 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Zeta Report: Narcos in Rosarito
..Problems in plain sight
BY BUGSY CAPONE
|
juana. Zeta alleges that local police know this, but they refrain from getting involved because they have insufficient personnel
and resources. There are only 46 cops on duty per shift, or one for every 2,000 people.
In an explosive alle-gation, Zeta claimed that Rosarito Mayor Antonio Macias Ga-ray has been seen at parties that were also attended
by Arellano Felix cartel members. For the past two ye-ars, Macias has de-nied any relation to or knowledge of people
linked with organized crime. Leaked infor-mation
claimed that one of his ranches was close to the house of Francisco Javier
Arellano Felix, where three police-men and one civilian were found decapita-ted
last year. Zeta also published what they called "extraoffi-cial information", clai- ming that Mayor Ma-cias was mistakenly |
|
The Tijuana based newsmagazine
Zeta has issued a front page, special report
about drug traffickers openly operating in Rosarito.
Zeta regu-larly conducts
investi-gative probes into dangerous subjects like organized crime and political corrup-tion, and several of their editors have been shot. The new report, entitled "Rosa-rito, Refuge for Nar-cos", alleges
that hit-men, crime bosses, and drug dealers roam freely through town, and use local thorough fares
to mo-ve narcotics. Appa-rently, criminals and their families openly visit the beaches and nightclubs in Rosari-to, and are treated like ordinary tourists. |
Zeta claims that drug transporters,
sellers and loaders roam through downtown Rosarito, and through the local neighbor-hoods, such as Lucio Blanco, Plan Liberta- dor, Primo Tapia and Barbachano. Narco-tics are distributed and moved using ro-utes like the scenic road, Rosarito Cany-on, Boulevard 2000 and the connecting roads to Libramiento
Rosas Magallon.
Or-ganized crime mem-bers possess or rent secure warehouses in neighborhoods
clo-se to the Rosarito
toll road entrance. Also, they own ranches northwest of town, close to the rural ro- ads communicating
with the La Presa area and eastern Ti- |
 |
captured and releas-ed
by cartel members close the La Cuesta area in the outskirts of Tijuana. Macias denied all of these accounts.
One of the most vi-sible and worrying problems related to the organized crime presence in Rosarito is the increased kid-napping
rate. Data from the Citizens for Public Safety Com-mittee said that this year, there have been an average of 1.5 kidnappings per month in Rosarito, despite a strong fe-deral police presen-ce.
President Calderon's "Operation
Tijuana", which sent Federal police to Baja to stop crime, does not seem to have generated
re-sults. People in Ro- |
sarito, including the Mayor, have argued that the crime crack-down in Tijuana
cau-sed a "cockroach effect", whereby cri-minals moved to Rosarito to hide out. In the hills behind Rosarito,
traffickers can hide out at ran-ches, which still ena-bles them to travel to Ensenada and back to their houses in San Diego.
In the past six mon-ths, official data indi-cates that more than 1,000 people have been arrested and processed; 197 for domestic
or com-mercial burglary, 99 for theft or damage to a vehicle, 10 armed robberies
and 111 people with drug possession. Violent crime numbers have risen
continued on page
12..
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|