Thu, Jul. 31, 2008
By JON GAMBRELLAssociated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The million-dollar robberies occurred in the parking lots of jewelry stores, hotels and restaurants and took but a few terrifying seconds.
Masked gunmen and knife-wielding attackers ambushed cars and smashed windows to scare jewelry salesmen and couriers into submission before whisking away their merchandise. The thieves, focused enough to frisk their victims, remain at large after heists across the South.
In Arkansas, the FBI is launching an investigation into the robberies, including the latest: a daytime heist Tuesday in Little Rock in which thieves made off with $500,000 in jewelry. Agents say that robbery, matching two others last month in Pine Bluff and Nashville, Tenn., shares similarities with a string of jewelry thefts in Houston worth at least $3.5 million.
"In cases like these, it's standard investigative procedure for the FBI to check other FBI field offices for similar types of crimes," said Steve Frazier, a spokesman for the FBI's Little Rock field office.
In Houston, police have responded to at least six robberies of jewelry salesmen and couriers since April, one netting nearly $1.5 million in diamonds. Officers say the thieves used pepper spray, pistol-whipping and knives to threaten their victims.
"They definitely appear to be preplanned," said Shauna Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Houston field office. "They appear to know where these individuals are going to be at a particular time."
FBI and police suspect the thefts could be part of what the bureau refers to as "South American Theft Groups." Agents say the groups, illegal immigrants from countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, stake out traveling salesmen and jewelry shows and sometimes trek across the country for heists.
Investigators recently arrested three Colombian nationals loitering around Houston-area jewelry stores. Dunlap said the men, held for illegally re-entering the United States, were being questioned about the robberies.
In June, robbers attacked couriers at a hotel in Nashville and a strip mall in Pine Bluff. Both victims told police the attacks happened quickly, with one jeweler even losing the diamonds hidden inside his socks. Each man reported losing about $500,000 in stones during the heists.
Tuesday's lunchtime robbery, along a well-traveled street in Arkansas' capital, targeted a salesman who flew into Little Rock National Airport on a private plane.
Despite keeping their travel plans quiet, jewelry salesmen make tempting targets, often traveling alone and carrying high-priced stones. The Jewelers' Security Alliance said traveling salesmen in the U.S. lost $39.5 million in stones last year in robberies and thefts.
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
July 8, 2008
State transportation, homeland security committee to meet Wednesday in El Paso
Times staff report
Article Launched: 07/08/2008 03:51:43 PM MDT
The Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security will meet in El Paso on Wednesday at the El Paso Public Library.
In preparation for the next Texas Legislature in 2009, the committee will hear testimony on immigration, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and border violence.
"El Paso is on the forefront of so many issues, but especially those we will take up July 9," Senator John Carona (R-Dallas), Chairman of the committee, said in a news release. "My colleagues and I look forward to coming from around the state to see firsthand the unique challenges and innovative solutions that we have come to expect from our visits here."
Senator Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso), a member of the committee, added, "Border communities such as El Paso have the most to win or lose by the right or wrong approach to border security."
Testimony will be heard from Richard Wiles, El Paso Sheriff-elect; David Cuthbertson, El Paso FBI Special Agent in Charge; John Jack Riley, El Paso DEA Special Agent in Charge; Steve McCraw, Director, Governor's Office of Homeland Security; Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney; and others.
The hearing will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday in the main auditorium of the El Paso Public Library, 501 Oregon.
Article Launched: 07/08/2008 03:51:43 PM MDT
The Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security will meet in El Paso on Wednesday at the El Paso Public Library.
In preparation for the next Texas Legislature in 2009, the committee will hear testimony on immigration, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and border violence.
"El Paso is on the forefront of so many issues, but especially those we will take up July 9," Senator John Carona (R-Dallas), Chairman of the committee, said in a news release. "My colleagues and I look forward to coming from around the state to see firsthand the unique challenges and innovative solutions that we have come to expect from our visits here."
Senator Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso), a member of the committee, added, "Border communities such as El Paso have the most to win or lose by the right or wrong approach to border security."
Testimony will be heard from Richard Wiles, El Paso Sheriff-elect; David Cuthbertson, El Paso FBI Special Agent in Charge; John Jack Riley, El Paso DEA Special Agent in Charge; Steve McCraw, Director, Governor's Office of Homeland Security; Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney; and others.
The hearing will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday in the main auditorium of the El Paso Public Library, 501 Oregon.
June 30, 2008
Group questions lawmaker's role in kidnap rescue
By EILEEN SULLIVAN and ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
June 30, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government watchdog group on Friday called for an investigation into whether a Texas congressman used his influence to persuade U.S. law enforcement authorities to intervene to rescue a distant Mexican relative who was kidnapped for ransom in Mexico.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement both say there was no special treatment. Reyes said he has never even met the woman, Erika Possert, whom he described as the aunt of his sister-in-law's son's wife.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, however, questioned what role Reyes may have played in ICE's decision to get involved in the case.
"While Congressman Reyes undoubtedly was overwhelmed by concern for his relative, officials with more objectivity should have been considering the greater political and policy issues raised by ICE's intercession," said the group's executive director, Melanie Sloan.
Reyes is a six-term congressman and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which does not have jurisdictional oversight of ICE. He is also the former sector chief of the Border Patrol in McAllen and El Paso, Texas.
"I did not exert any influence on anything or anyone," Reyes said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "I know from my law enforcement experience that I have no business directing any investigation. Like a doctor operating on oneself, I am not going to interfere with someone who might be related. Everything that was done by my office was done properly and the way we've done on other cases."
Reyes said his sister-in-law called his Texas office to report the kidnapping, and one of his staffers called an ICE official in El Paso. Reyes said he wasn't informed until seven hours later.
Possert and another victim were released after an approximately $30,000 ransom was paid by one of Possert's relatives in Mexico. ICE had no role in the ransom negotiations, agency spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. It is U.S. government policy to deny ransom or other demands from hostage-takers.
Nantel said the agency -- which has officers in Mexico and regularly works with local law enforcement -- did nothing out of the ordinary. ICE provided secure office space in the U.S. and Mexico to help Mexican authorities communicate with people who had information, including some U.S. citizens. The victim was brought to the United States after her release for security reasons at the request of Mexican law enforcement, Nantel said. Nantel said ICE gets hundreds of these tips each year and reviews all of them.
As a bloody drug cartel war continues throughout Mexico, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common. Still, most cases never reach the attention of U.S. officials let alone an influential congressman.
An estimated 90 percent of victims don't report kidnappings in Mexico, experts say. While some abductions are related to the drug war, most are for ransom. Victims' relatives usually try to resolve abductions on their own because they have little faith in police.
