WSJ: There was another development in the investigation into the affairs of the former governor of Sonora Saturday when the federal Attorney General secured the offices of the family’s businesses.
Three hour later, they were seen leaving the building, located in the Pitic neighborhood in the state capital of Hermosillo, carrying computer hard drives and accounting records of the brothers’ business holdings.Investigators made their move on the offices of ex-governor Guillermo Padrés Elías and his brother Miguel about 10:00pm Saturday.
Just 24 hours earlier, police arrested a veterinarian employed by one of the companies when they found him in possession of 3.5 million pesos (US $207.000). He was driving a luxury vehicle in Hermosillo when stopped by state police, who found the money in a cooler in the trunk.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label Sonora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonora. Show all posts
Sep 2, 2014
Arson Suspected in Deadly Fire at Mexican Preschool
Latin American Herald Tribune: The June 2009 fire at a daycare facility in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo that left 49 children dead might have been deliberately set, Reporte Indigo newspaper said Monday, citing documents from the investigation.
The federal Attorney General’s Office has had in its hands for several months the statements of three people who implicate the senior aide to the then-governor of Sonora state, Eduardo Bours, the daily said. Read more.
The federal Attorney General’s Office has had in its hands for several months the statements of three people who implicate the senior aide to the then-governor of Sonora state, Eduardo Bours, the daily said. Read more.
Apr 25, 2014
Laura's Blog: NYT Portrays Achievements of Immokalee Workers--Can it be Done in Mexico?
This article from the New York Times takes a close look at the great achievements of the Florida farmworkers organization, Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Although the organization and its Campaign for Fair Food work on the national level, it is an experience that the Americas Program has been watching closely for years, due to its success with grassroots organizing for farm justice, an end to sexual harassment and defense of immigrant rights.
I visited briefly in 2008 and hope to make another visit to learn more about this experience and write more. Many of the workers affected are immigrants and the issues they address--immigration, worker justice and transnational food production--are at the heart of our Program.
Of course, a major priority is the possibility of obliging transnational retailers to apply the same or similar terms of fair and humane treatment to their suppliers here in Mexico. Walmart now controls a huge part of the food sales market and wields power over supply chains, and by extension, conditions in the production and industrialization of food.
Conditions for day laborers in the agroexport industry are among the worst imaginable in states including Sinaloa and Sonora. As we approach the harvest season, hundreds of impoverished, often indigenous, workers will travel north from Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca and other states to work in the fields. Entire families will endure slave-like conditions in some cases, for a pittance. Several weeks ago, I wrote about a case of migrants allegedly kidnapped (a fact reported by the Mexican Army and later disputed by the Institute of Migration) and the grape harvest in Sonora.
In addition to the Fair Food Program, the CIW has developed an anti-slavery campaign that should also be a model for Mexico. To get an idea of the problem and legal efforts to confront it, here is a case from their website:
The New York Times article titled, "In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress" details the organizing efforts and the achievements. It is a story that gives hope, as well as nitty-gritty advice on effective organizing:
I visited briefly in 2008 and hope to make another visit to learn more about this experience and write more. Many of the workers affected are immigrants and the issues they address--immigration, worker justice and transnational food production--are at the heart of our Program.
Of course, a major priority is the possibility of obliging transnational retailers to apply the same or similar terms of fair and humane treatment to their suppliers here in Mexico. Walmart now controls a huge part of the food sales market and wields power over supply chains, and by extension, conditions in the production and industrialization of food.
Conditions for day laborers in the agroexport industry are among the worst imaginable in states including Sinaloa and Sonora. As we approach the harvest season, hundreds of impoverished, often indigenous, workers will travel north from Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca and other states to work in the fields. Entire families will endure slave-like conditions in some cases, for a pittance. Several weeks ago, I wrote about a case of migrants allegedly kidnapped (a fact reported by the Mexican Army and later disputed by the Institute of Migration) and the grape harvest in Sonora.
