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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Mayhem in Monterrey: 3 Die, 7 Wounded, 11 Arrested in Weekend Action |
| 2010-11-23 |
| Google Translate Three armed suspects were killed and 11 others were arrested in gun fights between Mexican security forces and drug traffickers in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, over the weekend, according to Mexican news accounts. Three armed suspects were killed Saturday night when the van they were aboard crashed into a butcher shop in Monterrey. A Grupo de Operaciones Mixtas (BOM) detachment patrolling near the corner of calles Durango and Libertad in the Cerro de la Silla colony fired on a stolen SUV precipitating a pursuit. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed his vehicle into Tio Lalo's butcher shop on Calle 2 de Abril (Jesús Dionisio González) near Avenida Junco de la Vega. The crash caused the vehicle to burst into flames, and despite the flames, one of the occupants continued firing on security elements until he was killed by return fire. Three civilians, a mother and her two children unrelated to the pursuit managed to escape the fire, which included several detonations, and the firefight by hitting the ground. The children were hurt by smoke inhalation and were taken for medical treatment. Security forces found two rifles, ammunition and grenades in the burnt out wreckage. The following morning, Mexican Marines initiated an operation in Apodaca in the Arboledas de Virrey colony, a suburb of Monterrey, establishing a cordon on calles Cartajena, Cerezo, Del Chopo and Mango, isolating a residence on calle Durazno. Two suspects were arrested, while three others attempting to escape the cordoned were detained as well. Reports say five Apodaca municipal police officers were arrested as well. During the operation, a van carrying armed suspects attempted to break into the cordon, initiating a firefight with marines. Four civilians were wounded in the exchange including a 13 year old girl. The van apparently managed to escape the confrontation. In a safe house marines found military clothing and foodstuffs. Later that day several roadblocks were established by armed suspects in the municipalities (counties) of Monterrey, Apodaca, San Nicolas, Guadalupe and Escobedo in the Monterrey metropolitan area. Roads blocked included Diego Diaz de Berlanga, Santo Domingo and Romulo Garza in Monterrey; in San Nicolas de Los Garza, boulevard Miguel de la Madrid, and in Guadalupe, Fidel Velazquez and Copan. The blocks triggered 12 vehicle accidents, but no one was reported hurt. despite several vehicles used to block roads were hijacked at gunpoint. The roadblocks were later confirmed to be released later that day. In Sunday evening and night, and early Monday morning three separate military counternarcotics operations took place in Monterrey yielding a number of arrestees and the seizing of several contraband including munitions and drugs. At 1600 hrs two suspects were arrested in Balcones de Santa Rosa colony in Apodaca with an amount of marijuana, 42 .308 caliber ammunition and two vehicles. At 2100 hrs on calle Chihuahua in the Vivienda Popular colony in Guadalupe, Mexican soldiers seized an abandoned stolen truck with three 40 mm grenades, a fragmentation grenade and an amount of cartridges of different calibers. Finally at 0130 hrs in La Espiga colony in the Cadereyta Jimenez municipality, four suspected drug traffickers were arrested with an amount of marijuana, a grenade launcher, a handgun and several firearm cartridges. |
| Posted by:badanov |