European Politics > Politicians in Germany should be getting danger pay

 

German politician Franziska Giffey attacked

amid spate of violence

By Clyde Hughes

May 8 (UPI) -- Berlin's Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey was attacked Tuesday at a Berlin library, becoming the latest victim in a wave of incidents targeting politicians.

Giffey, a member of the Social Democratic Party, was accosted from behind by a man, hitting her in the head and neck "with a bag of hard contents."

A police report said Giffey was transported to a local hospital for a headache and back pain and later released. The suspect walked away after the attack.

Giffey said on X that she was having a conversation with a library manager when she "suddenly felt a hard blow to my head and neck from behind."

"A man had attacked me with a bag filled with hard contents," she said.

Giffey added she "never would have thought" she would be attacked at the library.

German Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the incident, saying such confrontations are "attacking democracy."

"We will oppose all forms of violence, hatred and incitement and protect our democracy," Wegner said. "We will discuss consequences in the Senate, including harsher penalties for attacks on politicians."

Last Friday, Matthias Ecke, 41, was hospitalized and needed surgery in Dresden after he was attacked by four people while putting up posters for his European elections campaign. A campaign worker for the Greens Party as beaten in Dresden moments earlier.

Politician Yvonne Mosler was being interviewed by a television crew when she was pushed then spat on.

No speculation by the media on who might be behind this violence.

Corruption is Everywhere > Italy, The Mafia, The Vatican Bank; What 'In God's Name' is Going On?

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Politicians among 48 arrested in huge Italian bust on ‘Ndrangheta mafia, hundreds of millions in cash seized

21 Jan, 2021 16:17

FILE PHOTO: Italy's Antimafia police ©  AFP / ROBERTO SALOMONE

Anti-mafia police carried out sweeping early-morning raids against Italy’s most powerful mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta, on Thursday, arresting 48 people and placing the leader of a political party under investigation.

Officers from the Direzione Investigativa AntiMafia (DIA) immediately jailed 13 people, while 35 were placed under house arrest, with multiple politicians, low-level mob bosses and businessmen among those detained, according to local media.

The crackdown on the organized crime syndicate, based in Calabria, southern Italy, primarily targeted the economic arm of its operations, which prosecutors said had been exposed in its money-laundering and attempts to buy political influence.

“This investigation makes clear what we have been saying for decades. The ‘Ndrangheta shoots less and has more and more ties with business and politics,” prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, told reporters.

As part of the mafia crackdown, police have opened an investigation into Lorenzo Cesa, head of the small Christian Union of the Centre political party, over his alleged procurement of contracts for the mafia in return for favors.

DIA officers raided the former MEP’s house in Rome at dawn on Thursday, according to la Repubblica. The politician has resigned as head of the centrist party with immediate effect, saying he had been advised that the investigation relates to events dating back to 2017.

Gratteri said that a local head honcho of the ‘Ndrangheta was also among the arrests, claiming that police raids on the suspect’s house had uncovered “hundreds of millions in cash which they have not yet finished counting, dozens of Rolexes and luxury cars.”

The operation follows the opening of a “maxi trial” (2nd story on link) of 355 suspected mobsters and their associates, which began in Calabria last week and is the country’s largest mafia trial for at least 30 years.

With a reported 6,000 members in Calabria, and more in other countries, the ‘Ndrangheta has superseded Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia as Italy’s most powerful criminal group, and one of the most influential in the world.

Ex Vatican bank chief gets 9 years for embezzlement

This is the first jail sentence issued by a Vatican court in relation to financial crimes

Published:  January 21, 2021 21:53

AFP  

The former president of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) Angelo Caloia is seen during the first hearing

of his trial at the Vatican, May 9, 2018.

Rome: A former head of the Vatican bank, Angelo Caloia, was on Thursday found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering and sentenced to eight years, 11 months in prison.

It was the first-ever jail sentence issued by a Vatican state court in relation to financial crimes - a milestone in Pope Francis' ongoing efforts to clean up Vatican governance.

Caloia led the bank, officially known as the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), from 1989 to 2009. The 81-year-old Italian was tried over corrupt real estate deals.

He was accused of conspiring with others to make millions from the below-market sale of more than 20 IOR properties in Italy, and laundering the proceeds in Switzerland.

The court established that the defendants "pocketed some of the money paid by buyers, or in any case money belonging to IOR ... for a total of around 19 million euros ($23 million)", the Vatican said in a statement.

Prosecutors claimed the illicit gains were worth 59 million euros in total, but judges did not find evidence of wrongdoing for some of the 29 deals under scrutiny.

Co-defendants were 97-year-old Gabriele Liuzzo, a lawyer, and his son Lamberto, 55, who were sentenced to eight years and eleven months, and five years and two months respectively.

Gabriele Liuzzo was convicted like Caloia of money laundering and embezzlement, while his son was tried and sentenced only over money laundering charges.

The three men were hit with fines ranging from 8,000 to 12,500 euros, and ordered to pay damages of around 23 million euros to the IOR and its real estate division SGIR.

One of Caloia's lawyers, Rosa Palavera, told AFP that Thursday's ruling would be suspended given that it was still subject to an appeal - meaning that he does not risk going to jail immediately.

A former IOR director general, Lelio Scaletti, was a fourth suspect in the affair, but the case against him was dropped after he died in 2015.

The scandal came to light in 2014, after Caloia and Scaletti's bank accounts were frozen following a criminal complaint from the IOR. But the trial did not start until May 2018.

Other suspect deals 

The IOR, founded nearly 80 years ago, has been embroiled in a long list of political and financial scandals, gaining a reputation as a money laundering haven for Italian politicians and mafia groups.

It has cleaned up its act over the last decade, as part of Vatican financial transparency reforms pursued by Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI.

For more of the sordid history of the Vatican Bank, read "In God's Name", a book by award-winning investigative reporter David Yallop. He proposes that John Paul (the 1st), was about to clean up the horrid mess just before he suddenly died.

Vatican prosecutors are currently investigating another suspect real estate deal, concerning a luxury property in central London, which may lead to a criminal trial.

And earlier this week they announced the imminent start of an embezzlement trial against Cecilia Marogna, known as "the Cardinal's Lady" for her links with disgraced Cardinal Angelo Becciu. She billed the Vatican around 500,000 euros for informal intelligence work, but is suspected of using part of the money to splurge on luxury goods.

