The Daily Blotter

Interesting criminal complaint out of Corpus Christi about some guys caught unloading pot bundles on the beach…looks like they launched from somewhere in the Rio Grande Valley to avoid the checkpoint:

2012.3.6 pot boat//

Wikileaks late Sunday afternoon announced it would publish millions of e-mails it obtained from Austin-based private security firm Stratfor.

(Wikileaks page with details of overview of publishing all of Stratfor’s e-mails)

An e-mail that appeared to come from Stratfor founder and CEO George Friedman claimed he resigned; however the company later tweeted that he has not stepped down.

Here’s the full statement from Stratfor on the Wikileaks document dump:

Stratfor Statement on Wikileaks

Company Denounces Email Disclosure as Deplorable Breach of Privacy

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Below is a statement from Stratfor on release of company emails by Wikileaks:

In December, thieves compromised Stratfor’s data systems and stole a large number of company emails, along with other private information of Stratfor readers, subscribers and employees. Those stolen emails apparently will be published by Wikileaks. This is a deplorable, unfortunate — and illegal — breach of privacy.

Some of the emails may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic. We will not validate either. Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimized twice by submitting to questioning about them.

For subscribers and friends of Stratfor, we stress that the disclosure of these emails does not mean that there has been another hack of Stratfor’s computer and data systems. Stratfor’s data systems, which we have worked hard to rebuild since the December hack, remain secure and protected.

As with last year’s hack, the release of these emails is a direct attack on Stratfor. This is another attempt to silence and intimidate the company, and one we reject. Under the continued leadership of founder and Chief Executive Officer George Friedman, Stratfor will not be silenced and will continue to publish the geopolitical analysis our friends and subscribers have come to rely upon.

As we have said before, Stratfor has worked to build good sources in many countries around the world, as any publisher of global geopolitical analysis would do. We have done so in a straightforward manner and we are committed to meeting the highest standards of professional conduct.

Stratfor is not a government organization, nor is it affiliated with any government. The emails are private property. Like all private emails, they were written casually, with no expectation anyone other than the sender and recipient would ever see them. They should be read as such.

Stratfor understands that this hack and the fallout from it, including the disclosures by Wikileaks, have created serious difficulties for our subscribers, friends and employees. We again apologize for any problems this incident has created, and we deeply appreciate the loyalty that has been shown to Stratfor since last year’s hack.

We want to assure everyone that Stratfor is committed to recovering from the hack and rebuilding trust with the public, and will continue to do what we do best: produce and publish industry-leading analysis of international affairs.

About Stratfor
Stratfor is a subscription-based provider of geopolitical analysis. Individual and corporate subscribers gain a thorough understanding of international affairs, including what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what will happen next. Unlike traditional news outlets, Stratfor uses a unique, intelligence-based approach to gathering information via rigorous open-source research and a global network of human sources. Analysts then evaluate events looking through the objective lens of geopolitics. The company’s goal is simple: to make the complexity of the world understandable to an intelligent readership, without ideology, agenda or national bias.

Additional information can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/stratfor

SOURCE Stratfor

And here’s the full text of the e-mail, which Stratfor says is false:

George Friedman george.friedman@stratfor.com
10:26 PM (1 hour ago)

to me
Dear loyal Stratfor partners and clients,

It is with great personal disappointment I have to inform you that I will resign from my position as CEO for Stratfor to immediate effect.

Please rest assured that this decision was not an easy. But in the light of the recent events, especially the release of our company emails by WikiLeaks, I have decided that stepping down is in the best interest of Stratfor and its customer base.

I want to emphasize that this will have no effect on Stratfor’s business or its members and we will continue to provide state-of-the-art intelligence services.

Regarding the latest breach, Stratfor is fully in control of the situation However, while I cannot take any personal responsibility for this incident, I still have to admit that mistakes have been made on our side. To be clear: We certainly do not condone any criminal activities by groups like Anonymous or other hackers. This is theft and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice. But we must acknowledge that this incident would not have been possible if Stratfor had implemented stronger data protection mechanisms – which will be the case from now on. Indeed we will immediately move to implement the latest, and most comprehensive, data security measures.

