The Labastida Killing

Igor Labastida Calderon and four other federal agents came under attack June 26 while they were ordering lunch at Anita’s Kitchen in Mexico City’s Argentina Antigua neighborhood. Labastida and one of his personal bodyguards, federal agent Jose Maria Ochoa, were both killed in the attack. Three other federal agents were injured, and reportedly are in stable condition.

Labastida was the acting commander of the traffic and contraband division in Mexico’s Federal Preventive Police, and had recently spearheaded a campaign of seizures of pirated goods in the Tepito neighborhood, including one operation that seized more than 37 tons of Chinese pirated goods in two days. The Tepito neighborhood has long been known for its lawless atmosphere and also as a place to buy anything illegal, from RPGs to pirated DVDs. The Tepito neighborhood is also known for its cartel activity, specifically that of the Beltran Leyva group. The majority of the subjects arrested for the murder of Edgar Millan Gomez and Roberto Velasco were reportedly from the Tepito neighborhood and received their orders to carry out the hits from Beltran Leyva. Earlier, an improvised explosive device that detonated Feb. 15 two blocks from a Mexico City police building eventually was traced to the so-called Tepito cartel.

The Mexican government has retracted its initial statement that Labastida was involved in the Millan Gomez murder investigations, and has not officially accused any individual or group for the Labastida killing. In light of recent assassinations and attacks on federal police officials in Mexico City that have been connected to cartels and the Tepito neighborhood, however, it is likely that the Beltran Leyva group and a Tepito proxy were involved in Labastida’s killing. The tactics of the Labastida hit were much bolder than prior attacks, further demonstrating that the cartels can undermine the State security apparatus — therefore increasing the political pressure on the Calderon administration to provide adequate security in Mexico City.

The Merida Initiative

The U.S. Senate approved the $465 million first installment of the proposed $1.4 billion Merida Initiative for the allocation of arms, various military and telecommunications equipment, and training to Mexico and Central America to help combat drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) transporting drugs from South America northward to the United States. Officials in Mexico, which is set to receive approximately $400 million in this first installment, welcomed the aid.

Whether or not that $400 million and the Mexican government’s $7 billion military budget will make a significant impact remains to be seen. Regardless, it pales in comparison to the approximately $40 billion in revenue the cartels receive from their various illicit activities. In this sense, the Merida Initiative is too little, too late. Senate approval does give the United States a say in efforts to secure the border on the Mexican side now. This aid is a double-edged sword for the administration of Mexican President Felipe Calderon. While the aid will bring much needed help to the Mexican forces fighting DTOs in the north, the United States will want to see results, and could hold on to the remaining $1 billion if U.S. authorities do not see adequate improvement in the situation along the border.

A Home Invasion in Phoenix

A homeowner in the Phoenix metropolitan area was killed in a home invasion June 23 by at least three Mexican nationals dressed in police tactical gear and toting AR-15 assault rifles. The attackers reportedly fired between 50 and 100 rounds at the house while conducting tactical sweeps through the house until they found the homeowner. It is rumored that at least one of the assailants is an active member in the Mexican military. According to the president of the Phoenix Police Enforcement Association, Mexican cartels hired the assailants to cross the border and commit home invasions and murders. The individuals participating in this crime reportedly were prepared to confront the police if caught. While such incidents are extremely rare on the U.S. side of the border, they are not unheard of.

In similar operations in Mexico, cartel members commonly confront authorities rather than flee. According to an officer arriving on the scene of the Phoenix incident and to one of the assailants — who was captured — the Mexican nationals were preparing to confront the officers until they realized they were out of ammunition and then fled. This represents the first time there has been evidence of an ambush on U.S. authorities by either members of a cartel or a group hired by a cartel.

With the increase in violence along Mexico’s northern border, many Mexican nationals are fleeing to the U.S. side of the border, including both innocent civilians and drug traffickers. Cartels thus probably will continue to pursue rivals into the United States, meaning similar events north of the border can be expected.

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June 23

• Fifty-eight suspected drug traffickers seized at the celebration of a child’s baptism party in the southern reaches of Tijuana were transferred to Mexico City. Of the 58, ten were confirmed members of the Arellano Felix Organization.
• Thirty-eight people were killed in drug-trafficking related homicides across Mexico, making June 23 the most violent day this year.

June 24

• The Mexican government ordered the extradition of the titular leader of the Arellano Felix Organization, Benjamin Arellano Felix, to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.
• The secretary of public safety and the chief prosecutor of Veracruz state turned in their resignations amid concerns for their personal and familial safety.

June 25

• Thirty law enforcement officials have quit their posts for “personal reasons” during Operation Culiacan-Novolato, aimed at combating organized crime in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, it was announced.

June 26

• Twenty-one Cuban illegal immigrants were seized in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas while they traveled via bus from the Yucatan Peninsula.
• Two tons of cocaine were seized at a house in the capital of Chiapas state in green military bags with Sinaloa Cartel inscribed on tags along with “Mayo Zambada,” a high-ranking leader of the cartel.

June 27

• An armed group of men in the capitol of Culiacan, Sinaloa state, kidnapped a police officer.
• Four men killed Javier Sanchez Salazar, a sergeant in the Mexican army, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas state.

June 28

• Authorities seized $100,000 at Mexico City’s international airport. An American citizen on his way to Puerto Vallarta was arrested in connection with the seizure.

June 29

• Three people were detained after a confrontation with military forces in Jaltipan, Veracruz