Marogna was hired by Becciu, who was fired from a powerful Vatican job in September by the pope, after he accused him of syphoning off Vatican charity funds to help his siblings.

Becciu has professed his innocence, and since his dismissal he has not been publicly charged with any crimes.

Of course, one would think the Vatican to be filled with godly men with haloes around their heads. But such is very far from the truth.

Pakistani Christian Couple's Death Row Appeal Delayed After 6 Years in Prison for Blasphemy

War on Christianity in Pakistan - Like Nowhere Else

By Melissa Barnhart, CP Reporter| 

Christians attend a Good Friday prayer at the Saint Anthony Church in Lahore, Pakistan, April 3, 2015.

| Reuters/Mohsin Raza

A Pakistani Christian couple who've been imprisoned for six years and sentenced to death on false blasphemy charges of sending a text message insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad continue to have their conviction appeal delayed.

Shagufta Kausar and her husband, Shafqat Emmanuel, who is partially paralyzed, were accused by a local imam of committing blasphemy by sending him an offensive text message in 2013.

Maulvi Mohammed Hussain, a leader at a mosque in the town of Gojra in Punjab province, claimed that Emmanuel used his wife's cellphone to send an anti-Islamic text message. He later claimed other messages followed. 

Hussain said he was praying when he received the offensive text message from an unknown number.

His wife's cellphone is an unknown number?

The Muslim cleric reportedly showed the text message to two other imams before approaching his counsel for legal proceedings. He and his lawyer later claimed they both received subsequent blasphemous messages.

Because he sent it to them?

Police registered the blasphemy case following the imam's complaint, and the couple were arrested on July 21, 2013. They were charged with "insulting the Quran" and "insulting the prophet."

They were sentenced to separate prisons in 2014. 

According to some reports, "[Kauser] is being held in the same prison cell Asia Bibi was held in before her release," Will Stark, regional manager for South Asia at International Christian Concern, told The Christian Post on Wednesday.

"In regards to Shafqat, his medical condition has deteriorated significantly during his imprisonment," Stark added. "This is because the jail does not provide facilities for him, as someone partially paralyzed. Bedsores and lack of nutrition are definitely issues I have seen reported specifically in regards to Shafqat’s case."

According to the BBC, a final hearing before the Lahore High Court was scheduled for Wednesday. However, the hearing was delayed and a new hearing date will be announced. 

Kausar's brother, Joseph, told the BBC that his sister and her husband are not only innocent, but he believes they aren't even literate enough to have written the text messages.

Joseph also said his brother-in-law had been tortured and forced to make a false confession.

"He told me the policeman hit [him] so hard that his leg was broken," Joseph was quoted as saying.

The text messages were also alleged to have been written in English. Aside from being illiterate, Shafqat and Shagufta are not familiar with the English language — written or spoken.

The couple's lawyer, Saif ul Malook, who also assisted in the appeal of Asia Bibi's blasphemy case, said the charges against Kausar and Emmanuel are "deeply flawed" and "weaker" than those levied against Bibi.

Although the phone was registered in Kausar's name, Malook told the BBC that "in their trial, they suggested a Christian neighbor they had argued with might have purchased a SIM card in Kausar's name and sent the messages in order to frame them."

That might explain the imam not knowing his wife's phone number.

In 2014, Nadeem Hassan, who's also representing the couple at the high court, said the offending messages were sent from a phone that had been lost. He further explained that a "bogus SIM card" had been presented as evidence against the couple, The Telegraph reported.

Hassan told ICC last year that the allegation is "based on religious hatred and is being used to settle personal grudges.” 

Before her arrest, Kausar worked as a cleaner at a Christian school. Emmanuel has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2004, following an accident that fractured his spine. At the time of the accident, they were living with their four young children in a church compound. 

The children continue to remain in hiding as their parents’ case continues, Stark said.

“Like many relatives of Christians accused of blasphemy, they live in fear that their parents’ blasphemy accusation may cause extremists to attack them,” he added.

And with good reason. See story immediately below.

Malook said the couple needs the same international support that Bibi received during the years she waited for her appeal to be heard. And if they're acquitted, he said they will also need to be granted asylum.

While no one has yet been executed on blasphemy charges, people who've been accused of the crime have been killed by retaliatory mob violence. Allegations of blasphemy are frequently lodged to settle personal disputes and to discriminate against religious minorities.

Christians make up just 1.6% of the country's population.

Last year, Asia Bible was acquitted by Pakistan's Supreme Court of blasphemy charges after she languished on death row for more than eight years. Bibi has since written a book about her ordeal.

Pakistan, a 96% Muslim-majority country, ranks as the fifth-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA's 2020 World Watch List. In 2018, Pakistan was also named by the U.S. State Department as a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations.

The couple's appeal hearing has been rescheduled for June 22.

“Brother-in-Law of Christian Asia Bibi, Killed in Pakistan,”

3rd Murder associated with Asia Bibi - 2 others were influential politicians

Islamic Insanity

by Stefan J. Bos, BosNewsLife, May 28, 2020:

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife) – The brother-in-law of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who faced the death penalty for “blasphemy” against Islam, has been killed, Christians confirmed Wednesday, May 27.

The body of Younas Masih, 50, was reportedly found Monday, May 25, in a furrow in Dao Ki Mallian village in the Sheikhupura district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Asia Bibi

The father of two was married to Najma Bibi, the younger sister of Asia Bibi, who was eventually acquitted of blasphemy in 2018 after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan.

“He used to take care of the cattle at the farmhouse of a local landlord. We had been searching for him after he went missing a day earlier. His throat was slit. We handed over his body to the police,” the victim’s brother George Masih said in published remarks.

Church sources said police had detained the widow and a local Muslim for alleged involvement in the murder. Both had an extramarital affair, local Christians said. The suspects were named as Najma Bibi and Irfan Dogar.

CONFESSING CRIME

Police were quoted as saying they had confessed to the crime, and the victim’s body was sent to a morgue for an autopsy.

It is not the first time that somebody associated with Asia Bibi has been murdered. In 2011, Salman Taseer, the influential governor of Punjab, was assassinated after he appealed for the pardon of Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.

A month later, Religious Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who spoke out against the blasphemy legislation, was shot dead in Islamabad, the capital.

Bibi, 47, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after defending her faith in Christ after fellow farmworkers did not want to share water with her. Besides “insulting Prophet Muhammad,” the mother-of-five was accused “of contaminating” the well by Muslims.