U.S. agents cannot operate freely in Mexico, but the U.S. Embassy and consulates have officials from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and ICE who are authorized to work with their Mexican counterparts, especially on investigations involving U.S. citizens. Any time a U.S. citizen is harmed, the consulate or embassy gets involved and talks to police.
This situation, however, did not involve a U.S. citizen.
Reyes' staff was kept informed as a courtesy, said an FBI official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because an investigation is continuing. The FBI provided whatever information it had on the kidnapping to ICE and advised Reyes at least once. The official said Reyes was mostly in contact with ICE.
In the last six months, 15 to 20 cases in Mexico involving extortion, kidnapping and attempted murder were reported to Reyes' office, his Texas spokesman, Peter Brock, told AP. All were referred to law enforcement. Four more were reported Thursday and one Friday, he said. Brock did not say how many of these involved U.S. citizens.
But Jaime Hervella, founder of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons, said Reyes has appeared unwilling in the past to do much to help families of 196 missing people his group works with.
"He ignored us," said Hervella, whose group represents 34 U.S. citizens. "The human rights issue is exactly the same."
Brock disputes Hervella's claim. He said Reyes has repeatedly met with individuals and groups of missing people. When appropriate, the information has been passed to law enforcement, he said.
James R. Jones, former ambassador to Mexico under President Clinton, said he didn't believe ICE acted inappropriately. Anyone could ask for U.S. assistance for their foreign relatives, he said, though he conceded most average citizens couldn't get through to anyone.
"Even a distant relative of an official or an important person that influences our society, if that person has a concern about and it could influence society, I would think it would be proper to intervene," Jones said.
---
Alicia Caldwell reported from El Paso, Texas. Also contributing to this report were Traci Carl in Mexico and Matt Apuzzo, Pamela Hess and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington.
Associated Press
June 30, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government watchdog group on Friday called for an investigation into whether a Texas congressman used his influence to persuade U.S. law enforcement authorities to intervene to rescue a distant Mexican relative who was kidnapped for ransom in Mexico.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement both say there was no special treatment. Reyes said he has never even met the woman, Erika Possert, whom he described as the aunt of his sister-in-law's son's wife.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, however, questioned what role Reyes may have played in ICE's decision to get involved in the case.
"While Congressman Reyes undoubtedly was overwhelmed by concern for his relative, officials with more objectivity should have been considering the greater political and policy issues raised by ICE's intercession," said the group's executive director, Melanie Sloan.
Reyes is a six-term congressman and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which does not have jurisdictional oversight of ICE. He is also the former sector chief of the Border Patrol in McAllen and El Paso, Texas.
"I did not exert any influence on anything or anyone," Reyes said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "I know from my law enforcement experience that I have no business directing any investigation. Like a doctor operating on oneself, I am not going to interfere with someone who might be related. Everything that was done by my office was done properly and the way we've done on other cases."
Reyes said his sister-in-law called his Texas office to report the kidnapping, and one of his staffers called an ICE official in El Paso. Reyes said he wasn't informed until seven hours later.
Possert and another victim were released after an approximately $30,000 ransom was paid by one of Possert's relatives in Mexico. ICE had no role in the ransom negotiations, agency spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. It is U.S. government policy to deny ransom or other demands from hostage-takers.
Nantel said the agency -- which has officers in Mexico and regularly works with local law enforcement -- did nothing out of the ordinary. ICE provided secure office space in the U.S. and Mexico to help Mexican authorities communicate with people who had information, including some U.S. citizens. The victim was brought to the United States after her release for security reasons at the request of Mexican law enforcement, Nantel said. Nantel said ICE gets hundreds of these tips each year and reviews all of them.
As a bloody drug cartel war continues throughout Mexico, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common. Still, most cases never reach the attention of U.S. officials let alone an influential congressman.
An estimated 90 percent of victims don't report kidnappings in Mexico, experts say. While some abductions are related to the drug war, most are for ransom. Victims' relatives usually try to resolve abductions on their own because they have little faith in police.
U.S. agents cannot operate freely in Mexico, but the U.S. Embassy and consulates have officials from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and ICE who are authorized to work with their Mexican counterparts, especially on investigations involving U.S. citizens. Any time a U.S. citizen is harmed, the consulate or embassy gets involved and talks to police.
This situation, however, did not involve a U.S. citizen.
Reyes' staff was kept informed as a courtesy, said an FBI official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because an investigation is continuing. The FBI provided whatever information it had on the kidnapping to ICE and advised Reyes at least once. The official said Reyes was mostly in contact with ICE.
In the last six months, 15 to 20 cases in Mexico involving extortion, kidnapping and attempted murder were reported to Reyes' office, his Texas spokesman, Peter Brock, told AP. All were referred to law enforcement. Four more were reported Thursday and one Friday, he said. Brock did not say how many of these involved U.S. citizens.
But Jaime Hervella, founder of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons, said Reyes has appeared unwilling in the past to do much to help families of 196 missing people his group works with.
"He ignored us," said Hervella, whose group represents 34 U.S. citizens. "The human rights issue is exactly the same."
Brock disputes Hervella's claim. He said Reyes has repeatedly met with individuals and groups of missing people. When appropriate, the information has been passed to law enforcement, he said.
James R. Jones, former ambassador to Mexico under President Clinton, said he didn't believe ICE acted inappropriately. Anyone could ask for U.S. assistance for their foreign relatives, he said, though he conceded most average citizens couldn't get through to anyone.
"Even a distant relative of an official or an important person that influences our society, if that person has a concern about and it could influence society, I would think it would be proper to intervene," Jones said.
---
Alicia Caldwell reported from El Paso, Texas. Also contributing to this report were Traci Carl in Mexico and Matt Apuzzo, Pamela Hess and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington.
223 arrested in sweep
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
June 29, 2008
Documents, interviews show how sex ring was busted
June 29, 2008, 4:27PM
© 2008 The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Houston bar owner controlled girls and women from Central America forced to take part in one of the nation's largest sex trafficking rings by threatening to kill their families, according to a newspaper report.
Recently obtained documents and interviews by the Houston Chronicle offer the first detailed account of how authorities in 2005 brought down the Houston-based sex trafficking ring.
The ring preyed on women and girls from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, illegally bringing them to Houston with false promises of legitimate work and then forcing them to work as prostitutes in cantinas to pay off smuggling fees and living expenses, according to court records and interviews with investigators.
The ring, run by Maximino "El Chimino" Mondragon, an immigrant from El Salvador, was based in at least three seemingly normal looking bars and restaurants in northwest Houston.
