Jaime Zapata (U.S. agent)
Encyclopedia
Jaime Jorge Zapata was a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
agent who was ambushed and shot dead by the Mexican criminal group Los Zetas
in San Luis Potosí, Mexico
. He was one of the two agents that was ambushed at a fake roadblock, known as a narco-blockade, in a part of the country that is increasingly under the influence of drug violence. Zapata's death is the second highest-profile killing of a U.S. agent in Mexico—the first one was Enrique Camarena
, an undercover agent who was tortured and murdered by the former Guadalajara Cartel
.
, United States, a border city directly north across Matamoros, Tamaulipas
, Mexico. He was one of five brothers, all in the field of criminal justice. Zapata attended Hanna High School, and later graduated from the University of Texas at Brownsville in 1995, where he attained a degree in Criminal Justice
and an associate's degree in Applied Science
. Zapata then joined the ICE agency in 2006, after being assigned to the Office of the Deputy
special agent in Laredo, Texas
, where he served on the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit and in the Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
to Mexico City
on an assignment for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement administration. As they drove through the northern state of San Luis Potosí
, the agents noticed two SUVs following them down Highway 57, a four-lane, federal highway from Mexico City to Monterrey
. The two vehicles up behind them were at a high rate of speed, and were described as driving "aggressively," according to agent Ávila. One vehicle passed the agents’ Suburban, while other gunmen started to fire at their vehicle, and eventually rammed them off the road. As one of the agents rolled down the window to inform them that they were U.S. diplomats, the agent recalls how one of the gunmen got off his vehicle, with an assault rifle
in his hand, forced the door of the agents’ car open and shot point blank at them. When Zapata shifted the vehicle into park, its doors automatically unlocked. The Zeta gunmen pulled open the driver's side door and tried to drag Zapata out, but he fought them off, managing to re-lock the doors. The hitmen, however, managed to crack the windows to talk with the assailants and identify themselves. The agents hoped to reason with the gunmen—as many as 15 of them—who surrounded the vehicle. According to congressman McCaul
, the agents said "We're Americans, we're diplomats", and the response from the drug cartels was bullets.
The gunmen then fled, and Ávila was able to use his cellphone to call for help. Dying, Zapata managed to put the car in gear and drive away before collapsing at the wheel. Soon afterwards, a Mexican federal police helicopter arrived where the two agents were. Ávila was shot twice in the leg, and was later sent to a hospital in the Houston, Texas
. Jaime Zapata, however, gravely injured from three bullet shots, died before the authorities could aid him with medical treatment. According to federal sources, the ambush took place near a fake military checkpoint established by the gunmen, who were dressed in camouflage uniforms and armed with machine guns.
The captured individuals allegedly involved in the attack revealed through their interviews that they had indeed mistaken the agents for a rival drug cartel. The agent's account, however, mentions that the gunmen apparently knew that they were attacking U.S. law enforcement officers, since after Zapata mentioned that they were American diplomats, the Zetas said "We don’t give a [expletive]" and shot both of them. Moreover, the diplomatic plates also indicated who was actually on board. Texas Congressman Michael McCaul
mentioned that the gunmen opened fire at the agents after they had identified themselves as U.S. diplomats.
Five months after the slaying of Jaime Zapata, a report from the White House
noted that Zapata's family demanded to know the source of the weapons used in the attack. The gun that killed Zapata and wounded Víctor Ávila—an AK-47
— was purchased by Otilio Osorio in the Dallas, Texas
, (outside the area of responsibility for the ATF Phoenix field division which conducted Fast and Furious
), and then smuggled into Mexico. Congressional investigators have stated that Osorio was known by the ATF to be a straw purchaser months before he purchased the gun that killed Zapata, leading them to question ATF surveillance tactics and to suspect a Texas-based operation similar to Operation Fast and Furious
, a sting operation run by the United States in which more than 2,000 guns were allowed to "walk" illegally into Mexico; only 600 of them have been recovered, the other 1,400 are still at large.
Mexican functionaries mentioned that although their efforts have been significant, without full cooperation from the United States in preventing the drug consumption in the U.S., the flow of American weapons and of cash south of the border into the hands of the Mexican criminals, there won't be any significant improvement in dismantling the drug cartels. On another note, the slaying of Zapata has sparked a debate on whether or not U.S. agents in Mexico should be allowed to carry guns to defend themselves. President Felipe Calderón
mentioned during his visit to Washington, D.C. on March 3 that "alternatives" would be examined with Congress to improve the security of U.S. agents working in Mexico.
