Sunday, September 19, 2010

Diario Tries to Make Sense Out of Narco-Message

Yesterday at 5:30 a.m. reporters were alerted about the appearance of a "narco-message" written on a banner (see picture on the right), at a major intersection. It said, "Commander Diaz Saavedra, commissioner Pavon, Comander Arias, what happened to the reporters will happen to you if you don't reverse gear and give us the money, you are just like Major Rezendiz. Sincerely, La Linea." Stories reporting this appearance yesterday suggested that La Linea might be taking responsibility for the murder of the Diario photographer, Luis Carlos Santiago, 21, and the critical injury to Diario photographer Carlos Sanchez Colunga, 18, on September 16.

Today a narco-message appeared on a wall (see picture) denying that La Linea shoots newsmen.

Diario staffers began to dig further into the original message, and (click here for story) and have reached the following conclusions, based on information provided by law enforcement officials

The men named in the narco-message were federal police agents assigned to work with the municipal police department. Diaz Saavedra took over the Delicias police station in April, when federal police took over the command of municipal police functions, replacing Lt. Col. Rezendiz, an army officer. Commander Arias was a federal police agent assigned to the Benito Juarez station Pavon was also a federal police agent who,
Diario learned, was transferred to Mexico City. Anonymous informants told Diario Diaz Saavedra, Pavon, and Arias, were all involved in extortion.

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