UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JOINT TASK FORCE NORTH

OPEN SOURCE REPORT

22 July 2010
(U) This document is UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY and portions may be exempt
from mandatory disclosure under FOIA. DOD 5400.7R, "DoD Freedom of Information Act Program",
DoD Directive 5230.9, "Clearance of DOD Information for Public Release", and DoD Instruction
5230.29, "Security and Policy Review of DOD Information for Public Release" apply.

(U) FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making it available to recipients who have
expressed an interest in receiving information to advance their understanding of threat activities in the
interest of protecting the United States. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted
material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.

(U) NOTE: This product may contain articles, or links to articles, containing USPER information that has
been deemed necessary for the intended recipient to understand, assess, or act on the information
provided. It should be handled in accordance with the recipient's intelligence oversight and information
handling procedures.

(U) NOTE: Article titles are sometimes re-captioned. Articles may be shortened during editing.
Source notations are accurate as of the date and time the article was collected. Some news
sources will remove the original article within 24 hours of publication.

(U) NOTE FOR DOD CONSUMERS - This report may contain US Persons data authorized by DOD
5240.1R. DOD recipients are cautioned to review for authorized retention IAW mission and Intelligence
Oversight guidelines.

(U) Use of these news items and editorial comments do not reflect official endorsement by Joint Task
Force North or the Department of Defense.

For further information on any item, please contact the JTF North J-2.

Compiled and Edited by: CW3 Brian Woodworth

Reviewed by: Mr. Bruce Truesdale
Approved for Release by: Mr. Sotero G. Reyes

CONTENTS: (Note: All active hyperlinks have been removed)

NORTHERN BORDER
A. Mexican Drug King’s Helicopter Seized in Spokane, Washington
B. Report on the Crime Rate in Vancouver
C. Edmonton's Crime Rate Dropping

SOUTHERN BORDER

D. Sinaloa Cartel Threatens to Kill Innocent People

E. Weapons and Cash Seizure at San Ysidro Port of Entry
F. Ton of Marijuana Seized in Rio Rico, Arizona
G. Violence in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
H. Army Seizes Marijuana in Tecate, Baja California
I. Nine Killed in Juarez, Chihuahua

CENTRAL and SOUTH AMERICA

J. Panama Seizes Nearly 3 Tons of Cocaine

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. MEXICAN DRUG KING’S HELICOPTER SEIZED IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

20 July 2010
Chron

In his deal with the U.S. government, imprisoned Mexican drug cartel king Osiel Cardenas
Guillen surrendered a $ 1.3 million helicopter dubiously parked in Washington State — the first
public clue his massive syndicate shuttles cocaine into the Great White North. A judge in
Houston ordered the AS350 B3 helicopter — the same type to land for the first time on Mount
Everest's summit — be forfeited, part of a deal in which former Gulf Cartel boss Cardenas must
hand over $ 50 million and tell what he knows about drug crimes.

Unlike millions in cash he's forked over in the Texas-Mexico border city of Brownsville — the
heart of the cartel's home turf — the helicopter was seized in Spokane close to Canada, and it
provides yet more evidence that Cardenas is offering up information on people who did business
with his empire. According to court records, Cardenas concedes buying the aircraft with drug
proceeds and keeping it in other people's names, even though when it was imported and
purchased from Japan, he was in a maximum security prison in Mexico. He never set eyes on the
aircraft with tail number N61EH. Agents interviewed people coast to coast, and likely in Canada
and Guatemala.

Eurocopter calls the copter a high-performance craft for hot climate and high altitude. "As the
matter is still under investigation, we are unable to confirm or discuss any other details of the
case," said a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, which has the bird. The same goes
for the $ 27 million in cash Cardenas gave up in 10 installments.

Keeping silent
Secrecy is the standard in the Cardenas prosecution. He privately pleaded guilty and was
sentenced behind locked courtroom doors in Houston. Prosecutors have not granted a single
interview about the case since he was extradited from Mexico in 2007. "They are looking for all
the people, all the assets, and they don't want them to suddenly disappear," said a retired
Customs Service agent, now a criminal justice lecturer at the University of Houston Downtown.
"The feds don't want to talk about it, because the moment they do the chances of assets
disappearing increases exponentially," he said.