While I played no role in our technical operations, as the company’s CEO I do accept full responsibility thus will resign from my position effective immediately.

Again, my sincerest apologies for this whole unfortunate incident.

Sincerely,
George Friedman

It’s worth noting that the e-mail came from a different address than the addresses Friedman appeared to have been using in the e-mails published by Wikileaks today.

Reuters moved a story tonight that has more background on Wikileaks’ publication of “millions” of e-mails from Stratfor. So far, only a few dozen have appeared on its website.

The most interesting of the Stratfor e-mails published with Rio Grande Valley interests came in the days after Brownsville native ICE special Jaime Zapata was gunned down in Mexico. (I don’t entirely know what to make of the Stratfor glossary of “useful, baffling and strange intellgence terms” that was published, as well. It seems to have attracted its own attention online, too.)

Here’s the full exchange about the Zapata as published today by Wikileaks:

Re: [CT] INSIGHT – Mexico – ICE Hit – US706

Email-ID	1891085
Date	2011-02-17 23:17:21
From	zucha@stratfor.com
To	scott.stewart@stratfor.com, ct@stratfor.com
List-Name	ct@stratfor.com

Here is a recap of insight from Fred’s fed LE contacts that we drafted
this morning. Fred suggests we take out some specifics if we write on it
for the website though, like specific reference to Subway so we don’t get
his sources in trouble.According to STRATFOR sources with knowledge of the investigation and
details surrounding the attack, the working theory behind the attack
against the two ICE agents was that they were the target of a “hit”
sanctioned by the top ranks of the Los Zetas cartel. Originally it was
thought that the men were targeted because they were driving in (according
to sources) a high-profile, fully-armored navy blue Suburban SUV, a valued
commodity amongst cartel members.While a carjacking may have been the original intent once the vehicle was
first spotted, according to STRATFOR sources, the two agents stopped for
lunch at a Subway fast-food restaurant along the route before the
incident. While the distance between the restaurant and the roadblock
where the shooting took place is not yet known, it is possible that
stopping while in route from Mexico City to Monterrey may have led to them
to be identified as U.S. law enforcement and provided time for Zetas
associates to put an operation in place to target the two agents at the
roadblock (we believe a rolling roadblock) along Hwy 57. This is
especially possible since according to sources, the vehicle they were
driving had diplomatic mission license plates. As the agents stopped (or
were forced/boxed in) at the roadblock (which they thought was that of the
military), it would be difficult for the gunmen not to have noticed the
specialized plates indicating the vehicle as that of U.S. federal law
enforcement. There is a specific two-letter code issued on license
plates to federal agents inside Mexico.As the ICE agent who survived begins to provide more details, the tactical
operation and motive of the attack will become clearer. Still, we are left
with the question of why the gunmen did not kill both men, not leaving any
witnesses if they did know the two men were U.S. agents. However, this
insight from well-placed U.S. federal security sources indicates that the
agents may have been targeted because of their status as U.S. federal
agents, a possibility which we are continuing to explore.
On 2/17/11 2:56 PM, scott stewart wrote:I’m open to it.What it the evidence that points us in that direction?From: ct-bounces@stratfor.com [mailto:ct-bounces@stratfor.com] On Behalf
Of Sean Noonan
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 2:33 PM
To: CT AOR
Subject: Re: [CT] INSIGHT – Mexico – ICE Hit – US706readers and sources seem pretty critical of our point that it was a
carjacking. I wouldn’t know, but should we reevaluate?On 2/17/11 11:30 AM, Fred Burton wrote:Its not the federal working theory however.Scott Stewart wrote:That is one of the points I made yesterday..————————————————————————*From: *”Michael Wilson”*To: *”Analyst List”*Sent: *Thursday, February 17, 2011 11:19:26 AM*Subject: *INSIGHT – Mexico – ICE Hit – US706Source Code: US706

