Saturday, April 18, 2009

Eight More Executions in Juarez on Thursday and Friday

The first victim was Jesus Humberto Ramirez de la O, in his late 30s, the manager of the Seven&Seven Bar on Avenida Tecnologico. He was killed in a storage room inside the bar, two bullet wounds to his head. Four empty shells of unspecified caliber were found near the body. Witnesses said four armed men entered the bar at around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday morning and forced him to enter the storage room at gunpoint. Four shots were heard and the men then fled the scene. Seven&Seven was one of the several bars that caught fire last year. Before the fire the bar's name was Santini.

Carlos Abraham Perez Nino, 29, was shot to death by gunfire in the Col. 16 de Septiembre. Sergio Porras Pinon, 42, was found at 10:45 p.m. on Floricultores Street, with five 40 mm shells near his body.

Friday was more violent.

Jesus Lopez Avalo, 36, was standing outside his home at 1040 Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m., with Ernesto Alonso Hernandez Reyes. A group of armed men approached the two and began shooting at them. Lopez, who worked as an automobile body shop specialist, attempted to flee but was shot dead about a block away, falling face down. Eight 40 mm shells were found outside Lopez's home. The second victim, Ernesto Alonso Hernandez Reyes, 31, ran in the same direction and made it to 1209 Joaquin Cortazar, another block away, before he was stopped by gunfire. Five 9 mm shells and 2 40 mm. shells were found near the body.

An unidentified man was shot at 2 p.m. on Friday at the intersection of 16 de Septiembre and Segunda de Ugarte, in front of a hotel. Witnesses saw a man shooting the victim several times, leaving him dead on the street before throwing the gun away. Police are searching for the gun.

A second double murder occurred at 5:05 p.m. on Friday when a white 1999 Grand Marquis carrying the two brothers, was intercepted by and armed commando group. The Marquis was headed North on Libertad, at the intersection with Insurgentes, waiting for the light to change, when the shooting started. The driver, Marco Aurelio Martinez Elizalde, apparently wounded, tried to drive on, but ran into a telephone pole. His brother, Oscar Martinez Elizalde, died at the scene. Marco Aurelio Martinez died in at General Hospital. 11 spent 9mm shells were found at the scene.

Compiled from news reports in Norte Juarez (Herica Martinez Prado and Carlos Huerta) and Diario de Juarez, Saturday, April 28.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Given the increasing drumbeat of murders in Cd. Juarez, just how safe would you say it is to venture south of the border?

What odds do you give for Bevins' being successful as Border Czar? And, finally, what do you see for the future of the drug cartels in the US? Can we effectively deal with the situation?

Jose Z. Garcia said...

Good questions. I had dinner last night in Juarez, with my wife. The bridges had long wait lines so we came back by Santa Teresa at dusk.

The U.S. State Department on Feb. 20 issued this advisory on Juarez:

"The situation in Ciudad Juarez is of special concern. Mexican authorities report that more than 1,800 people have been killed in the city since January 2008. Additionally, this city of 1.6 million people experienced more than 17,000 car thefts and 1,650 carjackings in 2008. U.S. citizens should pay close attention to their surroundings while traveling in Ciudad Juarez, avoid isolated locations during late night and early morning hours, and remain alert to news reports. A recent series of muggings near the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez targeted applicants for U.S. visas."

Since then the violence has been reduced drastically, but not entirely. I try to remain alert to my surroundings, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. You are not likely to be caught in a crossfire, just as you are unlikely to be hit by lightning.

2. Bersin's success will be determined, I believe, almost exclusively by how much authority he is given. He is quite capable but if HS and Justice get jealous and deny him the clout, he will be frustrated. A new GAO report out says there are serious problems between ICE and DEA in sharing information. I'm skeptical, and would give him no better than a 50-50 chance of succeeding in any significant way. Hope I'm wrong.

3. As long as there is demand for drugs there will be supply. As long as profit margins are exceptionally high there will be people willing to risk a lot to make the profit.