La Línea (gang)
Encyclopedia
La Línea is a group of Mexican
drug traffickers and corrupt Juárez
and Chihuahua state police officers who work as the armed wing of the Juárez Cartel
, which controls one of the primary transportation routes for billions of dollars worth of illegal drug shipments annually entering the United States
from Mexico.
About 70% of the cocaine
that reaches the United States flows through the El Paso–Juárez
border.
La Línea is a ruthless gang that has been known to decapitate their rivals, mutilate their corpses and dispose of them in public to instill fear, not only in the general public, but also in local law enforcement and their rivals.
On January 30, 2010, about 12 gunmen (sicario
s, Spanish for hitman) from La Línea attacked a high school birthday party with AK-47
assault rifles, killing 16 teenagers and wounding 14. Apparently, they thought one of the students may have been an informant.
On July 16, 2010, La Linea set up a car bomb ambush in Ciudad Juárez
which killed two soldiers, a police officer and a medic.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9H0C1R80 Initially it was believed that C-4
explosives were used. Upon further investigation by authorities, with U.S. help, it was concluded that an industrial explosive named Tovex
was used.http://americanidolizing.com/gossip/US-official-Mexican-car-bomb-likely-used-Tovex-3059353.html
is the operative leader of La Línea. Another operative is Benjamin "Cachitas" Valerano; he is still active and believed to live in Chihuahua, Chihuahua
. José Antonio Acosta Hernández, better known as "El Diego," top lieutenant of La Línea in the state of Chihuahua, was captured in a federal police operation on July 28, 2011; there was a $15 million peso ($1.2 million USD) reward in Mexico and a $5 million USD in U.S.A. for information leading to his capture.
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...
drug traffickers and corrupt Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
and Chihuahua state police officers who work as the armed wing of the Juárez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
, which controls one of the primary transportation routes for billions of dollars worth of illegal drug shipments annually entering the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Mexico.
About 70% of the cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
that reaches the United States flows through the El Paso–Juárez
El Paso–Juárez
El Paso–Juárez, also known as Juárez-El Paso, the Borderplex or Paso del Norte, is a binational metropolitan area, or conurbation, on the border between Mexico and the United States. The region is centered on two large cities: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, USA...
border.
La Línea is a ruthless gang that has been known to decapitate their rivals, mutilate their corpses and dispose of them in public to instill fear, not only in the general public, but also in local law enforcement and their rivals.
On January 30, 2010, about 12 gunmen (sicario
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
s, Spanish for hitman) from La Línea attacked a high school birthday party with 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...
assault rifles, killing 16 teenagers and wounding 14. Apparently, they thought one of the students may have been an informant.
On July 16, 2010, La Linea set up a car bomb ambush in Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
which killed two soldiers, a police officer and a medic.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9H0C1R80 Initially it was believed that C-4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
explosives were used. Upon further investigation by authorities, with U.S. help, it was concluded that an industrial explosive named Tovex
Tovex
Tovex is a water-gel explosive composed of ammonium nitrate and methylammonium nitrate that has several advantages over traditional dynamite, including lower toxicity and safer manufacture, transport, and storage...
was used.http://americanidolizing.com/gossip/US-official-Mexican-car-bomb-likely-used-Tovex-3059353.html
Known associates
Mexican authorities believe that Juárez cartel lieutenant José Luis FratelloJosé Luis Fratello
José Luis Fratello is the top lieutenant of the Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Juárez Cartel, which is headed by drug lord Vicente Carrillo Fuentes....
is the operative leader of La Línea. Another operative is Benjamin "Cachitas" Valerano; he is still active and believed to live in Chihuahua, Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
. José Antonio Acosta Hernández, better known as "El Diego," top lieutenant of La Línea in the state of Chihuahua, was captured in a federal police operation on July 28, 2011; there was a $15 million peso ($1.2 million USD) reward in Mexico and a $5 million USD in U.S.A. for information leading to his capture.
See also
- Mexican drug warMexican Drug WarThe Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...
- Mérida InitiativeMérida InitiativeThe Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation agreement between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering...
- War on drugsWar on DrugsThe War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...