Whereas Hidalgo´s murder price is low compared with a few of its neighbors, it nonetheless is excessive and linked to the prison market that has reworked the state right into a prison paradise: “huachicoleo”.
With its 84 municipalities conforming 10 completely different areas, Hidalgo had by the tip of 2020 a inhabitants of three,082,841of which 50.2% (1,570,600) lived below the poverty line. The State has a significantly price of unemployment of two.345% in response to INEGI knowledge, though the common wage accounts just for 7,250 MXP ($397 USD).
In addition to its human sources, Hidalgo is positioned in a strategic zone because it shares borders with a few of Mexico´s greatest and most populated federative entities. On the east, it borders with Tlaxcala, Puebla and Veracruz, on the south with the State of Mexico, on the west with Querétaro and to the north lies San Luís Potosí.
Any sharp observer will understand that Hidalgo shares borders with a few of Mexico´s most disputed states concerning prison markets. San Luís Potosí is at present being disputed by a number of teams, together with factions of the Gulf Cartel, los Zetas and CJNG, Veracruz has been frequently ravaged for 20 years over the monopolies of migrant smuggling, weapons and drug trafficking and oil theft. In Puebla, remnants of the unique Zetas construction confront native and overseas teams over the management of huachicol, drug retailing and transport theft. Lastly, within the State of Mexico, a number of organizations are at present concerned in a low depth battle for the management of extortion and the drug routes coming into into Mexico Metropolis, the nation´s greatest drug market. Thus, Hidalgo poses as a strategic level not just for its huachicol market however as a result of it’s a logistical knot connecting a number of states.
No less than since 2007, Hidalgo has become an epicenter for the extraction, storage, and distribution of stolen oil. The state is dwelling to certainly one of Mexico´s six refineries. Inaugurated in 1976, it’s positioned in Tula, within the coronary heart of the area often known as Valle del Mezquital (certainly one of Hidalgo´s huachicol purple zones), and its every day manufacturing exceeds 200,000 barrels.
The system of pipelines funneling gas throughout the state crosses Hidalgo by way of the south. There are three completely different logistical routes by way of which PEMEX sends the gas refined domestically and in Veracruz: the Tuxpan-Azcapotzalco pipeline comes straight from the Lázaro Cárdenas refinery in Veracruz and enters into Hidalgo from the Southeast by way of the Tulancingo Valley and Comarca Minera areas. Then the Tula-Toluca pipeline connects Hidalgo´s PEMEX infrastructure with the State of Mexico (at present ravaged by a number of prison organizations amongst which the Nueva Familia Michoacana of the Hurtado Olascoaga brothers poses as its strongest group) Lastly, the Tula-Salamanca pipeline connects the Valle del Mezquital area with Querétaro an Guanajuato.
Not surprisingly the types adopted by illicit intakes being reported in Hidalgo when displayed in a map do match with the construction of the pipeline system crossing the State.
By 2018 the exploitation of the stolen gas market had reached such ranges that it turned Hidalgo into the paradigm of this illicit economic system. Between January 2018 and June 2022 PEMEX reported 18,450 clandestine intakes within the State, all of which accounted for a complete lack of 1,843 million MXP and the staggering quantity of 12,147,860 barrels. Right this moment, every hour and 38 minutes, a bootleg consumption is reported within the State.
One other explicit phenomenon concerning Hidalgo´s huachicoleo networks is the growing professionalization of the infrastructure used for stealing gas, specifically using underground amenities.
The studies about huachicol tunnels have been steady throughout Mexico, however contemplating the truth that State authorities do affirm that Hidalgo´s criminality is nothing greater than small teams not in a position to carry out severe prison exercise it’s unusual to know how such people have been in a position to carry out tunnels resembling those being present in Teocalco on March third 2018, in Mineral de la Reforma on June tenth 2018 and January 4th 2023 or within the Colonia Águilas on March eighth 2023.
Borderland Beat has been in a position to find the precise place the place the tunnel was constructed. It’s positioned within the coordinates 20.093659, -99.288370 , was very just lately constructed -it had no a couple of year- and operated below the facade of a parking zone for vans referred to as El Pirul.