A Houston Chronicle review shows that until February, the helicopter was registered to a
Canadian company. U.S. agents interviewed people associated with the helicopter as recently as
last month in Washington and as far back as four years ago in New York, where they questioned
people about why the aircraft was making unauthorized fights into Mexico.

Staff Sgt. David Goddard, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Mexican cartels do
business with Canadian traffickers that use helicopters. Cocaine goes north and potent Canada-
grown marijuana goes south to be sold in the United States, he said. "We have gangs that will
deal with the Mexican cartels, but they will go down there and deal with them," he said. Last
year, a Canadian helicopter pilot hanged himself in a Spokane, Washington, jail rather than face
prison for trafficking.

Not in his name

None of the helicopter documents is in Cardenas' name, though the aircraft blazes quite a
paperwork trail. Interviews and records indicate it was quickly owned or operated by at least five
companies in the United States and has been based out of Canada, Guatemala and perhaps the
Bahamas. A helicopter salesman, speaking on the condition his name not be printed, said he
spoke with agents in Washington a few weeks ago. He said that in 2006, the aircraft was sold by
his firm to a brokerage company. "We were only told it was going to Texas," he recalled. "It was
a strange sale, I'll tell you that." "When you sell a helicopter or an airplane, you kind of know
who is buying it and what they'll use it for; that was not the case with that helo. In this case, it
was very vague." (…)

Source: [www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7115355.html]

Editorial Comment: This article has been significantly shortened. To view the full text of the
article, remove the brackets from both ends of the source citation and cut and paste the URL into
the web browser.

B. REPORT ON THE CRIME RATE IN VANCOUVER

21 July 2010
Vancouver Sun

An internal Vancouver police report blames the city's high crime rate on suburbanites. One-third
of all criminals arrested in the City of Vancouver actually live outside the city -- with 30 per cent
residing in the city's suburbs and four per cent from elsewhere, the report said. Just under half of
people stopped in "street checks" -- a method used by police to question suspicious people -- are
from the suburbs, said the report. The 2009 report, obtained by the Vancouver Sun through the
Freedom of Information Act, said increased gang enforcement may explain the large share of
suburban residents stopped in street checks. "Gang members quite often frequent the clubs and
bars in the downtown core of Vancouver," it said.

Source: [www.vancouversun.com/news/Suburbanites+blamed+crime+rates/3305413/story.html]

C. EDMONTON'S CRIME RATE DROPPING

20 July 2010
Edmonton Sun

If this keeps up, cynics won't be able to call our city Deadmonton for much longer. Crime
continues to drop, according Statistics Canada, with Edmonton's crime severity index — a
system that measures both the amount and severity of crime — dropping 7% in 2009 over the
previous year. The severity of violent crime plummeted 10%. And the city police department's
clearance rate for all cases went up 3.6%, while its violent crime clearance rate improved by 9%.
According to police stats, the trend is continuing in 2010. This spring, the overall rate in eight
major categories of crime was 16% lower than spring 2009.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) has arrested four people
after conducting a two-week undercover operation into a small criminal organization allegedly
trafficking cocaine. Arrests were made last Wednesday, with charges including trafficking,
possession for the purpose of trafficking and proceeds of crime. "This investigation was a major
success because we've effectively wiped out an entire group that was peddling cocaine across
Edmonton," ALERT Staff Sgt. Jim Peebles said Tuesday.

As part of the probe, officers seized over $ 41,000 in cash and 80.1 grams of cocaine with a
potential street value of approximately $5,600. ALERT is an umbrella organization established
by the Government of Alberta to bring together the province's most sophisticated law
enforcement resources to tackle serious and organized crime. Close to 400 municipal police,
RCMP and sheriffs work for ALERT.
Kevin Correia, 31, has been charged with possession of cocaine.
Misty Dawn Williams, 33, has been charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine and
breaching parole.
David Clarke, 24, has been charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, two counts of
possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime.
Benjamin Lucas Eldridge, 23, breaching house arrest, possession for the purpose of
trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime.
All are from Edmonton.

