Los Cop Killers: The 5



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WARNING!

The views expressed in FMSO publications and reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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Foreign Military Studies Office

Joint Reserve Intelligence Center

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Border Security Team

Analytical Product:

“Cop Killers” Head for the Border:

Mexican Criminals are Using 5.7 X 28 mm Weapons,

but is there Need For Concern?

by Kevin Freese

30 May 2007

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

A Weapon Designed for the Urban Warfighter 2

Cartridge of Controversial Caliber 3

Arsenals of the Cartels 4

Sending Messages and Settling Accounts 7

Cops in the Firing Line 9

The Bad News 13

The Good News 14

The Real Problem 14

Introduction

On 15 August 2005, a Nuevo León SWAT team raided VIPS restaurant in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, arresting twenty suspects. Reports circulated that one of Mexico’s most wanted, José Luis “El Tubi” Carrizales, also known as “Z-4”, an alleged leader of the infamous Gulf Cartel enforcer gang Los Zetas, was among those arrested. Although the Mexican government would ultimately refute these rumors, the operation was a major success.

During the raid, authorities seized a massive cache of weapons and equipment, including armored vehicles, a rocket launcher, grenades, various firearms, and ammunition. One of the weapons, found in one of the armored vehicles, was a P90® 5.7 X 28 mm submachine gun. Its discovery in the hands of criminals was a chilling development. Previously, the only known use of the P90® in Mexico was by leaders of the Navy Special Forces Teams, who had fifteen in their possession since 2003. The Army had ordered five hundred in 2000 for use by the Presidential Guard and the Special Forces, but then cancelled the order. No law enforcement agency had the weapons. The bust demonstrated that Mexican criminals had more advanced weaponry than those sworn to uphold justice.[i]

Since late 2005, 5.7 X 28 mm weapons have been appearing in the hands of Mexican criminals with increasing frequency. In many cases, the weapons have appeared among other armaments in weapons caches seized by authorities. In other cases, the weapons have been used in crimes, including murder of police officers.

A Weapon Designed for the Urban Warfighter

The 5.7 X 28 mm round is on the cutting edge of technology. Designed by Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium for the military, it has a small-caliber bullet propelled by a large charge – basically, it is a rifle cartridge for a pistol. To compensate for the decreased stopping power of the small-caliber bullet, it is weighted to tumble, increasing damage. There are multiple variations of the ammunition, to include subsonic and tracer rounds as well as civilian-legal rounds, but the principal round is the SS190 ball armor-piercing round, which is restricted to law enforcement and military.

Only two firearms use 5.7 X 28 mm rounds – the FN Five-seveN® semi-automatic pistol and the FN P90® submachine gun. The FN Five-seveN® is a lightweight, polymer-frame pistol designed to be a backup weapon for a urban combat, special operations, or law enforcement. The P90® is a compact, lightweight, semi-automatic / automatic carbine designed for urban or jungle warfare. A semi-automatic-only version, the PS90®, is available for public sale.[ii]

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Image: (Top) FN P90®; (Bottom Left) FN Five-seveN®; (Bottom Right) 5.7 X 28 mm cartridges. (Image Adapted from and ammo-)

With minimal recoil and muzzle climb, both weapons produce smoother successive shots, enabling the shooter to deliver multiple rounds downrange without sacrificing precision, enhanced by high magazine capacities. The weapons compliment each other by using interchangeable ammunition. At close ranges, when chambered with the appropriate ammunition, 5.7 X 28 mm weapons can penetrate body armor, specifically soft body armor, with decreased over-penetration risk.[iii]

Cartridge of Controversial Caliber

The very characteristics that make the 5.7 X 28 mm weapons ideally suited to military and law enforcement have drawn the ire of the gun control lobby. In January 2005, the Brady Campaign announced that the organization would be working to “alarm law enforcement professionals” about the capabilities of these weapons. Focusing on the armor-piercing variation of the cartridge and its effectiveness against soft body armor, the group labeled the weapon a “cop killer gun”.[iv]

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Image: Google® search for “mata policías” in Mexican web domains

The label stuck, spreading among the news media, especially in Mexico. Now, Spanish language news articles mentioning 5.7 X 28 mm rounds consistently include the epithet “mata policías [cop killer]” to the point that the two are virtually interchangeable in everyday parlance. In a Google® internet search for the phrase “mata policías”, limited to Spanish results from Mexican domains, four of the top five search results refer to articles mentioning 5.7 X 28 mm rounds. Out of 42 search results, 31 pages (74%) refer to articles mentioning 5.7 X 28 mm rounds.

Consequently, the “cop killer” label may have become a self-fulfilling prophecy. According to a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), cited in the Mexican press, the majority of weapons used by criminals in Tijuana are obtained in San Diego using local buyers without criminal records. Preferred weapons have historically been AK-47s and AR-15s. The preferred handgun has usually been the .38 Special revolver, but because of the armor-piercing mystique, the FN Five-seveN® has become popular, despite the fact that the firearm itself is not armor-piercing without special ammunition.[v]

|Timeline of Incidents Involving 5.7 X 28 mm Weapons in Mexico |

|Date |Location |Incident |

|15 Aug 2005 |Monterrey, Nuevo León |P90® seized |

|13 Feb 2006 |Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León |Police Director kidnapped and murdered |

|21 Feb 2006 |San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León |23 5.7 X 28 mm magazines seized |

|31 May 2006 |Petatlán, Guerrero |Body left with threatening note |

|18 Jun 2006 |Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas |5.7 X 28 mm magazine seized |

|08 Jul 2006 |Guadalajara, Jalisco |Man murdered at bar |

|16 Aug 2006 |Apatzingán, Michoacán |Man murdered at car dealership |

|05 Sep 2006 |San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo Léon |State Police Director murdered |

|13 Sep 2006 |Linares, Nuevo Léon |Police Chief murdered |

|13 Sep 2006 |Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas |Former Police Director murdered |

|12 Nov 2006 |Cutzamala de Pinzon, Guerrero |Five-seveN® pistol and ammunition seized |

|24 Nov 2006 |Reynosa, Tamaulipas |Musician assassinated |

|24 Nov 2006 |General Escobedo, Nuevo León |Police Officer murdered |

|29 Nov 2006 |Mexico City |Two Federal Agents murdered |

|22 Dec 2006 |Uruapan, Michoacán |Police Officer murdered |

|16 Jan 2007 |Santa Catarina, Nuevo León |Two Police Officers attacked; one killed |

|08 Feb 2007 |Matamoros, Tamaulipas |Five Five-seveN® pistols and ammunition seized |

|09 Feb 2007 |Monterrey, Nuevo León |Two former Police Officers murdered |

|26 Feb 2007 |Agua Prieta, Sonora |Police Chief murdered |

|01 Mar 2007 |Magdalena de Kino, Sonora |Ten 5.7 X 28 mm magazines seized |

|06 Mar 2007 |Cananea, Sonora |Police Officer murdered |

|08 Mar 2007 |Hermosillo, Sonora |Police Officer murdered |

|15 Mar 2007 |San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León |Two Police Officers murdered; separate attempted |

| | |homicide; Five-seveN® pistol seized |

|16 Mar 2007 |Mexico City |Man murdered at gymnasium |

|17 Mar 2007 |Mexico City |Couple murdered |

|02 Apr 2007 |Tampico, Tamaulipas |PS90® and ammunition seized |

|09 Apr 2007 |Apodaca, Nuevo León |Two Five-seveN® pistols seized |

|23 Apr 2007 |Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas |PS90® and ammunition seized |

Arsenals of the Cartels

The legacy of this notoriety is increasing proliferation of 5.7 X 28 mm weapons. Since the first appearance of a P90® in the hands of Mexican criminals in August of 2005, authorities have discovered multiple caches with the weapons.

