Five municipal police officers linked to the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel were arrested on January 22 in Zacatecas for the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman, demanding $8 million pesos ($427,440.00 USD) for his release.
This kidnapping took place on January 12 in Trancoso, which is approximately eight miles east from the state capital of Zacatecas. The victim was rescued after an eight-day investigation resulting in the arrests of five officers and five civilians also involved in the plot according to local media reports.
According to Zacatecas Attorney General Francisco Murriol Ruiseco, the victim identified as Rogelio Robles who owns a construction equipment rental company, was kidnapped at his shop by at least two hooded gunmen who forced him into a Ford Explorer. Upon learning of his kidnapping, his family immediately notified state police, alerting a specialized team of anti-kidnapping investigators known as the Unidades Especializadas en Combate al Secuestro or (UECS). The UECS assigned a hostage negotiator to the case but when the family was contacted by the kidnappers, they immediately demanded the family remove the UECS from the situation.
The state attorney general said the family requested assistance from the federal police but the UECS remained and conducted the investigation. The UECS is a specialized team of anti-kidnapping investigators with one team assigned to each state throughout Mexico. The UECS receive training in investigations, hostage negotiation and tactical rescue operations.
During the week-long investigation, a location believed to be a kidnapping safe-house was identified and a tactical raid was conducted. The effort resulted in the rescue of the victim who was found blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. The five Trancoso municipal police officers–four male and one female–were arrested and disarmed along with the civilian counterparts. A search produced five handguns and marijuana that contained markings linking them to Los Talibanes, an armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, local media reported.
Los Talibanes get their name from their founder, Iván Velázquez Caballero, aka El Talibán (L-50 or Z-50), a convicted Mexican drug lord who is serving a lengthy prison sentence in the United States. At one time, El Talibán was a high-ranking member of Los Zetas and later left after a schism. Prior to the arrest of El Talibán, reports indicated that he aligned his group with the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas were at one time the enforcers of the Gulf Cartel but became rivals by 2005. Breitbart Texas previously reported on the sentencing of El Talibán last year.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.