The Death of Arturo Beltran-Leyva

On December 16, 2009 an elite unit of Mexican marines, fortified with intelligence from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), killed Arturo Beltrán Leyva, the so called “chief of chiefs” (“jefe de los jefes”) of the Betran-Leyva Cartel. His death has created a power-vaccum in the Mexican Drug World.

With Arturo dead and most of the Betran-Leyva brothers in jail, the fate of the family-run Cartel hangs in the balance. To make things worse, there has been serious infighting within the ranks; a feud has developed between “La Barbie” and “El Grande”.

On one hand you have, Arturo’s top executioner and personal bodyguard, Texas-born Édgar Váldez Vallarreal, otherwise known as “La Barbie” because of his blue eyes and blonde hair. On the other end of the feud is Sergio “El Grande” Villarreal Barragán, a tall, venal ex-policeman in Coahuila state, left the Gulf Cartel to join the Beltrán Leyvas. Can Hector, the only Betran-Leyva brother not in prison, heal the infighting and stabilize the Cartel before it implodes?

On the outside, the BL Cartel is beset by even graver dangers.

First there is the Sinaloa Cartel run by Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. The BL Cartel was initially allied with the Sinaloa Cartel, but when Alfredo Betran-Leyva was arrested, the Beltrán Leyva brothers blamed their boss "El Chapo" for their brother's arrest, and ordered the assassination of Guzmán's son, 22 year-old Édgar Guzmán López, which was carried out in a shopping center parking lot by at least 15 gunmen using assault rifles and grenade launchers. Will “El Chapo” claim revenge and clean house?

Once the BL Cartel split from the Sinaloa Cartel, they aligned themselves with Los Zetas, a mercenary group founded by former Mexican Army soldiers and is now formed by ex-federal, state, and local police officers. Los Zetas are now led by Heriberto "El Lazca" Lazcano and are considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as probably being the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and violent paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico. When Arturo was killed, the Los Zetas executed the family, including the mother, of a Marine who died in the violent foray against Arturo. These guys are ruthless. Will Los Zetas prey on their weakened ally and seize the territory?

It is an interesting time in the Mexican drugworld. Checkout the article below for some background about the Cartel, a list of key figures, a list of assets, and insights into what might happen next:

The Death of Arturo Beltran-Leyva: What does it mean for Mexico's Drug War? (Eurasiareview)

Developing: Los Zetas and former ally Gulf Cartel at War (LatinHeraldTribune)

Developing: "La Barbie" battles Hector Beltran Leyva for control of the Cartel (AP)

Developing: Mexican Drug Gang Members Decapitated, Note Addressed to 'La Barbie' (KC)

Developing: Key Member of Betran-Leyva Cartel Arrested (AP)

Developing: The Battle Between Hector Beltran Leyva and "La Barbie" Heats Up (AP)

Criminal Profile: "The Brainy Don"

Semion "The Brainy Don" Mogilevich, born June 30, 1946 in Kiev, Ukraine, is a billionaire organized crime boss believed by European and United States federal law enforcement agencies to be the "boss of bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in the world. Semion Mogilevich was recently added to the FBI Ten-Most-Wanted-List for his alleged participation in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud thousands of investors in the stock of a public company incorporated in Canada, but headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, between 1993 and 1998. The scheme to defraud collapsed in 1998, after thousands of investors lost in excess of $150 million dollars. Mogilevich is thought to have allegedly funded and masterminded the scheme.

Slideshow of Mountains of Money, Lions, Golden Guns and Other Things Drug Kingpins Like

Though the images are from mixed sources, the slideshow of pictures of the house are from a raid outside Mexico City where those detained were Colombians (Norte del Valle cartel) connected to the Beltran-Leyvas.

Criminal Profile: "Joan the Loan"

A GRANDMOTHER aged 78 was dubbed “Joan the Loan” after fleecing hard-up victims in a Mafia-style lending racket. Fionda, also nicknamed “The Mafia”, lent £33,500 at staggering interest rates of up to 332 per cent. Her enforcers would order those who could not pay to hand over their bank and benefit cards and pin numbers before withdrawing their cash at the Post Office. She and three other women became known in Horfield Post Office as “The Mafia” because they would often arrive to withdraw other people’s money.

Full article (UKExpress)

The Untold Story of the Heist of the Century

Although four gang members were jailed for the 2003 theft from Antwerp Diamond Centre in Belgium — considered at the time to have the safest vault in the world — the diamonds have yet to be found and are estimated to be worth up to £350m.

Just last July, Mr. Notarbartolo was discovered with approximately 2lbs of rough uncut diamonds stashed in his car. However, diamonds are very hard to trace, so it is impossible to determine if they were from the original heist. Mr. Notarbartolo's lawyer added, “No one can be tried twice for the same crime. So even if the jewels come from Antwerp, Notarbartolo has already served his sentence.”

Read the article below to find out how they pulled it off:

The Untold Story of the World Largest Diamond Heist (Wired)

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh Assasinated By Professional Crew

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior figure in the military wing of Hamas, was found dead in a hotel room on Jan 20th. According to one report he was killed by a female assassin who entered his room by posing as a member of hotel staff, injected him with a drug that induced a heart attack and hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

This is an assasination right out of the movies.

Flying in from Paris, Frankfurt, Rome and Zurich, the team of ten men and one woman arrived within three hours of each other. The group switched hotels several times and wore disguises including false beards and wigs, while surveillance teams rotated in pairs through the hotel lobby, never hanging around for too long and paying for everything in cash. Throughout the operation, none of the suspects made a direct call to any another. However, Dubai police traced a high volume of calls and text messages between three phones carried by the assassins and four numbers in Austria where a command centre had apparently been established.

Whether through good fortune or design, no security camera covered the door to al-Mabhouh’s room and there is no footage of how the team gained entry to the room. When al-Mabhouh returned to the hotel at 8.24pm his killers were in place. Police believe that he was asphyxiated. By 8.46pm, less than 20 minutes after their victim entered the hotel, the four killers are shown leaving the second floor, followed closely by their spotters in room 237. The surveillance team in the hotel lobby also disbands.

Hamas admits that Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was involved in the killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989. Obviously, suspicious eyes are looking towards Mossad.

Developing: Photo of 11 Suspects and Article (TimesLive)

Developing: CCTV Footage of the Crew in Action and Article (BBC)

Developing: Hamas: Assasinated Operative Put Himself at Risk (YNetNews)

Developing: Dubai wants head of Mossad Arrested Over Assasination (TimesOnline)

Developing: Dubai Identifies 15 New Suspects (BBC)