VZCZCXRO4184
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0030/01 0232310
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 232310Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3433
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 4479
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 8980

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MONTERREY 000030 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/23/2019 
TAGS: SNAR CASC ASEC KCRM PGOV ECON MX
SUBJECT: DURANGO LOCALS BECOMING ACCUSTOMED TO RAMPANT DRUG CARTEL 
VIOLENCE 
 
MONTERREY 00000030  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General, Monterrey, 
State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  Over the past few months, Conoffs have met 
with state security officials and private sector contacts to 
assess rising drug violence in Durango.  The local police forces 
are stretched thin and drug gangs have substantial control of 
the Durango prison.  Our interlocutors warned Consulate 
personnel not to use the main highway in Durango, connecting the 
state capital of Durango and the industrial city of Gomez 
Palacio.  Two business contacts thought that the drug violence 
was largely confined to battles between rival drug cartels and 
enforcement actions the police and Mexican military.  However, 
our reading is that they underestimate the spillover to local 
civil society. End Summary. 
 
Background: Quiet Durango Becomes Dangerous 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Durango is a large, sparsely populated, rural state 
(roughly the size of the state of New York but with a population 
of only 1.5 million) located in northern and central Mexico. 
Several years ago Durango was quiet, and locals liked to discuss 
how John Wayne used to own a ranch there.  Durango has now 
succumbed to national trends and has become more dangerous as 
drug cartels battle each other and Mexican law enforcement. 
Execution style killings more than doubled in Durango in 2008, 
rising from 124 in 2007 to more than 280, according to the local 
newspaper El Siglo.  There have been gun battles in the city 
streets between rival drug cartels, police and the military in 
the major cities, including both the capital of Durango and 
Gomez Palacio.   The violence has reached the top levels of the 
local police.  In one dramatic instance, the Deputy Director of 
the Durango State Investigative Agency was killed last October 
27 when he was ambushed while driving on a busy city street at 
4:00 p.m.  In total, he suffered 20 bullet wounds.  Other news 
reports featured headless bodies (sometimes wearing uniforms) 
discovered in plastic bags, corpses riddled with dozens or even 
hundreds of bullet wounds and victims otherwise mutilated or 
dismembered by their attackers. 
 
State Authorities Under Siege 
 
¶3.  (C)  Conoffs met with local contacts to discuss security 
during two recent visits to Durango.  In November, conoff met 
with Durango Deputy Attorney General Noel Diaz Rodriguez at his 
office, which was still under repair from damage from a recent 
grenade attack.  During the initial 15 minutes of the meeting, 
Rodriquez frantically fielded calls regarding two separate 
narcotics related murders that had occurred that morning, and 
Rodriguez remained visibly shaken during the entire meeting. 
Rodriguez was interested in increased U.S. involvement through 
follow-up visits and joint efforts to combat narco-terrorism and 
drug trafficking.  Several of post's U.S. law enforcement 
agencies have contacts in and cover Durango, but our ability to 
provide support there remains limited. 
 
¶4.  (C)  As part of their American Citizen Services duties, 
Conoffs visited the Durango state prison and found the situation 
to be highly unstable.  Knife slayings are common and on 
November 2, 2008 nine prisoners were killed in a riot.  The riot 
stemmed from competition among organized crime members for 
control of the prison and its internal drug trade.  Conoffs met 
with the newly appointed prison director in November and 
December.  The director, who assumed control on November 3 after 
the former director was relieved of duty following the riot, had 
no prior prison management experience.  The night following the 
conoff's November 21 visit, the lone Amcit in the prison alleged 
that he and his entire cell block were robbed by federal 
officers. We understand the federal police sometimes conduct 
raids in the prison, and the state prison director has no 
control over them.  The current prison director confirmed that 
federal police had conducted a raid and acknowledged limited 
control of the prison.  In both interviews with conoffs, he 
attributed prison violence to overcrowding and rivalry between 
gangs. 
Violence Confined to Police and Drug Cartels? 
 
¶5.  (C)  There are conflicting reports over how much the drug 
violence has affected people unrelated to the drug trade. 
Conoffs met with the local warden and a well connected 
businessman, who stated that the drug violence is largely 
contained to battles between drug cartels and with federal and 
state authorities. However, state authorities warned our law 
enforcement personnel not to travel on the road between Durango 
and Gomez Palacio (the two main cities in the state), and 
Monterrey's A/Legat has heard of reports of kidnappings near and 
in Durango. 
 
