“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
The city of Tecate, located in the state of Baja California, is experiencing the horror of the narco-war between criminal groups, as a few days ago the mayor was threatened by banners, and now the barbarity was present in an execution perpetrated by members of the Sinaloa Cartel, who killed four rivals of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Mexican media such as Punto Norte reported that the four assassins found dead had previously been kidnapped and interrogated, facts that were captured in a video, which circulated on social networks.
According to Radio Fórmula, Tecate municipal police found a Cadillac Escalade inside which four bodies were piled up, with a crime adjudication message signed by the Sinaloa Cartel on top of them.
The narco-message read a threat directed at anyone who worked with “El Panchito” and “El Trapos,” who were linked to the CJNG by public security authorities, reported Punto Norte.
The four men were bound at the wrists and ankles, showed signs of torture such as severe beatings, burns and fractures, as well as marks corresponding to strangulation and no traces of gunshots.
The vehicle in which the bodies were found had overlapping license plates, but upon searching for the serial number it was discovered that it had a theft report issued on September 10, 2023.
Before the bodies of the four men were found, a video circulated showing them in the moments prior to their death, as they were wearing the same clothes in the recording as at the time they were found.
In the images they appear tied up and sitting on the ground. In front of them there are several weapons, as well as blankets with the initials of the CJNG. There is also a woman sitting in the middle of them, while there is another person with his head covered and bare legs in a corner.
Another man, who is not in the frame, interrogates them, asking them who they work for, how much they are paid and what businesses they have extorted in Tecate.
The narco message attributed to the Sinaloa Cartel mentions Francisco Juarez Botello, alias “El Panchito,” who had already been arrested in January 2022 and was released in April 2023 thanks to an amparo.
This criminal is in charge of finances and is the right-hand man of Danny Isaac Covarrubias, alias “El Moreno,” a lieutenant of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Tecate.
