Police Believe they have Captured Some of the Assassins of the Eleven Youths

Background: (see Saturday's entry below for story about the killings).  State police in Juárez have been working on a theory the murders of the eleven youths last Thursday night at a picadero may have been motivated by revenge over the death of Arturo Padilla Juárez, alias "El Genio," last week during a fight between Azteca gang members in a prison in Chihuahua.

Suspects in the Praderas de los Oasis Killings last Thursday:  Photo Diario de Juárez

Diario de Juárez reports this morning (click here) that municipal police have arrested four men presumed to have been involved in the murder of eleven youths in a picadero in Col. Praderas de los Oasis, in Southern Juarez, near the Cereso prison.  One of them is said to be the man (alias "El Freddy") who replaced Arturo Padilla Juárez (killed last week in a Chihuahua prison gang fight) as second in command of the "vieja guardia" (old guard) of the Azteca gang.  The "vieja guardia,"also known as the "escuela vieja," (old school) split last year from the Azteca gang, joining forces with the Mexicle gang.  The Aztecas until then were associated with the Juarez cartel and the Mexicle gang since 2007 has been associated with the Sinaloa cartel.  The remnants of the Azteca gang have remained loyal to the Juárez cartel.  Since the split a violent turf war has broken out in Juárez ever since.  Since May of this year the violence attributed to this conflict has surged to levels not seen for at least seven years.

According to Diario police believe "El Freddy" ordered the assassination of the eleven persons in the picadero.