• 21 February 2006 – Soldiers and federal agents intercepted three vehicles in the municipality of San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, arrested the occupants, and searched a nearby residence. During the search, they seized four handguns, dozens of magazines, hundreds of rounds, two hand grenades, and more than a quarter of a million dollars in cash. The handguns included a .38 Super, a .40S&W, a 9mm, and a .380. The calibers of the seized rounds and magazines varied, but among them were 23 magazines for a 5.7x28 mm weapon, although this firearm was not seized.[vi]

• 18 June 2006 – Federal agents searched a residence in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, uncovering thirteen rifles, two fragmentation grenades, dozens of magazines, military clothing, and communication equipment. The officers also found 1,600 rounds of ammunition in various calibers. None of the firearms were 5.7 X 28 mm, nor were any of these cartridges recovered. However, agents found one 5.7 X 28 mm magazine.[vii]

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(Map adapted from Mexican National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information)

• 12 November 2006 – Soldiers and federal agents searched an alleged organized crime safehouse in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero. Four vehicles were on the property, so soldiers searched these as well. Inside, they found two fragmentation grenades, eleven AR-15s, two AK-47s, two .38 Super pistols, and a Five-seveN® pistol, as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition. The majority were .223 caliber and 7.62 mm, but they included fifteen 5.7 X 28 mm rounds.[viii]

• 08 February 2007 – Soldiers at a highway checkpoint in Matamoros, Tamaulipas stopped a tractor-trailer for a routine search. The truck was hauling a white car trailer displaying Texas license plates. One of the hauled vehicles, an armored Nissan Titan with Nuevo León license plates, contained weapons, ammunition, body armor, and military equipment. The ammunition included nineteen 40 mm grenades and more than eight thousand rounds of ammunition, including 5.7 X 28 mm tracers, hollow points, and armor-piercing rounds. The firearms included eighteen .223 AR-15 assault rifles, one with a 40 mm grenade launcher, seven 9mm pistols, two .45 caliber pistols, one .38 Super, and five Five-seveN® pistols.[ix]

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Photo: Blue-tipped armor piercing rounds, red-tipped tracer rounds, and hollow points. (Photo adapted from Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office)

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Photo: Weapons seized by Mexican authorities, including one FN PS90®

(Photo adapted from Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office)

• 01 March 2007 – Following a random vehicle search at a military checkpoint that netted a large quantity of military uniforms and equipment, Police in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora arrested five suspects. The officers also seized eighteen AR-15s, one 9mm pistol, one AK-47, two grenades, and hundreds of magazines and rounds of ammunition, as well as armor and communication equipment. The seized magazines included ten 5.7 X 28 mm magazines.[x]

• 02 April 2007 – Sailors and Federal Police searched a house in Tampico, Tamaulipas, acting on intelligence that it was being used to store weapons. The operation uncovered dozens of firearms, more than twelve thousand rounds of ammunition, three grenade launchers with grenades, explosives, bulletproof vests, and five vehicles, one of which was armored. The firearms ranged from military assault rifles and submachine guns to ornate customized pistols. One of the submachine guns was a FN Herstal PS90®. The ammunition included more than eight hundred 5.7 X 28 mm rounds.[xi]

• 09 April 2007 – Authorities received a tip that weapons were being stored in two SUVs with Texas and Tamaulipas plates, allegedly abandoned in the parking lot of a commercial plaza in Apodaca, Nuevo León. Police mounted a search operation and found hundreds of dollars in U.S. currency, police clothing, radios, and small amounts of cocaine. Officers also found six AR-15s and one AK-47, along with dozens of magazines. They then searched the surrounding area and found a trash bag in a restroom, containing three handguns. One was a 9mm pistol; the other two were Five-seveNs®.[xii]

• 23 April 2007 – Federal Police raided a house in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and arrested several suspects, including Eleazar Medina Rojas, also known as “El Chelelo”, who was believed to be one of the principal assassins and kidnappers for Los Zetas. During the raid, officers seized communication equipment, vehicles with Texas and Nuevo León license plates, a bulletproof vest, and several weapons, including an AR-15, a .45 pistol, a plastic pistol, and a PS90®. The officers also uncovered nearly four hundred 5.7 X 28 mm cartridges.[xiii]

These cases, although ostensibly distinct, isolated events, have certain things in common. In every case, diverse firearms and military equipment were uncovered. Every case appears to have been connected to organized crime– the Los Zetas, associated with the Gulf Cartel, being the only group mentioned by name. Several of the cases involved U.S.-registered vehicles, indicating that the criminals involved were crossing over the international border. With one exception, the arsenals were located in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, an area in which the Gulf Cartel has historically been the dominant drug trafficking organization, although which is contested by rivals.[xiv] The one exception, Guerrero, is a region that, like Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, has been racked by organized crime violence, and a region where the Gulf Cartel operates, as well as other groups.[xv] None of the cases involved petty criminals or individuals acting alone. Only one case reported the presence of restricted variants of the ammunition.

Sending Messages and Settling Accounts

5.7 X 28 mm weapons have been used in multiple homicides across Mexico over the last year. One half dozen of these attacks have been against civilians.

• 31 May 2006 – Armando González Avilés was kidnapped from the plaza in Petatlán, Guerrero. The next day, residents found his body near the Municipal Mausoleum. It had been left with a note threatening death to drug traffickers. He had been tortured, bound, and shot at least ten times. Nearby, officers found nineteen spent shell casings. Nine were.223 caliber, five were 7.62 caliber, and five were 5.7 X 28 mm.[xvi]

• 08 July 2006 – José Félix Guzmán Reyes was eating at the Hippo’s Bar at the Plaza del Sol in Guadalajara, Jalisco, along with his wife and an acquaintance, when two assailants entered and opened fire upon him with a P90®. The attackers fired eighteen shots. Guzmán Reyes died at the scene; four others were wounded by the gunfire.[xvii]

• 16 August 2006 – Rosendo Ortiz Baena went to the Luna Motor used car lot in Apatzingán, Michoacán and told the store manager that he was interested in trading in his car, a Volkswagen Jetta, for a Dodge Stratus that was located on the lot. The two discussed business details, and then Ortiz Baena went to the car to get a feel for it while the manager returned to his office. Then, several subjects pulled up in an SUV; the manager heard gunshots fired. The SUV then fled. The manager returned to the lot, finding the body of Ortiz Baena in the back seat of the Stratus. He had been shot fourteen times. Investigating officers recovered nine .38 Super, one .40 caliber, and three 5.7 X 28 mm casings.[xviii]

