MEXICAN ARMY PR OFFENSIVE IN NUEVO LEON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000459

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019
TAGS: KCRM SNAR PHUM ASEC MX
SUBJECT: MEXICAN ARMY PR OFFENSIVE IN NUEVO LEON

REF: A) MONTERREY 453

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CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Principal Officer, Consul
General Monterrey, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1. (C) Summary. During recent days, local Mexican army
commanders have sought to raise their public profile in
Monterrey, in particular making the point that the military
supports citizen involvement in the public security process
(i.e., channeling tips on organized crime activity to army units
and filing denuncias when crimes have been committed). Another
of the military's key talking points has been that it respects
human rights and that adequate fora for resolving complaints
against soldiers already exist under the military justice
system. This PR campaign appears designed to remind the
Monterrey public of the army's preeminent role locally in the
struggle against the cartels. In the wake of the December 4
Mexican Navy anti-drug raids in Juarez, Nuevo Leon (ref A) and
San Pedro Mayor Mauricio Fernandez's efforts over the past two
months to portray himself as the region's most prominent
civilian crime-fighter, army generals likely want to make the
point that they remain `the tip of the spear.' End Summary.




2. (C) The week of December 14 has seen a clear uptick in
public outreach by local army commanders. Local media outlets
ran pieces, apparently based on army PR materials, detailing the
military's accomplishments in Nuevo Leon over the past year in
terms of fighting organizing crime. Articles noted that in six
municipalities in the Monterrey metro region (including the
suburbs of San Nicolas, Escobedo, San Pedro, and Apodaca),
active or retired army officers had been named the Secretary of
Public Security.




3. (C) Meanwhile, Four-star General Guillermo Moreno
Serrano, Commander of the Army's Fourth Military Region (which
includes the states of Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, and
Tamaulipas) and his operation planners briefed business
audiences regarding the army's achievements and the challenges
it faces. Moreno, who noted that SEDENA had approved his
powerpoint presentation, made the following points:

--- In addition to enforcement efforts against the cartels, the
military actively sought information from citizens that might
help in generating additional leads. He provided executives
with an e-mail address to which they could send tip information.

--- Crime victims need to file criminal complaints so that the
military and law enforcement authorities could follow-up. While
the army did not have primary jurisdiction in kidnapping cases
(the crime of most interest to business executives),if
presented with reliable information it could help out in terms
of executing search warrants.

--- Notwithstanding accusations made by U.S. NGOs, the army
respects human rights and has an effective system of military
justice in place.

--- The struggle against the cartels will take a long time to
win.




4. (C) Comment. Bolstered by strong public support for their
efforts, local army commanders, at least for now, are eschewing
their traditional low-profile approach. It could be that they
want to remind key opinionmakers that notwithstanding the Navy's
December 4 detention of Zeta operatives in Juarez, Nuevo Leon
and December 16 operation against Arturo Beltran Leyva, the army
has registered the overwhelming majority of the accomplishments
in the war against the cartels. Alternatively, given its
importance in securing the metro area, it could be that the army
wishes to project its reach a bit further into traditional
decision-making circles. If so, while the insular Monterrey
business community might not have responded to such outreach
prior to the perceived security crisis, tough times have changed
the attitude of the local industrial elite. Finally, it could
be that given San Pedro Mayor Mauricio Fernandez's efforts over
the past two months to portray himself as the region's most
prominent civilian crime-fighter, army generals want to make the
point that they remain `the tip of the spear.' End Comment.




5. (C) As for Fernandez, in the wake of the national
publicity he has received following his premature announcement
of the death of a local narco capo (and his subsequent detention
at the U.S. border),see Monterrey 412 and Monterrey 435, he

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has toned down his rhetoric. On December 10, he met at San
Pedro City Hall with Jorge Tello Peon, President Calderon's
National Security Advisor, to explain to Tello the elements of
his administration's plan to protect the city from organized
crime. On December 14, he briefed members of the municipality's
citizens advisory community on crime trends and the measures he
has undertaken to respond to them.




6. (C) In Fernandez's recent public statements, he has
emphasized `within the box measures' such as the construction of
police stations, streamlining emergency numbers, hiring more
police officers, establishing a network of secure taxis,
ensuring that night-clubs don't tolerate drug sales on their
premises, and setting up checkpoints to catch drunk drivers. At
the same time, he has evinced strong opposition to the
establishment of a `single command' state police force -- an
idea floated by the Nuevo Leon state government -- arguing that
this would mean that cities, like San Pedro, would lose their
independence. Nevertheless, a prominent a prominent local
on-line newsletter continues to attack him, noting the checkered
past of Luis Cortes Ochoa, one of his key security advisors.
During the 1990s Cortes was dismissed from the state's SWAT unit
because of ties to cartel figures.
WILLIAMSON