¶6.  (C)  The Amcit warden in Durango, who has lived there for 10 
years, said that while ordinary people have taken extra security 
 
MONTERREY 00000030  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
precautions, life has not been brought to a standstill in the 
capital city.  The warden agreed that some of his acquaintances 
are afraid to venture out at night, but despite a grenade attack 
and a police raid in his own housing development, he does not 
know of any people unconnected with drug trafficking (or the 
police or army) who have been caught up in the violence.  The 
warden noted that petty crime was common, and his own church and 
offices have been broken into repeatedly, although they are 
located in one of the worst areas of the city.  The warden has 
seen increased police presence.  While driving conoffs around 
the city, he pointed out several groups of heavily armed state 
and federal police forces posted by the side of the road.  The 
warden thought that the police were stationed in intervals so 
that they could respond quickly to a disturbance.  Finally, he 
noted that most violence occurs at night and gunfire can 
sometimes be heard, even in the comfortable neighborhoods where 
post contacts reside. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Another well placed contact concurred that the violence 
is largely confined to battles between the drug cartels, and 
with the police and Mexican military.  He was also unaware of 
any recent kidnappings for ransom.  Fidel Gutierrez Avalos, a 
longtime contact, is a local businessman from a prominent 
family.  After successfully solving his own father's kidnapping, 
he became chief of the Durango State Investigative Office's 
anti-kidnapping unit, where he built a solid reputation 
combating organized crime.  After becoming increasingly 
frustrated with his inability to effect change, several years 
ago he returned to his family business.  Gutierrez is active in 
the local Chamber of Commerce and he continues to have well 
placed contacts throughout the state and municipal government. 
Gutierrez stated that while some wealthy businessmen have 
bodyguards, he is unaware of any recent kidnappings for ransom. 
Most kidnappings, he believes, are seizures of gang members by 
their enemies for torture and murder.  Gutierrez has not heard 
of any cases of roadblocks by criminal elements or violence on 
the highways.  He thought that the presence of the Mexican 
military has not transformed the situation and observed, 
offhandedly as though stating the obvious, that of course the 
police are corrupt and elements of them are in league with the 
drug cartels. 
 
¶8.  (C)  Durango authorities have painted a much darker picture 
to post law enforcement officials.  For example, post officials 
were strongly warned not to use the highway between the capital 
city of Durango and Gomez Palacio, the primary artery in the 
state, because it was controlled by drug cartels.  Indeed, post 
officials were advised not to try to travel in armored vehicles, 
since the drug cartels neither understand (nor care to 
understand) the significance of diplomatic license plates, and 
driving armored cars would only draw their attention.  [Note. 
Conoffs flew into Durango and did not stay overnight. End note.] 
 
 
¶9.  (C)  Similarly, post A/Legat believes that kidnapping 
ordinary businessmen for ransom is likely to be a significant 
issue in Durango.  Post A/Legat has worked two Amcit Durango 
kidnapping cases, although these victims appear to have been 
involved in the drug trade.  A/Legat understands that there are 
bands of kidnappers operating in the state of Durango, preying 
on those who have money.  For example, assailants attacked a 
labor leader in broad daylight in Durango, apparently seeking to 
kidnap him.  Indeed, Gomez Palacio lies in the "Laguna region" 
and abuts the city of Torreon, one of the largest municipalities 
in the neighboring state of Coahuila.  As the Durango/Coahuila 
border also constitutes the general dividing line between 
Sinaloa and Gulf cartel spheres of influence, the Laguna region 
is marked by constant confrontations between rival armed bands 
with little, or no, response by Mexican law enforcement.  In 
neighboring Torreon, kidnapping and extortion have spiraled out 
of control in recent months, and the Mayor freely admits that 
organized crime has greater control over his police force than 
he does.  However, notwithstanding all the problems in Torreon, 
city officials there note that the situation in Gomez Palacio is 
much worse. 
 
¶10.  (C)  Comment.  It is indeed puzzling that the local warden 
and businessman thought that the drug violence was confined to 
the drug cartels, police and Mexican military.  One possible 
explanation is that they have become so accustomed to drug 
violence that they seek to explain it away.  For example, the 
warden experienced a grenade attack and police raid in his 
housing development, hears gunfire at night, and sees heavily 
armed police and military posted alongside the road.  Similarly, 
Gutierrez resigned from the anti-kidnapping unit when he was 
unable to change it; he knows that the police are corrupt and 
that wealthy businessmen are hiring bodyguards.  Our view is 
 
MONTERREY 00000030  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
that the drug violence is very serious in Durango, state 
authorities are intimidated, kidnapping for ransom is a real 
problem, and federal forces have not yet been able to turn the 
tide of the drug battle.  End Comment. 
WILLIAMSONB