• 24 November 2006 – Musician Valentín Elizalde, popularly known as “El Gallo de Oro [The Golden Rooster]” was traveling near the fairgrounds in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, with his chauffer, manager, and cousin, when two SUVs intercepted their Suburban. The vehicles blocked the Suburban’s path while, two individuals exited and opened fire into Valentín’s vehicle. Valentín’s cousin escaped, despite a serious wound. The other three were finished off by one of the gunmen, who delivered coupes-de-grace with his pistol. Valentín had been hit eight times, his manager fifteen times, and his driver seven times. The vehicle itself had been hit eighty times. When police officers searched the scene, they recovered more than seventy .223, .380, and 5.7 X 28 mm casings.[xix]

• 16 March 2007 – Eight gunmen burst into a Mexico City gymnasium, shooting and killing Héctor Ángel Tesorero López, who was in the tanning room, and Juan José García González, who was in the lobby. Officers recovered eight casings from a P90®.[xx]

• 17 March 2007 – Mireya López Portillo Guedea, daughter of retired General Luis Humberto López Portillo Leal, and her husband Jordi Peralta Samper were driving in Mexico City when they were overtaken and blocked by a Nissan Maxima. The occupants of the Maxima opened fire upon the couple, then finishing off the woman with a coupe de grace. She was hit seven times, four times in the face; her husband was hit five times. The car was hit 31 times. The assassins fled, abandoning the car a few blocks away. Police recovered a Galil .223 rifle registered to the Federal Attorney General’s Office and a FEB 7.62 X 39 mm rifle, as well as 55 shell casings. Fourteen of the casings were 5.7 X 28 mm. Ballistics tests indicated that they had been fired from the same P90® that was used in the 16 March 2007 double homicide and in a 29 November 2006 attack against two police officers in Mexico City. The crime linked to a previous operation that had netted over two hundred million dollars cash.[xxi]

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(Map adapted from Mexican National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information)

All of these attacks were related to organized crime. Two were in the northern states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León and one was in Guerrero. The fourth occurred in Michoacán, which, like its neighboring Guerrero, has been the scene of much organized crime violence. Diverse weapons were used in each attack. The tactics used, vehicular ambushes and kidnapping, are tactics frequently used by organized crime.

Cops in the Firing Line

The “cop killer” nickname may have preceded the use of 5.7 X 28 mm weapons in such crimes, but ultimately, in most attacks, police officers have been the victims.

• 13 February 2006 – An armed group in two SUVs kidnapped recently-appointed Public Safety Secretary Javier García Rodríguez as he was arriving at the Municipal Palace in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León. Half an hour after the kidnapping, his kidnappers dumped his body in an arroyo a few miles away. His hands were bound. He had been shot twice in the base of the head with a 5.7 X 28 mm weapon. Officers recovered four casings from the scene. The town had a previous history of organized crime violence, with police officers being killed in 2003.[xxii]

• 05 September 2006 – State Investigative Agency Director Marcelo Garza y Garza was departing a crowded, exclusive plaza in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León to answer a cell phone call, when a gunman wielding a Five-seveN® exited a vehicle and shot him in the back of the head. Garza y Garza had been leading several investigations into organized crime and corruption. He had specifically targeted Los Zetas and had been investigating arms caches, which included the cache containing a P90® that was discovered in August 2005. A threat against his life had appeared on the internet a few weeks before the assassination.[xxiii]

• 13 September 2006 – Silvestre Bañuelos Alejos was assassinated in front of his home in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas. He was shot seven times, once in the head. At the scene of the murder, officers recovered casings from 9mm, .40 caliber, and 5.7 X 28 mm rounds. A few days earlier, Bañuelos Alejos had left his position as Assistant Police Director for Internal Security at the Tamaulipas State Control, Command, and Computer Center.[xxiv]

• 13 September 2006 – Assailants traveling in a sedan and a pickup opened fire upon Enrique Barrera Nevárez, Police Chief of Linares, Nuevo León, as he entering his car to travel to work. He was hit four times and his car eleven times by .223 and 5.7 X 28 mm rounds. Authorities mobilized forces and established checkpoints along the national highway and roads leading into the city, but were unable to locate the perpetrators. [xxv]

• 24 November 2006 – Ministerial Police Officer José Antonio Sánchez Medina was driving in his pickup in Escobedo, Nuevo León, when he was intercepted by a lone assailant. Sánchez Medina att empted to flee, but crashed his truck into a parked trailer. He immediately exited his vehicle and ran, attempting to cross the highway and escape. However, his assailant overtook him, shooting him twice in the head. Officers later recovered 5.7 X 28 mm casings from the scene.[xxvi]

• 29 November 2006 – Federal Prosecutor’s Officers Daniel Marmolejo Castillo and Angélica Sandoval Sánchez were driving in a Mexico City neighborhood when a Chevy Corsa intercepted their vehicle. The occupants of the Corsa opened fire from their car, gravely wounding the two officers. Officers found two casings from a P90® at the scene and two more from the attackers’ vehicle, which was recovered a few blocks away. The Corsa had been stolen in a carjacking a few days previously.[xxvii]

• 22 December 2006 – Ramón Cendejas Jiménez and his wife, Verónica Andrade, were driving along a city street in Uruapan, Michoacán. Cendejas, a Municipal Police officer, had been working as a bodyguard for a local businessmen. As the two drove in their in their pickup truck, they were overtaken by two luxury SUVs, one without license plates and one with U.S. license plates. Suddenly, the SUVs violently forced the couple off the road. The occupants, approximately ten armed men, then forced the couple to exit their truck, threatening to kill them if they did not comply. Cendejas drew his .38 Super from his clothing, at which point the attackers opened fire, riddling Cendejas and killing him instantly. After police arrived at the scene, investigating officers recovered approximately 120 casings, including brass from AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles, as well as 9mm and .38 Super handguns. Officers also recovered fifteen 5.7 X 28 mm casings.[xxviii] It is unclear whether this was an assassination or a kidnapping attempt; regardless, it was a targeted attack.

• 16 January 2007 – Assailants traveling in a black vehicle collided into a police car in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León. Immediately after the crash, two men exited their vehicle and opened fire upon the officers in the police unit, Commander José Antonio Samaniego Hernández and Officer Rubén Salazar Olivo. The assailants then fled out-of-town. The officers were transported to hospital. Salazar Olivo, the driver, had been struck three times; Samaniego Hernández was unharmed. Immediately after the attack, Mexican authorities issued a “Code Red”, setting up a military checkpoint, manned by thirty soldiers who stopped all vehicle traffic along the suspected route of the gunmen. The soldiers required all drivers to exit their vehicles for search and interrogation. Despite the firm security crackdown, the perpetrators were not located. Back at the scene, investigating officers recovered fifteen.40 caliber, .223 caliber, and 5.7 x 28 mm shell casings. The patrol car had seventeen bullet impacts.[xxix]