, the third most powerful leader in Los Zetas and boss of the state where Zapata was killed.
: "The United States will work with Mexico to bring the assailants to justice." Janet Napolitano
: "Let me be clear: Any act of violence against our ICE personnel — or any DHS personnel — is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety." Michael McCaul
: "The United States will not tolerate acts of violence against its citizens or law enforcement and I believe we must respond forcefully." Pat Ahumada
: "I am angered by this and frustrated that the Mexican government is not providing security to our agents while we are trying to help them. Criminals have the firepower in Mexico." Felipe Calderón
: "His death must urge us to work together to ensure a prosperous and peaceful future for our region." "One of those weapons [of Operation Fast and Furious
] was the one that killed officer Zapata, an American agent in Mexico... the American agencies should stop the criminal flow of arms into Mexico." Fernando Toranzo Fernández
: "We will use all our judicial and investigational instruments to find those responsible." Alejandro Poiré: "The President said it before: there's a huge demand of drugs in the U.S., and Mexico is the corridor for that market. The flow of weapons to Mexico from the United States are acquired by the Mexican drug cartels. That generates violence."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
agent who was ambushed and shot dead by the Mexican criminal group Los Zetas
Los Zetas
Los Zetas is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the most violent drug cartel and paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico...
in San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He was one of the two agents that was ambushed at a fake roadblock, known as a narco-blockade, in a part of the country that is increasingly under the influence of drug violence. Zapata's death is the second highest-profile killing of a U.S. agent in Mexico—the first one was Enrique Camarena
Enrique Camarena
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico July 26, 1947 - c. (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, February 9, 1985) was an undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who was abducted on...
, an undercover agent who was tortured and murdered by the former Guadalajara Cartel
Guadalajara Cartel
The Guadalajara Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel which was formed in the 1980s by Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in order to ship heroin and marijuana to the United States...
.
Biography
Jaime Zapata was born in Brownsville, TexasBrownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, United States, a border city directly north across Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, Mexico. He was one of five brothers, all in the field of criminal justice. Zapata attended Hanna High School, and later graduated from the University of Texas at Brownsville in 1995, where he attained a degree in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
and an associate's degree in Applied Science
Applied science
Applied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Examples include testing a theoretical model through the use of formal science or solving a practical problem through the use of natural science....
. Zapata then joined the ICE agency in 2006, after being assigned to the Office of the Deputy
Diplomatic Security Service
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement agents at the same time, making them unique...
special agent in Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, where he served on the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit and in the Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
Death
Two U.S. agents, Jaime Zapata and Víctor Ávila, were traveling from Laredo, TexasLaredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
on an assignment for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement administration. As they drove through the northern state of San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, the agents noticed two SUVs following them down Highway 57, a four-lane, federal highway from Mexico City to Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
. The two vehicles up behind them were at a high rate of speed, and were described as driving "aggressively," according to agent Ávila. One vehicle passed the agents’ Suburban, while other gunmen started to fire at their vehicle, and eventually rammed them off the road. As one of the agents rolled down the window to inform them that they were U.S. diplomats, the agent recalls how one of the gunmen got off his vehicle, with an assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
in his hand, forced the door of the agents’ car open and shot point blank at them. When Zapata shifted the vehicle into park, its doors automatically unlocked. The Zeta gunmen pulled open the driver's side door and tried to drag Zapata out, but he fought them off, managing to re-lock the doors. The hitmen, however, managed to crack the windows to talk with the assailants and identify themselves. The agents hoped to reason with the gunmen—as many as 15 of them—who surrounded the vehicle. According to congressman McCaul
Michael McCaul
Michael Thomas McCaul, Sr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Austin to Houston.-Early life, education and career:...
, the agents said "We're Americans, we're diplomats", and the response from the drug cartels was bullets.
The gunmen then fled, and Ávila was able to use his cellphone to call for help. Dying, Zapata managed to put the car in gear and drive away before collapsing at the wheel. Soon afterwards, a Mexican federal police helicopter arrived where the two agents were. Ávila was shot twice in the leg, and was later sent to a hospital in the Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Jaime Zapata, however, gravely injured from three bullet shots, died before the authorities could aid him with medical treatment. According to federal sources, the ambush took place near a fake military checkpoint established by the gunmen, who were dressed in camouflage uniforms and armed with machine guns.