Tlahuelilpan. January 18th 2019. A crowd of locals gathers round a poorly carried out unlawful consumption making an attempt to get better some liters of gasoline |
For greater than two hours tens of hundreds of liters of gas flew out from the pipeline dipping the environment with gasoline vapour. PEMEX determined to not ship personnel to bung up the consumption because it was thought to be a minor incident. Sooner or later in time between 18:58 and 19:00 pm one thing provoked a spark -it was later claimed that the friction of artificial clothes being weared by locals was the primary supply of the next explosion- which ignited the gas and massive ball of fireplace bathed the environment, land and human beings.
Dozens of corpses lie in the course of a ball of fireplace, consequence of the explosion provoked by a sparkle |
The pictures of individuals with their garments and pores and skin melted in a blackened tangle of flesh and smloking ragswent world wide. 137 individuals died as a consequence of huachicoleo in Tlahuelilpan, leaving a bumber of orphans estimated in 194 youngsters.
A State with no organized crime the place nothing occurs
However who does carry out such intakes? Who’s behind the wave of theft that starting within the 2000s has reworked Hidalgo into Mexico´s most profitable marketplace for huachicol?
Not surprisingly, this isn’t true. Hidalgo is not any exception to the remainder of Mexican states. In Hidalgo there’s a strong presence of a number of types of organized crime, some new and a few previous, some highly effective and a few others sufficiently small to be labelled as mere prison associations fairly than formal organizations. However there may be organized crime appearing in Hidalgo, and since a very long time in the past.
The primary studies about severe prison organizations working in Hidalgo may be traced again to the mid 2000s. By this time solely seven main prison teams had been working in Mexico, the Gulf Cartel and its enforcer cell “Los Zetas” had been two of them. Los Zetas had been the spearhead with which Osiel Cárdenas Guillén tried to take management over a lot of the drug trafficking market.
Of their push southward, Los Zetas arrived at Hidalgo the place they grew to become concerned within the ravaging of illicit economies, absorbing them and institutionalizing some form of prison equilibrium. Clearly, huachicol was no exception. We also needs to keep in mind that Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano aka “El Verdugo” was born within the city of Apán, Hidalgo, on December twenty fifth 1974. He even constructed his personal mausoleum in Pachuquilla´s cemetery.
Luís Reyes Enríquez, El Rex or Z12, after he was stabbed to demise by orders of the Treviño Morales clan in Nuevo Laredo. November 2018. |
His stays had been later stolen from a mortuory by members of the CDN sicario cells. They practiced oral intercourse with the physique, chopped it and put make up on his head. Each single step was filmed. Lastly, the stays had been spreaded by way of Tamaulipas inside plastic coolers in a number of cities of CDN territory with narcomantas threatening Zetas Vieja Escuela members.
El Rex´s physique and the narcocartulinas left by Cartel del Noreste members along with his stays |
After El Rex, a person recognized as “Mascafierros” (Iron Chewer) was appointed as regional boss and managed companies till getting killed in Pachuquilla in 2009 in a shootout in opposition to State Police.
Raúl Lucio Hernández Lechuga aka “El Fortunate”. He was the Zeta chief for western and central Mexico till December 2011. |
It was additionally through the reign of Z3´s cousin that a number of Zeta leaders had been linked to town of Pachuca. In reality, Miguel Ariyacob López Aguilar aka “El Pariente” was cited as Comandante Chivo´s second in command with Pedro Alonso Salinas aka “Comandante Teclas” or “El Dandy” as Tula and Pachuca boss at completely different instances. Antonio Hurtado Vera aka “El Chota” has additionally been talked about as Comandante Teclas´ lieutenant. Apparently sufficient El Chota was killed just a few days in the past, in March 2023, in Tulancingo, Hidalgo.
Ciro González Pérez aka “El Puchini”. Hidalgo Zeta regional boss from 2012 to 2015 |
Two of Los Zetas authentic founders -both former GAFEs and followers of the preliminary Zeta chief Heriberto Lazcano- had been killed within the Nuevo Laredo jail by orders of the succesors of their former chief and rival: Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales.
