In Pure Arellano Felix Style, They Dismantle Fake Police Network In Tijuana.

Mica for cartelinsider.com

Hidden in one of the pockets of his shorts at the time of his murder, Ramón Arellano Félix carried a fake ID that accredited him as a suspected agent of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). This was not the only one used by the Tijuana capo, and it was not an uncommon situation, as his brothers also did the same. It has been more than 20 years since Ramón’s death, but the use of fake identifications continues in the city: recently, a group of fake police officers was dismantled.

Elements of the Tijuana Municipal Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPCM) stopped a Ford Focus vehicle in which four individuals were traveling. They quickly pulled out their credentials and identified themselves as auxiliary police officers.

They were wearing blue uniforms with SSPCM insignias and credentials that, in the eyes of the officers who stopped them, seemed fake. After a thorough review, it was confirmed that they were counterfeit.

According to the authorities’ report, the arrest of the four fake police officers took place in the vicinity of San Angel neighborhood, in the San Antonio de los Buenos district. The offenders were identified as Francisco, Juan, Reymundo, and Omar “N”, although it is unknown why they were pretending to be Tijuana police officers.

Between the 80s and 90s, Benjamin Arellano Felix wore uniforms from the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Crimes against Health in Baja California when he boarded commercial flights, inspected drug shipments, or met with partners and friends at lavish restaurants in Tijuana; in his wallet, he carried a credential that “confirmed” his position, according to the testimony of one of the witnesses who helped sentence him in Mexico and extradite him to the United States.

17 years after the capture of Benjamin, the then head of public security in Tijuana, Marco Antonio Sotomayor Amezcua, acknowledged the increasing usurpation of functions by organized crime to pass themselves off as fake police officers.

In July 2019, it was reported about the identification of a network of former Tijuana officers who continued to wear their old uniforms in order to offer their “security services” to merchants in the city afraid of extortion; in addition to committing “serious crimes” under the protection of their false position.

On that occasion, Sotomayor emphasized that it was a serious problem because, if it continued – as it did -, society was going to lose trust in the true police officers of Tijuana.

The attacks against the officials in Tijuana resulted in a death toll of 19 police officers between January 2023 and January 2024; along with the bodies of some of them, narcomessages were left indicating their alleged collusion with organized crime groups operating in the region.

At the end of last year, a group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel launched a “hunt” against police officers in Tijuana, whom they accused of stealing a drug shipment: the result, three officers killed and a direct attack against the facilities of the FGR in the city.

Currently, the Arellano Felix Cartel would be under the orders of Enedina, although in recent years the name of “Los Benjamines” grew, sons of Francisco and Benjamín who want to revive the “glory” days of the criminal group.

However, their last great leader was Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano, also known as “El Ingeniero”, the son of Enedina who took over the leadership of the organization when his uncle Eduardo was arrested in 2008. The heir of the Tijuana Cartel also moved with protection from the municipal and state police, and it is believed that he also carried fake identification.

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Mica

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