He worked closely with lead smuggler Walter Corea, a convicted felon and illegal immigrant who conspired to bring women to Houston from Central America
Mondragon had run businesses in Houston for at least a decade, according to records and interviews with police and a labor activist who helped rescue cantina workers.
To control the women, Mondragon kept "intelligence" on each one — the names of their mothers, brothers and children and locations of their homes and schools. Records show victims said he threatened to kill relatives or burn down family homes if they did not cooperate.
"They were scared to death of him. ... They thought he was the devil," said Sgt. Michael Barnett of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's enforcement division in Houston.
Beatings, forced abortions and prostitution took place behind closed doors or in adjacent buildings, houses and apartments around the bars, court records show. Aborted fetuses were buried or thrown down a drainage hole into the city sewer system, women told police.
Several of the ring's cantinas had long been under suspicion by agents from the FBI and the TABC.
Separately, Immigration and Customs Enforcement was also investigating the smuggling ring run by Corea.
"Once we determined we were investigating the same targets, we proceeded working a joint investigation," said Tom Annello, an ICE unit chief and smuggling expert whose work was key to the case.
It took about a year to collect the evidence needed for mass arrests.
The operation was set for early 2006.
But then on Nov. 12, 2005, the lead ICE agent learned that Mondragon and his brother Oscar had obtained one-way tickets to San Salvador, a police report shows.
Authorities quickly obtained arrest and search warrants and that weekend raided three cantinas, two restaurants and two homes.
Task force members — including ICE, TABC, the FBI and the Harris County Sheriff's Office — had expected to find 50 or 60 women. Eventually, they rescued about 120 victims.
Corea was sentenced in May to 15 years. He pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts: servitude/trafficking and alien smuggling.
Mondragon is set to be sentenced on Sept. 22. He has pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts: servitude/trafficking and alien smuggling. Seven others have pleaded guilty in the case, including two of Mondragon's brothers.
Most of the women rescued in the Mondragon case apparently still live in Houston, though only a few dozen appear to have obtained special visas that were created for victims under new federal anti-trafficking laws.
Three interviewed by the Chronicle said they feel safer but still struggle to recover.
© 2008 The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Houston bar owner controlled girls and women from Central America forced to take part in one of the nation's largest sex trafficking rings by threatening to kill their families, according to a newspaper report.
Recently obtained documents and interviews by the Houston Chronicle offer the first detailed account of how authorities in 2005 brought down the Houston-based sex trafficking ring.
The ring preyed on women and girls from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, illegally bringing them to Houston with false promises of legitimate work and then forcing them to work as prostitutes in cantinas to pay off smuggling fees and living expenses, according to court records and interviews with investigators.
The ring, run by Maximino "El Chimino" Mondragon, an immigrant from El Salvador, was based in at least three seemingly normal looking bars and restaurants in northwest Houston.
He worked closely with lead smuggler Walter Corea, a convicted felon and illegal immigrant who conspired to bring women to Houston from Central America
Mondragon had run businesses in Houston for at least a decade, according to records and interviews with police and a labor activist who helped rescue cantina workers.
To control the women, Mondragon kept "intelligence" on each one — the names of their mothers, brothers and children and locations of their homes and schools. Records show victims said he threatened to kill relatives or burn down family homes if they did not cooperate.
"They were scared to death of him. ... They thought he was the devil," said Sgt. Michael Barnett of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's enforcement division in Houston.
Beatings, forced abortions and prostitution took place behind closed doors or in adjacent buildings, houses and apartments around the bars, court records show. Aborted fetuses were buried or thrown down a drainage hole into the city sewer system, women told police.
Several of the ring's cantinas had long been under suspicion by agents from the FBI and the TABC.
Separately, Immigration and Customs Enforcement was also investigating the smuggling ring run by Corea.
"Once we determined we were investigating the same targets, we proceeded working a joint investigation," said Tom Annello, an ICE unit chief and smuggling expert whose work was key to the case.
It took about a year to collect the evidence needed for mass arrests.
The operation was set for early 2006.
But then on Nov. 12, 2005, the lead ICE agent learned that Mondragon and his brother Oscar had obtained one-way tickets to San Salvador, a police report shows.
Authorities quickly obtained arrest and search warrants and that weekend raided three cantinas, two restaurants and two homes.
Task force members — including ICE, TABC, the FBI and the Harris County Sheriff's Office — had expected to find 50 or 60 women. Eventually, they rescued about 120 victims.
Corea was sentenced in May to 15 years. He pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts: servitude/trafficking and alien smuggling.
Mondragon is set to be sentenced on Sept. 22. He has pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts: servitude/trafficking and alien smuggling. Seven others have pleaded guilty in the case, including two of Mondragon's brothers.
Most of the women rescued in the Mondragon case apparently still live in Houston, though only a few dozen appear to have obtained special visas that were created for victims under new federal anti-trafficking laws.
Three interviewed by the Chronicle said they feel safer but still struggle to recover.
June 28, 2008
Families of missing say Reyes did nothing to help
Families of missing say Reyes did nothing to help
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/27/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who said seeking help for a relative kidnapped in Juárez was what he would have done for a constituent, was criticized by family members with missing relatives in Mexico for not doing more to help them.
The co-founder of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons questioned on Thursday why Reyes, D-Texas, failed to help Americans whose relatives were kidnapped in Juárez in the same manner his staff intervened in the recent kidnapping of his wife's niece, some members of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons said Thursday.
Erika Posselt, a Mexican citizen, was kidnapped and held for ransom last week in Juárez. The effort by Reyes' office's to secure her release led to contacting officials in Washington D.C., the FBI, the Chihuahua State Attorney General's office and Mexican federal authorities, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo.
Jaime Hervella, the association's co-founder, and Patricia Garibay, another member, said it took them a long time to get a meeting with Reyes to discuss their plight, and when he finally agreed to see them, it was only for about 15 minutes.
"Maybe now Reyes understands some of the pain we feel because of what happened to his relative," Hervella said. "The way the U.S. and Mexican authorities moved to find his relative shows how some of us are treated like second-class citizens. Nobody in Mexico or the United States did anything to help us."
Hervella's godson, Saul Sanchez Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran, and his wife Abigail Sanchez, were last seen heading to a Juárez theater in 1996. They left two young children behind.
Reyes said Thursday he could not comment on Posselt's kidnapping because it is an ongoing criminal investigation.
"We did nothing different than any other case that we have been asked by constituents; we took it to law enforcement," he said.
Reyes said he learned of Posselt's kidnapping when his sister-in-law called them to see if Reyes' office could do anything to help.
