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FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3892
INFO RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 9492
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 4966
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RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

221792
2009-08-21 14:00:00
09MONTERREY318
Consulate Monterrey
CONFIDENTIAL
09MONTERREY274|09MONTERREY284
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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