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R 102241Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0031
INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RUCNFB/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/10 
TAGS: ASEC KCRM SNAR CASC PHUM EAID PGOV MX
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE IN DURANGO AND COAHUILA CONTINUES TO ESCALATE 
 
REF: MONTERREY 22 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Recent shootings in Durango and neighboring 
Coahuila states have underscored the increasingly violent rivalry 
between the rival drug cartels in those states, primarily the Zetas 
and the Sinaloa Cartel.  Since the year began, over 105 people have 
died in drug-related violence in both states (as of February 5), 
with this period marked by incidents that have included a major 
prison riot, a bar massacre, and a gun battle between police and 
drug cartel members.  While corruption, violence and increased drug 
cartel activity are evident throughout Post's consular district, 
Durango is the state unraveling most rapidly.  The upcoming 
gubernatorial campaign, combined with the July election and 
transfer of power in September, will likely only aggravate matters 
as the cartels seek to expand their influence at the political 
level.  End summary. 
 
 
 
Gang Rivalry Evident in Durango Prison Riot 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  (C) A January 20 prison riot that broke out in the early 
morning hours at the state prison in the city of Durango resulted 
in 24 deaths and at least 20 injuries.  Media reporting suggested 
that a clash between incarcerated members of the Sinaloa and Zeta 
drug trafficking organizations precipitated the event.  The 
prisoners fought mostly with sharp instruments made of wood and 
metal, but one prisoner was found shot to death.  Local state and 
federal police joined soldiers from the 10th Military District in 
attempting to quell the riot, although the troops and federal 
police did not arrive until 30-45 minutes after prison officials 
called for help.  On January 26, the state government relieved 
Durango Prison Director Juvenal Zamora while it investigated the 
incident.  (Note:  USAID contractors in discussion with Durango 
state officials over Merida Initiative-related judicial reform were 
trapped at a nearby government building for several hours as the 
riot raged outside.  End note.) 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The incident was the seventh major prison riot in the 
state over the last 15 months; all told, these riots have resulted 
in 68 prisoner deaths.  The prison is notoriously overcrowded, 
holding over 2,200 inmates in a facility designed for 1,700 to 
1,800.  (Comment:  Media reports speculated that the fight between 
the rival cartels began as a dispute over drug distribution rights 
in the prison.  Post has not been able to confirm this report.  End 
comment.) 
 
 
 
Bar Patrons Attacked 
 
---------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On February 1, an early morning attack by four gunmen on 
a bar in Torreon, Coahuila left ten people dead and 18 injured. 
The majority of the victims were young adults between 19 to 25 
years old.  The gunmen also opened fire on the exteriors of two 
adjacent bars, injuring one victim.  According to Torreon police 
chief General Carlos Bibiano Villa Castillo, prior to arriving at 
the bar, the assailants went to three restaurants and attacked the 
owners, demanding to know who they "worked for" and other details 
implying they were seeking out rival drug gang related businesses 
(although they did not identify themselves as being affiliated with 
any particular gang).  Several days before, a YouTube video 
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIY_Q_GXsNw) had surfaced warning 
residents of the Laguna area (i.e., Torreon, Coahuila and Gomez 
Palacio, Durango) to stay away from Zeta-owned bars and nightclubs 
in the region. 
 
 
 
Police Shootout With the Zetas 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
MONTERREY 00000041  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Later that day in Torreon, at around 6:00 pm., a shootout 
erupted at a mall between Federal police and members of the Zetas 
drug gang after police attempted to rescue two kidnap victims held 
by gang members, sending patrons scrambling for cover and closing 
shops.  A running gun battle ensured, resulting in the death of 
seven Zetas and one police officer.  Police managed to rescue both 
kidnap victims. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------------ 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) Due to a surge in cartel violence, Durango and Coahuila are 
becoming increasingly volatile and corrupt.  Former Nuevo Leon 
Director General of State Investigation Hector Santos, known by 
Post to have direct ties with the Zetas, is now serving in the same 
post in Coahuila.  The USAID contractors who recently visited 
Durango told the Consul General on February 4 that they no longer 
had confidence in the police force and will find judicial training 
programs difficult to conduct in that environment.  Indeed, RSO 
sources in that state have either disappeared or taken a low 
profile in recent months. 
 
 
 
¶7.  (C) Post ATF Attache has obtained shell casings from the recent 
shootout between the military and Zeta kidnappers in Torreon, 
Coahuila from the state attorney general's office to compare with 
those taken from the scene of the killing of U.S. citizen Augustin 
Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo in Durango on December 31 (reftel). 
However, the crime remains unsolved and it is not clear if this is 
due to unwillingness or a lack of efficiency on the part of 
Durango's police officials.  Another key factor will be the 
willingness of witnesses to come forward given the threat of cartel 
retaliation if they assist authorities. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (C) More alarmingly, the lead Durango official investigating 
the Salcedo murder case, Manuel Acosta, died on January 26 as the 
result of gunshot wounds sustained in a January 15 attack near his 
office.  Authorities did not reveal that he was alive and in the 
hospital due to fears that gang members would kill him there.  It 
is unknown whether the attack on Acosta was due to his role in 
pursuing the Salcedo investigation or whether the killers had 
another reason for wanting him dead.  On February 10, the Durango 
State Attorney General's office provide ATF with shell casings from 
related shootings in the state, including the assassination of 
Acosta, which ATF will attempt to connect to the Salcedo shooting 
and other crimes. 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C) Torreon, Coahuila is the sister city of Gomez Palacios, 
Durango, which is reputedly under the control of the Sinaloa 
Cartel.  Torreon is Zeta territory and both groups have a bloody 
history of conflict.  Ominously, a late-January YouTube video 
posted by a group calling itself "Mexico United Against the 
Cartels" warned citizens of Torreon and Gomez Palacio against 
frequenting Zeta-owned bars and nightclubs in either city, 
declaring that the battle would continue until the Zetas were 
eliminated.  Post could not immediately determine the sponsors of 
the YouTube video.  Given past strategies used by Mexico's 
convoluted underworld drug gangs, it could have been posted by any 
number of rival cartels - or even by the Zetas themselves to 
deflect blame for the killings.  One thing appears to be evident; 
the latest violence is the result of gang warfare for control of a 
broader swath of territory and threatens to turn the rivalry into a 
wider conflict in both states. 
WILLIAMSON