MEXICO: The military received over a dozen warnings about cartel activities in the area where 43 students were kidnapped in September 2014, yet little was done to combat organised crime. The case has been the subject of years of protests, and the parents of the students have been relentless in their pursuit of justice.
Cartel activity in Mexico deepens
Residents of Iguala and nearby towns sent emails to the 27th infantry battalion criticising the presence of criminal organisations and local authorities. The Guerreros Unidos cartel is believed to have been represented by pictures of its alleged members. A month before the students vanished, armed men returned to patrol the town without being harassed by police.
The emails portray the residents’ fear and annoyance at the presence of violent criminal gangs in the area and the apparent cooperation between organised crime and local authorities.
Kate Doyle, a senior analyst at the National Security Archive, noted that little was done before the kidnapping of the youngsters. These messages are chilling as they reveal what’s going to happen next. Guacamaya released over 4 million emails and documents, resulting in more than 6 terabytes of data theft, affecting Mexico’s national security.
The GIEI monitored the narcos and organised crime but decided to do nothing on the night of the attack. President López Obrador has highlighted the illegality of the material.
The students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College hijacked buses to attend a protest but were attacked by local police officers working for Guerreros Unidos. It has only been possible to identify the corpses of three students. The military had knowledge of illicit conduct and cooperation between the cartel and police and was able to watch the attack in real-time.
The 27 Infantry Battalion in Iguala was involved in various activities prior to the assault on the students, including taking part in activities, visiting a shooting scene, and detaining individuals elsewhere. The criminal infrastructure in Iguala is not being dismantled.
Investigators believe there may have been a conspiracy between Guerreros Unidos, a heroin transport operation, and military personnel based on text communications intercepted by the DEA.
Emails sent to a general complaints inbox are addressed to Colonel José Rodrguez Pérez, who was detained last year for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of two students.
The person who wrote the emails worked for a business that owns a mining close to Iguala. A document attached to the emails describes an armed gang taking control of the town of Atzcala, where the remains of two students were discovered.
Members of a gang armed with AK-47 and AR-15 rifles gathered residents of Atzcala to ask for cooperation and their weapons. They are threatening locals and business owners and providing protection in exchange for cash.
The complaint alleges that local authorities were involved in the activities of the accused lookouts. An email from June 2014 details the actions of the Guerreros Unidos cartel in Iguala and the surrounding towns. It also features images of various people associated with the organisation, some of whom are allegedly brandishing high-calibre firearms. The chiefs of Huitzuco, Iguala, and Apaxtla are two who issue warnings regarding inspections.
The most important details are that a white Tacoma drives around in the Loma del Zapatero neighbourhood of Iguala, where people have been kidnapped and tortured. An email from April 2014 describes how members of a criminal organisation carried out their activities “with impunity” in front of municipal police.
The complaint alleges that La Familia Michoacana is still active, not a drug trafficking cartel, but a group of assailants, pickpockets, and kidnappers who set up checkpoints to kidnap people. The email concludes with information on the location and time where one of the leaders, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, may be apprehended. The complaint urges the government to execute an efficient ground-air operation, or trust will be lost.
El Pez and his brother, El Fresa, were apprehended by the military, National Guard, and attorney general’s office last month, but they remain on the run. The defence ministry has not responded to questions.
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