"Obviously I was concerned about the safety of the lady," Reyes said. "I have never met her."
Earlier this week, officials with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an ICE memo confirmed Reyes' staff contacted ICE after Posselt, a business owner in Juárez, was reported kidnapped for ransom.
What followed was an international mobilization of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement and other officials on both sides of the border. Reyes' relative was released unharmed later in Juárez after kidnappers collected a ransom.
ICE officials in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Thursday regarding ICE's role into the ongoing investigation of Posselt's kidnapping.
Reyes said the investigation was compromised with the release of the ICE memo, and that the Office of the Inspector General has begun an investigation to find out how it was leaked to the news media.
"The only involvement we had was to report it to the agencies, which we would do, and have done, for any other case. We didn't do anything different here than any other case," he said.
Reyes also said that he reports issues to law enforcement agencies on a regular basis when his office is contacted.
In an e-mail to the El Paso Times, Reyes' office listed how he has been involved in helping to solve the murders of women in Juárez.
The e-mail said Reyes sent letters to former Mexican President Vicente Fox asking him for a comprehensive investigation into the slayings, spoke with FBI officials to encourage the agency to help Mexican authorities, hosted a U.S. congressional delegation investigating the murders, worked with other lawmakers to raise the issue of the killings, sought money to help Mexico with the investigation, and raised the issue several times with the ambassadors of Mexico and the United States.
However, Garibay said Reyes didn't seem interested in her predicament.
"I am very upset. His staff gave us the runaround for a long time before Reyes finally met with us," Garibay said. "Before that, he was always too busy to see us. Then, when we got in to see him, he acted as if he was annoyed and couldn't wait to get the meeting over with."
Her brother, Jorge Garibay, and two other U.S. citizens from El Paso, Eddie Barragan and Mathew Baca, were kidnapped in 1998 from the Kentucky Club on Juárez Avenue.
Witnesses said uniformed city police officers took them, and they have not been seen again.
Hervella's association represents more than 100 families on both sides of the border with relatives who are missing. He and Garibay are Americans who live in Reyes' district.
The FBI previously attributed many of the disappearances that began in the 1990s to the Juárez drug cartel. U.S. authorities estimate more than 50 U.S. citizens have been reported missing in Juárez over the past 15 years.
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/27/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who said seeking help for a relative kidnapped in Juárez was what he would have done for a constituent, was criticized by family members with missing relatives in Mexico for not doing more to help them.
The co-founder of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons questioned on Thursday why Reyes, D-Texas, failed to help Americans whose relatives were kidnapped in Juárez in the same manner his staff intervened in the recent kidnapping of his wife's niece, some members of the International Association of Relatives and Friends of Disappeared Persons said Thursday.
Erika Posselt, a Mexican citizen, was kidnapped and held for ransom last week in Juárez. The effort by Reyes' office's to secure her release led to contacting officials in Washington D.C., the FBI, the Chihuahua State Attorney General's office and Mexican federal authorities, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo.
Jaime Hervella, the association's co-founder, and Patricia Garibay, another member, said it took them a long time to get a meeting with Reyes to discuss their plight, and when he finally agreed to see them, it was only for about 15 minutes.
"Maybe now Reyes understands some of the pain we feel because of what happened to his relative," Hervella said. "The way the U.S. and Mexican authorities moved to find his relative shows how some of us are treated like second-class citizens. Nobody in Mexico or the United States did anything to help us."
Hervella's godson, Saul Sanchez Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran, and his wife Abigail Sanchez, were last seen heading to a Juárez theater in 1996. They left two young children behind.
Reyes said Thursday he could not comment on Posselt's kidnapping because it is an ongoing criminal investigation.
"We did nothing different than any other case that we have been asked by constituents; we took it to law enforcement," he said.
Reyes said he learned of Posselt's kidnapping when his sister-in-law called them to see if Reyes' office could do anything to help.
"Obviously I was concerned about the safety of the lady," Reyes said. "I have never met her."
Earlier this week, officials with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an ICE memo confirmed Reyes' staff contacted ICE after Posselt, a business owner in Juárez, was reported kidnapped for ransom.
What followed was an international mobilization of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement and other officials on both sides of the border. Reyes' relative was released unharmed later in Juárez after kidnappers collected a ransom.
ICE officials in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Thursday regarding ICE's role into the ongoing investigation of Posselt's kidnapping.
Reyes said the investigation was compromised with the release of the ICE memo, and that the Office of the Inspector General has begun an investigation to find out how it was leaked to the news media.
"The only involvement we had was to report it to the agencies, which we would do, and have done, for any other case. We didn't do anything different here than any other case," he said.
Reyes also said that he reports issues to law enforcement agencies on a regular basis when his office is contacted.
In an e-mail to the El Paso Times, Reyes' office listed how he has been involved in helping to solve the murders of women in Juárez.
The e-mail said Reyes sent letters to former Mexican President Vicente Fox asking him for a comprehensive investigation into the slayings, spoke with FBI officials to encourage the agency to help Mexican authorities, hosted a U.S. congressional delegation investigating the murders, worked with other lawmakers to raise the issue of the killings, sought money to help Mexico with the investigation, and raised the issue several times with the ambassadors of Mexico and the United States.
However, Garibay said Reyes didn't seem interested in her predicament.
"I am very upset. His staff gave us the runaround for a long time before Reyes finally met with us," Garibay said. "Before that, he was always too busy to see us. Then, when we got in to see him, he acted as if he was annoyed and couldn't wait to get the meeting over with."
Her brother, Jorge Garibay, and two other U.S. citizens from El Paso, Eddie Barragan and Mathew Baca, were kidnapped in 1998 from the Kentucky Club on Juárez Avenue.
Witnesses said uniformed city police officers took them, and they have not been seen again.
Hervella's association represents more than 100 families on both sides of the border with relatives who are missing. He and Garibay are Americans who live in Reyes' district.
The FBI previously attributed many of the disappearances that began in the 1990s to the Juárez drug cartel. U.S. authorities estimate more than 50 U.S. citizens have been reported missing in Juárez over the past 15 years.
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.
June 27, 2008
Officials to discuss Juarez violence
By Gustavo Reveles Acosta / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/27/2008 07:20:47 AM MDT
Officials with the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and the University of Texas at El Paso will discuss the cartel violence in Juarez and its effect on this side of the border during the El Paso Press Club's Meet the Press event at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kinley's House Coffee, 2231 N. Mesa.
The panel will feature UTEP political science professor Tony Payan, FBI Special Agent in Charge in El Paso David Cuthbertson and customs Chief Patrol Agent in El Paso Victor Manjarrez.