Some Muslims consider Christians dirty and do not drink water using the same container. Bibi, whose full name is Aasia Noreen, was convicted and sentenced to death for blasphemy, charges she denied….

Asia Bibi is safely living in Canada, her entire family should join her. In fact, I am inclined to believe that all Christians should leave Pakistan and let it suffer the consequences complete rejection of He Who is our Judge and Maker.

Russian Politics - If Nothing Else, It's At Least Entertaining

Crimean official quits, changes her mind, then quits again after bizarre ‘bread and fur coats’ scandal

Maya Khuzhina hands out loaves to Leningrad Seige survivors © Kerch City Council

By Jonny Tickle

"Fur-coat gate" has gripped Crimea after a local official resigned, then re-instated herself, before – somewhat unbelievably – later resigning again. All in the space of a couple of days.

The controversy started when Maya Khuzhina was pictured handing out pieces of bread to elderly veterans of the Second World War Leningrad blockade while wearing an expensive animal skin. The siege of the city – now Saint Petersburg – by Nazi Germany and its Finnish and Italian allies, lasted 872 days and resulted in over a million deaths, a great many of them from starvation.

In her role as chair of the city council of Kerch, an ancient settlement on the Black Sea coast, Khuzhina handed out bread and medals to eleven survivors of what many consider a genocide. She then posted photos on Facebook, and that's where the trouble started.

The images quickly gained notoriety, and in less than 24 hours there were more than 500 comments, most of which complained about how out-of-touch the politicians pictured seemed to be. The outrage was caused by the contrast between the seemingly cheap loaves of bread and the expensive fur coats of Khuzhina and the accompanying council members making up her entourage.

Later, the politicians explained to reporters that the bread was actually a meat pie, while the fur coats were “imitation,” and they stressed that the gifts were purely “symbolic.”

Following a considerable amount of interest in the national media, the head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, stated that Khuzhina’s actions looked “like mockery, like humiliation,” and ordered an investigation into the event. Aksyonov wrote that the head of the City Council and all deputies should be fired and expelled from the ruling party, United Russia.

Maya Khuzhina © Kerch City Council

Despite the outcry, Khuzhina refused to show any remorse, saying:

“I don’t think I’m guilty, I think I did everything right. I received comments from those blockade women who came to me today with their children... and said that ‘we are very grateful to you; you are the only person who remembered us.’”

The story quickly took a strange turn. Despite seemingly not feeling any guilt, just three days after the scandal broke, Maya Khuzhina and her deputy Larisa Shcherbula wrote letters of resignation. However, the resignation didn't last long, as Khuzhina rescinded her decision less than one day later. "I withdraw my statement, it was a moment of weakness," she said. Unbelievably, just a couple of hours later, she resigned for a second time.

It seems she has more weak moments than strong ones.

Khuzhina's resignation letter will be considered at an extraordinary session of the City Council, according to First Vice-Speaker of the Crimean Parliament Yefim Fiks.

Fiks told RIA Novosti: "Khuzhina wrote a statement and will comply with any order of the head of the Republic of Crimea. An extraordinary session is scheduled for Monday to consider her statement... she apparently said something emotionally, but then explained that she would obey any decision of the head of Crimea."

Khuzhina was born in Kerch, Crimea, and has been an elected official since September 2019.

Head of Chuvashia expelled from Russia’s ruling party after humiliating local firefighter & threatening journalists

©  Global Look Press / Komsomolskaya Pravda

By Jonny Tickle, RT

Russia’s largest political party has expelled the long-time leader of the Chuvash Republic following a series of gaffes which caused national outrage.

Mikhail Ignatiev had run Chuvashia, in the Volga region, for almost a decade before a video of him taunting a local firefighter went viral across the country.

It followed earlier comments in which he suggested that journalists who criticize the authorities be “wiped out.”

The party’s General Council secretary, Andrey Turchak, announced the decision after a meeting of its Presidium.

On January 23, Ignatiev conducted a ceremonial review of firefighting equipment in the republic’s capital, Cheboksary. As part of the inspection, he was tasked with handing out keys for brand new fire engines to firefighters, during which Ignatiev held a set of keys above the head of an officer, forcing the worker to jump to reach them.

Chuvashia’s most senior official is considerably taller than the firefighter in question.

The video of the incident quickly spread on social media and anger fomented over a politician publicly humiliating a city employee.

Bryan MacDonald✔

@27khv

The Governor of Chuvashia, Mikhail Ignatiev, has just been expelled from the ruling "United Russia" party. Last week, he forced a firefighter to jump for keys to a new fire-engine. A few days earlier, he suggested “wiping out” unfriendly journalists. 

video 0:05

The governor’s spokesperson told RIA Novosti that he has been friends with the firefighter for a long time, and it was just a “joke.” However, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Evgeny Zinichev didn’t see it this way and noted that it’s “unacceptable” for a high-ranking official to act in such a manner.

It wasn’t the first incident for which Ignatiev caused upset in January. Earlier in the month, he was forced to apologize for suggesting that journalists who criticize the authorities be “wiped out.” Ignatiev was invoking a famous phrase used by President Putin in 2000 when he suggested “wiping out” Chechen terrorists.

Sounds like a 'wannabe oligarch'!

A statement from the Chuvash regional administration insisted that he was misunderstood, and he only meant to criticize journalists who peddle fake news. He also apologized to those “good souls” who were offended by his words.

Ignatiev has been the leader of the Chuvash Republic since 2010, having previously served as the local minister of agriculture. Russian media has speculated Ignatiev could also leave this post. Responding to questions about this, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied: “I can only say that there is no decree at the moment.”

Chuvasia, Russia

S. Africa Opposes US Push to Make UN Declaration on TB Friendlier to Big-Pharma

Big pharma's lobby, which is not the least interested in the health of anyone, works long and hard to corrupt the US government into affecting global policies that will enrich big pharma at the expense of everyone who is in need of pharmaceutical help. Any politician taking money from big pharma is complicit in the suffering and deaths of countless numbers of peoples.

A TB sufferer in Agartala, India. © Abhisek Saha/ZUMA Press / Global Look Press

The US pushed to delete a provision in a draft UN declaration on fighting tuberculosis, which encouraged poorer countries to make TB treatments more affordable while snubbing copyright holders, documents reviewed by RT confirm.

In September, the UN high-level Meeting on ending tuberculosis will meet in New York to pass a political declaration on fighting the disease. TB is the world's most deadly infection and kills over a million people each year, with an overwhelming majority of the deaths occurring in developing countries. 

