Corps known as the concept of surfaces and gaps, a maneuver warfare concept.  When engaging a problem one wants to exploit what is vulnerable and follow through by reinforcing success in order to fully eradicate a threat.  Once this is accomplished, all energy is shifted over to the next problem.  This allows the government to economize their resources as well as gain some credibility with the people by making progressive gains.

Excerpt:

Meanwhile, there are suspicions that the government is focusing on pursuing members of other drug-trafficking organizations, at the expense of targeting the Sinaloa Cartel. An investigation by the U.S. radio station NPR in 2010 found that the number of Sinaloa members captured is disproportionately low, relative to those arrested from other criminal groups.

All this, together with the rising fortunes of the Sinaloa Cartel, has led to suspicions that law enforcement may be on Guzman’s side, perhaps working to eliminate the Sinaloa Cartel's rivals at the expense of targeting Sinaloan operatives, with "El Chapo's" unofficial blessing.

View article:Mexico Not in League with Sinaloa Cartel, Insists Government

Targeting Los Zetas - Revamped Mexican anti-drug strategy focuses on Zetas

 

Comment:  Article states Mexico’s current point of main effort is directed at disrupting Los Zetas.

Excerpt:

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government is refocusing its drug-war strategy to take down the Zetas paramilitary cartel, a significant shift in approach that is likely to be met with increased violence, according to U.S. and Mexican officials familiar with the plan.

View Article: Revamped Mexican anti-drug strategy focuses on Zetas

Baseline: Drug Violence in Mexico: Data and Analysis Through 2010

Jun 30, 2011
Drug Violence in Mexico: Data and Analysis Through 2010, Trans-Border Institute, 2011.
Source link: http://justiceinmexico.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/2011-tbi-drugviolence.pdf

Excerpt:

About the Report
This report was prepared for the Justice in Mexico Project (www.justiceinmexico.org) which is hosted by the
Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, and supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Tinker Foundation, and the Open Society Institute. The report draws insights from a December 2010 workshop hosted by the Trans-Border Institute. The analysis and conclusions of the authors do not reflect the views of the Trans-Border Institute, its affiliates, or its sponsoring organizations. To purchase a hard copy of the report, please contact: transborder@sandiego.edu.
All TBI maps produced by Theresa Firestine.
Copyright Justice in Mexico Project, 2011. (Updated March 17, 2011)

Trans-Border Institute (TBI)
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110
www.sandiego.edu/tbi

Houston Texas-- Sheriff, lawmaker warn about Mexican cartel operat...

The American Backyard.NET: Sheriff, lawmaker warn about Mexican cartel operat...: " Excerpt: Samica Knight More: Bio , Facebook , News Team HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Mexican drug cartels are expanding their illegal operations ..."

Excellent Reference - Sinaloa, La Familia, and other Mexican Drug Cartels - Politics - GOOD

Comment: This is a worthy reference source. Note the cartel problem started back in the 70s, NOT when Calderon took over in 2006. It's just the problem grew out of control...refer to the Juarez Cartel on the chart.

Sinaloa, La Familia, and other Mexican Drug Cartels - Politics - GOOD: "Transparency: Who's Who in the Mexican Drug Wars"

Cartels Threaten to Decapitate US Law Enforcement Officials

Comment:  The cartels power comes mostly not from the gun, but by perception.  Yes, they are killing people, no doubt, however their real strength is acquired via fear.  Fear, consequences and the desire to survive reinforce cartel successes.  Until the people see the police as their savior, they will not turn on the cartels.  Another possibility is if the people get fed up enough on such a large scale that they begin taking action against the cartels themselves.  While this may be an option, it comes with risk.  Such actions would best be actioned by clandestine means in order to limit any potential for retaliation as well as create a shadow the cartels will fear as they will not clearly know who is hitting them; but know such actions are not without some significant bloodletting.  Last, while it's pretty and warm in concept for poets and artists to protest against the Mexican government for being violent, they are unfortunate 'useful idiots' by making things easier for the cartels to operate with impunity.  The cartels are no different than the late Abu Musab al Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden, and as such, it is these extremists that must be put to sleep, as that was the only way to stop the violence emanating from these two terrorists. End comment.

Excerpt:

Elsewhere in the north Friday, a spray-painted sign threatening death for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents was found next to a school in the northern city of Chihuahua, officials said.
Addressed with profanity to “Gringos (D.E.A.),” the unsigned graffiti warned: “We know where you are and we know who you are and where you go. We are going to chop off your (expletive) heads.”
Anonymous messages conveying threats and other warnings are common in areas hit hard by Mexico’s drug war, but it is rarer for them to threaten U.S. law enforcement. Authorities do not know who left the message, which was removed.
The DEA referred questions to the U.S. State Department. Officials there did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read the rest here:  Mexican marines kill 15 cartel suspects in battle | The Sierra Vista Herald

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