ATTRIBUTION: STRATFOR security source

SOURCE DESCRIPTION: Investigative journalist close to Mexican DTOs

SOURCE RELIABILITY: B

ITEM CREDIBILITY: 2

SUGGESTED DISTRIBUTION: analysts

SOURCE HANDLER: Fred

Reports from FOX are claiming that the ICE agents were the intended

targets….. I find it hard to believe that the attack was

premeditated—the Zetas don’t often leave living witnesses…

–

Sean Noonan

Tactical Analyst

Office: +1 512-279-9479

Mobile: +1 512-758-5967

Strategic Forecasting, Inc.

www.stratfor.com

Mexican soldiers killed 11 people and arrested two after they opened fire and injured a soldier in Valle Hermoso Saturday.

The shootout happened about 25 miles south of Harlingen after soldiers on patrol near the 16 de September neighborhood spotted several armed men, according to a news release from SEDENA — Mexico’s ministry of defense.

When the gunman saw the troops, they began shooting at them and went into a building, officials said. Inside, soldiers found a small arsenal with 73 rifles and more than 3,000 cartridges of various calibers.

The military seized the weapons and ammunition, including 422 magazines. They also seized body armor and two vehicles.

Soldiers turned the bodies of the deceased over to the proper authorities, as well as the seized items and the two detainees, officials said. The injured soldier was taken to a hospital, where he was treated.

Officials did not release further information.

Robert Hedrick is seen in April. Photo: Brad Dohrety/The Brownsville Herald

Just released from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston:

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Robert L. Hedrick, 60, has been arrested following the filing of a criminal complaint alleging he distributed images of child pornography, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. Hedrick is president of the Brownsville-based Pan American Airways which provides cargo air service between the United States and Mexico.

According to the complaint filed on Friday, July 15, 2011, Hedrick is alleged to have shared multiple images of child pornography with undercover investigators from Louisiana and Wisconsin in online chat rooms between Sept.  14, 2010, and Nov. 22, 2010. Hedrick was arrested this morning by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) agents at his home in Brownsville without incident. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio in Brownsville on Tuesday, July 19, 2011. The United States expects to request that the court detain Hendricks in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings.

Distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum punishment of five years incarceration up to 20 years. Fines of up to $250,000 can also be imposed upon conviction for each offense. Additionally, each offense carries a maximum life term of supervised release during which the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect children and requires registration as a sex offender.

The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov./

Assistant United States Attorneys V. LaTawn Warsaw and Carrie Wirsing are prosecuting the case.

An anonymous caller phoned in this morning and told me about a video he created based on one of the stories I covered earlier this month about a man who was arrested after two women saw him masturbate at a McAllen Starbucks.

The story apparently spread like wildfire ….The caller even submitted it to the Jay Leno show, he said.

Read the story here: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/mcallen-51542-starbucks-charged.html

–  Naxiely Lopez

Here’s the full response I received from DPS regarding spillover crimes in Texas. Interestingly, DPS Director Steve McCraw testified to 22 murders across the state the agency he oversees identified as spillover, but they included 23 cases in the request.

Also, DPS mistakenly double-listed a U.S. Border Patrol agent-involved fatal shooting that occurred in Laredo, saying it occurred in Hidalgo. None of the local media reported on that supposed incident, and after I checked it out with Border Patrol officials and McCraw, I learned it was mistakenly entered on the list. McCraw said agents in McAllen likely reported the incident in Laredo (since it’s big news when there’s a fatal shooting involving agents) and it was double entered.

Read the rest of this entry »

Even though it’s almost a week after the chase occurred, and the inital story on this was a short brief inside the newspaper, I still thought these details in federal court documents were too interesting to not mention:

La Grulla police attempted to stop Guillermo Rocha for not having a front license plate on his silver 1999 Mercury Mystique on May 17, a criminal complaint states. Rocha allegedly refused to stop, headed north and then east on Highway 83.

The chase led to Sullivan City, where Rocha, 18, allegedly rammed into a Sullivan City police car and continued down the highway, the criminal complaint states.