The speakers will discuss the increasing drug-related violence in Juarez and the efforts from local law-enforcement agencies in El Paso to deal with it.
The event is free and open to the public. Information: 546-6133 or 630-6622.
Article Launched: 06/27/2008 07:20:47 AM MDT
Officials with the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and the University of Texas at El Paso will discuss the cartel violence in Juarez and its effect on this side of the border during the El Paso Press Club's Meet the Press event at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kinley's House Coffee, 2231 N. Mesa.
The panel will feature UTEP political science professor Tony Payan, FBI Special Agent in Charge in El Paso David Cuthbertson and customs Chief Patrol Agent in El Paso Victor Manjarrez.
The speakers will discuss the increasing drug-related violence in Juarez and the efforts from local law-enforcement agencies in El Paso to deal with it.
The event is free and open to the public. Information: 546-6133 or 630-6622.
June 26, 2008
Reyes sought U.S. help for kidnapped relative
Reyes sought U.S. help for kidnapped relative
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/26/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A plea for help from U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes' office led to a massive international effort to rescue a relative of his who was kidnapped in Juárez, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo.
June 19, an aide to Reyes, D-Texas, contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant attache in Mexico to report that a Mexican citizen related to Reyes had been kidnapped, the memo obtained by the El Paso Times and posted on a Web site states.
The effort to rescue the businesswoman, identified as Erika Posselt, included contacting officials in Washington, D.C, the FBI, the Chihuahua State Attorney General's office and Mexican federal authorities.
Reyes declined to comment on the memo or the case.
According to the memo, "a group of armed men kidnapped (Reyes' relative) from the ACCRIPARTS, an auto glass store she owns in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Additionally, agents learned that the kidnappers had called (her) brother and demanded a ransom of $500,000 (pesos) in exchange for her safe return. The kidnappers stated that (she) would be killed if he (the brother) contacted law enforcement authorities."
The memo addressed to ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers in Washington and dated June 23 said Reyes' relative owned the auto glass store in Juárez.
Phil Jordan, former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center, said the ICE document also was posted on the Internet by www.narconews.com.
The memo stated that "On June 19, 2008, the Assistant Attache in Juárez was contacted by a Congressional Aide (CA) for Congressman Silvestre Reyes ... (the aide) advised that (the victim), a Mexican national and relative of Congressman Reyes' wife, had been kidnapped in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Subsequently, the ICE Assistant Attache (in) Juárez requested and received the full assistance of the ICE SAC (special agent in charge) El Paso office, and coordinated a meeting in El Paso, TX with the Chihuahua State Police to recover the kidnapped victim."
A spokesman for Myers at ICE headquarters in Washington could not be reached for comment.
Former ICE official Miguel Contreras said, "it's a conflict of interest for Congressman Reyes to try to influence the case. He is in a position to affect the funding and others matters involving ICE. Also, if someone at ICE is going to be investigated, the congressman will be biased in favor of ICE."
Jordan said that in his 30 years of law enforcement, he had never seen a member of Congress get involved in helping to investigate a crime against a Mexican citizen in Mexico.
"I'm glad nothing happened to the lady and that it all worked out," Jordan said. "But if you, as a U.S. congressman, will do this for a Mexican citizen, then you'd better be prepared to do it for American citizens who are kidnapped in Mexico. "
Leticia Zamarripa, ICE spokeswoman in El Paso, said the federal law enforcement agency was continuing its investigation and had no comment regarding the memo or the case.
"It is not unusual for ICE to collaborate with Mexican authorities on a variety of cases, such as human smugglings, arms trafficking, fugitive child predators, without regard to nationality," Zamarripa said.
Several years ago, the FBI office in El Paso looked into the disappearance of at least 30 U.S. citizens in Mexico. The cases culminated in the 1999 U.S.-Mexico "mass graves" investigation in Juárez that led to nine bodies buried at four ranches.
Back then, FBI officials said they justified the investigation in Mexico because of the possibility they might find missing U.S. citizens.
According to the recent ICE memo, Posselt was released a couple of days after her kidnappers received a $32,000 ransom. She and another kidnapping victim who paid $56,000 for his release were dropped off in a public location. It was not known if the amounts were in dollars or pesos.
After her release, Posselt refused medical treatment and was allowed to cross the U.S. border "for security reasons," the memo stated.
Wednesday, Juárez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz announced that a special Mexican federal anti-kidnapping team had been sent to Juárez to investigate the recent wave of kidnappings aimed at business people.
In May, unknown persons posted a video on YouTube.com warning business people in Juárez that they would become the next targets in the ongoing violence that has claimed more than 500 lives since January.
Narcosphere, an online Web site that specializes in reporting on drug trafficking, first reported the kidnapping earlier this week.
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/26/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A plea for help from U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes' office led to a massive international effort to rescue a relative of his who was kidnapped in Juárez, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo.
June 19, an aide to Reyes, D-Texas, contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant attache in Mexico to report that a Mexican citizen related to Reyes had been kidnapped, the memo obtained by the El Paso Times and posted on a Web site states.
The effort to rescue the businesswoman, identified as Erika Posselt, included contacting officials in Washington, D.C, the FBI, the Chihuahua State Attorney General's office and Mexican federal authorities.
Reyes declined to comment on the memo or the case.
According to the memo, "a group of armed men kidnapped (Reyes' relative) from the ACCRIPARTS, an auto glass store she owns in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Additionally, agents learned that the kidnappers had called (her) brother and demanded a ransom of $500,000 (pesos) in exchange for her safe return. The kidnappers stated that (she) would be killed if he (the brother) contacted law enforcement authorities."
The memo addressed to ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers in Washington and dated June 23 said Reyes' relative owned the auto glass store in Juárez.
Phil Jordan, former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center, said the ICE document also was posted on the Internet by www.narconews.com.
The memo stated that "On June 19, 2008, the Assistant Attache in Juárez was contacted by a Congressional Aide (CA) for Congressman Silvestre Reyes ... (the aide) advised that (the victim), a Mexican national and relative of Congressman Reyes' wife, had been kidnapped in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Subsequently, the ICE Assistant Attache (in) Juárez requested and received the full assistance of the ICE SAC (special agent in charge) El Paso office, and coordinated a meeting in El Paso, TX with the Chihuahua State Police to recover the kidnapped victim."
A spokesman for Myers at ICE headquarters in Washington could not be reached for comment.
Former ICE official Miguel Contreras said, "it's a conflict of interest for Congressman Reyes to try to influence the case. He is in a position to affect the funding and others matters involving ICE. Also, if someone at ICE is going to be investigated, the congressman will be biased in favor of ICE."
