MEDIA REACTION IN TIJUANA FOLLOWING ARREST OF 'EL TEO'

UNCLAS TIJUANA 000058 SIPDIS MEXICO CITY FOR PAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC KCRM PINS SNAR MX CASC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IN TIJUANA FOLLOWING ARREST OF 'EL TEO' REF: TIJUANA 0035 ¶1. Summary: The January 12 arrest of Teodoro Garcia Simental `El Teo' in La Paz, Mexico received major media coverage in Baja California and dominated the press in Tijuana, El Teo's principal area of operations. Ambassador Pascual's statement congratulating the administration of Felipe Calderon was carried in the major media as were comments by Baja officials, academics, and average citizens. The majority of articles were optimistic about the arrest and applauded the efforts of the Calderon administration, there was no significant mention of a USG role in the operation. Comments from the average person indicate a hope that the arrest will end, or reduce, the violence that has terrorized Tijuana. However, academics and others recognize that the fight is far from over and that the arrest will likely result in an increase in violence as criminal groups fight for control. End Summary. ¶2. Public officials credited the efforts of President Calderon and close coordination of the various law enforcement entities for the arrest. Governor Osuna Millan said `for the government of Baja California this successful operation by the federal government represents an important strike against organized crime and a clear message that we are committed in this fight.' He said that the Government of Baja California took preventative measures to respond to any violence that might result from the apprehension and that the capture `was the result of months of intelligence gathering and work by the coordination group in Baja California.' Speaking of the arrest, Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos said `it remains clear that there can be times of crisis, but with the political will of the President of the Republic, the State Governor, and the Mayor, together with society, we have the possibility to turn back whatever force.' He predicted that `it's going to be a good year for public security in Tijuana.' ¶3. Academics and civil society forecast more difficult times ahead. Jose Ramos, a researcher at Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) said that while the arrest was important it could result in more violence as groups fight for control of `one of the most important drug trafficking corridors.' He said that `Tijuana society is accustomed to the violence and gives the impression of being indifferent; the business leaders only raise their voice when we reach this type of situation, but the problem has been here for years.' He said that the `narco' problem in the state will only be resolved when the state and municipal governments bring together all their forces and work together, `as the military can't do it by itself.' Anthropologist Victor Clark commented that `for many years we've observed the behavior of organized crime, including that of the Arellanos, and they have developed an enormous ability to reform as a group, we can be certain that within a couple weeks the police and the `underworld' will know who fills this space.' Mario Escobedo, President of the Tijuana Chamber of Commerce said, `It's good news for commerce that they're (police) doing intelligence work, as long as they enforce the law the right way, [because] then there are voids that end up with criminals being released.' Roberto Quijano Sosa, leader of the Tijuana Business Owners' Association said `The detention is a positive thing, and authorities should continue working in that same direction; there is still a lot of work to be done and we're far from feeling at ease.' ¶4. One newspaper reported that the arrest lowered the tension in Tijuana and gave the city hope that a sense of normalcy would return after many years of violence. `If he was really caught, then that's good news for the citizens' peace of mind, because organized crime, anywhere in Mexico, affects us all,' Javier Cordero-Employee. `I wasn't aware, but that's good, he is an important criminal, violence will drop a little in Mexico, the municipality, but mostly in Baja,' Arturo Castellanos. `The Police Dept. did a great job, I think it was time for the government to turn in some results,' Ricardo Rodriguez. Police Chief Leyzaola was interviewed on a radio show and received a large number of calls to congratulate him on the arrest, though one caller said `I want to congratulate the DEA because they were the ones who took Mexican police by the hand to capture this creep. KASHKETT