Throughout the years Los Zetas suffered a monumental prosecution on the behalf of the Calderón (2006-2012) and Peña Nieto (2012-2018) administrations. Opposite to different prison organizations, which had been both protected or tolerated by the Federal Authorities, Mexico´s authorities present in Los Zetas the proper prison scapegoat in the direction of which the biased efforts of a corrupted safety equipment may very well be directed to be able to persuade the general public opinion -national and internationally- concerning the seriousness and efficacy of the Federal Police in tackling organized crime.
Their unimaginable firepower, the greed of their management which translated into the monopoly over prison economies and the viciousness of their violence which resulted into quite a few massacres and horrendous tragedies -slaining of migrants in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, burning of companies stuffed with civilians of their turf-war over the monopoly of extortion and cash laundering in Monterrey or wiping out total villages in Coahuila- helped to place Los Zetas in the course of an imaginary rethoric promoted by the Mexican and American Governments that managed to persuade the general public opinion about “el cártel de la letra” being the utmost hazard for regional stability.
No less than since 2010 -when the breakup with the Gulf Cartel was formalized publicly and violence skyrocketed- these efforts translated into the continual erosion of Los Zetas´ management construction. Their leaders the place successfully recognized, prosecuted and indicted. Their sources of income -which had all the time been a widespread system of paramilitary extortion since their capability to deal in medicine couldn´t be in comparison with different prison structures- frozen. The killing or seize of their most important three consecutive leaders -Heriberto Lazcano Z-3 in 2012, Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales Z-40 and Óscar Omar Treviño Morales Z-42 in 2015- marked their demise as a monolithic entity.
Los Zetas had a significantly quick life as an impartial prison group. It solely took 5 years -from 2010 to 2015- to the Mexican Authorities to interrupt the backbone of the so-called “most important trigger for Mexico´s violent state of affairs”.
Consequently, the prison empire that Los Zetas had operated all throughout Mexico´s northern, central, southern and Caribbean areas vaporized in a single day. All of a sudden, prison cells which had been receiving fixed orders from regional leaders discovered themselves as orphans. Their bosses had disappeared, however their sources of income hadn´t, and though a number of factions claiming to be following the unique Zeta “trigger” pervived -Cártel del Noreste, Zetas Vieja Escuela, Zetas Sangre Nueva, etc- the reality is that throughout México tens of hundreds of peopla continued working prison constructions at a smaller stage, however exploiting the identical market niches: extortion, drug retaling and the sacking of pure sources.
Hidalgo discovered itself in that state of affairs in 2015.
Hidalgo´s current prison panorama:
With the seize of Los Zetas final regional chief in Hidalgo -Ciro González Pérez”El Puchini” in October 2015 the huachicolero cells he had been overseeing ib the Valle del Mezquital area discovered themselves free to function their very own oil theft operation with out having to pay a sure quota to no larger group. Essentially the most direct impact the absence of a prison construction controling illicit economies by way of monopolistic ways consisted on the atomization of the organized prison panorama.
Dozens of small cells emerged in every single place. Built-in by former Zeta associates or newcomers. Bounded by household ties, mere friendship or comfort relationships. The reality is that Valle del Mezquital quickly reworked itself in a really violent area contemplating the previous ranges of homicidal violence that had managed to take care of Hidalgo aside from a lot of the tragedy that by the mid 2010s had reworked sure Mexican States into de facto slaughterhouses.
In 2010 -the 12 months of Los Zetas´ independence from the Gulf Cartel´s mentorship- Hidalgo reported 112 killings. By 2015 -the 12 months of Los Zetas demise- the speed had scalated to 233. However by 2019, 4 years later, it had reached 470 homicides. By June 2021 – a 12 months which might shut with 287 violent deaths- 56% of the homicides had been collaborating within the Valle del Mezquital area.
The Tula-Salamanca -on the north- and the Tula-Toluca -on the south- pipelines reworked Valle del Mezquital right into a battle zone during which a number of huachicolero prison organizations which have all the time been regarded by the State Authorities not as organized crime however as easy types of small delinquency settled out variations with computerized weapons and organizing brilliantly staged oil theft operations involving underground infrastructure and the movilization of complete municipalities each to get better stolen gas and assault safety forces.