• 09 February 2007 – Former Police Commander Luis Padilla Mendoza and former Police Radio Operator Julio César Torres were traveling in the city center of Monterrey, Nuevo León aboard a BMW. They had just left Padilla Mendoza’s cell phone store, which was located at the intersection of Amado Nervo and Tapia Streets. From the moment they left the store, they were being followed by a group of men in a Ford Lobo. They drove south on Amado Nervo Street, then turned west on Ruperto Martínez Street. When they had traveled as far as the intersection of Ruperto Martínez with Álvarez Street, they had to stop for a red light. Seizing the opportunity presented by the stoplight, the occupants of the Lobo opened fire. The BMW lurched forward another fifty meters before coming to a rest in front of a market, after which the attackers fled. Padilla Mendoza died at the scene. César Torres died later at hospital. Investigating officers recovered casings from AR-15s and 5.7 X 28 mm rounds.[xxx]

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Image: Route of attack against Luis Padilla Mendoza Julio César Torres. The assailants followed the officers six blocks before launching the ambush. (Image adapted from Google Earth®)

• 26 February 2007 – Agua Prieta, Sonora, Police Director Ramón Tacho Verdugo was walking to his car with several aides when two Jeeps pulled up next to police headquarters. The occupants of the two vehicles opened fire at the officers, hitting Tacho Verdugo multiple times, in the chest, stomach, and leg. When the officers returned fire, the assailants fled, abandoning one of the vehicles a few blocks away. Tacho Verdugo was taken to hospital, but died from blood loss. Officers recovered forty casings from the scene, reportedly from AR-15 cartridges. In the abandoned vehicle, officers recovered two AR-15s as well as magazines and ammunition from other weapons. Blood in the driver’s seat suggested that at least one of the gunmen was wounded, but no suspects were arrested. Initial news reports indicated that Tacho Verdugo was shot with .223, 9mm, and .44 caliber rounds, but a police spokesman later reported that he had actually been hit with 5.7 X 28 mm bullets. The different news accounts of the attack provided conflicting information about how many times Tacho Verdugo was actually hit. At least one bullet pierced his lung but all of the wounds were considered mortal. None of the news reports indicated whether Tacho Verdugo was wearing armor. The attack appears to have been directly linked to narcotics trafficking. Tacho Verdugo had been involved in several arrests of suspected drug traffickers and assassins. Days after his murder, his own brother was arrested for smuggling marijuana. Weeks later, Mexican authorities connected the crime with attacks against police in Nuevo León, perpetrated by members of Los Zetas.[xxxi]

• 06 March 2007 – Cananea, Sonora Municipal Police officer Aldo Guzmán Cota Palafox was traveling in his patrol car. He had just finished his shift, when unknown assailants fired upon his patrol car. He was his hit at least three times and killed. Investigating officers recovered sixteen shell casings from the scene. Three were from a 9mm weapon. Ten were from a 5.7 X 28 mm weapon.[xxxii] An early Mexican press report quoted an official as saying that his bulletproof vest had been penetrated by a 5.7 caliber weapon. However, later reports revealed that he actually was hit in the neck, face, and abdomen,[xxxiii] areas not normally covered by armor.

• 08 March 2007 – A factory worker found the body of Municipal Police officer Hero Arturo Gálvez Arce in a communal agricultural area in Hermosillo, Sonora. The body had been dumped alongside a dirt road near train tracks. The victim’s hands were bound and his eyes were covered with duct tape. He had been tortured, and then shot seven times, six times in the head, with 5.7 X 28 mm rounds. A handwritten message was left on his chest, embedded with a knife, as well as a fragmentation grenade. The note threatened several state and local police officers by name.[xxxiv]

• 15 March 2007 – In San Nicolás de Los Garza, Nuevo León, Assistant Police Inspector Enrique Gallegos Salazar, Officer Alberto Hernandez Aguilar, and Officer Ignacio Antonio Gonzalez Sifuentes were standing together talking outside their police cars when two vehicles, a white GMC Yukon and a black Dodge Stratus, pulled up alongside. The occupants of the vehicles opened fire on the officers, striking Gallegos Salazar ten times, killing him on the spot, and injuring the other two officers. Hernandez Aguilar would later die at hospital. That same evening, José Alfonso Alanís Tello entered the Federal Police headquarters in General Escobedo, Nuevo León, seeking assistance. He claimed that he was being chased by three vehicles, including a white Yukon. His vehicle had multiple bullet impacts. Officers issued a “Code Red” and mounted a search operation, which led to the pursuit of a suspicious Yukon, spotted traveling at high speeds. The chase ended when the Yukon crashed into the rear of a parked trailer on the highway towards Laredo, Texas. The occupants were injured and were taken, in custody, to hospital. When officers searched the SUV, they found an AR-15 with infrared sights, a 9mm pistol, and a Five-seveN® pistol, along with ammunition, military style clothing, body armor, and communication equipment. Alanís Tello admitted that he was the brother of convicted drug trafficker Adrián Armando “El Pony” Alanís Tello and brother-in-law of murdered drug trafficker Miguel Angel “La Chiva”, Alanís Caballero. Gallegos Salazar is considered to have been the primary target of the attack because, on November 8th, 2006, he had participated in the arrest of three gunmen believed to be linked to Los Zetas.[xxxv]

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(Map adapted from Mexican National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information)

In all of these cases, the officers appear to have been specifically targeted for assassination and methodically attacked. Most of the cases occurred in the Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon; others occurred in regions known for intense drug smuggling activity. Vehicles involved in attacks had both Mexican and U.S. license plates. There were no reported cases of random violence or petty criminals using 5.7 X 28 mm weapons against a police officer.

In all but one case, multiple firearms were used; there are no indications that 5.7 X 28 mm weapons were deciding factors in any of these attacks. Although an officer was struck in the chest in one incident, in none was a 5.7 X 28 mm cartridge confirmed to have penetrated a police officer’s body armor.

The Bad News

There has been a disturbingly increasing frequency in the use of 5.7 X 28 mm weapons. This reflects spreading popularity of these weapons among criminals, which is likely being fomented by the media reaction. Nevertheless, whether chicken or egg, the fact is that most attacks involving these weapons have been assassinations of police officers and former police officers.

Also of concern is that many of these weapons were probably purchased in the U.S. Mexican criminals have purchased Five-seveNs® in California. Additionally, the overwhelming majority seizures and homicides involving Five-seveNs®, P90s®, and 5.7 X 28 mm cartridges have occurred near the U.S. border in the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, and a couple of cases in Sonora. Cases of the submachine guns involved PS90s®, which are commercially available in the U.S. Several of the reported cases involved vehicles with U.S. license plates. This demonstrates that criminals not only have the ability to acquire weapons easily, but that the U.S. – Mexico border continues to be permeable to smugglers.

The Good News

The armor-piercing capability of 5.7 X 28 mm weapons is a function of the ammunition, not the firearms. Only one reported cache included the armor-piercing version of the cartridge, suggesting that such ammunition is still difficult to acquire. Although it will likely happen at some point, so far there have been no confirmed cases in Mexico of these rounds actually penetrating police body armor in a real-life incident. In most cases, various weapons were involved, including rifles that are also capable of penetrating soft body armor; the 5.7 X 28 mm weapon has not been a deciding factor.

The use of these weapons appears to be limited to targeted assassinations rather than random crime, indicating that proliferation is limited to organized crime, not petty criminals. The threat of a random incident is therefore minimal.

