10 members of Barrio Azteca gang charged over role in murder of U.S. Consulate employee in northern Mexico

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10 members of Barrio Azteca gang charged over role in murder of U.S. Consulate employee in northern Mexico

2011-03-10 05:27:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday announced that ten Mexican nationals were charged for their role in the 2010 murder of a U.S. Consulate employee in northern Mexico.

Overall, 35 members and associates of the Barrio Azteca gang were indicted on various offenses including racketeering, murder, drug offenses, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

"The indictment unsealed today represents our continued action to ensure safety along our Southwest border, to seek justice for victims of violent crime in this region, and to weaken dangerous criminal organizations currently operating in Mexico and the United States," said Attorney General Holder.

Of the 35 defendants, 10 Mexican nationals were charged with the murders of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelfs and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another U.S. Consulate official in March 13, 2010, in the drug-plagued Juarez city in Chihuahua State.

"These arrests and criminal charges will disrupt Barrio Azteca's current operations, and they reaffirm that we will not tolerate acts of violence against those who serve and protect American citizens. We will continue to stand with our partners in Mexico, and together, build on our unprecedented joint efforts to combat violence," added Holder.

The defendants are alleged members or associates of the Barrio Azteca criminal group. The gang began in the late 1980s as a violent prison gang and has expanded into a transnational criminal organization. It is based mainly in west Texas and Juarez, but has spread throughout prisons in the United States and Mexico.

Barrio Azteca gang formed an alliance with the Vicente Carrillo-Fuentes drug trafficking organization in Mexico. The gang provides enforcement operations against rival drug cartels and in return received illegal drugs at discounted prices.

The third superseding indictment unsealed this day alleges a host of criminal activity committed by members and associates of the gang since January 2003, including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, kidnapping and murder, as well as the 2010 consulate murders in Juarez.

On March 13, 2010, Ricardo Valles de la Rosa called an individual in the Western District of Texas and received verification of the description of an intended target for murder. The indictment alleges that 10 named Mexican nationals, among others, participated in the murders of Enriquez, Redelfs and Salcido in northern Mexico.

The ten Barrio Azteca members were charged in the indictment with conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country, murder resulting from the use and carrying of a firearm and murder in aid of racketeering for their alleged participation in the murder of the three individuals.

Three of them, Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, aka "Diego", Eduardo Ravelo, aka "Tablas", and Luis Mendez are currently at large and have arrest warrants on both the U.S. and Mexico. Ravelo is currently one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

One of the ten Mexicans charged, Jose Guadalupe Diaz Diaz, aka "Zorro", was arrested by Mexican authorities in November 2010. He was also accused of the being the perpetrator of the murder of the U.S. Consulate official Catton.

"Barrio Azteca gang members are cold blooded criminals who show no respect for the law or justice, murdering innocent victims, trafficking drugs and inciting violence," said Administrator Michele Leonhart of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

In addition to the consulate murders, the indictment alleges that Barrio Azteca members committed or caused the murder of at least five people in both sides of the Mexico-Texas border area as well as kidnapped at least four individuals.

The gang also engaged in the traffic of more than 8 kilos of heroin, more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, and nearly 300 pounds of marijuana. If convicted, the defendants face a variety of maximum penalties per charge, including up to life in prison.

"Trans-border violence is a serious threat that we are using the power of partnerships to combat and prevent," said FBI Executive Assistant Director Shawn Henry. "We are especially grateful to our Mexican partner agencies for the critical support they provided to help resolve this case and bring the subjects to justice. We may stand on opposite sides of the border, but we stand together on the same side of the law."

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