Source: [www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2010/07/20/14770356.html]

D. SINALOA CARTEL THREATENS TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE

22 July 2010
Diario
Summary Translation of Spanish Source: CW3 Brian Woodworth

The Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, is threatening to kill innocent people if
the State of Chihuahua doesn’t fire the Police Intelligence Corps (CIPOL) commander, Fernando
Ornelas. The message was written on a banner and was addressed to the Governor, José Reyes
Baeza, and to the State Public Security director, Gustavo Zabre. The message demands that the
police official be removed from office and warns that “innocent people” will continue to die if
the official remains in office. The banner was placed early Tuesday morning on a bridge on
División del Norte and Tecnológico Avenues near the Chihuahua Technological Chihuahua and
the Carmen Romano grade school in the state capital. The message warned: “Governor Reyes
Baeza, Gustavo Zabre SSPE we don’t want to kill innocent people, but if Fernando Ornelas is
not removed (...) we’re going to kill them all (...) even though accompanied by bodyguards”. The
State Public Security director, Gustavo Zabre, stated that they are analyzing the message which
allegedly was posted by members of organized crime. This is the first time in the two and a half
year conflict between organized criminal organizations in the state that a message has appeared
which specifically threatened innocent people if demands were not met.

Just last Sunday, hitmen from La Linea, the armed branch of the Carrillo Fuentes cartel,
threatened another car bombing in the next 15 days if police authorities did not act against
“corrupt federal police”. The criminals accused the federal police of protecting people who
worked for Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman. The message, which was addressed to the FBI and
DEA, appeared last Sunday on a grade school wall located on Jesus Escobar and Municipio
Libre Streets in Colonia Leyes de Reforma, in Juarez, Chihuahua. The message indicated that the
next car bomb would contain 100 kilos of C-4.

Spanish Source: [www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=168a8b3e780bd29fa142925fc98bdd57]

Editorial Comment: On July 20, 2010, approximately 200 soldiers, supported by K-9 teams and
GT-200 molecular detectors searched house to house in the heavily populated area in Colonia
Hidalgo, Juarez. Supposedly, the suspects who left a car bomb in Juarez recently came from this
area. Two helicopters flew overhead during the operation. For approximately two hours, soldiers
closed off an approximately three block area from Cinco de Mayo to Costa Rica Street and
adjacent roadways. The operation took place near Colonia Partido Romero where a car bomb
exploded and killed three people. For the last two years, Colonia Hidalgo has been known as a
refuge for the Los Ortiz gang (also known as Los Ortices), according to spokesmen for
Coordinated Operation Chihuahua. The area searched is in the western part of Juarez, in the
historic center of the city. The soldiers searched several blocks. Military vehicles were observed
on the following streets:
Bolivia
5 de Mayo
Tlaxcala
Chapultepec
David Herrera Jordán, among others
After two years of patrolling Juarez, Army personnel were replaced with 4,500 Federal Police on
April 8, 2010.
Spanish Source for Comment: [www.oem.com.mx/elmexicano/notas/n1716211.htm] July 21,
2010

Spanish Source for Comment: [www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/696725.html]

Spanish Source for Comment: [www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/696628.html] July 20, 2010

Spanish Source for Comment:

[www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=a686321296977fb46bf2e117547f1368] 21 July 2010

Editorial Comment: Some Mexican officials have attempted to minimize the significance of the
car bombing in Juarez. The Mexican ambassador in the United States, Arturo Sarukhán, claimed
that the bombing did not represent a new level in the spiraling violence in Mexico. “It is
important not to create the impression that this was an indiscriminate act against civilians. It was
not located in a market place. Clearly, it was directed at the police”, said the Mexican
ambassador, during a symposium at the U.S. Congress on violence in Mexico. The following
day, the Mexican Attorney General of the Republic, Arturo Chavez, insisted that there was no
evidence of “narco terrorism” in Mexico or any ideological motive behind the attacks.

Spanish Source for Comment: [www.aldiatx.com/sharedcontent/dws/aldia/mexico/stories/DN-

mexbomba_21dia.ART.State.Edition1.38e9eac.html]

E. WEAPONS AND CASH SEIZURE AT SAN YSIDRO PORT OF ENTRY

21 July 2010
Sign On San Diego

Federal agents seized a cache of guns, ammunition and $ 51,000 in cash at the border over the
weekend in the latest example of the flow of weaponry that heads south from the United States
and often ends up in the hands of lethal drug cartels. In two separate but related arrests, agents
with Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement confiscated 16
weapons, including assault rifles and pistols. Seven of the weapons were hidden in the
compartment of a Nissan car driven by 19 year, who was arrested Saturday afternoon at the San
Ysidro Port of Entry (California) as he tried to cross into Mexico.