In addition to the Fair Food Program, the CIW has developed an anti-slavery campaign that should also be a model for Mexico. To get an idea of the problem and legal efforts to confront it, here is a case from their website:
U.S. vs. Flores — In 1997, Miguel Flores and Sebastian Gomez were sentenced to 15 years each in federal prison on slavery, extortion, and firearms charges, amongst others. Flores and Gomez had a workforce of over 400 men and women in Florida and South Carolina, harvesting vegetables and citrus. The workers, mostly indigenous Mexicans and Guatemalans, were forced to work 10-12 hour days, 6 days per week, for as little as $20 per week, under the watch of armed guards. Those who attempted escape were assaulted, pistol-whipped, and even shot. The case was brought to federal authorities after five years of investigation by escaped workers and CIW members.This is another example of how organized workers can compel the state to do its job of enforcing labor and human rights law.
The New York Times article titled, "In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress" details the organizing efforts and the achievements. It is a story that gives hope, as well as nitty-gritty advice on effective organizing:
IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Not long ago, Angelina Velasquez trudged to a parking lot at 5 each morning so a crew leader’s bus could drop her at the tomato fields by 6. She often waited there, unpaid — while the dew dried — until 10 a.m., when the workers were told to clock in and start picking.
Read moreBack then, crew leaders often hectored and screamed at the workers, pushing them to fill their 32-pound buckets ever faster in this area known as the nation’s tomato capital. For decades, the fields here have had a reputation for horrid conditions. Many migrant workers picked without rest breaks, even in 95-degree heat. Some women complained that crew leaders groped them or demanded sex in exchange for steady jobs.
Apr 7, 2014
Laura's Blog: The Iceberg in the Desert
Mexican new reports state that 162 migrants were rescued from clandestine camps by the Mexican Army on April 3 and freed. During rounds, soldiers of the 45th Batallion discovered four camps in Saric, Sonora, near the U.S. border, located on the edge of the Sasabe desert, a common crossing zone that has recently become an area teeming with organized crime groups seeking to use crossers to carry contraband.
The Secretary of Defense release gave very few details, stating,
It does not tell us if drugs, arms, cash or other possible contraband was found at the scene of the alleged crime. We don't know how many are men, how many are women, what their ages are or where they were heading. We also don't know what states they are from or if they are indigenous.
The authorities have this information but the fact that it has been reserved from publication creates deep doubts regarding any subsequent investigation or judicial process.
Once again, nameless victims make ephemeral headlines under strange conditions. Then they disappear into anonymity, taking the dark secrets of what really happened with them.
For public consumption, there is only this (again, from SEDENA):
If this represents the tip of the iceberg--and that seems to be the case given the number of similar cases in the area within the last year--then we're looking at a tremendous iceberg in the desert. Local newspapers have been reporting an increase in the use of border-crossers as "mules" to carry small quantities of prohibited drugs over the border. Scores of stories report the abduction, confrontations and murder of migrants in run-ins with alleged criminal groups. In most of the reports, the story is unclear and the migrants' themselves seldom speak publicly about what occurred.
The area is famous for flows of drugs, cash, arms and human trafficking. Inexplicably, this all happens under the nose of the 45th Battalion, police and other security agents and in spite of, or sometimes with the help of, U.S. and Mexican government agents.
The Globalized Grapes of Wrath
In addition to forced recruitment for the drug smuggling that is the lifeblood of cartels, human trafficking for agrobusiness is growing.
Sin Embargo, a Mexican information service, notes of this recent case and others:
This is not a subsidy to low-wage farmworkers--it's a subsidy to private-sector agribusiness. The government of Tlaxcala also has a program to send migrant laborers to the grape harvest. Sin Embargo and others have documented child labor and the death of several children-workers in the Sonora farmworker camps.
Dossier Político, out of Hermosillo, Sonora notes that in May of 2010 in a similar incident 66 farmworkers were rescued. The workers reported being recruited and held as virtual slaves, working 13-hour days in the vineyards without pay and prohibited from communicating with their families.