The text of the declaration had been negotiated over the past few months and was understood to be settled, until South Africa made an eleventh-hour decision to break a so-called "silence procedure" last week, publishing the near-final draft in the hope of relaunching negotiations.

According to a Medic Without Borders (MSF) statement, South Africa, which is among the countries suffering most from TB, is unhappy that the American delegation pressured other negotiators to drop a provision, which encourages countries to use international trade rules that allow leeway in protecting intellectual property, if it is needed to address a public health crisis, like a TB epidemic. Such flexibility is allowed by the 1994 Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement, as explained in the Doha Declaration of 2001.

An earlier draft of the TB declaration provided by a source exclusively to RT contains such a clause, while the latest one published on South Africa's initiative does not. The old draft encouraged "the use to the full, of existing flexibilities under the TRIPS specifically geared to promoting access to and trade in medicines" and called on nations to "ensure that intellectual property rights provision in trade agreements do not undermine existing flexibilities."

The US has considerable sway in the fight against tuberculosis, being a top sponsor. During the debate over the draft declaration at the UN, the American representative argued that dropping the wording would have little practical effect on the effort to curb the disease, pointing out that "most existing treatment drugs for TB are off-patent and inexpensive, and that of the two newer drugs, one is donated and the other currently has limited use according to WHO guidelines," she said.

"It would seem to be a better use of global efforts to focus on improving systems, preventive measures and development of new tools, rather than be distracted, as we often are, into discussion of medicine access, intellectual property flexibilities or compulsory licensing," the representative argued.

The position was rejected by Els Torreele, executive director of MSF's Access Campaign, who called it part of an "aggressive push by several countries backed by big-pharma lobbies [which] would severely undercut needed guarantees to protect access to vital tools and medicines for people living with TB."

"This is not a new element. Those of us who have been advocating for affordable medicines globally for the past 20 years know that a number of countries are under very strong pressure of their pharmaceutical industry who are constantly asking for much more strong monopolies, longer monopolies, because this is much more profitable," explained MSF's Eis Torrelle in an interview with RT. She added that the US is one such country and they "are bullying other countries to accept this."

The conflict is one of several in which the US found itself alone, standing for corporate interests against other UN members. Earlier, the American delegation pressured others to strike out the wording supporting breastfeeding from a World Health Organization (WHO) declaration – a move that critics said only baby-formula producers benefited from – until Russia intervened.

Similar pressure campaigns by the US targeted a WHO attempt to limit the use of livestock antibiotics – important in industrial farming – and encourage taxation of sugary drinks to curb diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Why I Laugh When Western Politicians and Media Call Russia 'Aggressive'

US special forces deployed to 133 countries in first half of 2018

An American special forces soldier mans a tripod mounted sniper rifle on the roof of a vehicle in Afghanistan's Wardak province, 20 August 2003. © Shah Marai / Reuters

US special forces have already deployed to 133 nations in the first half of 2018, signaling a sharp increase in the Pentagon’s shadowy operations when compared to previous years, according to a new report.

America’s Special Operations forces (SOF) are stationed all around the world, where they participate in a wide range of missions, including special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, as well as training and advising foreign troops. But special forces soldiers are also regularly involved in shadowy combat operations that receive little to no oversight. Shrouded in secrecy, these global operations continue to grow in quantity, size and expense – despite the fact that even Congress is often left in the dark, veteran investigative journalist Nick Turse recently revealed.

According to Turse, last year US special forces deployed to a staggering 149 countries –about 75 percent of the nations on the planet. But the figure for 2018 is likely to be considerably higher: US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) told Turse that America’s elite forces have already carried out missions in 133 countries – nearly matching the number of deployments during the last year of the Obama administration, and more than double the number of deployments during the end of George W. Bush’s presidency. If America’s special operators deploy to just 17 more countries by the end of the fiscal year, they will top last year’s record-breaking total.

The growing number of secretive deployments has been complimented by SOCOM’s ballooning size and budget. In 2001, for example, an average of 2,900 commandos were deployed overseas in any given week. This number has nearly tripled to 8,300. Likewise, “Special Operations-specific funding,” which totaled $3.1 billion in 2001, has increased to an astonishing $12.3 billion. But the grand total actually surpasses $20 billion, since an additional $8 billion is spent annually by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps for each branch’s special operations.

Despite the worrying implications of an expanding fighting force with little accountability, there’s no reason to believe that US Special Operations forces are going to be downsized anytime soon. According to Turse, SOCOM’s 2019 budget request calls for adding about 1,000 personnel to what would then be a force of 71,000.

Of course, not all of the deployments are malicious or covert in nature. For example, Air Force special operators were recently sent to Thailand to aid the successful attempt to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave.

But as Turse notes: “Unless they end in disaster, most missions remain in the shadows, unknown to all but a few Americans.”

You may find this article in Defense News interesting. I found it almost hysterically funny in that it states that America has dropped so many bombs and missiles this year that they are running out. 2nd and 3rd line suppliers simply cannot keep up with supplying parts. Some parts have to be outsourced to foreign countries. The writer suggests that if America ends up going to war with China, we will need Chinese parts to make the bombs and missiles to drop on them!

Mexicans Head to Polls After Violent Campaign Season - >100 Candidates Murdered

Lest there be any doubt about who is running Mexico

- Corruption is Everywhere

Any politician who is seriously anti-corruption in Mexico is already dead!

By Danielle Haynes

Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during the closure of his electoral campaign in Mexico City on Wednesday. Photo by Jorge Nunez/EPA-EFE

UPI -- Mexican voters stand poised to elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador president as they head to the polls Sunday in an election marred by violence.

More than 130 political candidates or their workers have been killed since the start of the campaign season in September, which may be why Obrador, known by his initials, AMLO, and his strong anti-corruption stance has a lead in the polls.

Obrador, who heads the Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional Party, or Morena Party, leads conservative candidate Ricardo Anaya by 20 points as of Friday. He'll likely oust the three parties that have governed Mexico in the three decades since the end of autocratic rule there.

Obrador has promised to root out corrupt government officials during his third bid for the presidency.

His platform includes free access to telecommunications services like the Internet and pension increases for the elderly. He also wants to reverse key reforms made by President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration that opened the country's energy industry to foreign companies.

Nieto can not run for re-election, as Mexico's constitution limits presidents to a single six-year term.