The Chula Vista man appeared in federal court Tuesday and was ordered detained pending a
hearing Friday. According to court records, the Nissan he was driving was registered to a San
Diego resident. On Saturday night, agents monitored him as he drove a white pickup from that
home to a nearby hotel. The next morning he drove the pickup to a parking lot 300 feet away
from the pedestrian crossing into Mexico. It was there that a Border Patrol agent detained him
and, after determining he was in the country illegally, searched the pickup with the help of a
drug-sniffing dog. Agents found nine more weapons and the bundle of cash.

ICE spokeswoman said federal agents found the seizures of the weapons “serious and alarming.”
“It definitely shows what we have been concerned about regarding the illegal movement of
weapons across the border,” she said. “The cartels are constantly trying to replenish their stock.”
Spokesman said the weapons are the same type that Mexican law enforcement seizes when they
capture drug cartel members. Mexican government officials have complained about the illegal
trafficking of weapons from the U.S., and the President administration has emphasized cracking
down on the flow of money and weapons into Mexico. The arrests of both individuals came
about a week after another man was arrested at a border crossing in southeast Imperial County
trying to bring two machine guns into Mexico.

Source: [www.signonsandiego.com/news/border/]

Editorial Comment: San Ysidro is home to the world's busiest land border crossing, where U.S.
Interstate 5 crosses into Mexico at Tijuana. In the 2005 U.S. fiscal year, more than 17 million
vehicles and 50 million people entered the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry. The
great majority of these are workers (both of Mexican and U.S. nationality) commuting from
Tijuana to jobs in the greater San Diego area and throughout southern California. There is also a
thriving reverse traffic, both of workers traveling to maquiladoras (assembly plants) in Mexico
and those purchasing services (vehicle repairs, hair and beauty services, childcare, medical or
dental) or seeking entertainment in Tijuana. Crossing times are often slow at San Ysidro,
particularly for those entering the United States in cars. For this reason many cross on foot, the
line for which is frequently much faster than the vehicle line. Some foot travelers own a car in
each country, and keep them in one of the large parking lots located near the border post, or use
the respective public transportation systems of both cities (both systems have a bus station built
solely to serve the border crossing point, and the San Diego Trolley runs from downtown San
Diego to the border crossing).

Source for Comment: [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro,_San_Diego,_California]

F. TON OF MARIJUANA SEIZED IN RIO RICO, ARIZONA

21 July 2010
Nogales International

Two men are in federal custody after federal agents stopped them in Rio Rico and reportedly
found more than a ton of marijuana hidden in their semi-truck. U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) says its agents stopped the truck on Old Tucson Road on the night of July 15.
A canine handler with the U.S. Border Patrol arrived on the scene and the dog alerted to the
presence of narcotics, ICE said in a news release. A subsequent search of the truck uncovered
100 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 2,400 pounds worth nearly $ 2 million on the
street, the news release said. Martin Ignacio Contreras-Angulo, 46, the Mexican national driver,
and (…) his U.S. passenger age 19, were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute. “This seizure is another example of the outstanding enforcement teamwork
along the Arizona border to combat drug trafficking,” said a special agent in charge of ICE
Homeland Security Investigations in Arizona. “Our joint efforts are preventing untold millions of
dollars in drugs from reaching the streets of communities in this state and nationwide.”
Source:
[www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2010/07/21/news/doc4c45bc97dedd2972993083.txt]

G. VIOLENCE IN MONTERREY, NUEVO LEON

21 July 2010
El Universal

A police officer and a businessman were executed in less than 24 hours in Nuevo Leon. In the
southern part of the state in the rural municipality of Montemorelos, four gunmen armed with
rifles shot and killed a police officer as he traveled in his patrol car with his partner. The police
officers were patrolling the downtown area of Montemorelos and were attacked at the
intersection of Zaragoza and Abasolo Streets by gunmen in two vehicles. The attack caused the
death of José Antonio Romero Bringas and wounded his partner.

