![Keep Us Strong](../../../static/gfx/ja-cg.jpg)
![WikiLeaks logo](../../../static/gfx/WL_Hour_Glass_small.png)
Currently released so far... 3954 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
AF
AM
AE
AG
AR
ASEC
AS
AU
AORC
AJ
AMGT
AGMT
AFIN
APER
ABUD
ATRN
AEMR
ACOA
AEC
AO
AX
AMED
ADCO
AODE
AFFAIRS
AC
AL
ASIG
ABLD
AA
AFU
ASUP
AROC
ATFN
CH
CE
CA
CASC
CU
CLINTON
CO
CI
CVIS
CDG
CIA
CACM
CDB
CS
CBW
CD
CV
CMGT
CJAN
CG
CF
CN
CAN
COUNTER
CIS
CM
CONDOLEEZZA
COE
CR
CY
CTM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CPAS
CWC
CT
CKGR
CB
CACS
COM
CJUS
CARSON
COUNTERTERRORISM
EUN
EG
EAID
ENRG
ETTC
EFIN
ECON
ETRD
EPET
EINV
EMIN
ECIP
ECPS
EINDETRD
EAGR
EU
EN
EZ
ELAB
ER
ET
ES
EUC
EI
EAIR
EIND
EWWT
ELTN
EREL
ECIN
EFIS
EINT
EC
ENVR
ECA
EXTERNAL
EINVETC
ENIV
EINN
ENGR
EUR
ESA
ENERG
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
IR
IS
IZ
INRB
IAEA
IN
IT
ID
IO
IV
ICTY
IQ
ICAO
INTERPOL
IPR
IRAJ
INRA
INRO
IC
IIP
ITPHUM
IWC
ISRAELI
IRAQI
ICRC
IMO
IF
ILC
IEFIN
INTELSAT
IL
IA
IBRD
IMF
ITALY
ITALIAN
KCOR
KDEM
KNNP
KU
KWBG
KPAL
KN
KS
KZ
KAWK
KISL
KPAO
KCRM
KJUS
KSEC
KIPR
KGHG
KIFR
KTFN
KDRG
KV
KSUM
KWAC
KAWC
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGIC
KTIP
KOMC
KHLS
KSPR
KGCC
KPIN
KG
KBIO
KHIV
KSCA
KE
KFRD
KPKO
KNUC
KMDR
KPLS
KOLY
KUNR
KIRF
KIRC
KACT
KRAD
KCOM
KMCA
KHDP
KVPR
KDEV
KWMN
KTIA
KPRP
KCIP
KCFE
KOCI
KTDB
KMRS
KLIG
KBCT
KICC
KGIT
KSTC
KPAK
KNEI
KSEP
KPOA
KFLU
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KO
KTER
KHUM
KRFD
KBTR
KDDG
KWWMN
KFLO
KSAF
KBTS
KPRV
KMPI
KNPP
KNAR
KWMM
KERG
KTBT
KCRS
KRVC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
MOPS
MZ
MO
MNUC
MASS
MARR
MY
MEPP
MCAP
MA
MR
ML
MX
MIL
MTCRE
MPOS
MOPPS
MTCR
MAPP
MU
MG
MASC
MCC
MK
MTRE
MP
MDC
MAR
MEPI
MRCRE
MI
MT
MQADHAFI
MD
MAPS
MUCN
PREL
PTER
PGOV
PO
PHUM
PINS
PARM
PK
PINR
PINT
PBTS
PROP
PE
PL
PREF
POGOV
PINL
POL
PBIO
PSOE
PHSA
PKFK
PGOF
PARMS
PA
PM
PMIL
PTERE
PF
PALESTINIAN
PY
PGGV
PNR
POV
PAK
PAO
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PNAT
PROV
PEL
PGOVE
POLINT
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PECON
SNAR
SA
SY
SOCI
STEINBERG
SP
SENV
SCUL
SF
SO
SR
SG
SW
SU
SL
SMIG
SN
SHUM
SZ
SYR
ST
SANC
SC
SAN
SIPRS
SK
SH
SI
UNSC
UP
UK
USEU
UG
UNMIK
UV
UZ
UY
UN
US
UNGA
UNO
USUN
UE
UNESCO
UAE
UNEP
USTR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNHRC
USAID
UNCHS
UNAUS
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09MONTERREY318, INTENSIFYING VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO SHAKE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09MONTERREY318.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09MONTERREY318 | 2009-08-21 14:02 | 2011-02-10 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Consulate Monterrey |
Appears in these articles: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2011/02/10/index.php?section=politica&article=006n1pol |
VZCZCXRO8243
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0318/01 2331400
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 211400Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3892
INFO RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 9492
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 4966
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHDC
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
221792
2009-08-21 14:00:00
09MONTERREY318
Consulate Monterrey
CONFIDENTIAL
09MONTERREY274|09MONTERREY284
VZCZCXRO8243
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0318/01 2331400
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 211400Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3892
INFO RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 9492
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 4966
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHDC
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000318
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/21/2019
TAGS: KCRM PHUM PINS CASC SNAR ASEC PGOV MX
SUBJECT: INTENSIFYING VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO SHAKE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
IN LOCAL AUTHORITIES
REF: A) MONTERREY 274 B) MONTERREY 284
MONTERREY 00000318 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General, Monterrey,
State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (SBU) Summary. Cartel violence in Monterrey has continued
to shake public confidence in local authorities and burnish the
military's image as a viable counter to the criminals. On
August 17, the military dealt a major blow to Gulf Cartel
operations in the Monterrey area with the take-down of San
Nicholas plaza boss `El Rambo' (Refugio Garza-Pescador).