The grape industry has sprung up in Sonora since the eighties and especially since NAFTA. Tucson Business reported in 2012 that the Mexican state produces 16.3 million, 19-pound boxes that pass through at the U.S. Port of Entry at Nogales beginning in May for about nine weeks.
The news reports on the rescue of migrants indicates that at least some were kidnapped as forced labor for the harvest.
The government of Veracruz states that the average wage for the farmworkers is $153 dollars a week, with some workers earning more. However, reports from the region say it's more like ten dollars a day, and half that for children.
So what kind of a society makes it an attractive business plan to kidnap workers as slaves rather than to pay ridiculously low wages?
A society where life is cheap. And where the criminals know they can get away with murder.
The Secretary of Defense release gave very few details, stating,
Among the persons liberated were 97 mexicanos, 60 Guatemalans, three Hondurans and 2 Salvadorans, who appeared in good health and were placed in the hands of the corresponding authorities.The brief note leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It does not tell us who was holding the migrants (if they were kdnapped, they had to have guards), nor why, according to the information provided, not one single culprit was arrested.
It does not tell us if drugs, arms, cash or other possible contraband was found at the scene of the alleged crime. We don't know how many are men, how many are women, what their ages are or where they were heading. We also don't know what states they are from or if they are indigenous.
The authorities have this information but the fact that it has been reserved from publication creates deep doubts regarding any subsequent investigation or judicial process.
Once again, nameless victims make ephemeral headlines under strange conditions. Then they disappear into anonymity, taking the dark secrets of what really happened with them.
For public consumption, there is only this (again, from SEDENA):
With these actions, the Mexican Army and the Air Force are working alongside the efforts of the Government of the Republic to attain a Mexico in peace, affirming its commitment to guarantee the security and tranquility of the citizenry.The release of captive migrants is cause for celebration. And 162 is a huge number. But I, for one, don't feel tranquil.
If this represents the tip of the iceberg--and that seems to be the case given the number of similar cases in the area within the last year--then we're looking at a tremendous iceberg in the desert. Local newspapers have been reporting an increase in the use of border-crossers as "mules" to carry small quantities of prohibited drugs over the border. Scores of stories report the abduction, confrontations and murder of migrants in run-ins with alleged criminal groups. In most of the reports, the story is unclear and the migrants' themselves seldom speak publicly about what occurred.
The area is famous for flows of drugs, cash, arms and human trafficking. Inexplicably, this all happens under the nose of the 45th Battalion, police and other security agents and in spite of, or sometimes with the help of, U.S. and Mexican government agents.
The Globalized Grapes of Wrath
In addition to forced recruitment for the drug smuggling that is the lifeblood of cartels, human trafficking for agrobusiness is growing.
Sin Embargo, a Mexican information service, notes of this recent case and others:
The victims of kidnapping are not just migrants from other countries, but also Mexicans from other states, like the case of 54 day laborers from the state of Puebla who were kidnapped in Caborca by a criminal group. The day laborers escaped to denounce that their captors had offered them a well-paid job in Sonora.Some 57,000 farm laborers arrive in Sonora every year from the states of Puebla, Chiapas, Guerrero and others to work in the grape harvest, where 59 companies install work camps for the harvest. Companies even receive government support and subsidies to bring migrant workers in. The state of Veracruz, for example, announced this year that it will provide $42,000 pesos "to support the day laborers" being sent from the state to Sonora.
This is not a subsidy to low-wage farmworkers--it's a subsidy to private-sector agribusiness. The government of Tlaxcala also has a program to send migrant laborers to the grape harvest. Sin Embargo and others have documented child labor and the death of several children-workers in the Sonora farmworker camps.
Dossier Político, out of Hermosillo, Sonora notes that in May of 2010 in a similar incident 66 farmworkers were rescued. The workers reported being recruited and held as virtual slaves, working 13-hour days in the vineyards without pay and prohibited from communicating with their families.
The grape industry has sprung up in Sonora since the eighties and especially since NAFTA. Tucson Business reported in 2012 that the Mexican state produces 16.3 million, 19-pound boxes that pass through at the U.S. Port of Entry at Nogales beginning in May for about nine weeks.
