“Morogris” for Borderland Beat
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| The kidnappers worked for the Tijuana Cartel, often referred to as the Arellano-Felix Organization. No pictures of the convicted kidnappers were released by the press (image credit: Depositphotos Inc.) |
A Mexican federal judge sentenced four Tijuana Cartel and/or Arellano Felix Organization (Spanish: Cártel de los Arellano Félix, CAF) kidnappers to over 200 years in prison. Their names are Fabian Perez Ozuna, Jose Raul Gonzalez Hernandez, Julio Cesar Alducin Munguia, and Jose Martinez Jr.
They were charged with organized crime involvement, kidnapping, illegal possession of military-exclusive firearms, and aggravated murder.
Fabian (from Sinaloa) and Jose Raul were sentenced to 223 years and 8 months, and were ordered to pay MXN$64,780 in fines. Julio Cesar (from Veracruz) and Jose (from California, US) were sentenced to 203 years and 8 months, and ordered to pay MXN$64,780. These last two had a slightly low sentence because they were not found guilty of murder.
All four kidnappers are serving their sentences in different federal prisons. Julio Cesar is in Federal Social Readaptation Center (CEFERESO) No. 1 in Altiplano; Jose Raul is in CEFERESO No. 14 in Durango; Fabian is in CEFERESO No. 4 in Tepic, Nayarit, and Jose is in CEFERESO No. 15 in Chiapas.
Background
Records show that the four men were arrested on 20 January 2007 in southeastern Tijuana as part of an Operation Tijuana (Spanish: Operativo Tijuana) investigation code named GR/SIEDO/UEIDCS/008/2007.
The arrest happened after federal forces and the state police were granted a home warrant and headed to a home in Camino Verde neighborhood where seven (7) people were being held captive.
When authorities arrived at the location, the four kidnappers opened fire at them and a shootout broke out for several minutes. The kidnappers were eventually overwhelmed by law enforcement and taken into custody; Fabian was injured at the scene while Julio Cesar and Jose were taken into custody.
There was another man known as Antonio Israel Soto Hernandez (from Sinaloa) who was arrested with the kidnappers, but his status is currently unknown.
The victims rescued by security forces were Antonio Israel Gonzalez Jaramillo, Jose de Jesus Pahua Ruiz, Jose Luis Ramos Arreguin, Ronaldo Genaro Zuniga Garau,¹ Juan Diego Delgado Ortiz, Jose Luis Gonzalez Estrada, and Margarito Zuñiga Cuevas.
Investigators say that the abductees were kidnapped on 18 January 2007 and were likely going to be killed.
Murder of Police Chief
Fabian, one of the kidnappers, accepted his involvement in the February 2005 murder of Tijuana police chief Jose de Jesus Bedolla Garibaldi.
Investigators confirmed that Fabian and another gunman shot the police commander to death outside his home in Tijuana as he left for work. His vehicle was sprayed with more than 50 bullets and Bedolla was pronounced dead at the scene. Eyewitnesses said that the killers fled in a red Ford Ranger with California plates.
Bedolla had been in the police force for about 20 years and had taken the post as police chief since April 2004. In July 2004, Mexicali police chief Humberto Armenta Vizcarra was killed by suspected cartel members.
Bedolla was the second police chief killed in the Baja California governorship of Eugenio Elorduy Walther (2001–2007).
¹ The last name Garau is spelled as Arau in other sources