Intelligence personnel from the Rastrillo Operation arrested three individuals identified as lookouts (halcones) for organized crime cells that operated before and during the violent events of last July 18, when 10 men were kidnapped and found lifeless in the municipalities of Pánuco, Morelos, and Sain Alto.
The detainees were identified as Leonel “N”, 23 years old, originally from Mazatlán, Sinaloa; Osvaldo “N”, 22 years old, originally from Durango; and Dulce “N”, a minor originally from the municipality of Jerez.
At the time of their arrest, the three were traveling along a dirt road heading toward the 6 de Enero community, in José María Morelos. In the vehicle they were traveling in, methamphetamine, marijuana, ballistic vests, six .223 caliber magazines, 40 tire-puncturing spikes, and cartridges were found.
The arrests were reported this July 21 by the Secretary of Government Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza and the Secretary of Public Security Arturo Medina Mayoral in a press conference.
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In total, the operations derived from the multi-homicide have left 5 people detained with the implementation of joint actions between the three levels of government.
Lookout cells operated with radios during the day of July 18
The Secretary of Public Security of Zacatecas, General Mayoral, explained in a press conference that the three individuals detained today had communicated via radios during the kidnappings, with the function of monitoring for possible deployments of security forces and exercising resistance should they occur. He stated that there was no such deployment because no family member filed a disappearance report before the bodies were found.
It should be noted that the state government acknowledged last Monday, July 20, the presence of the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel in the entity, and the investigation seeks to determine which of the two groups ordered the massacre. The State Attorney General’s Office is working with two lines of investigation: the possible collusion of local public servants and an extortion network.
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They were arrested while traveling along a gap in a vehicle. Credit: Government of Zacatecas
Among the ten victims were the former municipal president of Sombrerete Ignacio Castrejón Valdez, the Secretary of Social Development of Fresnillo Fidel Alvarado de la Torre, the municipal firefighter Jesús Gerardo Muñetón Hernández, a DJ, and five businessmen from the construction and mining sectors.
Eight were originally from Zacatecas and two from Durango; eight died from asphyxiation or strangulation and two from a firearm projectile.
“Rastrillo” operation adds five detainees and multiple seizures since July 19
With the three arrests on this July 21st, the Rastrillo Operation accumulated five detainees in total. On July 19th, an arrest was made in Pánuco and two vehicles with theft reports were secured, one in that municipality and another in Vetagrande.
The following day, a search of a property in the state capital resulted in the seizure of 124 doses of crystal meth, 15 of cocaine, 15 bags of marijuana, and 6 marijuana cigarettes.
That same July 20, in Fresnillo, a man originally from Sinaloa known as “El Sinaloa” was arrested, whom authorities also link to the mass homicide. He was found with more than 800 doses of crystal meth, 188 of marijuana, 12 of cocaine, a radio, 36 tire spikes, a padlock, a cell phone, and a suitcase. Three vehicles were seized.
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Authorities shared images of what the rake operations look like. Credit: Government of Zacatecas
This July 21st, a search in the municipality of Guadalupe yielded 46 doses of crystal meth. At the time of the press conference, an additional technical investigation order was being carried out in Fresnillo in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office. The authorities indicated that their results would be released at the conclusion of the proceeding.
When asked by a journalist about the certainty of the link between the detainees and the multiple homicide, General Medina Mayoral replied that the arrestees themselves openly declared which group or cartel they belonged to and what role they played during the events. He did not specify which of the individuals said so.
Mayoral stated during the conference that the arrests correspond to members of cells, which in turn answer to a cartel.
The video attributed to “Los Mayos” is fake: authorities state
A video circulated on social media in which alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel, the “Los Mayos” faction, commanded by “El Mayito Flaco”, threatened Governor David Monreal and accused the government of Zacatecas of having ties to organized crime.
Authorities indicated this July 21 that it is a setup. (Credit: Social media)
According to authorities, the material was published approximately half an hour after the July 20 press conference concluded and presents technical irregularities: the audio has one voice speaking and another superimposed.
General Medina Mayoral described it as false and politically motivated. Government Secretary Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza reported that the National Intelligence Center identified its origin on a Facebook page dedicated to publishing false information and announced that they have requested support from the federation to identify its authors.