Borderland Beat has been in a position to determine a minimum of ten completely different prison organizations working within the Valle del Mezquital areas at a sure time limit between 2019 and 2023. A few of them have been for practically half a decade and have consolidated themselves in time. Some others have been disrupted both by the seize of their leaders or the quite a few killings that started in January 2019 when, within the midst of the Tlahuelilpan tragedy, a number of excessive impression killings passed off for unknown causes reshaping the regional panorama.
Apparently sufficient a lot of the native prison organizations do function within the Valle del Mezquital area, in Hidalgo´s Southwest. Right here small, nearly family-based teams that had already been below Los Zetas´ grip continued managing the huachicol enterprise. Deeply rooted among the many native inhabitants, these small however vicious teams stored on with the prison market that has reshaped the State because the 2010s.
Thus, within the municipalities of Tula, Tepetitlán, Teocalco an different smaller native areas resembling Benito Juárez, Santa Ana Ahuehuepan, San Francisco Bojay or Atotonilco de Tula the group of Saúl Hernández Martínez aka El Talachas extracted a ratio of seven,800 barrels of gasoline per day.
In the identical space -specifically within the municipalities of San Gabriel, Anaya, Tepetitlán, Tezontepec de Aldama and Mixquiahuala- additionally operated the group of Julio César Zúñiga Cruz, also called Héctor Baltazar Osorio Delgado or La Parka. A vicious prison, La Parka began within the enterprise of oil theft however quickly acquired concerned within the promoting of crystal meth, combining two illicit actions -drug retailing and oil theft- which have at present turn out to be to inextricably linked markets for native criminals in Hidalgo.
A number of different teams have been recognized as energetic within the space. Thus, the group of Carlos Bárcenas Jiménez aka El Pelón or El Bárcenas is at present answerable for 10 kilometers of pipelines within the areas of Sayula, San Mateo La Curva, Pedro María Anaya, San Pedro Nextlalpan, Encinillas, Las Antenas and La Loma; all of them within the municipality of Tepetitlán. El Bárcenas group has two related cells -Los Pipas and Los Caguamos- who management the territory and function watchers or halcones.
A number of different huachicolero native bosses have been recognized as José Luís Estrada Martínez aka La Chita or El Gordo -in management of oil theft operations in Mixquiahuala, Actopan and Tetepongo-, Heriberto Contreras Rudiño aka El Jefe de Jefes or El Erick -operating in Tezontepec de Aldama- and Héctor Arturo Olivo Karapia aka El Geisha -in cost of the world of Cerro de la Cruz within the municipality of Tlahuelilpan-.
There are additionally related small prison teams working in Hidalgo´s Southeast, notably within the Tulancingo Valley area, notably within the municipality of Cuautepec de Hinojosa. Right here State authorities have talked about Gabriel Rodríguez Hernández aka El Gabo, Cirilo Lira Gutiérrez aka Don Lupe and José Gerardo Olmedo Arista aka El Cochiloco -this final one was Cuautepec´s mayor between 2012 and 2016 and has been reported lacking since December sixteenth 2022-.
There are additionally two different teams -the certainly one of Héctor Armando Cardona Carrasco aka El Locutor and Jesús Ángel Sierra Cerrón aka El Jes- working in Tulancingo and within the case of El Jes is has been reported that he has prolonged drug distribution operations to Pachuca and the Comarca Minera Area.
Within the northeastern Huasteca area -a place bordering with southern San Luís Potosí and western Veracruz- there have been infiltrations of overseas teams -particularly former Zeta cells appearing in Veracruz. However among the many native prison panorama it’s Jesús Ángel Sierra Zerón aka El Jes who leads essentially the most prolific group, which makes use of the Zeta model as a manner of gaining notoriety.
It must be famous, although, that within the State of Hidalgo there may be additionally presence of a lot severe and arranged types of violent criminality. Opposite to the official and public narrative, in Hidalgo there are prison organizations that though come from outdoors the state have been answerable for excessive charges of violence.