There is one potential benefit of the increasing popularity of these weapons. Only two firearms are chambered for the 5.7 X 28 mm round. Both of these are relatively new to the firearms market and of limited distribution. This means that, at least in the short term, the weapons could potentially be easier to trace than other firearms or cartridges.

The Real Problem

The real issue of concern that emerges from the increasing proliferation of 5.7 X 28 mm weapons among Mexican criminals is that it is symptomatic of a much greater and more disturbing truth. The fact that Mexican drug cartels are capable of acquiring exotic, expensive, state-of-the-art firearms is yet another harrowing indicator that, in Mexico, organized crime is alive and well, continuing to modernize, and continuing to evolve despite years of continued efforts by the Mexican government to stamp it out. In the case of 5.7 X 28 mm weapon system, it is not the weapon that is the threat; it is the criminal who wields it.

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[i] Jorge Medellín, “Cancela Defensa compra de armamento de Bélgica [Defense Cancels Arms Purchase from Belgium]”, El Universal, 26 May 2000, (accessed 18 April 2007)

Jorge Alejandro Medellín and Alejandro Salas, “Poseen narcos armamento antiblindaje [Drug Traffickers Possess Armor-Piercing Weapons]”, El Universal, 20 August 2005, (accessed 20 August 2005)

“Descarta PGR que aparezca el Z-4 entre los detenidos en Nuevo Leon [Federal Attorney General’s Office Denies Reports that Z-4 was among those Arrested in Nuevo León]”, NOTIMEX, 16 August 2005, (accessed 16 August 2005)

“Capturan a comando armado en Nuevo León [Armed Command Arrested in Nuevo León]”, El Universal, 16 August 2005, (accessed 16 August 2005)

“Detienen a presunto líder ‘Los Zetas’ [Alleged Leader of Los Zetas Arrested]”, Es Mas, 16 August 2005, (accessed 16 August 2005).

[ii] In the U.S.; Mexican law forbids civilian ownership of many firearms that are considered to be reserved exclusively for the use of the military.

[iii] Patrick Sweeney, “FN’s FiveseveN Twenty Rounds of Belgian Fun”, Guns&Ammo Handguns, 2007 Annual, pp 4-10

Charles E. Petty, “FN Five-seveN Is this the shape of handguns to come?”, American Handgunner, January 2000

“FN's Five-seveN® Pistol: The First of a New Generation”, The Arms Site, 28 November 1999, (accessed 18 April 2007)

Wikipedia Contributors, “5.7 x 28 mm Cartridge”, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 09 March 2007, (accessed 18 April 2007)

Wikipedia Contributors, “FN Five-seveN”, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 April 2007, (accessed 18 April 2007)

Wikipedia Contributors, “FN P90”, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 April 2007, (accessed 18 April 2007)

“A Leap in Evolution”, Global Defence Review, 2000, (accessed 18 April 2007).

“P90 Real Steel”, d3lf FN P90 fansite, 2005, (accessed 18 April 2007).

[iv] Susan Jones, “Gun Control Group Warns of New ‘Cop-Killer’ Handgun”, CNS News, 27 January 2005, (accessed 18 April 2007). Although the cartridge has been around for years, the epithet may have been inspired by its appearance on an episode of CSI: Miami, which aired a few weeks before they launched this campaign (Season 3, “Episode 7: Crime Wave”, 08 November 2004).

[v] “Abastece San Diego de armas a Tijuana [Tijuana Supplies Arms to Tijuana]”, Frontera, 26 March 2007, (accessed 26 March 2007).

[vi] “Decomisan arsenal, vehiculos y dolares en cateo a residencia de NL [Arsenal, Vehicles, and Dollars Seized during Search of Nuevo León Residence]”, NOTIMEX, 22 February 2006, (accessed 12 April 2007)

“A disposición del MPF los cinco detenidos por el Ejército Mexicano en Nuevo León [Five Arrested by Mexican Army Remanded to Federal Public Prosecutor]”, Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 206/06, 22 February 2006, (accessed 12 April 2007).

[vii] “PGR investiga aseguramiento de arsenal en Nuevo Laredo [Federal Attorney General’s Office Investigates Arsenal Seized in Nuevo Laredo]”, Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 788/06, 18 June 2006, (accessed 12 April 2007).

[viii] Antonio Jiménez Gómez, “Decomisa PGR arsenal en Cutzamala [Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Seizes Arsenal in Cutzamala]”, Novedades Acapulco,13 November 2006, (accessed 12 April 2007).

[ix] “Se asegura a la Delincuencia Organizada un importante cargamento de armas [Important Arms Shipment Seized from Organized Crime]”, Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 068/07, 10 February 2007, (accessed 10 February 2007).

[x] “Investiga PGR procedencia de arsenales decomisados en Sonora [Federal Attorney General’s Offices Investigating Origin of Arsenals Seized in Sonora], Ehui, 13 March 2007, (accessed 11 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed 02 May 2007).

[xi] “En Operativo Conjunto Nuevo León-Tamaulipas, aseguran Policía Federal y SEMAR-Armada de México arsenal en Tampico [Federal Police and Mexican Navy Seize Arsenal in Tampico during Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas]”, Mexican Navy Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 035/07, 03 April 2007, (accessed 10 April 2007)

“En Operativo Conjunto Nuevo León-Tamaulipas, aseguran Policía Federal y SEMAR-Armada de México arsenal en Tampico [Federal Police and Mexican Navy Seize Arsenal in Tampico during Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas]”, Mexican Public Safety Secretary’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 124, 03 April 2007, (accessed 10 April 2007)

“En Operativo Conjunto Nuevo León-Tamaulipas, aseguran Policía Federal, SEMAR-Armada de México y PGR arsenal en Tampico [Federal Police, Mexican Navy, and Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Seize Arsenal in Tampico during Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas]”, Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 143/07, 03 April 2007, (accessed 10 April 2007).

[xii] One report indicated two 9mm pistols and one 5.7 X 28 mm were found, but this report was derived from one of the others and the numbers seem to have been transposed erroneously.

Francisco Cantú, “Abandonan armas en Apodaca [Arms Abandoned in Apodaca], Nuevo León En Línea, 10 April 2007, (accessed 12 April 2007)

“Además de armas encuentran dólares en camionetas abandonadas en NL [Dollars as well as Weapons Found in Abandoned SUVs in Nuevo León]”, NOTIMEX, 10 April 2007, (accessed 10 April 2007)

“Encuentran armamento de grueso calibre en NL [High-Powered Armaments found in Nuevo León], El Financiero en Línea, 09 April 2007, (accessed 12 April 2007)

“Hallan 2 camionetas con armas de grueso calibre en Nuevo León [Two SUVs with High-Powered Weapons Found in Nuevo León]”, La Crónica de Hoy, 09 April 2007, (accessed 12 April 2007).