Jordan said that in his 30 years of law enforcement, he had never seen a member of Congress get involved in helping to investigate a crime against a Mexican citizen in Mexico.
"I'm glad nothing happened to the lady and that it all worked out," Jordan said. "But if you, as a U.S. congressman, will do this for a Mexican citizen, then you'd better be prepared to do it for American citizens who are kidnapped in Mexico. "
Leticia Zamarripa, ICE spokeswoman in El Paso, said the federal law enforcement agency was continuing its investigation and had no comment regarding the memo or the case.
"It is not unusual for ICE to collaborate with Mexican authorities on a variety of cases, such as human smugglings, arms trafficking, fugitive child predators, without regard to nationality," Zamarripa said.
Several years ago, the FBI office in El Paso looked into the disappearance of at least 30 U.S. citizens in Mexico. The cases culminated in the 1999 U.S.-Mexico "mass graves" investigation in Juárez that led to nine bodies buried at four ranches.
Back then, FBI officials said they justified the investigation in Mexico because of the possibility they might find missing U.S. citizens.
According to the recent ICE memo, Posselt was released a couple of days after her kidnappers received a $32,000 ransom. She and another kidnapping victim who paid $56,000 for his release were dropped off in a public location. It was not known if the amounts were in dollars or pesos.
After her release, Posselt refused medical treatment and was allowed to cross the U.S. border "for security reasons," the memo stated.
Wednesday, Juárez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz announced that a special Mexican federal anti-kidnapping team had been sent to Juárez to investigate the recent wave of kidnappings aimed at business people.
In May, unknown persons posted a video on YouTube.com warning business people in Juárez that they would become the next targets in the ongoing violence that has claimed more than 500 lives since January.
Narcosphere, an online Web site that specializes in reporting on drug trafficking, first reported the kidnapping earlier this week.
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.
June 25, 2008
Reyes relative kidnapped; U.S. helps secure release
By Daniel Borunda and Ramon Bracamontes / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A woman who reportedly is a relative of Congressman Silvestre Reyes was kidnapped in Juárez, then released with the help of U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Reyes, D-Texas, declined to comment. The kidnapping was first reported on the Narcosphere Web site, which attributed the report and knowledge of the victim's relationship to Reyes to a DEA official in El Paso.
Though the Web site reported the kidnapped person was Reyes' sister-in-law, another federal agency and other officials are saying that some of the facts in the online report might be wrong, including the connection to Reyes.
Relatives of Reyes told Channel 9-KTSM (cable Channel 10) off camera that they were told not to comment.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the lead U.S. agency in the incident, but the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration were also involved. However, neither agency would release any details, including when the incident took place.
"I have nothing to say about that," DEA spokesman Matthew Taylor, who was quoted in the Narco News report, said.
ICE released only the following statement: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with several other federal law enforcement agencies, recently worked cooperatively to assist Mexican law enforcement authorities to help secure the release of
a victim who was kidnapped in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Although the victim was returned to her family, this investigation is ongoing. Therefore, no further information is releasable at this time," the statement read.
Kidnappings in Juárez generally target Mexican citizens, and spokeswomen for the FBI and ICE would not disclose whether the kidnapped woman was a citizen of the U.S. or Mexico.
FBI spokeswoman Special Agent Andrea Simmons did say the bureau had received no reports of U.S. citizens kidnapped in Juárez.
The FBI and ICE have worked with Mexican authorities in the past regarding kidnappings on the border.
The incident comes as kidnappings have become more common in Juárez possibly due to drug trafficking gangs snatching victims targeted for death or marks held for ransom to raise funds for the ongoing war for control of the region's smuggling corridor.
Fears of kidnappings, extortion and violence that has claimed nearly 500 lives this year have caused some Juarenses to move to El Paso and even seek asylum in the United States.
The killings have continued daily. Monday, an unidentified man's dismembered body was found in Rancho Anapra, state police said. The head, arms and legs were found in separate backpacks about 50 meters away from the torso, which was wrapped in a blanket. At least four deaths occurred Tuesday.
A group of about 300 owners of junk yards, mechanic shops, used-car lots and other auto-related businesses have closed down because of kidnappings and robberies, the Norte de Ciudad Juárez newspaper reported Tuesday.
Last week, four members of the union of yonkeros (junk yard owners) were kidnapped and released after paying thousands of dollars, the Norte reported.
Crime news was not all bad. Juárez police said Tuesday that home burglaries dropped by 60 percent in the first five months of the year compared with 2007.
Silvio Gonzalez, the public affairs officer for the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, said there were no figures available on how U.S. citizens have been kidnapped or killed in Juárez but that U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Mexico in the past. Authorities said that families of victims linked to the drug trade may be reluctant to report kidnappings.
A current U.S. State Department travel alert for Mexico mentions that dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped or murdered in Tijuana in 2007.
Asked whether Juárez was safe to visit, Gonzalez responded, "That's a very personal decision."
Gonzalez said potential visitors can make their own choice after viewing the Mexico travel alert, which is available at the Web site travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html
"You have thousands of people crossing the border every day and they do so for various purposes. Shopping, business," Gonzalez said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.
Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.
Read past stories on the violence in Juarez at www.elpasotimes.com/juarez.
Article Launched: 06/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A woman who reportedly is a relative of Congressman Silvestre Reyes was kidnapped in Juárez, then released with the help of U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Reyes, D-Texas, declined to comment. The kidnapping was first reported on the Narcosphere Web site, which attributed the report and knowledge of the victim's relationship to Reyes to a DEA official in El Paso.
Though the Web site reported the kidnapped person was Reyes' sister-in-law, another federal agency and other officials are saying that some of the facts in the online report might be wrong, including the connection to Reyes.
Relatives of Reyes told Channel 9-KTSM (cable Channel 10) off camera that they were told not to comment.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the lead U.S. agency in the incident, but the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration were also involved. However, neither agency would release any details, including when the incident took place.
"I have nothing to say about that," DEA spokesman Matthew Taylor, who was quoted in the Narco News report, said.
ICE released only the following statement: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with several other federal law enforcement agencies, recently worked cooperatively to assist Mexican law enforcement authorities to help secure the release of
a victim who was kidnapped in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
"Although the victim was returned to her family, this investigation is ongoing. Therefore, no further information is releasable at this time," the statement read.
Kidnappings in Juárez generally target Mexican citizens, and spokeswomen for the FBI and ICE would not disclose whether the kidnapped woman was a citizen of the U.S. or Mexico.
FBI spokeswoman Special Agent Andrea Simmons did say the bureau had received no reports of U.S. citizens kidnapped in Juárez.
