Frontera NorteSur December 1999/January 2000

Friday, January 28, 2000: Seven Women Raped At Border

Armed assailants attacked a group of 20 immigrants who had crossed illegally into the U.S. outside of Douglas, Arizona on Tuesday night. The assailants raped seven women who were part of the group.

Rob Daniels, a spokesperson for the U.S. Boarder Patrol in Tucson, Arizona, said there have been frequent reports of this type of violation of women occurring outside of Douglas. These rapes occur at other points on the border, but Douglas has experienced the most.

The amount of money robbed from the victims was not reported, however, it was noted that the immigrants had paid between $20 and $1,200 as a fee to cross the border.

Daniels has asked that immigrants not cross the border illegally. He said that it has grown too dangerous, and immigrants can easily become victims to unscrupulous con artists, additionally, the Patrol has increased their surveillance mechanisms and it is more difficult to get through.

So far this month, 55,799 immigrants have been apprehended on the border and 25,000 of those were in the Douglas area. Last January a total of 45,000 were apprehended.

Source: El Diario

Thursday, January 27, 1999: Youth Agency Claims Drug Addiction Nearly Doubled

The Center for Youth Integration in Cd. Juárez reports that youth drug consumption increased by 45 percent in 1999 based on the number of clients that visited the center last year. The great majority of the addicts are males, however the number of female addicts increases each year.

According to José Antonio Rivera Rojas, director of the Center, 569 clients were assisted last year in comparison to 392 in 1998. Of those seen, 57 were women. Unlike the male clients, some women have "innocently" become addicted to amphetamines because of their unmonitored use of diet aids.

The report states that the majority of the youth who come to the Center for assistance are between the ages of 15 and 19, however children as young as 10 have been assisted as well as adults. Most clients are from the lower classes, and although many are students, there are more female heads of households or maquila workers that come to the center for help with addictions.

The Center is part of a national association in existence for 30 years; the center in Juárez has been in operation for 27 years. The agency is supported by many volunteers and religious or educational organizations. The Center charges a minimal fee of 10-50¢ but according to Rivera it is purely symbolic. "If they don't pay for it, it has less value."

It was also noted that many of the clients are not from Cd. Juárez, but from the states of Torreón, Durango, Zacatecas and Cd. Chihuahua.

Wednesday, January 26, 2000: Families Plead For Closure On Nine Exhumed Bodies

The Association of Family and Friends of Missing Persons demanded yesterday that the federal police initiate an expedited identification process for the nine bodies exhumed from alleged drug cartel properties in a recent joint effort by authorities from both the U.S. and México. The Association wants to see the authorities complete the DNA testing to bring closure to the matter.

In a letter sent yesterday to Mexico's Attorney General Jorge Madrazo Cuéllar, the Association pleaded for expedition in the identification process. "We need these announcements so that the families, especially the mothers and spouses, can finally have peace of mind," the letter stated. The search for bodies on four ranches began on November 30 and ended this week. According to authorities, the remains of nine men and two dogs were exhumed.

"We have been unable to reach the attorney general, no one answers when we call, other times we can't leave messages. We have grown uncomfortable with the way these investigations are proceeding and we believe something must change," said Jaime Hervella, director of the Association.

According to announcement by Cuéllar late last week, blood samples to be used for DNA studies were taken from seven families of the disappeared because there is strong reason to believe there may be relation to seven of the victims. However, the attorney general refuses to release any further information until the tests are conclusive.

According to the authorities, there are 102 missing people from the region; however, according to the Association, the number is closer to 196 for people who disappeared between 1993 and 1998 from Cd. Juárez.

Source: El Diario

Tuesday, January 25, 2000: El Paso Mayor Blames Mexican Authorities For Youth Tragedy

Early last Friday morning, five young El Pasoans died in a fiery automobile accident after celebrating a birthday in Cd. Juárez across the U.S. México border. Although toxicology reports have not yet determined if alcohol was involved in the accident, El Paso Mayor Carlos Ramirez is blaming Mexican authorities for not honoring a "zero tolerance" agreement made last February.