[xiii] “Detienen a ‘El Chelelo’, operador del cártel del Golfo [Gulf Cartel Operator ‘El Chelelo’ Arrested]”, NOTMEX, 23 April 2007, (accessed 23 April 2007)

“Detiene Policía Federal en Operativo Conjunto Nuevo León-Tamaulipas, al “Chelelo” líder de una célula del Cártel del Golfo [Federal Police Arrest ‘Chelelo’, Leader of Gulf Cartel Cell, in Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas]”, Mexican Public Safety Directorate Press Bulletin 152, 23 April 2007, (accessed 25 April 2007).

[xiv] Samuel Logan, “Mexico’s Internal Drug War”, PINR, 14 August 2006, (accessed 27 April 2007).

[xv] Associated Press Reporters, “Drug Violence Threatens Mexico’s Tourism”, MSNBC, 07 February 2007, (accessed 27 April 2007).

[xvi] José Cárdenas, “Hallan cadáver en Acapulco con amenaza de muerte a narcotraficantes [Body Found in Acapulco with Death Threat to Drug Traffickers]”, Radio Fórmula, 02 June 2006, (accessed 14 March 2007).

Brenda Escobar Zihuatanejo, “Hallan ejecutado y con huellas de tortura a un levantado el miércoles en Coyuquilla [Kidnap Victim Found Executed with signs of Torture in Coyuquilla Wednesday], El Sur de Acapulco, 02 June 2006,

(accessed 17 April 2007).

[xvii] “Arman balacera en plaza comercial de Guadalajara [Weapons Fired in Guadalajara Commercial Plaza]”, El Mañana, 09 July 2007, (accessed 05 March 2007)

“Síntesis Matutina [Morning Incident Summary]”, Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate, 09 July 2006, (accessed 11 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed 02 May 2007).

[xviii] Rubén Villalpando, Miroslava Breach, Alfredo Valadez, Antonio Heras, Misael Habana, Sergio Ocampo, and Claudio Bañuelos, “Incontenibles, las venganzas del narcotráfico; ayer, 12 asesinatos [Drug Trafficking Vengeance Uncontrollable; Twelve Murdered Yesterday]”, La Jornada and NOTIMEX, 17 August 2006, (accessed 14 March 2007).

“Ejecutan a otro en Apatzingán; 14 balazos le dieron [Another Executed in Apatzingán; Received Fourteen Gunshots]”, MiMorelia, 16 August 2007, (accessed 17 April 2007).

[xix] “Ejecutan al cantante de banda Valentín Elizalde [Band Singer Valentín Elizalde Murdered]”, Vanguardia, 24 November 2006, (accessed 17 April 2007).

[xx] Benito Jiménez, “Es arma prohibida, confirma la Sedena [Defense Department Confirms that 5.7 X 28 mm is a Prohibited Weapon]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Analiza PGJDF si envía toda la pesquisa sobre ejecución de la hija de un general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Considers Handing Over Investigation of General’s Daughter’s Execution]”, Jornada, 19 March 2007,

(accessed 14 May 2007)

“Usaron tres armas los asesinos de Mireya López Portillo: PGJDF [Assassins Used Three Weapons to Assassinate Mireya López Portillo: Federal District Attorney General’s Office]”, Jornada, 26 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Favorece PGJDF que PGR atraiga el asesinato de Mireya López Portillo [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Favors PGR Handling Assassination of Mireya López Portillo]”, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Jorge Carrasco Araizaga, “La extraña ejecución [The Strange Execution]”, Por Esto, 25 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas “En dos días, resultados de balística de asesinato de hija de general [Ballistic Test Results on Assassination of General’s Daughter in Two Days]”, El Universal, 20 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas, “Vinculan asesinato de hija de general con decomiso millonario [Assassination of General’s Daughter Linked to Seizure of Millions]”, El Universal, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Ejecutan a un matrimonio en Bosques de las Lomas [Married Couple Executed in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 18 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Asume PGR caso de homicidios en Bosques de las Lomas [Federal Attorney General’s Office Takes Over Case of Homicides in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 30 March 2007, (accessed 24 May 2007)

Alejandro Cruz Flores, “La PGR evalúa desde el viernes crimen de Mireya López Portillo [Federal Attorney General’s Office Evaluating Mireya López Portillo Crime since Friday]”, Jornada, 03 April 2007, (accessed 14 may 2007)

Agustin Salgado, “Decidirá la Corte quién llevará caso de Mireya López Portillo [Court Will Decide Who Handles Mireya López Portillo Case]”, Jornada, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Miguel Nila, “Declina PGJDF investigar muerte de hija de general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines to Investigate Death of General’s Daughter]”, Es Mas, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Fiscalía capitalina pide a PGR atraer ejecución de Las Lomas [Capital’s Attorney Asks Federal Attorney General’s Office to Handle Las Lomas Execution]”, El Universal, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Declina PGJDF en el homicidio de Las Lomas [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines Jurisdiction for Las Lomas Homicide]”, Federal District Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 107, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007).

[xxi] Benito Jiménez, “Es arma prohibida, confirma la Sedena [Defense Department Confirms that 5.7 X 28 mm is a Prohibited Weapon]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Analiza PGJDF si envía toda la pesquisa sobre ejecución de la hija de un general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Considers Handing Over Investigation of General’s Daughter’s Execution]”, Jornada, 19 March 2007,

(accessed 14 May 2007)

“Usaron tres armas los asesinos de Mireya López Portillo: PGJDF [Assassins Used Three Weapons to Assassinate Mireya López Portillo: Federal District Attorney General’s Office]”, Jornada, 26 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Favorece PGJDF que PGR atraiga el asesinato de Mireya López Portillo [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Favors PGR Handling Assassination of Mireya López Portillo]”, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Jorge Carrasco Araizaga, “La extraña ejecución [The Strange Execution]”, Por Esto, 25 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas “En dos días, resultados de balística de asesinato de hija de general [Ballistic Test Results on Assassination of General’s Daughter in Two Days]”, El Universal, 20 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas, “Vinculan asesinato de hija de general con decomiso millonario [Assassination of General’s Daughter Linked to Seizure of Millions]”, El Universal, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Ejecutan a un matrimonio en Bosques de las Lomas [Married Couple Executed in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 18 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Asume PGR caso de homicidios en Bosques de las Lomas [Federal Attorney General’s Office Takes Over Case of Homicides in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 30 March 2007, (accessed 24 May 2007)

Alejandro Cruz Flores, “La PGR evalúa desde el viernes crimen de Mireya López Portillo [Federal Attorney General’s Office Evaluating Mireya López Portillo Crime since Friday]”, Jornada, 03 April 2007, (accessed 14 may 2007)

Agustin Salgado, “Decidirá la Corte quién llevará caso de Mireya López Portillo [Court Will Decide Who Handles Mireya López Portillo Case]”, Jornada, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Miguel Nila, “Declina PGJDF investigar muerte de hija de general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines to Investigate Death of General’s Daughter]”, Es Mas, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Fiscalía capitalina pide a PGR atraer ejecución de Las Lomas [Capital’s Attorney Asks Federal Attorney General’s Office to Handle Las Lomas Execution]”, El Universal, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Declina PGJDF en el homicidio de Las Lomas [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines Jurisdiction for Las Lomas Homicide]”, Federal District Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 107, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007).

