Top policeman killed in northern Mexico By MARINA
MONTEMAYOR, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago
The No. 2 police officer in a Mexican border city
across from Texas was shot dead Saturday, the latest
high-ranking official killed in an onslaught of
attacks blamed on gangs resisting a crackdown.
Gunman sprayed Juan Antonio Roman Garcia's car with
bullets outside his home in Ciudad Juarez, officials
said. The attack came months after his name appeared
at the top of a hit list left at a monument for fallen
police officers.
Mexico has been shaken by a wave of drug-related
violence as gangs battle security forces and each
other for control of trafficking routes north.
The son of suspected Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquin
Guzman was killed in a shootout Thursday in another
northern city. The same day, Mexico's acting federal
police chief, Edgar Millan Gomez, was gunned down in
front of his Mexico City home.
President Felipe Calderon said Friday that the attacks
against police showed weakened gangs were trying to
counter his fight against drug trafficking. Since
taking office in 2006, Calderon has sent more than
25,000 soldiers into states throughout Mexico to
combat drug gangs.
More than 200 people have been killed this year in
Ciudad Juarez, a Chihuahua state city of 1.3 million
across from El Paso, Texas, that is home base for the
Juarez cartel. The government deployed more than 2,500
soldiers and federal police to Chihuahua in March.
Several people on the hit list have been killed, and
none of the perpetrators have been caught. Government
officials displayed video footage of the list at a
news conference Saturday, with Roman Garcia's name at
the top.
"His death has plunged the city into mourning because
he was an exemplary officer with an impeccable 20-year
record who fulfilled his duties until his last breath,
despite the dangers," said Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose
Reyes Ferriz.
Although he vowed his government would not be
intimidated, Ferriz said all police officers had been
ordered to take added precautions. "We know that
organized crime will keep up the violence," he said.
More than 2,500 people have died across Mexico this
year in crime and drug-related violence.
Joaquin Guzman's son, Edgar, was shot dead in the
Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan on Thursday,
according an official with the federal Attorney
General's office who was not authorized to be quoted
by name.
Mexican media reports said gunmen opened fire on Edgar
Guzman in the parking lot of a shopping center. About
500 bullet casings from AK-47 rifles were found at the
site, El Universal and Reforma newspapers reported.
Also killed in the attack was Arturo Meza Cazares.
Meza is the son of Blanca Margarita Cazares, whom the
U.S. has identified as a key money launderer for the
cartel.
Joaquin Guzman escaped from prison in 2001 and
allegedly started a turf war that has killed hundreds
of people. He is one of Mexico's most-wanted
fugitives, and U.S. authorities have offered a US$5
million (euro3.2 million) reward for his capture.
___
Associated Press writer Alexandra Olson contributed to
his report from Mexico City.
--- villarrealjuan wrote:
> Hello everyone, esp Southern Cal riders...
>
> Within the next year or two I'm planning to make a
> ride through
> Baja. My overall plan is to enter at Nogales, ride
> down to Los
> Mochis, catch the ferry to La Paz, meet the wife
> there for a few
> days, then work my way up to Mexicali. I've already
> contacted a
> couple adventure tour companies in the area asking
> for some
> information, but - understandably - they're quite
> guarded with their
> knowledge.
>
> The questions I have:
>
> - What is/are the best time(s) of year to ride Baja?
> In addition to
> the weather, please factor in tourist season,
> crowds, etc.
>
> - Can anyone provide me with a good route (roads,
> GPS coordinates,
> whatever...) for my northbound leg? I prefer the
> more rustic, out-of-
> the-way villages to the big hotels and resorts. I
> have lots of
> experience with off-road riding, so dirt/sand roads
> present no issues
> for me (I'll be on a DR650).
>
> - The only real no-go for me is camping. Though it
> need not be
> anything fancy, I prefer to stay inside four walls.
> Given that,
> recommendations for some towns or places to stay
> would be nice.
>
> - Finally, I plan to allow 7-10 days for the Baja
> portion. Is that
> enough time to enjoy it without having to kill
> myself? Or should I
> allot more time?
>
> Any info you can be provide would be greatly
> appreciated. Request
> that you contact me offline to minimize bandwidth
> for other listers.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Juan Villarreal
> Omaha, NE
> 2006 Yamaha FJR1300
>
>
>
>