MONTERREY SEES BLOODIEST DAY EVER WITH NINE ASSASSINATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTERREY 000377

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SENSITIVE
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DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/ITA AND DS/IP/WHA; WHITE HOUSE FOR ONDCP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/30/2017
TAGS: SN KCRM KCOR KHLS KJUS PGOV PINS MX
SUBJECT: MONTERREY SEES BLOODIEST DAY EVER WITH NINE ASSASSINATIONS

REF: A. A) MONTERREY 258

B. B) MONTERREY 290

C. C) MONTERREY 334

CLASSIFIED BY: Luis Moreno, CG, Monterrey, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) During Monterrey's most violent 24 hours to date, nine
people were killed in four separate incidents in Monterrey on
March 28 and 29. The first incident took place on March 28 when
an off-duty Nuevo Leon State Police Commander was shot and
killed near his home in Monterrey. The second incident took
place on March 29 when an unknown male victim was shot numerous
times while driving in a residential area. In both incidents,
the assailants fired numerous rounds from another vehicle as the
victims were driving. It is not known if the two incidents are
related. The third incident on March 29 claimed the lives of
three people in a used car lot owned by a law enforcement
officer. The lot owner, a Nuevo Leon State Attorney
Investigator, was shot and killed along with his teenage son and
another lot employee. The three victims were shot multiple
times by 10 heavily armed men who arrived at the business in
three vehicles. In the fourth incident on March 29, four
victims were shot and killed while standing in front of a house.
The identities of the victims are currently unknown. Including
these latest victims, there have been 42 murders victims in the
State of Nuevo Leon, compared with 55 for all of 2006. Of that
42, sixteen were active duty law enforcement officials and three
were former law enforcement officers.


2. (C) COMMENT. The spike in narco-related violence in March
further supports Post's belief that these killings will continue
and perhaps escalate, unabated, for the foreseeable future as
rival drug gangs vie for control of the Monterrey "plaza". It
is likely that the increase in violence is a direct result of
the fact that senior drug cartel members have moved from Nuevo
Laredo to Monterrey. The battle for the Nuevo Laredo plaza,
which left hundreds dead and missing, lasted for over three
years and the same is possible in Monterrey. Post's contacts in
the local law enforcement community have said that authorities,
up to the highest levels of the state government, are paralyzed
with fear. Law enforcement officials are now completely
intimidated and unwilling to conduct serious investigations into
these murders. This, coupled with corruption and limited
training and resources within the law enforcement community, is
the reason there have been no arrests made related to any police
assassinations. On March 28, the Consul General met with the
State Attorney General, Luis Carlos Trevino, to reiterate the
Consulate's continued support in light of the recent escalation
in assassinations carried out by "sicarios" (drug cartel
hitmen). The Attorney General expressed his gratitude and said
that he believes that rival drug cartels are stepping up their
violent campaign in an effort to destabilize the state
government. While Nuevo Leon Governor Natividad Gonzalez Paras
has stated publicly that he is commitment to fighting organized
crime in the state, he seems paralyzed in demonstrating that he
is serious about expending his political capital to remove
corrupt officials. Interestingly, Antonio Garza, the Nuevo Leon
Secretary for Public Security, has remained in office despite

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his failure to curb the increasing violence. Post has long
believed that Garza is less than trustworthy, has cooperated
with drug traffickers in the past, and does little to fire known
corrupt state law enforcement officials. Post will continue to
monitor the situation closely. END COMMENT.

MORENO