[xxii] José Ramón Rodríguez, Gilberto López Betancourt, and Esteban Alonso Juárez, “Tenía director de policía en Sabinas Hidalgo 15 días en el cargo [Police Director in Sabinas Hidalgo Held Office for Fifteen Days], El Porvenir, 14 February 2006, (accessed 11 May 2007)

Alejandro Salas, “Buscará PGJ de Nuevo León a responsables de asesinatos [Nuevo León State Attorney General’s Offices Seeks Those Responsible for Murders], El Universal, 14 February 2006, (accessed 11 May 2007)

“Ejecutan a dos jefes policiacos en Nuevo León [Two Police Chiefs Executed in Nuevo León]”, El Universal, 14 February 2006, (accessed 11 May 2007).

[xxiii] Juan Cedillo, “Ejecutan a diretor de AEI en Nuevo León [Nuevo León State Investigative Agency Director Executed]”, El Universal, 05 September 2006, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Pronostican en blog crimen de Marcelo Garza [Crime against Marcelo Garza Predicted on Blog]”, Milenio, 23 September 2006, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Asesinan a jefe policiaco en Nuevo León [Nuevo León Police Chief Assassinated]”, Es Mas, 05 September 2006, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Alfredo Valadez Rodriguez, “Matan a comandante luego de que anunció cambios en policía de NL [Commander Killed after Announcing Changes in Nuevo León Police]”, Jornada, 06 September 2006, (accessed 14 May 2007)

José Ramón Rodríguez and Alberto Medina Espinoza, “Ejecutan a Marcelo Garza, director de al AEI [State Investigative Agency Director Marcelo Garza Executed]”, 06 September 2006, (accessed 14 May 2007).

Gilberto López Betancourt and José Ramón Rodríguez, “Ejectuan en Linares a jefe policiaco [Police Chief Executed in Linares], El Porvenir, 13 September 2006, (accessed 21 May 2007)

Gilberto López Betancourt and José Ramón Rodríguez, “Cae el cuarto jefe policiaco abatido por las balas del hampa [Fourth Police Chief Dies, Shot Down by Underworld Gunfire], El Porvenir, 13 September 2006, (accessed 21 May 2007)

Benito Jiménez, “Es arma prohibida, confirma la Sedena [Defense Department Confirms that 5.7 X 28 mm is a Prohibited Weapon]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007).

[xxiv] “Siguen las ejecuciones en el Norte [Executions Continue in the North of Mexico]”, Novedades de Quintana Roo, 13 September 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007).

[xxv] Gilberto López Betancourt and José Ramón Rodríguez, “Ejectuan en Linares a jefe policiaco [Police Chief Executed in Linares], El Porvenir, 13 September 2006, (accessed 21 May 2007)

Gilberto López Betancourt and José Ramón Rodríguez, “Cae el cuarto jefe policiaco abatido por las balas del hampa [Fourth Police Chief Dies, Shot Down by Underworld Gunfire], El Porvenir, 13 September 2006, (accessed 21 May 2007).

[xxvi] “Ejecutan a Agente del MP de Escobedo, Nuevo León [Ministerial Police Officer Executed in Escobedo, Nuevo León]”, Vanguardia, 24 November 2006, (accessed 14 March 2007).

[xxvii] Benito Jiménez, “Es arma prohibida, confirma la Sedena [Defense Department Confirms that 5.7 X 28 mm is a Prohibited Weapon]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

“Revelan pistas armas homicidas [Weapons Used in Homicides Reveal Clues]” Reforma, 31 March 2007 (accessed on 02 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Analiza PGJDF si envía toda la pesquisa sobre ejecución de la hija de un general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Considers Handing Over Investigation of General’s Daughter’s Execution]”, Jornada, 19 March 2007,

(accessed 14 May 2007)

“Usaron tres armas los asesinos de Mireya López Portillo: PGJDF [Assassins Used Three Weapons to Assassinate Mireya López Portillo: Federal District Attorney General’s Office]”, Jornada, 26 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Erika Duarte, “Favorece PGJDF que PGR atraiga el asesinato de Mireya López Portillo [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Favors PGR Handling Assassination of Mireya López Portillo]”, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Jorge Carrasco Araizaga, “La extraña ejecución [The Strange Execution]”, Por Esto, 25 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas “En dos días, resultados de balística de asesinato de hija de general [Ballistic Test Results on Assassination of General’s Daughter in Two Days]”, El Universal, 20 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Icela Lagunas, “Vinculan asesinato de hija de general con decomiso millonario [Assassination of General’s Daughter Linked to Seizure of Millions]”, El Universal, 19 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Ejecutan a un matrimonio en Bosques de las Lomas [Married Couple Executed in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 18 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Asume PGR caso de homicidios en Bosques de las Lomas [Federal Attorney General’s Office Takes Over Case of Homicides in Bosques de las Lomas]”, El Universal, 30 March 2007, (accessed 24 May 2007)

Alejandro Cruz Flores, “La PGR evalúa desde el viernes crimen de Mireya López Portillo [Federal Attorney General’s Office Evaluating Mireya López Portillo Crime since Friday]”, Jornada, 03 April 2007, (accessed 14 may 2007)

Agustin Salgado, “Decidirá la Corte quién llevará caso de Mireya López Portillo [Court Will Decide Who Handles Mireya López Portillo Case]”, Jornada, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Miguel Nila, “Declina PGJDF investigar muerte de hija de general [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines to Investigate Death of General’s Daughter]”, Es Mas, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

Claudia Bolaños, “Fiscalía capitalina pide a PGR atraer ejecución de Las Lomas [Capital’s Attorney Asks Federal Attorney General’s Office to Handle Las Lomas Execution]”, El Universal, 31 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007)

“Declina PGJDF en el homicidio de Las Lomas [Federal District Attorney General’s Office Declines Jurisdiction for Las Lomas Homicide]”, Federal District Attorney General’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 107, 30 March 2007, (accessed 14 May 2007).

[xxviii] “Ejecutan de 120 balazos a policía municipal en Uruapan [Municipal Police Officer Executed in Uruapan with 120 Shots]”, NOTIMEX, 22 December 2006, accessed 22 December 2006.

[xxix] Alberto Medina Espinosa and Nancy Gómez, “Emboscan sicarios a policías de Santa Catarina [Gunmen Ambush Santa Catarina Police]”, El Porvenir, 16 January 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

Esteban Alonso Juárez, “Ejecutan a dos policias en Santa Catarina [Two Police Officers Murdered in Santa Catarina]” El Porvenir, 18 January 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

Luciano Campos Garza, “La policía de Nuevo León, en la mira de sicarios [Nuevo León Police in Gunmen’s Sights]”, Proceso, 19 March 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“La violencia cobra dos nuevas víctimas [Violence Takes Two New Victims], El Diario de Yucatán, 17 January 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“Balean a policías de Santa Catarina [Santa Catarina Police Officers Shot]”, El Diario de Coahuila, 16 January 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“Fueron baleados dos policías en Nuevo León [Two Police Officers Shot in Nuevo León]”, Radio Fórmula, 16 January 2007, (accessed 14 March 2007).

[xxx] Asesinan a dos ex policías en Monterrey [Two Former Police Officers Murdered in Monterrey]”, Vanguardia, 10 February 2007, (accessed 10 February 2007).