Sonora accounts for 90 percent of Mexico’s table grape production. The state exports almost all of its production, dispatching several dozen brands to more than 30 countries. Some10,000 acres are under cultivation...the recent abductions could indicate a trend toward the alliance of agrobusiness with organized crime to provide virtual slave labor in the harvest. The possibility merits at least full investigation.
The news reports on the rescue of migrants indicates that at least some were kidnapped as forced labor for the harvest.
The government of Veracruz states that the average wage for the farmworkers is $153 dollars a week, with some workers earning more. However, reports from the region say it's more like ten dollars a day, and half that for children.
So what kind of a society makes it an attractive business plan to kidnap workers as slaves rather than to pay ridiculously low wages?
A society where life is cheap. And where the criminals know they can get away with murder.
Jun 21, 2012
Drought and savagery: a girl is murdered in Durango for taking water from a well
Desinformemonos: Americas Program Original Translation by David Feldman.
See Spanish Original.
Mexico. In the state of Durango, in the northern part of the country, there are areas where it hasn’t rained for more than two years. During the last 22 months, 350,000 heads of cattle have been lost. The land is suffering from erosion and this has led to a decrease in agricultural production, 80 percent of which is dependent on storms. This means that it is completely dependent upon precipitation. The area’s residents struggle every day to find water and food.
Already by October 2011, the area’s reservoirs on average did not exceed 48 percent of their total capacity. The lack of water was even greater in the region’s semi-desert municipalities: Tlahualilo, San Juan de Guadalupe, Cuencamé, Simón Bolívar and Guadalupe Victoria. This has constituted a crisis for Duranguenses in several aspects of life, with hunger being the main—and most worrying—one.
Far from resolving itself or even improving, the problem only continues to get worse as the months pass. Just a few days ago—on Friday, June 8— the news of the murder of Regina Flores Flores broke. Regina was an eight-year-old girl from the indigenous community of El Chalete who had walked a kilometer and a half with her father in order to look for water in a well. When they reached the community of La Cantimplora, they were threatened by a man who ordered them not to take any water. After a verbal argument between the two men, father and daughter filled their three casks. The man, who had left the scene after the argument, returned with a gun, and proceeded to fire repeatedly. One of the bullets entered through Regina’s back, hitting her kidney and taking her life.
Hunger has led thousands of families to migrate, to the state capital, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Monterrey, and—for those who can—the United States. Although it is expected that this hurricane season will help in regards to the low water level, as a result of the migration there will be no one left to work the land.
See Spanish Original.
Sofía Sánchez Morales. For more than two years, a bloody drought has been battering the northern part of Mexico. In Durango, one of the most affected states, the water scarcity took the life of Regina, an indigenous girl whose crime was taking water from a well.
Mexico. In the state of Durango, in the northern part of the country, there are areas where it hasn’t rained for more than two years. During the last 22 months, 350,000 heads of cattle have been lost. The land is suffering from erosion and this has led to a decrease in agricultural production, 80 percent of which is dependent on storms. This means that it is completely dependent upon precipitation. The area’s residents struggle every day to find water and food.
Already by October 2011, the area’s reservoirs on average did not exceed 48 percent of their total capacity. The lack of water was even greater in the region’s semi-desert municipalities: Tlahualilo, San Juan de Guadalupe, Cuencamé, Simón Bolívar and Guadalupe Victoria. This has constituted a crisis for Duranguenses in several aspects of life, with hunger being the main—and most worrying—one.
Far from resolving itself or even improving, the problem only continues to get worse as the months pass. Just a few days ago—on Friday, June 8— the news of the murder of Regina Flores Flores broke. Regina was an eight-year-old girl from the indigenous community of El Chalete who had walked a kilometer and a half with her father in order to look for water in a well. When they reached the community of La Cantimplora, they were threatened by a man who ordered them not to take any water. After a verbal argument between the two men, father and daughter filled their three casks. The man, who had left the scene after the argument, returned with a gun, and proceeded to fire repeatedly. One of the bullets entered through Regina’s back, hitting her kidney and taking her life.