Police say Rocha tore through La Joya city limits — and its 30 mph speed limit — at 65 mph during rush hour traffic about 5:30 p.m. that day, nearly hitting a school bus before driving through a yard before crashing behind a residence.

Inside, police found four illegal immigrants from Mexico, who gave investigators an idea of what it was like to be inside the car.

Read the rest of this entry »

LINARES | PUBLIC OFFICIAL RESCUED

A public official from the Mexican town of Linares was found alive after he was reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a group of armed men.

Linares City Secretary Ruben Doria Vazquez, 60, was found on Tuesday by a Mexican Marine who was patrolling a highway connecting the towns of Cadereyta and Villa Santiago in the state of Nuevo Leon, according to a Navy news release.

The 60-year-old Linares native told authorities he had been kidnapped Thursday of last week about 4 p.m. by a group of armed men as he travelled from Cadereyta to Allende, a nearby town.

Vazquez was found with multiple signs of torture, which included several wounds and an amputated pinky toe on his right foot. He was transported to a hospital in Monterrey his, where he was met by his son.

CIUDAD VICTORIA | THREE MARINES INJURED

Three Mexican Marines were injured during two shootouts with members of the Gulf Cartel while patrolling a highway from the town of Soto la Marina to Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas on Wednesday.

The first shootout happened after members of the criminal organization opened fire on a convoy of Navy officials traveling along the 59-Kilometer mark of the highway leading from Ciudad Victoria to Soto la Marina, near Villa de Casas, according to a Navy news release.

Marines spotted two trucks carrying armed men, believed to be operating an illegal checkpoint, where they were extorting travelers, officials said. When the suspects noticed the Marines, one group fled in one of the trucks toward Soto La Marina, while the other group opened fire at the Navy officials. Those suspects later fled on foot through thick brush.

The second shootout happened also on that highway after Marines encountered the second vehicle, which had originally fled the scene. Three Marines were injured during this shooting. They were transported to a hospital and are expected to survive, officials said.

Marines arrested a minor, who claimed to work for the Gulf Cartel, during the second incident. The boy, who was not identified by authorities, said the Gulf Cartel patrols the area in three different groups of four people each. The minor was then taken to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.

During the shootouts, Marines seized two vehicles, eight long rifles, four grenades, 2,206 cartridges, 54 magazines, cocaine, marijuana and several military uniforms.

SAN FERNANDO | 5 GUNMEN KILLED

Five gunmen were killed after they opened fire at Mexican soldiers Monday night.

The shootout began about 9:15 p.m. near Palmillas and Aldama streets in San Fernando, a town highly publicized after mass graves were found there earlier this year, according to a news release from Mexico’s Defense Ministry, better known by its Spanish acronym SEDENA. .

The soldiers were reportedly attacked by several men and were forced to return fire, killing five people, whose identities were not disclosed by authorities.

Soldiers seized four long rifles, a handgun, 24 magazines, 638 cartridges and a vehicle. No other information was released.

Image: U.S. Attorney’s Office

U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno met with local law enforcement leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday to address threats officers face and how to improve their safety.

Moreno held a similar meeting in Brownsville this week and will continue across the Southern District of Texas, which spans from Laredo to Houston and south across the Valley.

Here’s the full statement from Moreno’s office:

Read the rest of this entry »

A day after President Barack Obama visits El Paso to talk about border security and immigration reform, Congress will hear from two top, local law enforcement officials about their efforts to secure the area.

Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez and McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez will testify before the House Homeland Security Oversight, Investigations and Management Subcommittee in Washington D.C. on Wednesday at 9 a.m. central time.

The subcommittee in charge of conducting investigations and overseeing homeland security programs will hold a hearing entitled “On the Border and in the Line of Fire: U.S. Law Enforcement, Homeland Security and Drug Cartel Violence.”

During their testimony before congressional leaders, Sheriff Gonzalez and Chief Rodriguez will speak about law enforcement efforts taking place in South Texas to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

What do you think our local law enforcement officials should tell our lawmakers?