That´s the case, for instance of Pueblos Unidos, a prison group working within the municipality of Tepetitlán. The reader must be cautious to not combine up this group with the one working in Michoacán that’s at present combating a turf battle in opposition to CJNG. Within the case of Hidalgo, the prison group often known as Pueblos Unidos had its origins within the group often known as Los Emes or Los Maras, leaded by a familyclan composed by de Maldonado Mejía brothers: Mariano aka El M1/El Gordo, José Artemio aka El Michoacano/El R/El Rabias, Lucio aka El Jabalí, Gerardo aka El Shrek, José Antonio aka El Pilo and the sisters Sara and Reyna.
The clan, appearing by the identify of Los Emes/Los Maras, was actively led by Mariano. Though there are rumours concerning the household being from Michoacán there may be sure acquiescence about them coming from the city of Pachuca -the State capital- and by 2012 there are studies concerning the group being closely concerned within the enterprise of kidnapping for ransom. Sooner or later in time Los Emes/Los Maras went past state borders and began conducting operations not solely in Hidalgo but in addition in Puebla, Mexico Metropolis, the State of Mexico and Baja California. On this final border State -particularly within the metropolis of Mexicali- Los Emes/Los Maras grew to become the simplest kidnapping ring, specialised within the categorical kidnapping of migrants.
Their methodology was fast and simple: they first established contact with migrants in Mexican southern States desirous to cross to the US by way of intermediaries or “enganchadores” who managed to persuade the victims into coming into into the trunk of a automotive which might take them to Calexico. The automobiles had been as an alternative pushed to remoted motels in Mexicali the place girls had been systematically raped and males overwhelmed earlier than contacting their family members demanding a ransom which ranging between 6,000 and 10,000 {dollars}.
Sooner or later the household moved once more to the South, to Hidalgo. There they began working from the group of La Loma, within the municipality of Tepetitlán, from which they began conducting oil theft operations and adopted the identify of Pueblos Unidos -United Cities- as a brand new “nom de guerre”.
The video can be adopted in lower than two weeks by a second one during which a number of people appeared carrying assault rifles.
Extract of the primary public video printed by Pueblos Unidos on June twenty eighth 2021 |
Extract of Pueblos Unidos´ second video, printed in all probability across the first week of July 2021 |
Apparently sufficient what had been labelled in July 2021 as a a minor clique of individuals that enjoyed to disguise and take movies with faux weapons turned out to be a way more severe risk. By late 2021 three members of the Maldonado Mejía clan -Mariano aka El M1/El Gordo, José Artemio aka El Michoacano and José Antonio aka El Pilo- the place imprisoned within the Tula Centro de Reinserción Social or CERESO (jail). José Artemio had been captured in November twenty sixth in Texcoco de Mora, within the State of Mexico, however was instantly transferred to the Tula jail -a facility which by 2020 had reported and overpopulation of round 38.6%- the place his already captive family members had managed to construct a corruption community that permit them get pleasure from luxuries resembling carrying jewellery and getting access to cell phones.
There are nonetheless fragmentary particulars of how the Maldonado Mejía clan did it, however the reality is that between Mariano, José Artemio and José Antonio a formidable escape plan was carried out. It concerned the hiring of overseas hitmen -which had been recruited from the State of Mexico and Michoacan and paid in American dollars-, the acquisition of grenade launchers, AR-15S and AK47s, the constructing of an handcrafted armoured truck and the manufacturing of 4 carbombs. All the pieces was deliberate from contained in the Tula jail and the orders got by way of cell phones smuggled into the jail.
On December the first at 4 a.m., a gasoline tanker truck with a weight of three.5 tons and its nostril modified with an artisanal battering ram smashed itself in opposition to the gate of the Tula jail destroying it. On the similar time, a automotive bomb which had been positioned simply subsequent to the jail wall was detonated to distract the guards.
The modified truck used as battering ram in opposition to Tula´s jail gate |
December 1st 2021, 4:00 am. The modified truck smashes by way of Tula´s jail gate |
Virtually instantly, two people with bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles jumped into the jail whereas 5 others coated them from the skin firing in opposition to one of many watch towers. From contained in the jail 9 people got here out operating -among them Mariano and José Artemio Maldonado Mejía-, acquired into ready automobiles and dissapeared. On the similar time a number of automobiles had been set on fireplace all throughout town and two extra automotive bombs detonated whereas artisanal “ponchallantas” -steel nails welded together- had been thrown into the roads to forestall any pursuit.