The FBI and ICE have worked with Mexican authorities in the past regarding kidnappings on the border.
The incident comes as kidnappings have become more common in Juárez possibly due to drug trafficking gangs snatching victims targeted for death or marks held for ransom to raise funds for the ongoing war for control of the region's smuggling corridor.
Fears of kidnappings, extortion and violence that has claimed nearly 500 lives this year have caused some Juarenses to move to El Paso and even seek asylum in the United States.
The killings have continued daily. Monday, an unidentified man's dismembered body was found in Rancho Anapra, state police said. The head, arms and legs were found in separate backpacks about 50 meters away from the torso, which was wrapped in a blanket. At least four deaths occurred Tuesday.
A group of about 300 owners of junk yards, mechanic shops, used-car lots and other auto-related businesses have closed down because of kidnappings and robberies, the Norte de Ciudad Juárez newspaper reported Tuesday.
Last week, four members of the union of yonkeros (junk yard owners) were kidnapped and released after paying thousands of dollars, the Norte reported.
Crime news was not all bad. Juárez police said Tuesday that home burglaries dropped by 60 percent in the first five months of the year compared with 2007.
Silvio Gonzalez, the public affairs officer for the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, said there were no figures available on how U.S. citizens have been kidnapped or killed in Juárez but that U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Mexico in the past. Authorities said that families of victims linked to the drug trade may be reluctant to report kidnappings.
A current U.S. State Department travel alert for Mexico mentions that dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped or murdered in Tijuana in 2007.
Asked whether Juárez was safe to visit, Gonzalez responded, "That's a very personal decision."
Gonzalez said potential visitors can make their own choice after viewing the Mexico travel alert, which is available at the Web site travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html
"You have thousands of people crossing the border every day and they do so for various purposes. Shopping, business," Gonzalez said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.
Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.
Read past stories on the violence in Juarez at www.elpasotimes.com/juarez.
June 19, 2008
Congressman backs Maze escapee's bail bid
Congressman backs Maze escapee's bail bid
[Published: Thursday 19, June 2008 - 11:56]
By Jim Dee
A leader of the House Homeland Security Committee in the US Congress has become the first American politician to back Maze escapee Pol Brennan's request for bail from the Texas prison where he's been held since January 27.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph New York Congressman Peter King said: " My experience dealing with (Irish) republicans is that they don't jump bail in this country. They honour their commitments."
King, who's been the top-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee since yielding its chairmanship to a Democrat in 2007, added: " So, based on my experience, and also the republican movement's commitment to the peace process, I think he should get bail."
Brennan was detained at a US immigration checkpoint in Texas, 100 miles from the Mexican border, while en route to visit friends.
He was initially held over an expired US-issued work permit. However, when a computer background check revealed his role in the mass IRA jailbreak of 38 prisoners from the Maze in September 1983, he was taken to Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, where he remains.
US authorities have known about Brennan's whereabouts since the FBI arrested him in Berkley, California in 1993.
Although Britain dropped its seven-year drive to have Brennan extradited in 2000, Department of Homeland Security prosecutors now want him deported because he entered the US using a phony name months after the escape.
In April, Texas immigration judge Howard Achtsam rejected Brennan's bail petition because he deemed the Ballymurphy native a flight risk, and a danger to society, due to a misdemeanor 2006 assault conviction.
Brennan's lawyer has appealed the bail denial, arguing that Brennan's strict observance of bail terms when twice freed from US custody in the 1990s during pending British extradition moves, proves that he isn't a flight risk.
After four months in solitary confinement, Brennan was recently moved back into a dormitory-style lockup with 60 other prisoners , where he has access to several hours of outdoor daily exercise.
Meanwhile, Paul Lynch, a Labour Party Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in Australia's New South Wales assembly, has written to the US consulate general in Sydney, Judith Fergin, to express concern over Brennan's continued detention, which he called "at best, absurd."
Lynch told the Belfast Telegraph that he also can't understand why Brennan is being denied bail.
"At an earlier time, Pol Brennan was allowed bail and reported back to face the tribunal," Lynch said "That having been the case in the past — given that the Good Friday Agreement has since occurred — it seems utterly bizarre that he wouldn't be allowed bail now."
Brennan's next court date is on August 12, when immigration Judge Howard Achtsam will consider whether or not to grant Brennan a green card, based on his 19-year marriage to his American wife, Joanna Olz.
A favourable ruling by Achtsam, who has a track record of overwhelming ruling against immigrant asylum petitions, would mean that Brennan would then receive permanent residency in the US.
[Published: Thursday 19, June 2008 - 11:56]
By Jim Dee
A leader of the House Homeland Security Committee in the US Congress has become the first American politician to back Maze escapee Pol Brennan's request for bail from the Texas prison where he's been held since January 27.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph New York Congressman Peter King said: " My experience dealing with (Irish) republicans is that they don't jump bail in this country. They honour their commitments."
King, who's been the top-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee since yielding its chairmanship to a Democrat in 2007, added: " So, based on my experience, and also the republican movement's commitment to the peace process, I think he should get bail."
Brennan was detained at a US immigration checkpoint in Texas, 100 miles from the Mexican border, while en route to visit friends.
He was initially held over an expired US-issued work permit. However, when a computer background check revealed his role in the mass IRA jailbreak of 38 prisoners from the Maze in September 1983, he was taken to Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, where he remains.
US authorities have known about Brennan's whereabouts since the FBI arrested him in Berkley, California in 1993.
Although Britain dropped its seven-year drive to have Brennan extradited in 2000, Department of Homeland Security prosecutors now want him deported because he entered the US using a phony name months after the escape.
In April, Texas immigration judge Howard Achtsam rejected Brennan's bail petition because he deemed the Ballymurphy native a flight risk, and a danger to society, due to a misdemeanor 2006 assault conviction.
Brennan's lawyer has appealed the bail denial, arguing that Brennan's strict observance of bail terms when twice freed from US custody in the 1990s during pending British extradition moves, proves that he isn't a flight risk.
After four months in solitary confinement, Brennan was recently moved back into a dormitory-style lockup with 60 other prisoners , where he has access to several hours of outdoor daily exercise.
Meanwhile, Paul Lynch, a Labour Party Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in Australia's New South Wales assembly, has written to the US consulate general in Sydney, Judith Fergin, to express concern over Brennan's continued detention, which he called "at best, absurd."
Lynch told the Belfast Telegraph that he also can't understand why Brennan is being denied bail.
"At an earlier time, Pol Brennan was allowed bail and reported back to face the tribunal," Lynch said "That having been the case in the past — given that the Good Friday Agreement has since occurred — it seems utterly bizarre that he wouldn't be allowed bail now."