According to Ramirez, Governor Patricio Martínez of Chihuahua had promised to adopt a zero tolerance policy which would include banning under-age Texans from consuming alcohol in México. "It is now clear to me that those on the other side do not care about the agreement or the consequences. The only thing that matters to them is to profit from our kids who go there."

However, the agreement to which Ramirez refers stirred much controversy across the border because of its unconstitutionality. By law, in México 18-year-olds can consume alcohol, in the U.S. the age is 21.

The five victims, all from El Paso, were between 18 and 20 years old. The car exploded into flames when it crashed into the concrete base of an Interstate 10 overpass.

Source: El Diario

Monday, January 24, 2000: Crossing Border Illegally Again Proves Deadly

A Mexican immigrant died this weekend in New Mexico, and 21 were injured, in an automobile accident on Highway 70. The vehicle was headed to Amarillo, Texas and then Kansas but didn't get much beyond Las Cruces.

On Friday, an '83 Chevy suburban carrying 22 Mexican residents, including eight children, blew a tire and crashed 35 miles east of Las Cruces on U.S. 70. Luis Cantellano, 30, died while the rest of the passengers suffered injuries including broken limbs and head trauma and were taken to local hospitals.

Gonzalo Ruiz Dias, 23, of Chihuahua, México was the driver of the vehicle and is the suspected smuggler. He is currently being held in the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces with an arraignment expected today in Las Cruces' federal court, according to U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson Doug Mosier.

It is believed that this effort may have been part of a larger smuggling ring because passengers were picked up in El Paso, and Las Cruces, and then made it through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Alamogordo which is typically open, but happened to be closed that afternoon. "We're investigating whether they had someone running cover or whether it was a chance kind of deal," Mosier said.

Once questioned, the immigrants will be returned to México with assistance from the Mexican Consulate. The people trying to get into the U.S. were originally from either Durango and Puebla in the northern part of the country, or from the capital region in central México.

Source: Las Cruces Sun News, El Paso Times

The plans for themes and exhibits for a new border history museum was presented yesterday to state and city government officials. Expected cost for this museum, which will be interactive and networked with other regional museums, is 9.5 million pesos (U.S. $950,000).

The North Passage Border Museum (Museo de la Frontera Paso del Norte) is being constructed in a former Mexican customs office in the heart of Cd. Juárez. The structure was originally built in 1885 and was inaugurated as a museum in July of 1990.

Of the funding approved for this museum, $250,000 U.S. will be dedicated to archives and research, $100,000 U.S. will go towards collections.

"What we really hope for is public involvement in this project with interactive themes and exhibits," according Miguel Mendoza Rangel, director of the museum.

Source: El Diario

Thursday, January 20, 2000: Border Patrol Finds Truck Full Of Immigrants

Yesterday, agents of the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso found a commercial truck headed to Dallas with 44 Mexican nationals hiding in the trailer without food or water.

The driver and his partner, both from North Carolina, were arrested at the hotel where they were stopped as they tried to leave with their illegal cargo. Each passenger was believed to have paid $1,200 for the illegal trip into the U.S.

An anonymous call to the Border Patrol lead them to the hotel in central El Paso where the truck had been temporarily parked. The agents watched the truck for a while, noting that passengers were being let in and out of the back of the trailer. Then when they headed out of the parking lot, the Patrol stopped them.

All of the immigrants have also been detained by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Source: El Diario

Wednesday, January 19, 2000: Special Prosecutor's Office Reorganized; Ponce Stays

Although civil and women's rights activists publicly denounced the work of Chihuahua State Special Prosecutor Suly Ponce Prieto, who is the special investigator of the murders of women, and demanded her resignation, the attorney general's office in a public forum yesterday announced that Ponce's position will not be changed, however, there will be other changes in the structure of the attorney general's office.

According to Steven Slater, public safety advisor, "There is no reason to replace the prosecutor." At this same forum, Ponce explained to activists and family members of victims, that she is not in an independent position, and must respond to her superiors.

Ponce was in charge of three different departments, including her own, and now the other two will be under separate supervision. The special unit for victims will be directed by Urías Drew and the special unit for sexual crimes will be directed by Zulema Bolivar.

