“HEARST” for Borderland Beat
A Chapitos weapons safehouse was raided in a town near the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
A chop shop dismantling stolen cars was raided in another town near Monterrey.
Los Ramones
During the night of Monday, January 16, 2023, the state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) launched a raid on a property because a specific white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was spotted on the property.
Earlier that day two CDS hitmen engaged in a shootout with state police. The speeding off. The make and model of their white pickup truck, however, was noted by police.
The property was located on 13 de Septiembre Street in the Centro neighborhood of an outskirt town of Monterrey called Los Ramones.
The safehouse was located around 90 km outside of Monterrey and just five blocks away from the Los Ramones mayor’s office. The house had no visible number marking it.
Two firearms, ammo, tactical vests, and branded packets of marijuana were found, along with a JGL baseball cap and a #701 branded paddle. Paddles like this are often used in fraternity-like fashion to punish other hitmen and civilians who have “wronged them” alike.
The 701 number is associated with El Chapo, referring to his alleged ranking on the Forbes list of the richest people in the world in 2009.
Meanwhile, JGL refers to the initials of El Chapo. Based on these items it seems safe to assume the safehouse belonged to a cell working under the Sinaloa cartel – los Chapitos faction .
They also seized two vehicles and a motorcycle on the property.
The documenting and seizing of evidence went long into the night, with authorities still on scene on the morning of Tuesday, January 16.
A second property was hit later that day, this one located in Arroyo, about 4 hours out of Monterrey.
The property was near Highway 57, at kilometer 28.
