JANUARY 29, 2004 Colombia / Mexico
2,070 kilos of cocaine, Colombian representative in Mexico Juan Pablo
Rojas Lopez "El Halcon" and 14 others arrested in Mexico
2,070 kilos of cocaine, Colombian representative in Mexico Juan Pablo
Rojas Lopez "El Halcon" and 14 others arrested in Mexico
In a press conference the Attorney General, Rafael Macedo de la
Concha, announced that as a result of investigations started in
October 2002, by the Deputy Attorney's Office for the Specialized
Investigation of Organized Crime (SIEDO), with the back-up of the
Federal Investigations Agency (AFI), in a raid made yesterday, 15
members of an international criminal drug network, whose boss in
Mexico was Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez (a) "El Halcon", were arrested.
As the liaison between criminal organizations, he was responsible for
the reception and distribution of cocaine from Colombia.
The scope of this criminal organization was such that it set the
prices of cocaine on the black market in the Federal District and the
neighboring municipalities in the State of Mexico.
At the moment of the arrests the federal agents seized two tons 70
kilograms of cocaine - which the criminals were preparing for its
shipment to the United States of America, with stopovers in
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas - and were
hidden in a warehouse which has been remodeled as a safe house
in the said city.
The investigations tasks of the AFI allowed to detect the activities of
those responsible both of the shipments and the reception of the
cocaine from Buenaventura, Colombia, and destined to the United
States of America.
Those responsible of the shipment of the drug were Victor Mejia and
his brother Manuel, identified as "Los Mellizos", or The Twins,
through Carlos Jaramillo Correa and his brother Mauricio, operators
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Medellin,
according to the statement made by Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez, who
acted as the liaison for the organization in Mexico, that operated in
the Federal District, Guadalajara, Jalisco and Monterrey, Nuevo
Leon, and was responsible of the reception and distribution of the
drug in our country.
From February 2003 to date, the approximate average flow of
cocaine into the US amounted to two tons a month. According to
Juan Pablo Rojas, the seized drug was worth about 40 million dollars
on the US black market.
The names of the 15 members of the criminal organization are the
following: Rafael Jesus Perez Zamudio (a) "El Chucho", Mauricio
Perez Zamudio, Ernesto Perez Zamudio, Jaime Aviles Rivera, Jose
Salvador Castillo Ruiz, Guillermo Gonzalez Lacy, Jose Luis Gama
Gama and David Arizmendi Millan, in charge of security and custody
of the drug shipments.
While Carlos Alberto Rocha was in charge of logistics for the
storage and custody of the cocaine, Eliseo Pedraza Rivera was in
charge of the transportation of the drug.
For their part, Froilan Gonzalez Hernandez, Emilio Andres Vizcaino
Ramirez, the Colombian Carlos Mauricio Garzan Suarez , and
Zulema Yulia Hernandez Ramirez were in charge of the distribution
and sale of the drug in the Federal District and the metropolitan
area.
In his statement Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez said his criminal career
started in the 80s, when he joined the Medellin cartel that operated
in Mexico, under the command of Miguel Angel Willis. Later, after the
capture of the leaders of the cartel, in particular of its boss Pablo
Escobar Gaviria, and the death of Miguel Angel Willis, Rojas Lopez
lost touch and remained without any direct contacts until 2002 when
he was recruited by Víctor Mejía Munera and his brother Manuel,
known as "Los Mellizos". He came to be part of the organization as
its representative in Mexico for the reception of the shipments from
Medellin, Colombia.
It is important to note that in order to finance the operation of the
organization in Mexico, payment to its members was made with part
of the goods. In order to cover their costs, the members distributed
the drug on the national market through a retail sale network that
covered Tepito and Iztapalapa in the Federal District, and the
neighboring municipalities in the State of Mexico, such as
Nezahualcoyotl, Chalco and Ecatepec.
The records kept at the PGR and the information gathered during
the investigation show that Zulema Yulia Hernandez Ramirez was a
part of the structure as a liaison with Delia Patricia Buendia (a) "Ma
Baker", the main retail distributor in Nezahualcoyotl, while Emilio
Andres Vizcaino Ramirez was the main retail distributor in the Tepito
Barrio.