Other presidential contenders are Anaya of the National Action Party, Jose Antonio Meade of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and independent Jamie "El Bronco" Rodriguez.

Sunday's election marks the first time members of the national congress can be re-elected. In congress, 628 spots will be decided along with nine governors, about 1,600 mayors and thousands of lower level lawmakers.

Entire Mexican City Police Force Arrested After Politician's Killing

Corruption is Everywhere - and a way of life (and death) in Mexico

By Ed Adamczyk

The entire police force in Ocampo, Mexico, were arrested by federal agents Sunday, on suspicion they were involved in the murder of a mayoral candidate. File Photo by Frontpage/Shutterstock/UPI

UPI -- The entire police force in Ocampo, Mexico, was arrested by federal forces after the murder last week of a mayoral candidate.

Fernando Angeles Juarez, a businessman with little political experience, was killed outside his home by unknown gunmen on Thursday -- one of over 100 politicians killed in Mexico prior to general elections on July 1.

He was the third politician in just over a week in Michoacán state to be killed.

The police force and Oscar Gonzalez Garcia, public security secretary and supervisor, were detained by federal agents Sunday. When the agents arrived in Ocampo, they were stopped by local police officers.

The agents returned with reinforcements and detained the 27-person police force on suspicion of involvement in a murder.

The police officers were handcuffed and taken to Morelia, the state capital, where they were remanded to the custody of the internal affairs unit of Mexico's state security secretariat.

Prosecutors accuse Gonzalez and the police of links to organized crime.

Members of the Mexican army were called in to guard Angeles' funeral.

Over 3,000 elected positions are at stake in next week's vote, including those of president, senators, Chamber of Deputies posts and regional and local positions.

And drug cartels will make sure that all those elected are under their control.

Brazilian Billionaire Batista Surrenders to Police in Corruption Scandal

Political corruption - Brazilian style

By Ed Adamczyk 

Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista, enmeshed in a corruption scandal and late in submitting an audio tape to the Brazilian Supreme Court implicating Brazilian President Michel Temer, surrendered to Sao Paolo police on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Joesley Batrista/Facebook

Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista, accused of hiding evidence in a plea bargain case, surrendered to police in Sao Paolo.

Batista, former chief of JBS, the world's largest meatpacking company, was to present a recording he secretly made of Brazilian President Michel Temer allegedly confirming that Temer paid bribes to influential Brazilian politicians. Batista said he would reveal information about the alleged corruption scheme in exchange for lenient judicial treatment, but has not yet handed over the audio tape; he was given until last week to surrender it, and was ordered arrested by the Brazilian Supreme Court. He surrendered on Sunday.

Under the plea bargain, Batista and his brother Wesley admitted to complicity in attempting to bribe nearly 1,900 Brazilian politicians over several years. The court decision to arrest Batista came after the federal chief prosecutor said that Batista and Ricardo Saud, and executive of J&F Investimentos SA, JBS' holding company, omitted information from submitted testimony earlier this year in which they confessed to graft and other crimes.

1900! One company buying 1900 politicians! Don't think for one minute this only happens in Brazil or even South America; it's everywhere.

The alleged omissions came to light last week, when an audio recording of a conversation between Batista and Saud was inadvertently sent to the prosecutor's office. While both men denied that false information was contained on the audio tape, their credibility as witnesses was weakened. The episode has become another part of a continuing scandal of graft and corruption enveloping Brazilian government and business leaders.

In the 4-hour tape, Saud can be heard telling Batista former prosecutor Marcello Miller was working to influence current chief prosecutor Rodrigo Jadot to offer Batista and Saud a more lenient plea deal. Miller resigned immediately after the tape was made; its release to the public, including a comment by Batista that he would never go to jail, enraged Brazilians already angered by the plea deal.

Batista's imprisonment will likely boost Temer's short-term popularity, Bloomberg News said Monday. Temer's allies in Brazil's lower house defeated a motion in July that would have forced him to temporarily resign the presidency and face a corruption trial; since then he has focused less on the corruption scandal and more on Brazil's economic problems.

Is Government Interfering with Investigation into Iguala Massacre?

Report: Spyware targeted experts investigating

Mexico's missing students

By Andrew V. Pestano  

UPI -- Canada's Citizen Lab Internet watchdog said government-exclusive spyware targeted international experts investigating the abduction and murder of 43 college students in Mexico.

Citizen Lab said the Pegasus spyware product sold exclusively to governments was created by the NSO Group Israeli company, which is majority owned by the Francisco Partners U.S. private equity firm. Pegasus was designed to track criminals and terrorists.

Mexican journalists, human rights activists and opposition politicians have previously made allegations that Mexican authorities spied on them using Pegasus. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's government has denied using Pegasus to spy on opponents.

Citizen Lab said it collaborated with Mexican organizations to determine that the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which investigated the disappearance of the missing students, was targeted by Pegasus.

"The international investigation into the 2014 Iguala mass disappearance was targeted with infection attempts using spyware developed by the NSO group, an Israeli 'cyber warfare' company," Citizen Lab said in a statement. "A phone belonging to the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts, a group of investigators from several countries, was sent text messages with links to NSO's exploit infrastructure. The infection attempts took place in early March of 2016, shortly after the GIEI had criticized the Mexican government for interference in their investigation, and as they were preparing their final report."

In September 2014, 43 students from Ayotzinapa traveled to the town of Iguala in Mexico's Guerrero state and clashed with police, who opened fire, investigations revealed. Police then handed the students over to drug gangs. Soldiers were at the scene of the clash and relatives of the missing students believe the soldiers played a role in the disappearances by failing to act.

The students were declared dead and most bodies have not yet been recovered or identified. The investigation into the kidnapping by Mexico's government generated mass criticism as allegations of a coverup permeated.

Citizen Lab said it does not conclusively attribute the infection attempts to the Mexican government but added that "each new case contributes to the already-strong circumstantial evidence that entities within the Mexican government are the responsible party."

"Our published investigations have now confirmed at least 19 individuals targeted with NSO in Mexico, including lawyers, politicians, journalists, anti-corruption activists, scientists, public health campaigners, government officials, and their family members," Citizen Lab added.

Brazilian Company Fined $3.2B Over Bribery of 1900 Politicians

Will this extraordinary fine actually begin to clean up corruption in Brazil? Let us hope so.

The economy seems to run well enough when the money is not being pilfered left, right and center.