Controversy
There has been controversy of whether this attack was from a group of Los Zetas carrying on their own operation, or whether this incident was a well-planned and intentional ambush attack against the American agents.The captured individuals allegedly involved in the attack revealed through their interviews that they had indeed mistaken the agents for a rival drug cartel. The agent's account, however, mentions that the gunmen apparently knew that they were attacking U.S. law enforcement officers, since after Zapata mentioned that they were American diplomats, the Zetas said "We don’t give a [expletive]" and shot both of them. Moreover, the diplomatic plates also indicated who was actually on board. Texas Congressman Michael McCaul
Michael McCaul
Michael Thomas McCaul, Sr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Austin to Houston.-Early life, education and career:...
mentioned that the gunmen opened fire at the agents after they had identified themselves as U.S. diplomats.
Five months after the slaying of Jaime Zapata, a report from the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
noted that Zapata's family demanded to know the source of the weapons used in the attack. The gun that killed Zapata and wounded Víctor Ávila—an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
— was purchased by Otilio Osorio in the Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, (outside the area of responsibility for the ATF Phoenix field division which conducted Fast and Furious
ATF gunwalking scandal
Between 2006 and 2011, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ran a series of “gunwalking” sting operations under the umbrella of Project Gunrunner, a project intended to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico...
), and then smuggled into Mexico. Congressional investigators have stated that Osorio was known by the ATF to be a straw purchaser months before he purchased the gun that killed Zapata, leading them to question ATF surveillance tactics and to suspect a Texas-based operation similar to Operation Fast and Furious
Operation Fast and Furious
Operation Fast and Furious was a sting operation run by the United States via the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Phoenix Field Division between 2009 and 2010. Part of Project Gunrunner, the Southwest Border strategy first implemented it in 2006 to stem the flow of illegal...
, a sting operation run by the United States in which more than 2,000 guns were allowed to "walk" illegally into Mexico; only 600 of them have been recovered, the other 1,400 are still at large.
Mexican functionaries mentioned that although their efforts have been significant, without full cooperation from the United States in preventing the drug consumption in the U.S., the flow of American weapons and of cash south of the border into the hands of the Mexican criminals, there won't be any significant improvement in dismantling the drug cartels. On another note, the slaying of Zapata has sparked a debate on whether or not U.S. agents in Mexico should be allowed to carry guns to defend themselves. President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
mentioned during his visit to Washington, D.C. on March 3 that "alternatives" would be examined with Congress to improve the security of U.S. agents working in Mexico.
Aftermath
The death of Jaime Zapata allowed for the United States to work closely with officials on the Mexican-led investigation to ensure the perpetrators were captured as quickly as possible. Throughout the investigation, all the killers were eventually captured, including Jesús Enrique Rejón AguilarJesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar
Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar was born on June 9, 1976 in Sabancuy, Campeche, Mexico He is a lieutenant of the Mexican criminal organization known as Los Zetas...
, the third most powerful leader in Los Zetas and boss of the state where Zapata was killed.
Reactions
Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
: "The United States will work with Mexico to bring the assailants to justice." Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
: "Let me be clear: Any act of violence against our ICE personnel — or any DHS personnel — is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety." Michael McCaul
Michael McCaul
Michael Thomas McCaul, Sr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Austin to Houston.-Early life, education and career:...
: "The United States will not tolerate acts of violence against its citizens or law enforcement and I believe we must respond forcefully." Pat Ahumada
Pat Ahumada
Patricio M. Ahumada, Jr. is a former mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was previously mayor from 1991 through 1994, and ran for U.S. Representative in 2000 and 2002. In the 2000 election run, he ran for Congress as a Republican.-External links:...
: "I am angered by this and frustrated that the Mexican government is not providing security to our agents while we are trying to help them. Criminals have the firepower in Mexico." Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
: "His death must urge us to work together to ensure a prosperous and peaceful future for our region." "One of those weapons [of Operation Fast and Furious
Operation Fast and Furious
Operation Fast and Furious was a sting operation run by the United States via the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Phoenix Field Division between 2009 and 2010. Part of Project Gunrunner, the Southwest Border strategy first implemented it in 2006 to stem the flow of illegal...
] was the one that killed officer Zapata, an American agent in Mexico... the American agencies should stop the criminal flow of arms into Mexico." Fernando Toranzo Fernández
Fernando Toranzo Fernández
Fernando Toranzo Fernández is a Mexican politician who has served as the Governor of San Luis Potosí since September 26, 2009. He formerly served as the Health Secretary of San Luis Potosi....
: "We will use all our judicial and investigational instruments to find those responsible." Alejandro Poiré: "The President said it before: there's a huge demand of drugs in the U.S., and Mexico is the corridor for that market. The flow of weapons to Mexico from the United States are acquired by the Mexican drug cartels. That generates violence."