One of many automotive bombs detonated as a imply of masking the commando´s escape |
In whole the operation lasted roughly eight minutes. Nobody was killed.
Ultimately a lot of the escaped prisoners had been captured once more. After some months of hiding -it was rumoured within the mountain area of Michoacán- José Atemio Maldonado Mejía aka El Michoacano was captured in Mexico Metropolis had been he was being hidden by his brother Gerardo aka El Shrek. However, Mariano Maldonado Mejía nonetheless is at giant.
It’s remarkably curious {that a} group that had been outlined by Hidalgo´s public safety secretary in July as infantile, nothing greater than a neighborhood clique, had managed to prepare simply six months later -by December- an operation so properly deliberate that it wouldn´t even be too tough to see some parallelism with particular forces maneouvres. However once more, we should bear in mind, in Hidalgo there´s no severe organized crime presence.
One other curious case of organized prison severe presence in Hidalgo is the certainly one of Los Hades.
Initially referred to as Cártel de Palmillas or Nueva Empresa the group entered into Hidalgo from neighboring Querétaro and shortly began working in Huichapan, Napala, Tecozentle, Zimapán, Tasquillo, Ixmiquilpan, Alfajayucan and Chapatongo.
The group in Querétaro was initially led by Pedro Fabián del Toro Patricio, who vanished from earth in Tijuana on November twenty sixth 2021, and by his brother Leonel del Toro Patricio. However in Hidalgo, Los Hades´ first chief was recognized as Biliulfo Garfías Arreola aka “El Tito”, who was reportedly killed on April twenty eighth 2019 after which some form of cut up should have occurred, as a result of Borderland Beat has distinguished two completely different teams, one recognized as Las Garfias -probably led by El Tito´s nephew Ulises García Garfias aka El Pollo and a second one led by Noe Rodríguez Hernández aka El Babas -captured on June sixth 2021- who managed the Cardonal/Ixmiquilpan areas by way of a gaggle often known as Los Botitas and led by Adán Cerro Hernández.
In Hidalgo -specifically within the Valle del Mezquital region- Los Hades have been just lately led by Salvador Reséndiz Hernández aka “El Rex” -captured on October 2021-and Orlando Medina Velázquez aka El Fénix who’ve carried out in depth drug distribution, kidnapping and oil theft actions.
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Orlando Medina Velázquez aka El Fénix |
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Salvador Reséndiz Hernández aka El Rex |
Sooner or later in time El Rex and El Fénix broke aside and each tried to hunt the safety of larger teams. The previous tried to attach with the Familia Michoacana -which additionally has sure presence in japanese Hidalgo- and the latter with CJNG.
The studies concerning the present standing of Los Hades are complicated however apparently El Fénix was killed within the metropolis of Guadalajara -where he was below CJNG protection- in late 2022 whereas El Rex was substituted by his brother Monserrat Reséndiz Hernández who sealed an alliance with Los Alemanes -a Gulf Cartel splinter group- in opposition to CJNG brandishing the brand new identify of Los Hades Segunda Generación (Los Hades Second Technology)
Los Hades have additionally had political godfathers on their payroll. It’s the case of Pascual Chárrez Pedraza -former mayor of Ixmiquilpan- and Erick Marte Rivera Villanueva -former mayor of Zimapán- whose public safety director Gustavo Trejo Trejo was convicted of kidnappin, murdering and mutilating an individual in 2019.
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Erick Marte Rivera Villanueva, former mayor of Zimapán |
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Pascual Chárrez Pedraza, former mayor of Ixmiquilpan |
In conclusion, throughout the years Hidalgo has been labeled as a state freed from organized crime presence. Borderland Beat has recounted how the State was deeply penetrated firstly by Los Zetas through the 2010s and later by a myriad of smaller however viciously violent teams which have managed to protect a prison market, the certainly one of oil theft, which has reworked Hidalgo right into a black gap.