Guillermina González, leader of Voices Without Echo, told the special prosecutor, "The apprehension of El Tolteca was just a stroke of good luck."

"Good luck or not, it worked," was Ponce's response to the reference about Jesus Manuel Guardado, who was charged with the March '99 rape and attempted murder of a young woman known as "Nancy." He has been in prison since his capture which lead to the apprehension of what is believed to be a gang of 5 bus drivers who are also accused of the rape and murder of Cd. Juárez women.

Source: El Diario

Tuesday, January 18, 2000: Cd. Juárez Bar Association Wants Citizens Armed

The bar association of Cd. Juárez (Barra y Colegio de Abogados de Ciudad Juárez) agreed at a meeting on January 14 to begin a campaign this week to fight for citizens' right to carry and use firearms. This action comes in response to the state attorney general's request for citizens to voluntarily give up their arms.

According to Alberto Medrano Villarreal, president of the association, "There is no reliable form of police protection for the citizens of Cd. Juárez, and based on article 10 of the Mexican Constitution, we plan to initiate a campaign so that the citizens can exercise the right to defend themselves with arms."

The association will insist that citizens will initially have to register their weapons, and then get training in how to use them from state and municipal police officials at police academies. "The citizens will learn how to legitimately defend their families and possessions as is established in the Mexican Constitution," said Medrano Villarreal. The association plans to make presentations to different social and labor organizations.

According to Medrano Villarreal, the city has only 900 officers, who work in three shifts. "It is not possible that 300 police agents can adequately protect the city." Additionally he said there is inadequate crime investigation.

"Criminals are freed and released into a society where we can not protect ourselves from them."

Source: El Diario

The attorney general for the State of Chihuahua, Arturo González Rascón, announced yesterday that Gloria Trevi will be transferred to the State of Chihuahua to await judicial proceedings now that she has been caught. However, there will be a waiting period because of the extradition proceedings that are now underway in Brazil where Trevi was arrested along with her agent Sergio Andrade and another entertainer Maria Requenel Portillo. Trevi and her partners will not be allowed bail once they arrive in Chihuahua due to the seriousness of the charges.

According to Rascón, once the threesome is extradited, they will have to appear before the sixth court in Chihuahua on charges of rape, kidnapping and corruption of a minor based on the allegations made by the parents of Karina Yapor. Yapor, originally from Cd. Juárez has appeared in México recently and denies the charges that her father has placed against her former guardians and agents, Trevi and Andrade.

Rascón is certain that extradition alone could take weeks but it is a matter for the federal government. "We will be waiting for this process to be completed by the federal police," before the state police can get involved.

If the three suspects agree to the extradition, the matter could proceed rapidly according to police authorities. However, if they fight it, it could not be estimated how long the process would take. They are hopeful that no bail will be allowed to them in Brazil because they are a definite flight risk.

Gloria Trevi was a popular Mexican singer in the 1980s known both for her flamboyance and sexuality as well as her political parodies and sarcasm. Andrade has been her agent and partner. His brother, Eduardo Andrade, is a Mexican politician. He serves as a PRI senator for the state of Veracruz. "I did not help them in locating my brother and I will not help him now. If Sergio calls me, I will support him morally, but he will have to find his own lawyers to defend him."

Many believe that it is Sergio Andrade is who behind the alleged sex scandal.

Source: El Diario

Thursday, January 13, 2000: Mexican Government Renames Drug Cartels

In response to a December 22 request by Cd. Juárez Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar, the federal government of México has ordered the renaming of the drug cartel known as the "Juárez cártel." Attorney General Jorge Madrazo Cuéllar on January 3 demanded that police officials call the organization after its founder, Amado Carrillo.

The mayor's request to the federal government was motivated by the bad publicity the border city received after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's November 29 announcement that over 100 bodies were buried on property belonging to the "Juárez cártel." This announcement brought not only hundreds of police authorities but journalists from all over the world to the city and the grave sites were referred to as the "killing fields."

The city spent thousands of dollars on repairing the damage done to its reputation. According to recent reports, the bodies of nine men and two dogs were found.

Amado Carillo is the former leader of one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in México, and possibly in the world. Carillo died in July of 1997 during cosmetic surgery.