Concha, announced that as a result of investigations started in
October 2002, by the Deputy Attorney's Office for the Specialized
Investigation of Organized Crime (SIEDO), with the back-up of the
Federal Investigations Agency (AFI), in a raid made yesterday, 15
members of an international criminal drug network, whose boss in
Mexico was Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez (a) "El Halcon", were arrested.
As the liaison between criminal organizations, he was responsible for
the reception and distribution of cocaine from Colombia.
The scope of this criminal organization was such that it set the
prices of cocaine on the black market in the Federal District and the
neighboring municipalities in the State of Mexico.
At the moment of the arrests the federal agents seized two tons 70
kilograms of cocaine - which the criminals were preparing for its
shipment to the United States of America, with stopovers in
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas - and were
hidden in a warehouse which has been remodeled as a safe house
in the said city.
The investigations tasks of the AFI allowed to detect the activities of
those responsible both of the shipments and the reception of the
cocaine from Buenaventura, Colombia, and destined to the United
States of America.
Those responsible of the shipment of the drug were Victor Mejia and
his brother Manuel, identified as "Los Mellizos", or The Twins,
through Carlos Jaramillo Correa and his brother Mauricio, operators
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Medellin,
according to the statement made by Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez, who
acted as the liaison for the organization in Mexico, that operated in
the Federal District, Guadalajara, Jalisco and Monterrey, Nuevo
Leon, and was responsible of the reception and distribution of the
drug in our country.
From February 2003 to date, the approximate average flow of
cocaine into the US amounted to two tons a month. According to
Juan Pablo Rojas, the seized drug was worth about 40 million dollars
on the US black market.
The names of the 15 members of the criminal organization are the
following: Rafael Jesus Perez Zamudio (a) "El Chucho", Mauricio
Perez Zamudio, Ernesto Perez Zamudio, Jaime Aviles Rivera, Jose
Salvador Castillo Ruiz, Guillermo Gonzalez Lacy, Jose Luis Gama
Gama and David Arizmendi Millan, in charge of security and custody
of the drug shipments.
While Carlos Alberto Rocha was in charge of logistics for the
storage and custody of the cocaine, Eliseo Pedraza Rivera was in
charge of the transportation of the drug.
For their part, Froilan Gonzalez Hernandez, Emilio Andres Vizcaino
Ramirez, the Colombian Carlos Mauricio Garzan Suarez , and
Zulema Yulia Hernandez Ramirez were in charge of the distribution
and sale of the drug in the Federal District and the metropolitan
area.
In his statement Juan Pablo Rojas Lopez said his criminal career
started in the 80s, when he joined the Medellin cartel that operated
in Mexico, under the command of Miguel Angel Willis. Later, after the
capture of the leaders of the cartel, in particular of its boss Pablo
Escobar Gaviria, and the death of Miguel Angel Willis, Rojas Lopez
lost touch and remained without any direct contacts until 2002 when
he was recruited by Víctor Mejía Munera and his brother Manuel,
known as "Los Mellizos". He came to be part of the organization as
its representative in Mexico for the reception of the shipments from
Medellin, Colombia.
It is important to note that in order to finance the operation of the
organization in Mexico, payment to its members was made with part
of the goods. In order to cover their costs, the members distributed
the drug on the national market through a retail sale network that
covered Tepito and Iztapalapa in the Federal District, and the
neighboring municipalities in the State of Mexico, such as
Nezahualcoyotl, Chalco and Ecatepec.
The records kept at the PGR and the information gathered during
the investigation show that Zulema Yulia Hernandez Ramirez was a
part of the structure as a liaison with Delia Patricia Buendia (a) "Ma
Baker", the main retail distributor in Nezahualcoyotl, while Emilio
Andres Vizcaino Ramirez was the main retail distributor in the Tepito
Barrio.
Source: Procuraduría General de la República
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NARCOTIC NEWS
Cocaine News 2004 Archive
Cocaine News 2004 Archive