Hunger has led thousands of families to migrate, to the state capital, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Monterrey, and—for those who can—the United States. Although it is expected that this hurricane season will help in regards to the low water level, as a result of the migration there will be no one left to work the land.
May 11, 2012
Two women in Sonora executed
El Proceso: Organized crime took the lives of six people in Sonora and Mexico City on Thursday, including two women.
In the first attack, five people were killed by gunfire in the towns of Nogales and Navojoa, according to the spokesman for the State Attorney General, José Larrinaga Talamante.
According to the state official, in Nogales, two women and one man were gunned down in front of the Ittcano factory, while a toddler was injured by bullet fragments.
He said the attack had taken place the day before, around 7:00pm, when the victims were travelling north in a gray Dodge pickup truck with Sonoma license plates on Avenida Libre Comercio. A silver Dodge Caravan passed, from which a group of gunmen shot repeatedly.
The individuals fled and abandoned their vehicle on Calle Nueva Irlanda, where they allegedly got into another car.
In southern Navojoa, brothers Héctor and José Gregorio “N” were shot to death. The former, 50, was found dead inside his Chevrolet Traverse, in the Centro neighborhood, with two gunshot wounds to the face and left temple.
The other victim, José Gergorio, 46, was found on Calle Pesqueira y Amado Nervo, lying in the street with several gunshot wounds.
The attorney general’s office reported that the state investigators found several 7.62mm rounds spread over 10 meters at the lcoation.
Moreover, in the Mexican capital, a man around the age of 30, who was found this morning in the Popular Ermita Zaragoza, Iztapalapa neighborhood, died after being shot in the head.
According to the Ministry of Public Security in the Federal District (SSPDF), the events occured near the Santa Martha Metro station, between Generalísimo Morelos and Retorno de Niño Artillero streets.
According to the department’s report, whose officials travelled through said streets warning city authorities, the site was inspected and the presence of an as-of-yet-unidentified man’s body, dead from a gunshot to the head, in the street was confirmed.
Experts arrived to the location to examine the body, while the Iztapalapa 6 Public Ministry of Territorial Coordination began a preliminary investigation.
In Torreón, Coahuila, two municipal police officers were injured by suspects while in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Oriente supermarket.
The Laguna 1 Delegation of the Attorney General’s Office said the attack occurred at 2:20pm. A Code Red was immediately activated and military and police mounted an operation to search for the assailants.
Officials from the Municipal Public Security Bureau were transferred to a hospital in eastern Torreón. Their conditions have not yet been reported. read more
Michael Kane, Americas Program
In the first attack, five people were killed by gunfire in the towns of Nogales and Navojoa, according to the spokesman for the State Attorney General, José Larrinaga Talamante.
According to the state official, in Nogales, two women and one man were gunned down in front of the Ittcano factory, while a toddler was injured by bullet fragments.
He said the attack had taken place the day before, around 7:00pm, when the victims were travelling north in a gray Dodge pickup truck with Sonoma license plates on Avenida Libre Comercio. A silver Dodge Caravan passed, from which a group of gunmen shot repeatedly.
The individuals fled and abandoned their vehicle on Calle Nueva Irlanda, where they allegedly got into another car.
In southern Navojoa, brothers Héctor and José Gregorio “N” were shot to death. The former, 50, was found dead inside his Chevrolet Traverse, in the Centro neighborhood, with two gunshot wounds to the face and left temple.
The other victim, José Gergorio, 46, was found on Calle Pesqueira y Amado Nervo, lying in the street with several gunshot wounds.
The attorney general’s office reported that the state investigators found several 7.62mm rounds spread over 10 meters at the lcoation.
Moreover, in the Mexican capital, a man around the age of 30, who was found this morning in the Popular Ermita Zaragoza, Iztapalapa neighborhood, died after being shot in the head.