The Chamber of Commerce, the Bar Association and the Catholic church were all pleased with the attorney general's decision to save the name of the city, as was the mayor. "I am very pleased by this decision, and now I further recommend that all media follow suit and don't use the city's name," when referring to the cartel.

The federal order extends to all known drug trafficking businesses which will all be referred to by names of leaders and not locations. For instance, the drug trafficking business known as the "Tijuana cártel" will now be named for its leaders, the Arellano Felix brothers. The FBI has already taken on the practice.

Source: El Diario

Wednesday, January 12, 2000: Immigrant Arrests Decrease; Drug Busts Increase

According to the El Paso Times, in fiscal year 1999 the U.S. Border Patrol arrested fewer immigrants trying to illegally cross into the U.S. than in 1998. Additionally, the Patrol reported that confiscated drugs were up for the same time period.

In 1998 the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 125,035 immigrants, and in 1999 apprehensions numbered 110,545, a 12 percent decrease. Regarding drug seizures, in 1998 there were 1,072 and in 1999 they increased to 1,319, an increase of nearly 20 percent.

Rick Lucio, a senior border patrol agent and spokesman for the El Paso sector, said that the number of immigrant apprehensions is due to the success of the Operation Hold the Line program that went into effect in 1993 and placed more agents along the U.S. México border.

Lucio also said, according to the Times, that the increased drug busts reflects improved enforcement on the border.

Source: El Paso Times

Tuesday, January 11, 2000: Number Of Missing Women Increased In 1999

The cases of women who were reported missing from Cd. Juárez during 1999 increased by nearly 50 percent compared to that of reports from 1998, and local civil rights activists are planning to take action beginning next week. In 1998 there were 33 reported cases, and in 1999 there were 60.

According to Victoria Caraveo, leading civil rights activist in Cd. Juárez, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will send a letter next week to Chihuahua's Governor Patricio Martínez and Attorney General Arturo González Rascón as well as Cd. Juárez Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar.

"It is time that these public officials let us know what they are doing to solve the cases of missing women. This is a statistic that should have been decreasing, not increasing." In the letter they will demand a detailed account, case by case, of what each official is doing to solve the dramatically increased number of women who have disappeared from the border city.

According to Women for Juárez, an NGO fighting for women's civil rights, the legal authorities reported that there were 33 cases of missing women in 1999. However, according to the group's numbers there are actually more than 60. It appears that the women not on the authorities' list are not from Chihuahua, and most of them are maquila workers.

Caraveo expressed that the authorities have failed to provide any follow-up to the missing cases that were reported, and that she can not get an appointment with the attorney general to discuss what work has been accomplished in the investigations. She believes that the authorities hope if they don't address this matter, the group will forget about it. However, according to Caraveo, they are mistaken because the deaths of women in Cd. Juárez "are already stamped in the brains of all Juarenses."

"The government thinks that we are just trying to make them look bad, but that's just not true," Caraveo said. "At the heart of this matter is that they would like all the NGOs removed from the picture."

Source: El Diario

Monday, January 10, 2000: Environmental Agency Seeks Compliance For 2000

The Mexican Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) announced that it will give priority to enforcing environmental compliance for businesses in the country. In Cd. Juárez alone there are 360 industrial businesses that generate toxic waste.

In 1999 Profepa made nearly 1,000 inspections of both natural resource areas and industrial businesses. A total of 890 fines were administered and for a total of U.S. $540,900 to entities in violation of regulations. Eight businesses were partially closed, and one completely closed, although names were not released.

Profepa will initiate a forceful campaign this year at different international crossing to identify dangerous cargo being imported and send it back to its place of origin. This effort will be accomplished with the assistance of the Border Patrol and the Department of Communication and Transportation.

Norfluor in Cd. Juárez is one plant known to have been partially shut down last year, and it remains partially closed, due to environmental violation investigations resulting from hydrofluoric acid explosions in September and December, 1999.