Meanwhile, the media and public roundly criticized state police
for taking 80 minutes to respond to a major cartel shootout that
terrorized an upscale Monterrey neighborhood on August 13. The
events come during a wave of violence that saw the murder of a
prominent narco-attorney take place a few hundred meters from
the Consulate, and an assassination attempt on a municipal
public security chief in Coahuila state. Post expects El
Rambo's death to spark new turf battles in the Monterrey area.
End Summary.
A Major Disruption to Cartel Operations
¶2. (SBU) In an early morning operation on August 17, Mexican
military forces killed the San Nicholas (a Monterrey suburb)
plaza boss for the Gulf Cartel `El Rambo' (Refugio
Garza-Pescador). Rambo succeeded Juan Daniel Carranco (aka `El
Colosio') who was promoted to be the Cancun, Quintana Roo plaza
boss earlier this year. (Note: Mexican authorities arrested
Carranco in Cancun on August 8. End note.) Rambo was killed
during a two and a half hour gun battle with the military that
involved large caliber automatic weapons and fragmentation
grenades. In addition to Rambo, three other cartel members were
killed and five cartel members were captured (including the
daughter of the police chief of the neighboring city of
Apodaca). The military seized a cache of handguns, automatic
rifles, grenades, and uniforms bearing the insignias of Mexico's
FBI equivalent, the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), the San
Nicholas local police, and private security firms. The military
also discovered journals with detailed police and troop
movements, and a list of potential assassination targets at the
scene. ATF sources indicated that of four pistols discovered
during the raid, three were illegally imported from the U.S. and
one was legally imported through the Mexican military.
¶3. (C) According to Post DEA, Rambo's death has severely
hampered the cartel's operations in the area. There is
currently confusion among drug traffickers and prostitution
rings, both of which he oversaw, since he has no known
successor. After assuming charge of the area, Rambo had been
successful in consolidating his power and keeping violence in
San Nicholas low to avoid attracting official attention. It is
likely his death will result in more violence as his lieutenants
vie for control.
Cartel Lawyer Assassinated
¶4. (C) Assassins killed Silvia Raquenel Villanueva, a notorious
drug cartel lawyer in Monterrey on August 9. She was shot to
death in a popular Gulf controlled flea market only blocks away
from the U.S. Consulate and the Federal Police headquarters.
Villanueva primarily represented members of the Beltran-Leyva
faction of the Sinaloa cartel, but has also defended members of
most of the major cartels and police officers accused of
corruption, including those in the Metro Monterrey area recently
accused of cooperating with the Gulf Cartel. As there were four
previous attempts on her life, Villanueva travelled with
bodyguards provided by the federal police (SSP).
¶5. (C) Post has not been able to confirm the motive for her
assassination, and the reason may never come to light. However,
Post DEA sources indicated that the murder was connected to her
defense of Hector `La Burra' Huerta Rios, of the Beltran-Leyva
cartel, who was detained by the Mexican military in Monterrey in
March. Huerta is currently in Mexico City awaiting formal
charges and Huerta did not feel Villanueva was doing enough to
defend his interests. (Comment: If this proves to be accurate,
her assassination would most likely have had Gulf Cartel
approval given that: 1) the location where the assassination
took place was deep within a Gulf-Cartel controlled area and 2)
she had ties to the Gulf Cartel. End comment.)
Monclova Police Chief Attacked
¶6. (SBU) In a separate incident on August 14, in the city of
Monclova, Coahuila, the city's public security chief, Juan
Carlos Pacheco, was attacked by armed gunmen traveling in two
pickup trucks. Pacheco is one of a number of active and retired
military officers assigned to local police forces throughout
Mexico to help weed out corruption. He was not injured in the
MONTERREY 00000318 002.2 OF 002
attack, but three members of his security detail were killed.
The town of Piedras Negras, north of Monclova, had two police
chiefs murdered in a three month period earlier this year -
including a military colonel assigned to the city.
¶7. (C) On August 13, Zeta drug gang members attacked a
residence in an upscale neighborhood that allegedly harbored a
former state police officer and an unknown number of federal
police officers, reputedly working for another faction of the
gang. Local news media prominently displayed photos of homes
in the neighborhood pockmarked with bullet holes. State police
received public widespread criticism for not arriving until 80
minutes after the shootout began. Indeed, ambulance personnel
were first to arrive in the area but were told by the gunmen to
stay clear (which they did). On August 20, the local press
reported that State Secretary for Public Security Aldo Fasci had
suspended 20 state police officers for their failure to respond.
Police then made a gruesome discovery in the hills above
Monterrey often frequented by hikers: a cave that contained
barrels with corrosive liquids used to dissolve bodies.
¶8. (C) Comment. The military continues to be the only
generally trusted law enforcement force in Northern Mexico. The
capture of Rambo by the military is an example of their ability
to successfully gather and act on intelligence. The local
police forces also continue to disappoint public expectations.
The state of Nuevo Leon recently suspended all checkpoints,
including anti-drunk driving checkpoints, because officials
admitted the checkpoints only served to extract bribes from
drivers. The deterioration in public confidence, combined with
a cascade of evidence on police collaboration with drug cartels
(refs A and B), has left many in Monterrey wondering which
public officials they can turn to for security. End Comment.
WILLIAMSONB