But 1900 politicians on the take is not a criminal case but a way of life.

By Andrew V. Pestano

The J&F Participações, which is the controlling shareholder of the JBS SA meat-packing giant, 

has 25 years starting in December to pay the Brazilian government a $3.2 billion fine over

a large bribery scheme. Photo courtesy of JBS SA

UPI -- Brazil's public prosecutor said J&F Participações, the controlling shareholder of the JBS SA meat-packing giant, will pay a $3.2 billion fine for its role in corruption.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office late Tuesday said the J&F group has agreed to a leniency deal that will be signed in the coming days. J&F will begin making payments in December and has 25 years to pay the fine, which will be adjusted for inflation, prosecutors said.

About a fourth of the fine payments will be used in social projects for education, health and corruption prevention.

J&F will still need to face U.S. courts where anti-corruption laws are tougher and carry heavier fines and sanctions, Jornal O Globo reported.

The deal struck by the prosecutor's office and J&F is related to the Bullish and Weak Flesh investigations that uncovered bribes paid by JBS to Brazilian politicians and meat inspectors. JBS also received loans -- by using a subsidiary -- considered questionable from Brazil's National Economic and Social Development Bank, prosecutors said.

1,900 politicians, including presidents

Brazilian President Michel Temer is linked to the scandal; the owners of J&F, Joesley and Wesley Batista, told prosecutors as part of a plea bargain agreement that they've paid millions of dollars in bribes to nearly 1,900 politicians, including presidents.

Temer also purportedly endorsed Joesley Batistas' hush money payments to silence jailed politician Eduardo Cuhna as a potential witness in a corruption investigation in a secret recording that was later leaked.

Temer replaced former President Dilma Rousseff in August 2016 when the Federal Senate voted to remove her from office over accusations she broke budget laws.

In November, she accused Temer of taking a $295,000 bribe she was initially accused of taking. Her lawyers said documents showed the bribe was transferred directly into the general campaign finance fund of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, to which Temer belongs.

Mexico's War with Drug Cartels; Are They Winning or Losing?

7 Mexican Leaders with Ties to Drug Cartels

Enrique Pena Nieto (Juan Mabromata / AFP / Getty)Juan Mabromata / AFP / Getty

by ILDEFONSO ORTIZ AND BRANDON DARBY 

Many of Mexico’s top leaders are linked to the brutal drug cartels overrunning their country. As Mexico slips further into a failed narco-state, top politicians’ links with drug cartels possibly help explain why.

1. Enrique Peña Nieto

Despite his many campaign promises, the current Mexican president has been unable to put a halt to the raging cartel violence taking place in his country; or has he been unwilling?

As a candidate and during his term in office, Peña Nieto has openly supported many of the cartel linked politicians who are now in trouble with the law. As Breitbart Texas reported, operators from the Juarez Cartel allegedly funneled illicit funds into Peña Nieto’s 2012 presidential bid. The funds were used to buy cash cards that were then given to citizens in exchange for their votes. The scandal became known as Monexgate and was originally discovered by famed Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui.

2. Tomas Yarrington

The former governor of Tamaulipas is wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice on multiple drug trafficking and money laundering charges. As Breitbart Texas reported, he allowed the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas to operate in his state in exchange for cartel bribes. After his term as governor, Yarrington worked with Los Zetas and the Beltran Leyva Cartel to move drugs through Veracruz. He was recently arrested in Italy and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. to stand trial.

3. Eugenio Hernandez

A second governor of Tamaulipas is wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice on multiple money laundering and bank fraud charges. As Breitbart Texas reported, Hernandez is believed to have continued Yarrington’s scheme of receiving cartel bribes as well as expanding a network used to embezzle government funds from contracts with ghost companies. While Hernandez is a wanted fugitive in the U.S., in Mexico he has a clean record and is not sought by that country’s law enforcement agencies. As Breitbart Texas first reported in a story that then Wall Street Journal tried to take credit for, the Mexican government had been providing both Hernandez and Yarrington with police officers as their personal bodyguards. Hernandez continues to live in Mexico.

4. Javier Duarte

The former governor of Veracruz has been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, embezzlement and other charges by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office; he is not wanted by U.S. authorities. As reported by Breitbart Texas, Duarte was recently arrested in Guatemala and is fighting Mexico’s extradition efforts. Duarte is accused of embezzling massive amounts of money from the state’s coffers. The former governor has also been singled out by news organizations for the impunity with which journalists were killed in his state.

5. Cesar Duarte Jaquez

The former governor of Chihuahua is currently a wanted fugitive in his own country on warrants accusing him of embezzlement. As Breitbart Texas reported, the current governor or Chihuahua has stated that Duarte crossed into Texas to hide from prosecution. A series of investigations by the late journalist Miroslava Breach uncovered the ties between Duarte’s party the Institutional Revolutionary Party and Mexican drug cartels. Breach was killed after reporting that the PRI was trying to have the mother in law of a top Juarez Cartel boss run for mayor, Breitbart Texas reported. 

6. Humberto Moreira

The former governor of the border state of Coahuila Humberto Moreira, has been singled out as having protected Los Zetas by former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Breitbart Texas reported.

The former governor is trying to run for Mexico’s congress under the Partido Joven (Young Party) where he has labeled himself as El Valiente or the Brave one. Moreira and various state officials have been fingered in U.S. court testimony and documents as having protected the key leaders of the Los Zetas cartel in exchange for bribes.

Moreira was arrested in Spain in early 2016 on money laundering charges. During the various hearing tied to the case, Spanish prosecutors stated that Moreira had been a surrogate for the Los Zetas cartel; the information for the statements was based on an ongoing investigation by U.S. federal agencies. Moreira had been the PRI party leader during Peña Nieto’s 2012 presidential bid. as Breitbart Texas reported, the Mexican government applied political pressure in order to get his release; eventually, Spain released Moreira claiming he was clear of the charges in that country.

7. Jesus Reyna

The interim governor of Michoacan remains jailed on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity.  The case against Reyna began in 2014 when a leaked video revealed a series of interactions between the politician and Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, the former leader of the Knights Templar – Familia Michoacana Cartel. Reyna served as interim governor of Michoacan for six months and had a long history of having served as state party chair for the PRI.

Nevertheless, Cartel heads are rolling as government appears to be cracking down

'El Chito,' leader of Mexican drug cartel, arrested in Juarez

April 28 (UPI) -- The Mexican government arrested the leader of the La Linea drug cartel and recovered a stash of narcotics after a raid in the border city of Juarez, authorities said.

