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P 182143Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2104
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 2867
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 7276

108918
2007-05-18 21:43:00
07MONTERREY527
Consulate Monterrey
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN

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PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0527/01 1382143
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 182143Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2104
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 2867
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 7276

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/ITA AND DS/IP/WHA; AND INL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/18/2017 
TAGS: SNAR PINS PGOV SOCI ASEC ELAB ECON MX
SUBJECT: MONTERREY'S TROUBLING TRENDS - MURDER, KIDNAPPING, AND 
INTIMIDATED JOURNALISTS 
 
 
MONTERREY 00000527  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Luis G. Moreno, CG. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY.  Following the Mexican national model, in one 
week Monterrey witnessed a fierce rise in narco-related 
violence, including police and journalist kidnappings. Already 
Nuevo Leon has quickly surpassed previous records for the number 
of murders and kidnappings in the state.   To date, there have 
still not been any arrests or convictions in connection with any 
of them.  Sensing local law enforcement's fear and obvious 
reluctance to pursue serious investigations, perpetrators of 
lesser crimes (i.e. robberies) have been able to take advantage 
of the situation.  Despite a history of some narco-violence, 
Monterrey has been known as one of Mexico's safest major cities, 
but in one week there were two massive armed robberies.  Most 
disturbing about the week's events is the apparent fear and 
intimidation that narco-traffickers have struck into the hearts 
of local news reporters who seem to be practicing 
self-censorship.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MORE BRUTAL KILLINGS 
 
¶2. (U)  On May 17, a group of armed men shot and killed a man as 
he was trying to run into his house.  Particularly disturbing 
about this incident is that the perpetrators were able to force 
their way into a gated community (not unlike the ones in which 
Consulate families reside) by putting a gun to the head of the 
community's private security guard.  He was the 61st murder 
victim in the State of Nuevo Leon. 
 
¶3. (U)  On the morning of May 18, three cadavers were found in 
San Pedro, the Monterrey suburb where all Consulate families 
reside, with their hands bound and exhibiting signs of torture. 
Two of the three men were wearing police uniforms and were later 
identified as Santa Catarina police.  The third man was dressed 
in civilian clothing.  Apparently they had been kidnapped the 
night before.  Their deaths bring the total number of murders in 
the State of Nuevo Leon to a record 64, a significant increase 
over the 55 murders for all of 2006. 
 
A DISTURBING RISE IN KIDNAPPINGS 
 
¶4. (SBU)  On May 10, a reporter and cameraman for TV Azteca were 
presumably kidnapped in Monterrey.  They did not report for work 
that day and have not been heard from since.  A week later, 17 
people were kidnapped in six separate incidents in the greater 
Monterrey area over a 48 hour period.  On May 16, a Monterrey 
police officer was kidnapped while patrolling the home of 
Francisco Carlos Esquivel, (AKA "El Capi").  Esquivel was 
recently released from a Jalisco prison where he had been held 
since 2005.  Earlier that same day, eight people were kidnapped 
in Guadalupe at a used car lot.  On May 17, a passerby 
discovered the abandoned vehicle of an investigator with the 
State Attorney General's office.  The details of the case are 
still unclear, with authorities trying to definitively determine 
if the investigator was the victim of kidnapping.  Also on May 
17, four people, including the local leader of the PEMEX 
(Mexican Petroleum) oil company union, were kidnapped in 
Cadereyta.  Finally, on the afternoon of May 18, an additional 
police officer from Guadalupe, another Monterrey suburb, was 
reportedly kidnapped. 
 
¶5. (U)  While kidnappings are nothing new for Mexico, "regios" 
(Monterrey residents) traditionally regard them as something 
that happens elsewhere.  In the last month, however, Monterrey 
has seen a disturbing rise in the number of kidnappings and the 
total number has exceeded any previous record for Nuevo Leon. 
Including these latest victims, there have been 49 total 
kidnappings in the state, compared to the previous record of 35 
in 2006. 
 
CONSEQUENCES FOR GREATER PUBLIC SECURITY 
 
¶6. (SBU) In a new disturbing trend, other criminals have taken 
advantage of local authorities' inability to curb narco-related 
crime in Monterrey and the city has seen an increase in the 
number of robberies. On May 12, over 250 people were held by 
armed gunmen and robbed at a night club in Guadalupe, greater 
Metropolitan Monterrey.  During the two hour hold-up during 
which gunmen came around and took money from club patrons, 
several victims reportedly used their cell phones to call the 
police.  Still, no police showed up and, as is the case with 
most crimes in Nuevo Leon, the culprits got away scot-free. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  On May 14, a man was driving on the highway between 
Monterrey and Reynosa on his way to the U.S. border.  A group of 
 
MONTERREY 00000527  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
armed men forced him off the road and then car-jacked his SUV. 
On May 17, another armed robbery took place in San Pedro, 
minutes from where Consulate families reside.  The victims were 
all in one house and were tied-up while the robbers took over 
$30,000 in cash and jewelry.  Despite the fact that local police 
set-up a perimeter when they learned of the robbery, the two 
armed culprits once again escaped. 
 
FEAR AFFECTING MEDIA REPORTING 
 
¶8. (C) In addition to increased crime rates, Post has begun to 
notice a disquieting trend in the local media connected to the 
rising levels of violence: because of fear and intimidation, 
some in the media appear to be practicing self-censorship in 
reporting drug-related crimes.  On May 18, Rogelio Lozano 
(STRICTLY PROTECT), San Pedro's Chief of Police, was interviewed 
by TV Azteca just hours after the discovery of the three 
cadavers in San Pedro.  Lozano told RSO of his surprise at not 
being asked about this crime.  Lozano added that the 
interviewer, the News Director for TV Azteca Northeast Luis 
Padua (STRICTLY PROTECT), told him afterward that he had 
intentionally avoided the topic and that he didn't "want to know 
about it."  This occurred one week after the May 10 
disappearance of the TV Azteca reporter and cameraman, rumored 
to be narco-related, that went unreported in the media 
(including in TV Azteca itself) until May 13, three days later. 
Local reporters from Televisa and El Norte, the most prestigious 
daily in northeastern Mexico, have told PAO that they now often 
report only the basics of narco-related violence, deciding not 
to dig further for fear of retaliation. 
 
¶9. (C)  COMMENT.  Unfortunately, an increase in arrest rates has 
not occurred along with the increase in murders, kidnappings, 
and other related criminal acts in Nuevo Leon.  Post believes 
that local law enforcement, and now local media, are paralyzed 
with fear and are unwilling to risk personal harm to investigate 
these crimes.  Interestingly, on May 18 rumors swirled that 
Nuevo Leon Governor Natividad Gonzalez Paras had been killed. 
Local and state police contacted Post's law enforcement 
officials to ascertain whether or not the rumors were true. 
While this is a positive demonstration of the close working 
relationship shared between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement 
entities, it also further demonstrates local law enforcement's 
inability to get a handle on the situation.  That said, Governor 
Gonzalez Paras appears committed to continuing the fight against 
narco-violence and will do what he can to do so.  As always, 
Post will continue to closely monitor the situation.  END 
COMMENT. 
MORENO