Article by Anayeli Tapia Sandoval. Reposted from Infobae.
Presumed members of the criminal group “Los Rusos” placed cardboard signs with threats against the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, in various parts of Acapulco and Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero, after the arrest of Govén Ulises “N”, alias “El Amarillo”, which took place on September 3 in Puebla.The messages, accompanied by tire-puncturing devices, were found in the early hours of Monday, September 7 on Avenida Margarita Maza de Juárez, La Sabana neighborhood, near the Lázaro Cárdenas monument, as well as in Paso Texca and in the community of Bajos del Ejido, on the way to Coyuca de Benítez. State Police agents removed the material and inspected the roadways without reporting any injuries.
The group demands the release of “El Amarillo”The cardboard signs, which went viral on social media, issue a direct ultimatum against the federal official. “You have 24 hours to release Govén Ulises… we are not going to fail you Omar García Harfuch like the ones from the 4 letters,” reads one of the messages attributed to “Los Rusos.”The text is not limited to the demand for release. In another fragment, the group warns directly: “we are going to kill you,” in reference to the attack García Harfuch suffered in 2022 orchestrated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The message also directs insults and derogatory terms against the secretary.The message warns that they do not want to see patrols from the SSPC, state police, or the Navy in San Marcos, Tres Palos, Zona Diamante, Puerto Márquez, Barra de Coyuca, Pie de la Cuesta, Xaltianguis, and kilometers 22 and 30, in addition to the routes in Bajos del Ejido, Coyuca de Benítez.The group warns that if they detect a patrol in those areas they will send it “dismembered” and that they will burn the rest of the corporations’ units. The message closes with the threat of creating “chaos” throughout Acapulco if the authorities ignore them.The murder of a National Guard agent is added to the threats
Govén Ulises Chávez is identified as the alleged leader of a cell linked to “Los Rusos,” an organization with a presence mainly in Acapulco. He was arrested on September 3 in Lomas de Angelópolis, Puebla, along with two bodyguards, in an operation in which weapons, drugs, and a luxury vehicle were seized.The capture was carried out based on data from the National Intelligence Center and in coordination with the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR). García Harfuch publicly thanked the governor of Puebla, Alejandro Armenta, and the governor of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, for their collaboration in the operation.As part of the investigation stemming from the arrest, authorities seized 39 luxury cars at a Dimont dealership in Puebla. State authorities in that entity have stated that there is no evidence of the criminal group’s presence in Puebla, even though the detainee allegedly used the area as a hideout.On Saturday, September 6, one day before the cardboard signs were found, federal forces dismantled three clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in Coahuayutla de José María Izazaga and Zirándaro de los Chávez, Guerrero. In the operation they seized nine reactors, more than 260 drums with a capacity of 200 liters, and nearly a ton of chemical precursors.Among the seized material there were also 150 sacks of caustic soda, 663 kilograms of ammonium chloride, and approximately 2,400 kilograms of chemical substances. García Harfuch reported that elements of the Defense Ministry, the National Guard, and the SSPC participated in the operation, with collaboration from U.S. agencies.Who are Los Rusos of Guerrero?“Los Rusos” emerged around 2015-2016 in Acapulco as a split from the Independent Cartel of Acapulco, founded by a leader known as “El Ruso.” Their presence is concentrated in Acapulco, Coyuca de Benítez, and part of the Costa Grande and Costa Chica of Guerrero.This group has no relation to “Los Rusos” of Baja California, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel with a presence in Mexicali and Tijuana, historically linked to the wing of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.Both organizations share the name because of their founders but emerged in different states and maintain no organic link between them.
On one of the cardboard signs, the criminal group claims responsibility for the homicide of National Guard agent Eduardo Bustos Pérez, which occurred on Saturday, September 5 in the locality of Plan de Lima, municipality of Juan R. Escudero. Bustos Pérez’s body was found along with the corpses of three other people.Before his death, a video of the agent circulated on social media. In the recording, Bustos Pérez denounces that fellow members of the National Guard and personnel from the State Attorney General’s Office receive bribes from the criminal group “Los Ardillos.”After the homicide, federal forces deployed an operation in communities of Juan R. Escudero and Acapulco. As a result, 16 people allegedly linked to “Los Ardillos” were arrested, including one of the group’s main financiers, according to the Secretariat of National Defense.
“El Amarillo” was arrested in Puebla