Miguel Angel Amaya Loya, known by the street name "El Chito," was arrested along with a top lieutenant, the Mexican government said. Federal agents raided two homes in the city. They also recovered a package of cocaine and a 4 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a bathroom wall in one of the homes, according to a statement by the federal government. A cache of weapons was also recovered.

Top drug cartel leaders killed in Mexico near US border

Two leaders of rival drug cartels have been killed in clashes with federal forces, officials said. Their deaths have caused unrest in a Mexican border town, with cartel supporters blocking roads and torching businesses.

Mexican authorities on Saturday announced that two top drug traffickers had been killed in a shootout with federal forces in the northern border state of Tamaulipas.

"Two key targets were shot down [in separate instances] last night in Reynosa and the state capital. The government of Tamaulipas and federal forces will not relent against crime," the local government said in a tweet.

The deaths of the drug traffickers caused unrest in the border town of Reynosa. Supporters of the suspects' drug cartels blocked off several roads in the Mexican town, engaging in firefights with police and setting fire to local businesses, authorities said.

Julian Loisa Salinas, who went by the name "Comandante Toro" as leader of the Gulf cartel, was shot dead in Reynosa, while rival leader Francisco "Pancho" Carreon of the Zetas cartel was killed in the Tamaulipas state capital of Ciudad Victoria, according to authorities. 

'Sophisticated drug networks'

Mexico's bloody drug war has spanned a decade, with estimates placing the death toll of cartel-related violence at approximately 120,000 from 2006 to 2012, not including disappearances.

"Weak judicial and police institutions, as well as proximity to the world's largest consumer economy, have made Mexico the hub of one of the world's most sophisticated drug networks," said the US-based think-tank Council on Foreign Relations in a report.

Despite deteriorating diplomatic relations, US President Donald trump has vowed to assist Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration in tackling drug cartels and curbing the flow of narcotics into the US.

Killings in Mexico near record levels as drug cartel violence spreads 

Violence in Mexico is up near record levels after 35 people were killed this weekend, as officials point to a worsening of gang and cartel violence across the country.

The month of March saw over 2,000 homicides, the highest body count since 2011 when Mexico was coping with massive cartel violence. Now, unlike previous spikes in bloodshed, the killings are not confined to any one particular area or state. Instead, bodies are turning up across Mexico.

5 Mexican Cartel Bosses Who Were Caught Hiding in Texas

Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles

by ILDEFONSO ORTIZ AND BRANDON DARBY

Mexican cartel bosses have a history of seeking a safe haven in the United States in an apparent effort to avoid dying at the hands of their rivals or having to shoot it out with Mexican military forces. U.S. law enforcement officers arrested several key cartel bosses after they sought refuge in Texas.

It is not clear how many Mexican cartel bosses have in fact crossed or continue to cross into the U.S. and avoid being captured. Authorities arrested the following five cartel leaders in South Texas:

1– Rafael Cardenas Vela AKA El Junior

One of the top leaders in the Gulf Cartel, and nephew of Los Zetas founder Osiel Cardenas Guillen. As Breitbart Texas reported, Cardenas Vela was known as a fierce warlord who commanded crews of cartel hitmen that rode in armored trucks and had access to rocket launchers, automatic weapons, and explosives. Fearing a certain death at the hands of his rivals, Cardenas ultimately fled to the United States in May 2011. He maintained control of the Matamoros Plaza from a series of security houses in the Texas border cities of Rio Hondo and Brownsville through the use of daily e-mails to key leadership within the Cartel. 

Federal agents arrested El Junior in October 2011 him along with two of his key bodyguards as he was making his way to South Padre Island from Port Isabel, Texas, where he had a luxury condominium. According to federal prosecutors, Cardenas Vela had approximately 500 gunmen men in Mexico ready to respond to his call.

2– Luis Alberto Blanco Flores AKA Pelochas or M-28

The current leader of the Gulf Cartel in the border city of Rio Bravo fled to the U.S. in 2010 along with fellow Gulf Cartel members Oscar “El Apache” Castillo Flores and others to escape certain death at the hands of their rivals. At the time, the Gulf Cartel underwent a series of internal conflicts that led to the murder of key leaders. Blanco Flores worked for Castillo Flores and both men fled to Brownsville where eventually federal authorities arrested them, Breitbart Texas previously reported. Both cartel leaders were only charged with illegal re-entry and released after serving two years in prison.

Castillo Flores was gunned down in a firefight in 2012, while Blanco Flores kept climbing the ladder within the leadership of the Gulf Cartel.  During his illegal re-entry trial, Blanco Flores was seen loudly sobbing in court when he saw his mother sitting in the federal courtroom in Brownsville.

3– Juan Saenz-Tamez AKA Panochitas

The former leader of the Gulf Cartel was arrested in October 2014 in the border city of Edinburg. In a story first reported by Breitbart Texas, Juan “El Panochitas” Saenz-Tamez was arrested by federal authorities after the cartel leader had been hiding in Texas in an apparent effort to avoid the ongoing rivalry between cartel forces and a possible capture by Mexican authorities. Tamez’s charges came from a federal indictment from Beaumont, Texas, where he eventually pleaded guilty to multiple drug conspiracy charges.

4– Jose Luis Zuniga AKA El Wicho

A former key leader and regional boss for the Gulf Cartel, El Wicho was arrested by federal authorities in Santa Maria, Texas in 2011. At the time of his arrest, Zuñiga had a .38 caliber jeweled handgun valued at close to $50,000. 

As Breitbart Texas reported, El Wicho had a strike team of 60 SUVs with as many as 240 gunmen ready to answer to his call.

5– Juan Roberto Rincon-Rincon

One of the key commanders of the Gulf Cartel, he was arrested in Texas in October 2011 when he fled to rural Cameron County. According to the FBI, Rincon and his key security detail fled to the United States rather than face a likely death at the hands of their rivals.

According to testimony from his trial, Rincon and the Gulf Cartel were able to remain in control of northern Mexico by bribing Mexican law enforcement, some elements of the Mexican military, the news media, and elected public officials. In addition to unlimited funds, Rincon also had Rincon-Rincon also had at least 100 individuals at his disposal armed with semi-automatic rifles, body armor, grenades, and .50 Caliber automatic rifles, and some had rocket launchers. The Gulf Cartel commander is serving a life sentence in federal prison.

