Assassination of Public Safety Official in Mexico

Vice President of Intelligence Fred Burton examines the tactics and implications of the Feb. 2 killing of a high-ranking Nuevo Laredo official. Editor%u2019s Note: Transcripts are generated using speech-recognition technology. Therefore, STRATFOR cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. At STRATFOR we%u2019ve noticed a recent uptick in cartel violence in Nuevo Laredo. Yesterday on February 2, at around midnight, the director for citizen security, Manuel Farfan Carriola, was assassinated on his route from the office to home. Also killed were four bodyguards and numerous police officers were also shot and wounded. Unfortunately for those of you who have been following the STRATFOR analysis on cartels in Mexico, this should come as no surprise. The cartels are very skilled at carrying out these kinds of attacks. They learn of routes and schedules through corruption and compromise. They also are very detailed in their ability to execute the plan on the street. They utilize multiple vehicles, they block intersections, they at times can also muster corrupt cops to help them with the attacks. They use taxicabs for surveillance platforms and they wait for the target to come into the kill zone and have a complete command and control over how the operation goes down. And in essence, the VIP%u2019s protective detail are stuck with their inability to escape. Our intelligence indicates that the most likely perpetrator of this attack, last night, was the Zeta organization. It also tracks with our analysis from a tactical perspective on how the Zetas carry out assassinations. As we%u2019ve seen with previous attacks by the Zetas, their operations are very complex and very violent and, in essence, they have absolutely no problem targeting senior public safety officials and police chiefs. The symbolism of attacking and killing a very senior public safety official resonates not only through the Mexican government, but U.S. law enforcement and inside the beltway in Washington, D.C. It raises serious protective security concerns on the ability of the Mexican government to be able to adequately protect public officials.

• 2011-02-04T16:02:21+00:00
• Duration: 02:34

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