According to the Ministry of Public Security in the Federal District (SSPDF), the events occured near the Santa Martha Metro station, between Generalísimo Morelos and Retorno de Niño Artillero streets.
According to the department’s report, whose officials travelled through said streets warning city authorities, the site was inspected and the presence of an as-of-yet-unidentified man’s body, dead from a gunshot to the head, in the street was confirmed.
Experts arrived to the location to examine the body, while the Iztapalapa 6 Public Ministry of Territorial Coordination began a preliminary investigation.
In Torreón, Coahuila, two municipal police officers were injured by suspects while in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Oriente supermarket.
The Laguna 1 Delegation of the Attorney General’s Office said the attack occurred at 2:20pm. A Code Red was immediately activated and military and police mounted an operation to search for the assailants.
Officials from the Municipal Public Security Bureau were transferred to a hospital in eastern Torreón. Their conditions have not yet been reported. read more
Michael Kane, Americas Program
Jan 6, 2012
Drug War: Mexican Army destroyed 329 clandestine airstrips in Sonora
Let's see, with 72 municipalities, that's an average of nearly 5 airstrips per township. Wow! Those cartels certainly are prolific! And as for "destroying" them, how does one destroy a dirt landingstrip in an empty corn field?
La Jornada: In 2011, the Mexican Army destroyed 329 clandestine airstrips in Sonora, where it also seized 35 aircraft linked to organized crime groups." Spanish original
La Jornada: In 2011, the Mexican Army destroyed 329 clandestine airstrips in Sonora, where it also seized 35 aircraft linked to organized crime groups." Spanish original
Nov 30, 2011
Drug War Bloodshed: Member of Mexico’s growing anti-crime protest movement found slain in hometown - The Washington Post
AP/Washington Post: " An activist who publicly accused police officers of kidnapping his teenage son was shot to death in an attack that instantly fueled Mexico’s bitter nationwide debate over crime and corruption.
Corrupt officials were being blamed Tuesday by citizen activists who worked with Nepomuceno Moreno in a national anti-crime movement that has been calling for an end to organized crime, police abuse and a military-led government assault on drug cartels. The prosecutor’s office in the northern border state of Sonora told reporters, however, that Moreno had a criminal past and it was that, not activism, which appeared to have led to his death.
Javier Sicilia, of the Movement for Peace with Justice, said, “The family is terrified. This is collusion with crime. Otherwise it’s not possible for a man to be killed like this. ... I don’t know where the state ends and organized crime begins.”" read more
Corrupt officials were being blamed Tuesday by citizen activists who worked with Nepomuceno Moreno in a national anti-crime movement that has been calling for an end to organized crime, police abuse and a military-led government assault on drug cartels. The prosecutor’s office in the northern border state of Sonora told reporters, however, that Moreno had a criminal past and it was that, not activism, which appeared to have led to his death.
Javier Sicilia, of the Movement for Peace with Justice, said, “The family is terrified. This is collusion with crime. Otherwise it’s not possible for a man to be killed like this. ... I don’t know where the state ends and organized crime begins.”" read more
Nov 29, 2011
Drug War Bloodshed: Mexico Peace Movement Activist Murdered
InSight Crime: "A prominent activist with Mexico's Movement for Peace, who joined the campaign after the disappearance of his son, has been assassinated in the northwestern state of Sonora.
Nepomuceno Moreno Nuñez, known as "Don Nepo," was shot at least seven times by an unknown assailant while driving in downtown Hermosillo." read more
Nepomuceno Moreno Nuñez, known as "Don Nepo," was shot at least seven times by an unknown assailant while driving in downtown Hermosillo." read more
Jul 7, 2011
Collateral Damage: The Drug War And Cartels Lead To An Exodus In Northern Mexico | Fronteras
The Drug War And Cartels Lead To An Exodus In Northern Mexico | Fronteras: "In northern Mexico’s smallest towns, cartel violence has led to a diaspora as people flee to larger cities. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, villages in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas are emptying out, leaving lawless ghost towns."
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