17 Alleged Mexican Cartel Operatives Charged in Colorado

Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles

by RYAN SAAVEDRA 

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants for drug trafficking in direct connection with a Mexican drug cartel.

The arrests and indictments of the 17 defendants were the result of a year-long investigation into a Mexican drug cartel operation that smuggled narcotics into the United States from California to Colorado, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

Jeff Dorschner, Spokesman for the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office, told Breitbart Texas, “During the course of this investigation law enforcement determined that a Mexican Cartel was involved. The identity of that cartel is not being released as it remains the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Sinaloa Mexican Drug Cartel is known to be the dominant drug cartel in both California and Colorado.

Of the 17 defendants, 11 are from Mexico, four from El Salvador, and two are from California. Seven of the defendants are considered fugitives.

The defendants are alleged to have brought large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States through California using secret compartments in vehicles. The drugs were kept in stash houses in Aurora, Colorado, before being distributed at a local grocery store.

A money transfer station at the grocery store was used to send some of the proceeds back to Mexico. The rest of the funds were smuggled back in secret vehicle compartments.

“We are committed to dismantling and removing the threat posed by these criminal organizations flooding American communities with dangerous narcotics,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 

“This organization is alleged to have moved large amounts of meth and cocaine from Mexico to Colorado, with devastating impact on communities in their wake. I want to congratulate the outstanding federal, state, and local law enforcement cooperation that resulted in this highly successful operation. Replicating this kind of aggressive law enforcement take down is critical to breaking the backs of these criminal organizations.”

The Defendants from Mexico are: Jose Tapia-Rubio, 58, (naturalized); Selestino Hernandez-Mayo, 45; Fredy Paz-Herrera, age unknown; “Bancholas”, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Rodrigo Mora-Sanchez, 49, (naturalized); Oscar Mora-Campos, age unknown; Eduardo Jimenez-Sanchez, 37; “Changuito”, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); “Um-9584”, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Leopoldo Rodriguez-Padilla, Age Unknown; And Heberto Mora-Sanchez, 43.

The Defendants from El Salvador are Lara Zamora-Cruz, age unknown; Claudia Lisseth-Lara, 41, (naturalized); Vilma L. Zamora, 67; and Jose Chica-Orellana, age unknown.

The Defendants from California are Juan Carlos Medina-Soberanis, 31; and Erik Parra.

The indictment contains 45 counts, including an asset forfeiture allegation against the stash houses that were used to hide the drugs.

High-ranking Mexican police official accused of involvement with drug cartel

According to Yahoo news, in a major embarrassment for Mexican law enforcement, U.S. prosecutors said in documents made public Wednesday that the commander of a Mexican police intelligence-sharing unit was passing information on a DEA investigation to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in exchange for millions of dollars.

Ivan Reyes Arzate, 45, was named in a U.S. district court indictment, just hours after Mexican federal police commissioner Manelich Castilla revealed that an unnamed agent had been charged with obstructing an investigation.

What Castilla did not say was that Reyes Arzate was the commander of a federal police sensitive investigative unit. The special units, known as SIUs, were formed starting in the 1990s precisely to create more secure groups that the U.S. could feel comfortable sharing intelligence with. Castilla said Reyes Arzate had been fired in November. He is in U.S. custody.

Jalisco drug cartel lieutenant 'El Terrible' arrested in Mexico with a rifle and 117 'wrappings of cocaine'

By Anna Hopkins For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Federal prosecutors in Mexico say they have apprehended a high-ranking operator of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel.

Ivan Margarito Esquivel Garcia, also known as 'El Terrible,' was caught in the Pacific coast state of Colima, the prosecutors' office said on Sunday.

Esquivel Garcia, 28, allegedly led the cartel's activities in the state of Colima and portions of the nearby state of Michoacan. 

Garcia was captured with a rifle and 117 'wrappings' of cocaine, El Universal reported.

Esquivel Garcia is wanted for the March 4 murder of Carlos Sierra Santana, a founder and leader of a rival gang, 'The Viagras.'

The Attorney General of Mexico said that the arrest was executed without any shots being fired. 

The Jalisco cartel is considered Mexico's fastest-growing gangs, and one of its most violent.

The group were formerly underlings of 'El Chapo's' notorious gang, the Sinaloa Cartel, Business Insider reported. Despite their humble beginnings, their exceedingly violent tactics have catapulted Jalisco to rival status with Sinaloa.

The group pushed the murder rate in Mexico to historic numbers, with 3,800 killings taking place between July and August of 2016. 

'El Chapo' arrest sparks homicide surge as factions fight to fill vacuum

Alan Gomez , USA TODAY

Last year’s capture of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán led to a surge in homicides in Mexico as cartel leaders fought to fill the vacuum created by his arrest.

The apprehension of Guzmán in January 2016 was hailed by Mexican and U.S. officials as a watershed moment in the war on drugs. But Mexico's homicide rate for the year spiked to 21.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, a steep rise from 17.5 in 2015 that rivals record numbers earlier in the decade, according to a report released Friday by the Justice in Mexico Project at the University of San Diego.

Mexico had just started emerging from its bloody battle with drug cartels, with murder rates dropping for four consecutive years from 2011 to 2014. After the removal of Guzmán, violence is back on the rise. The drug lord was extradited to the United States in January to face criminal charges for his leadership of the trafficking syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel.

"It's kind of two steps forward, one step back," said David Shirk, director of the Justice in Mexico Project and co-author of the report. "We took out a very powerful and important drug trafficker. But as a result, we have destabilized the ecosystem of organized crime in a way that has led to internal struggles within the Sinaloa Cartel, and encroachment from other organizations that would like to take over their business."

The spike in violence also helps explain why the United States is seeing a resurgence in heroin use. The problem has become so widespread that President Trump created a national opioid addiction commission. On Wednesday he hosted a White House "listening session" with addicts, including one recovering heroin addict.

Shirk said the battles between Mexican drug cartels have upset the "traditional" drug routes — including cocaine — that originate in South America and funnel through Mexico to the U.S. That has made it more difficult for American users to find cocaine, opening the door for heroin and other opioids, which can be produced in Mexico and smuggled more easily into the U.S.

Heroin profits are smaller, Shirk said, but they provide those cartels with quick and easy cash as they focus on fighting for control of territories left vacant by Guzmán's arrest.

"When you fragment drug trafficking organizations, they're going to look for readily available products," Shirk said.