Source: El Diario

Friday, January 7, 2000: "Kings Day" Celebration Will Show Off City

In a continued effort to turn around the dismal image that has recently been painted of Cd. Juárez due to the excavation of drug trafficking graves, "Kings Day" celebrations will show the region the best face the city has to offer. Tomorrow the Mexican National Chamber of Restaurant Businesses (Canirac) will host Culinary Show XV show casing 65 regional food and beverage businesses to an expected crowd of 6,000 visitors.

According to Magdalena Elizabeth Carrasco Torrecillas, Canirac director, the show will be visited by Cd. Juárez Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar, Chihuahua Governor Patricio Martínez and Bishop Renato Ascencio. This event will be "100 percent family," and will demonstrate that "our image is not how they've painted it," regarding the violence that has been reported to exist in the city.

The Day of the Kings was chosen as the date for this conference because, according to Carrasco, this event is not as greatly celebrated on the border as it is elsewhere in the country.

They are hoping that 20 percent of the visitors are from the U.S. and that all will learn about the many restaurants and food businesses in Cd. Juárez as well as the post Christmas celebration of the three wise men's arrival to the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

The event is expected to not only boost the city's image but also draw more business to the border town, which was generally down over the holiday season.

Source: El Diario

Thursday, January 6, 2000: Woman's Murder Result Of Jealous Rage

The murder and dismemberment of a Juárez woman were the result of a jealous rage of another woman whose disappearance was also being investigated by the state police according to today's El Diario, which carefully spelled out the chronology of the crime.

Emma Dora Nevárez Zamarripa, 54, murdered María Santos Rangel Flores, 42, on December 6 because the victim was dating a man that had previously dated the assassin. The crime took place at the home of the assassin who was unable to lift the body and therefore cut it into pieces. Telling her brother it was a dog she needed to bury, he dug a whole at his home and buried the bags which actually contained the remains of Rangel Flores.

Nevárez had moved to California in December, fleeing the crime, but upon her January 4 return to retrieve some of her belongings, she found the police waiting for her at her home. According to Suly Ponce, special investigator of crimes against women for the state of Chihuahua, Nevárez is "a normal woman who had planned and prepared for the crime, but was surprised by the weight of the dead body." In trying to cover up the crime, according to Ponce, the assassin made many errors.

In related news, another women fell victim to domestic violence. Arturo Tovar Rochas murdered his wife, Juana González Piñón, 37, stabbing her to death, and then cut his own jugular vein. However, he failed in his suicide attempt, and was taken to the General Hospital where he is in critical condition.

Source: El Diario

Wednesday, January 5, 2000: Cd. Juárez Woman Found Brutally Murdered

Sara Zamarripa, 48, an employee of a Cd. Juárez retailer, disappeared on December 6 and was found yesterday brutally murdered and buried in the backyard of of a house in the city. She leaves behind four children.

The victim's body was dismembered, however her head remained in tact. Apparently an attempt had been made at decapitating the victim because her throat displayed a severely deep gash. She was found naked and in a grave approximately a meter deep.

This makes for the first murder of the new year, and after the state police unearthed the body, they announced they would investigate this crime along with an additional report of a missing woman. "Dora" was reported missing last December also. Initially she was believed to be on vacation, however when a relative entered her home he discovered signs of violence and destruction.

Source: El Diario

Tuesday, January 4, 2000: Chihuahua State Reports 169 Homicides In Cd. Juárez Last Year

The Forensic Medical Services Agency of the Chihuahua State Attorney General's office reported this week that there were over 1,200 deaths in Cd. Juárez in 1999, and of those 169 were homicides. This figure indicates a decrease by 10 percent in the number of homicides since 1998. However, the numbers of deaths caused by alcohol or drug overdose increased.

Of the reported homicides, 99 were committed with firearms, 30 with knives, 25 with assaults by other objects and 15 were strangulations. El Diario did not provide the data for age and gender of victims in this report.

Of the total numbers of deaths, 81 were suicides: 28 committed with firearms, 44 were hangings and 9 were a result of drug overdose. In general, deaths by overdoses increased in 1999; 22 persons died as a result of alcohol consumption and 90 by accidental drug overdose.

Additionally, 19 persons died from inhalation of carbon monoxide from space heaters or other gas heating devices.

Source: El Diario