In a separate incident, the State Investigative Agency (AEI) confirmed the execution of a
businessman in Monterrey. The victim, Jafet Ontiveros Tellez, age 44, was the owner of a
restaurant chain. The victim was found inside his vehicle with two gunshot wounds to the head.

Summary Translation of Spanish

Source:[www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=9e0078fca45e08ec0fa032cbc3c70fda]

Editorial Comment: A leading Mexican newspaper, El Universal, reported on July 22, 2010,
that a total of 6,435 people have been executed in all of Mexico so far this year.

Spanish Source for Comment: [www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/esp207.html]

H. ARMY SEIZES MARIJUANA IN TECATE, BAJA CALIFORNIA

21 July 2010
La Cronica

The Army seized 1,347 kilograms of marijuana, eight vehicles, two motorcycles and arrested six
people in the community of Felipe Ángeles, in Tecate, Baja California. The names of those
arrested and the license plate numbers were not provided. The vehicles are identified only as:

Hummer H2, 2004, with California plates

Taurus, 2000, with California plates
Ford Ranger, 1994, with Baja California plates
Toyota, 1986, with California plates
Ford F-150, 1995, with Baja California plates
Ford Mustang, 1970, with Baja California plates
Honda Civic, 2001, with Baja California plates
Buick, with California plates
Summary Translation of Spanish Source:
[www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/21072010/459433.aspx]

I. NINE KILLED IN JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA

22 July 2010
Diario
Summary Translation of Spanish Source: CW3 Brian Woodworth

Nine people were killed on Wednesday in Juarez, Chihuahua. Among the dead and wounded are:

At 16:33 hours on Toronja Roja and Almendra Española Streets in Colonia El Granjero
authorities found a body wrapped in material. The victim had been shot and victim’s head
was covered with a plastic bag. Caliber 9 mm shell casings were found at the crime
scene.
At 17:04 hours at the intersection of Violetas and Cromo Streets in Colonia Zacatecas, in
the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz viaduct authorities found the body of a victim who had been
beaten. The victim’s head was covered with a plastic bag.
At 22:00 hours authorities found the bodies of two men in an unpopulated part of the city
in a lot located at the end of Vicente Guerrero Avenue near the ADC assembly plant.
At 22:30 hours authorities found the bodies of three men. The bodies were found in the
back of a residence located on Juan Gabriel and Camino Real. A grey Hyundai
automobile which had been impacted by bullets was found nearby. The men had
apparently been killed around 15:00 hours.
A municipal police officer was wounded during a bank robbery at the Banorte bank on
Tecnológico Avenue and Loma Azul Street. Hours later a police officer was killed. The
victim is identified as Jesus Hernandez Talamantes, age 57.
At 01:12 hours, a person was killed on Erissal and Índalo Streets in Colonia El Mármol.

Spanish Source:
[www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=85b84bb8576740bfd7e96a6573475599]

J. PANAMA SEIZES NEARLY 3 TONS OF COCAINE

22 July 2010
Latin American Herald Tribune

Panama’s naval air service seized 2.69 tons of cocaine, supplies and military equipment in the
Atlantic City of Colon and arrested a Colombian linked to the illegal shipment, officials said.
The drug bust occurred Tuesday in the Puerto Pilon section of Colon, where a speedboat carrying
four suspected drug traffickers crashed into a waterfront home during a chase by naval air
service members. A search of the 14-meter (45-foot) speedboat turned up several bales of
cocaine. Three of the suspects managed to escape, but officers arrested a Colombian. A child
inside the house was injured, officials said. This is the largest drug seizure made this year in
Panama, Public Safety Minister Jose Raul Mulino told reporters.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 15 people have been arrested north of Veraguas (a city
located west of the capital) for having links to drug trafficking and (that) this exact shipment of
hoods, knives and military equipment was apparently destined for these people,” Mulino said.
The security forces will continue monitoring both Panama’s Atlantic and Pacific waters, using
naval air stations to fight traffickers moving drugs through smuggling routes in these regions, the
minister said. Authorities have seized some 3.5 tons of cocaine so far in July, Colon province
anti-drug prosecutor Franklin Amaya said.

Source: [www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=85b84bb8576740bfd7e96a6573475599]

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY