Thread: Suspect In The Murder Of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata

Mexican Authorities Say They Have A Suspect In The Murder Of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata

Reported by: Polo Sandoval
Last Update: 1:37 am

MCALLEN - US and Mexican authorities say they have a list of suspects in the murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata.

Jesus "el Mamito" Rejon is one of the suspects.

Mexican Media reports say he was involved in the attack on Zapata and his partner a week ago.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS sources in Mexico confirm Rejon is just one of several people being investigated.

Intelligence experts say he's a former member of the Mexican military who joined the ranks of the Zeta Cartel.

Investigators believe he could have played a role in the murder.

ICE Director John Morton vowed to bring the the killers to justice. He and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have offered all their resources to their Mexican counterparts.

Today's announcement came just hours after 12 Mexican state police officers were arrested in San Luis Potosi. The same state Jaime Zapata was killed in last week.

No word if the two incidents are connected.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Me ... mVMKw.cspx

I think the Agents would have never been caught in such a trap if they would have had weapons. That situation should never happen again, sending our Law Enforcement Agents empty hands to a crime infested Country as Mexico. Citizens there should also have a legal right to carry weapons to protect themselves from murders taking control of the entire Country.

FEBRUARY 23, 2011.

Slay Suspect Is Named in Mexico

By JOSé DE CóRDODA

MEXICO CITY—A possible suspect has emerged in the killing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata, who was buried Tuesday in Brownsville, Texas.

Jesús "El Mamito" Rejón, a former corporal in Mexico's elite forces who became a top leader in the violent Zeta cartel is one of the people the U.S. believes may have been involved in the killing of Mr. Zapata last week. The ICE agent was attacked by gunmen who ran an armored SUV being driven by Mr. Zapata off one of Mexico's busiest highways about 150 miles north of Mexico City. Another agent, Victor Avila, survived the attack.

"El Mamito and all Zetas are being closely looked at by Mexican authorities, supported by the joint Department of Homeland Security Department of Justice task force," said a U.S. official involved in the investigation. "He is very well-known to us. He is in the mix."

Reuters

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata was shot and killed on the afternoon of February 15 after he was attacked while driving between Monterrey, Mexico, and Mexico City.
.The original Zetas, a group of about 40 highly trained members of Mexico's army special forces, were recruited to work as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. The Zetas broke with the Gulf Cartel last year, and have been fighting a brutal turf war with them ever since.

A communiqué from cartels at war with the Zetas sent to the Brownsville Herald last week fingered Mr. Rejón, 34, as the man behind the attack. It is common in Mexico for rival cartels to take credit for attacks or to blame others for them. An article by the Herald published Friday said the communiqué blamed the Zetas and Mr. Rejón for the death of Mr. Zapata. It also blamed the Zetas for a number of other recent atrocities, including the August massacre of 72 migrants, the Herald article said.

Mr. Zapata was the first U.S. law-enforcement agent to die in the line of duty in Mexico since 1985 when Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was killed. kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Mr. Camarena's death led to heightened tensions with Mexico and a tough crackdown on drug dealers. Since then, Mexican traffickers have steered clear of U.S. agents in Mexico. But some U.S. officials worry that last week's attack signals that cartel gunmen may no longer abide by the unwritten law in place since Mr. Camarena's death, which appeared to provide U.S. agents in Mexico a measure of protection. During last week's attack, the ICE agents were fired on after they identified themselves as U.S. diplomats. "The Zetas are sending a message to U.S. law enforcement that if confronted, they will kill," says Bruce Bagley, an expert on drug trafficking and Latin America at the University of Miami.

Drug Crime in Mexico
Track the increasing violence in an interactive map.

Mexican and U.S. officials haven't yet come up with a motive for the attack. Some believe that the attackers may have wanted to steal the armored SUV driven by the ICE agents as it is the type of vehicle preferred by cartel gunmen. Driving such cars in the area has become so dangerous that SUV sales have plummeted as owners trade them in for lower-profile and smaller cars.

Mr. Rejón, a former corporal in Mexico's army special forces, was trained in the use of explosives and is also an expert sniper, according to a profile compiled by Mexican intelligence services. While still with the military, Mr. Rejón commanded the federal police in the Ciudad Miguel Aleman, a town in the state of Tamaulipas. He deserted the military in 1999.

In 2009, Mr. Rejón was one of 20 top leaders of the Gulf Cartel indicted by the U.S. for importing tons of cocaine. The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Mexico is also offering a $2.3 million reward for Mr. Rejón.

The intelligence profile of Mr. Rejón details his love of horse racing and tells how he once bet $500,000 on a horse. Indeed, Mr. Rejón's life alternated between horse races and carrying out assassinations all over Mexico. Among his duties, the report says, is to run a training camp for Zeta recruits.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... ions_world

Suspect detained in slaying of U.S. agent in Mexico
Associated Press
Feb. 23, 2011, 1:15PM


MEXICO CITY — A suspect in the killing of a U.S. immigration agent in Mexico has been detained, the Mexican Defense Department said Wednesday.

The department said in a brief statement that one of the suspects in the Feb. 15 killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Agent Jaime Zapata is in custody.

It gave no other details but said it would provide more information later.

A U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said Wednesday that authorities have identified a “handfulâ€

Statement by ICE Director John Morton

"The announcement today by Mexican authorities of an arrest in the shooting of ICE Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila is a welcome development. We are encouraged by this action and appreciate the efforts by Mexico to bring Special Agent Zapata's killers to justice.

"It is important to remember that this is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and in the United States as it unfolds. We continue to hold the Zapata family in our thoughts and prayers, and look forward to a swift resolution of this case."

www.ice.gov

Statement by Secretary Napolitano

Release Date: February 23, 2011
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

"I welcome the news that Mexican authorities have apprehended one of the alleged killers of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata. We will continue to assist the ongoing Mexican investigation with every resource at our disposal and to ensure that all those responsible for Special Agent Zapata’s murder face justice. We will also continue our vigorous and coordinated efforts to defeat the criminal organizations operating in Mexico that seek to exploit our shared border. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Agent Zapata’s family, his friends, and his colleagues."
This page was last reviewed/modified on February 23, 2011.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1298508525869.shtm

Calderon Says Several Suspects in Zapata Killing Captured

Last Update: 7:28 pm

Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent a message on Twitter on Wednesday saying soldiers have captured the principal suspect and several other suspects in ICE agent Jaime Zapata’s killing.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS has learned from several sources one of those suspects could be Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, also known as “El Mamito,â€

Nothing less than the death penalty for these scum! If mexico doesn't have the cajones to do it, ALL US aid should be stopped immediately.

How screwed up is mexico, where citizens are forbidden arms to protect themselves and drug cartels are free to do what they will without punishment? Oh yeah, putting them in jail is really a deterrent.

This dog and pony show of naming the suspects is a laugh. Institute the death penalty morons and start executing drug cartel members!!!!

Mexican Army Detains Six Suspects in U.S. Customs Agent Killing

By Crayton Harrison and Thomas Black - Feb 23, 2011 10:00 PM PT

Mexican army personnel detained a main suspect and five others tied to the Feb. 15 killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Jaime Zapata in San Luis Potosi state.

The suspects, led by Julian Zapata Espinoza, were captured in a safe house and belong to the organized-crime gang known as the Zetas, said Ricardo Trevilla, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, in a televised news conference yesterday in Mexico City.

Zapata Espinoza said the killing of the U.S. agent and the wounding of another, Victor Avila, resulted from confusion that the two belonged to a rival gang because of the armored sports utility vehicle they drove, Trevilla said.

Along with Zapata Espinoza, the military arrested Armando Alvarez, Mario Dominguez, Jesus Ivan Quezada, Martin Barcenas and Ruben Dario Venegas, who is Honduran, Trevilla said. Three women, one of whom is Zapata Espinoza’s wife, were also taken in custody.

At the safe house where the arrest was made, authorities confiscated five long firearms and a handgun as well as five vehicles, one of which was armored. Trevilla said a payroll list was also found. Zapata Espinoza, who has a criminal record, was chief of a Zetas cell that operated in the state, he said.

President Barack Obama spoke with Mexican President Felipe Calderon late yesterday and thanked him for the efforts to investigate the case and the arrest of suspects, the White House press office said in a statement. Calderon is scheduled to meet Obama in Washington during a trip March 2-3.

The investigation into the shooting incident will continue, said Ricardo Najera, a spokesman for Mexico’s Attorney General Office at the news conference.

Jaime Zapata was driving an armored sports-utility vehicle along Mexico’s Highway 57 when 12 to 15 armed men in two vehicles forced him to stop, according to Michael McCaul, a U.S. congressman who chairs a Homeland Security committee and was briefed on the incident. After Zapata and Avila identified themselves as U.S. agents, the gunmen opened fire and fled, said McCaul, a Texas Republican.

www.bloomberg.com

Originally Posted by miguelina

Nothing less than the death penalty for these scum! If mexico doesn't have the cajones to do it, ALL US aid should be stopped immediately.

How screwed up is mexico, where citizens are forbidden arms to protect themselves and drug cartels are free to do what they will without punishment? Oh yeah, putting them in jail is really a deterrent.

This dog and pony show of naming the suspects is a laugh. Institute the death penalty morons and start executing drug cartel members!!!!

I agree miguelina! I believe the cartels use torture against anyone who stands in their way, just like terrorists use it against us. I'll take that one step further, I believe Muslim terrorists taught the cartels some of their tactics before crossing into the US. ( that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!)