Brennan's next court date is on August 12, when immigration Judge Howard Achtsam will consider whether or not to grant Brennan a green card, based on his 19-year marriage to his American wife, Joanna Olz.
A favourable ruling by Achtsam, who has a track record of overwhelming ruling against immigrant asylum petitions, would mean that Brennan would then receive permanent residency in the US.
June 13, 2008
Jewelry robbers strike again
June 12, 2008, 1:05PM
Jewelry robbers strike again
Dealer stabbed as diamonds get stolen outside Houston service station
By MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
For the sixth time in as many weeks, armed robbers have attacked a visiting jewelry salesman, this time stabbing a vendor and taking 600 karats of diamonds when he stopped at a service station in southeast Houston, authorities said.
Police said five men — wielding knives and at least one pistol — jumped the dealer soon after he pulled into the gas station in the 9700 block of Telephone Road about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
"They took him down to the ground (and) stabbed him in his right arm while taking the keys to his car," said Houston police Sgt. Scott Atwood.
The robbers went back to the man's car and took his briefcase, which held the diamonds, said officials, who did not provide the monetary value of the haul.
The victim was treated at the hospital and released. Atwood said he has since returned home to California. No arrests have been made.
Gang suspected
Investigators believe Tuesday's hold-up was committed by members of a violent South American gang targeting jewelry dealers traveling in the Houston area. At least five similar holdups, netting the gang more than $3.5 million, have occurred since late April.
"The method in which they do these robberies — it's exactly the same," said Atwood, who is assigned to the Houston FBI's Major Theft Task Force.
Investigators got a break in their case Thursday after following three men spotted loitering around more than a dozen local jewelry stores and strip shopping centers.
The men, all from Colombia, were identified by FBI officials as Wilson Javier Paez Pena, 31; Luis Lopez Garcia, 34, and Edwin Mursea, believed to be either 36 or 38.
Investigators believe they may have been scouting sites for future holdups. Gang members have been known to wait outside potential targets for days until the right moment to strike, authorities said.
The three men were stopped for traffic violations. FBI agents said they were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials because their status was in question.
"They haven't been charged with the robberies," Atwood said.
Increasingly violent
Before Tuesday, the most recent attack occurred May 15 when three masked men made off with almost $1.5 million in diamonds after they pistol-whipped a traveling jewelry dealer at a Waffle House restaurant on Westheimer near Hayes.
"These guys are using knives and they have guns. (The robberies) seem to be becoming increasingly violent," Atwood said.
Investigators said they have yet to recover the diamonds, jewels and other precious stones taken in the recent rash of heists.
"Finding the jewelry, unless you're right there when the robbery occurs, is a very difficult task," Atwood said.
In many cases, the jewelry is stolen in one city and sold in a second. The illegal proceeds are often laundered in yet another city or even out of the country, FBI officials said.
The recent spree began April 28 when three or four men stole about $600,000 in loose stones after attacking a salesman from New York at a Holiday Inn parking lot in Montgomery County.
A day later, the thieves struck again, pepper-spraying a salesman as he left a Houston restaurant and getting away with $200,000 worth of jewelry.
$1 million heist
On May 1, gang members took about $250,000 in jewelry and gems only minutes after a salesman picked up his merchandise from a store in the 2400 block of Rice Boulevard.
About $1 million in jewels was taken May 14 when robbers held up another dealer who stopped for gas on Bissonnet near Kirby.
A $20,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the capture of the armed robbers targeting jewelry dealers. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
mike.glenn@chron.com
Jewelry robbers strike again
Dealer stabbed as diamonds get stolen outside Houston service station
By MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
For the sixth time in as many weeks, armed robbers have attacked a visiting jewelry salesman, this time stabbing a vendor and taking 600 karats of diamonds when he stopped at a service station in southeast Houston, authorities said.
Police said five men — wielding knives and at least one pistol — jumped the dealer soon after he pulled into the gas station in the 9700 block of Telephone Road about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
"They took him down to the ground (and) stabbed him in his right arm while taking the keys to his car," said Houston police Sgt. Scott Atwood.
The robbers went back to the man's car and took his briefcase, which held the diamonds, said officials, who did not provide the monetary value of the haul.
The victim was treated at the hospital and released. Atwood said he has since returned home to California. No arrests have been made.
Gang suspected
Investigators believe Tuesday's hold-up was committed by members of a violent South American gang targeting jewelry dealers traveling in the Houston area. At least five similar holdups, netting the gang more than $3.5 million, have occurred since late April.
"The method in which they do these robberies — it's exactly the same," said Atwood, who is assigned to the Houston FBI's Major Theft Task Force.
Investigators got a break in their case Thursday after following three men spotted loitering around more than a dozen local jewelry stores and strip shopping centers.
The men, all from Colombia, were identified by FBI officials as Wilson Javier Paez Pena, 31; Luis Lopez Garcia, 34, and Edwin Mursea, believed to be either 36 or 38.
Investigators believe they may have been scouting sites for future holdups. Gang members have been known to wait outside potential targets for days until the right moment to strike, authorities said.
The three men were stopped for traffic violations. FBI agents said they were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials because their status was in question.
"They haven't been charged with the robberies," Atwood said.
Increasingly violent
Before Tuesday, the most recent attack occurred May 15 when three masked men made off with almost $1.5 million in diamonds after they pistol-whipped a traveling jewelry dealer at a Waffle House restaurant on Westheimer near Hayes.
"These guys are using knives and they have guns. (The robberies) seem to be becoming increasingly violent," Atwood said.
Investigators said they have yet to recover the diamonds, jewels and other precious stones taken in the recent rash of heists.
"Finding the jewelry, unless you're right there when the robbery occurs, is a very difficult task," Atwood said.
In many cases, the jewelry is stolen in one city and sold in a second. The illegal proceeds are often laundered in yet another city or even out of the country, FBI officials said.
The recent spree began April 28 when three or four men stole about $600,000 in loose stones after attacking a salesman from New York at a Holiday Inn parking lot in Montgomery County.
A day later, the thieves struck again, pepper-spraying a salesman as he left a Houston restaurant and getting away with $200,000 worth of jewelry.
$1 million heist
On May 1, gang members took about $250,000 in jewelry and gems only minutes after a salesman picked up his merchandise from a store in the 2400 block of Rice Boulevard.
About $1 million in jewels was taken May 14 when robbers held up another dealer who stopped for gas on Bissonnet near Kirby.
A $20,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the capture of the armed robbers targeting jewelry dealers. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
mike.glenn@chron.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
