Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The name rings a bell...

It's funny how the same old names always crop up when it comes to Mexican drug trafficking. Well, it's not funny at all, and it's simply proof of just how deep the culture of impunity runs, but you know what I mean.

The authorities believe that Rogaciano Alba Alvarez, the old-school cacique based in the hills of Guerrero, was the man responsible for brokering the current deal between SInaloa, La Familia and the Gulf cartel, against Los Zetas. Prior to his arrest in February, Alba Alvarez apparently acted as a conduit between the groups. He has long had close links to Chapo (who brought him into the fold back in the 1980s, to the best of my knowledge, allowing for easy passage of Colombian cocaine into the southern state of Guerrero) and has nurtured connections to la Familia, operating in neighboring Michoacan. I don't know how he approached the Gulf cartel, my guess is that he used his political connections (he's PRI, incidentally.)

The guy was arrested in February; we'll see how long he stays in jail, now that he's thought to be responsible for a deal that could clean up the mess Calderon and his PAN started.

PS - A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I thought Heriberto Lazcano, aka El Lazca, Zeta No. 1, would be the next capo to fall. According to the newspaper Milenio today, capturing El Lazca is now the No. 1 priority for both the US and Mexico. My question: am I reading their minds correctly or are the authorities reading my blog? Either way's fine by me. Now, let's see if they get him.

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