[xxxi] Luis Arvayo, “Usan con Tacho ‘matapolicías’ [‘Cop-Killers’ Used against Tacho], El Imparcial, 28 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Chris Hawley and Yvonne Wingett, “Drug War Violence Spreads”, USA Today, 02 March 2007,

Xavier Zaragoza, “Agua Prieta Mayor Seeks to Restore Tranquility”, The Daily Dispatch, 28 March 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Yvonne Wingette and Chris Hawley, “Agua Prieta Police Chief Assassinated”, Arizona Republic, 27 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

“Investiga PGJE asesinato de Ramón Tacho Verdugo [State Attorney Generals’ Office Investigating Assassination of Ramón Tacho Verdugo]”, Ehui, 27 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Luis Arvayo, “Ejecutan en Agua Prieta a Comandante de Policía [Police Commander Executed in Agua Prieta]”, El Imparcial, 27 February 2007, (accessed 08 May 2007)

Humberto Melgoza Vega, “Los Zetas en Sonora [Los Zetas in Sonora]”, Contraseña, 20 April 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

“Matan a jefe de la policia de Agua Prieta Sonora [Police Chief Killed in Agua Prieta, Sonora]”, Chacoteo, 26 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Jonathan Clark, “Top Cop in Agua Prieta Killed in Hail of Bullets”, Sierra Vista Herald, 28 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Gregorio Cruz Fuentes, “Muere luego de atentado en su contra el Cmdte. Ramon Tacho Verdugo consternacion en Agua Prieta [Consternation in Agua Prieta after Commander Ramón Tacho Verdugo Dies in Attack]”, Las Noticias de la Frontera, 27 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007).

“Por temor renuncia el Jefe de Tránsito en Agua Prieta [Agua Prieta Transit Chief Resigns in Fear]”, Dossier, 11 March 2007 (accessed 02 May 2007).

Julio César Ortega Quiroz y Mora, “Muere luego de atentado en su contra el Cmdte. Ramon Tacho Verdugo consternacion en Agua Prieta [Consternation in Agua Prieta after Commander Ramón Tacho Verdugo Dies in Attack]”, La Neta, 26 February 2007, (accessed 02 May 2007)

Marcelo Beyliss, “Levanta comando armado a siete policías en Sonora [Armed Command Snatches Seven Police in Sonora]”, El Universal, 16 May 2007, (accessed 16 May 2007)

Reportan cuatro policies muertos en Sonora [Four Police Officers Reported Dead in Sonora]”, El Universal, 16 May 2007, (accessed 16 May 2007)

“Son 9 levantados en Sonora, revela Bours [Nine Were Snatched in Sonora, Bours Reveals]”, Reforma, 16 May 2007, (accessed 16 May 2007)

“Un grupo de entre 40 a 50 personas fuertemente armados, privaron de su libertad a siete agentes pertenecientes a la Dirección de Seguridad Pública Municipal de Cananea “A Group of Forty to Fifty Heavily-Armed Individuals Kidnap Seven Municipal Public Safety Officers in Cananea]” Sonora State Government Public Affairs Directorate, 17 May 2007, (accessed 17 May 2007)

“El Gobernador Eduardo Bours informó que agentes de las policías Estatal Investigadora y Estatal de Seguridad Pública restablecieron el orden en Cananea [Governor Eduardo Bours Reports that State Investigatory and Public Safety Agents Have Reestablished Order in Cananea]”, Sonora State Government Public Affairs Directorate, 17 May 2007, (accessed 17 May 2007)

“Deja enfrentamiento en Cananea 20 muertos [Twenty Dead after Confrontation in Cananea]”, Diario del Desierto, 16 May 2007, (accessed 17 May 2007)

“Tras una persecución en la sierra, logran dar muerte a 15 sicarios; éstos matan a 5 [Fifteen Gunmen Killed after Chase in Mountains; They Had Killed Five People Reforma, 17 May 2007, (accessed 17 May 2007).

[xxxii] One press report indicated that he was shot with AK-47 and 9mm rounds; it was later revealed that the rounds were 5.7 X 28 mm.

[xxxiii] Jonathan Clark, “Police Officer in Cananea Shot, Killed”, Douglas Daily Dispatch, 09 March 2007

Luis Arvayo, “Acribillan a otro policía, ahora en Cananea [Another Police Officer Shot, This Time in Cananea]”, El Imparcial, 06 March 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“Asesinan a un policía municipal en Cananea, Sonora [Municipal Police Officer Murdered in Cananea, Sonora]”, NOTIMEX, 06 March 2007, (accessed 06 March 2007)

Marcos López Robles, “Matan a otro agente de la municipal ahora en Cananea [Another Municipal Agent Killed, Now in Cananea]”, El Sol de Caborca, 09 March 2007, (accessed 16 april 2007)

“Acribillan a tres; dos eran policías [Three Shot; Two Were Police Officers]”, Cambio Sonora, 07 March 2007, (accessed 01 May 2007)

“Vidas en cumplimiento de su deber [Lives in Fulfillment of their Duty],” El Imparcial, 16 March 2007.

[xxxiv] Alfonso Campos Rubio, “Dejan mensaje intimidatorio clavado con una daga al tórax … Executan a Municipal con balas ‘mata policies’ … [Intimidating Message Pinned to Chest with Knife … Municipal Police Officer Killed with ‘Cop Killer’ Bullets]”, El Sol de Caborca, 09 March 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“Ejecutan a policía municipal de Hermosillo; ante lo torturaron [Municipal Police Officer Murdered in Hermosillo; Previously Was Tortured]”, El Reportero de la Comunidad, 09 April 2007, (accessed 16 April 2007)

“Ejecutaron la mañana de hoy a un agente de la Policía Municipal [Municipal Police Officer Murdered this Morning]”, Expreso, 08 March 2007 (accessed 08 March 2007)

Jonathan Clark, “Police Officer in Cananea Shot, Killed”, Douglas Daily Dispatch, 09 March 2007

[xxxv] “Detiene Policía Federal a dos presuntos ‘Gatilleros’ y asegura arsenal en ‘Operative Conjunto Nuevo León-Tamaulipas’ [Federal Police Arrest Two Alleged ‘Gunmen’ and Seize Arsenal in ‘Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas’]”, Mexican Public Safety Secretary’s Office Public Affairs Directorate Press Bulletin 107, 15 March 2007, (accessed 09 April 2007)

“Ejecutan a dos policías en San Nicolás de los Garza, NL [Two Police Officers Murdered in San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León], El Diario de Coahuila, 16 March 2007, (accessed 16 March 2007).

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Nuevo Laredo

Tamaulipas

23 April 2007

Reported Seizures

of 5.7 X 28 mm

Weapons

FN PS90® Submachine Gun

N

Stoplight:

Attack begins

Cell Phone Store:

Victims followed

Marketplace:

Vehicle comes to rest

General Escobedo

Nuevo León

15 March 2007

Cutzamala de Pinzon

Guerrero

12 November 2006

San Pedro Garza García

Nuevo León

21 February 2006

Monterrey

Nuevo León

15 August 2005

Apodaca

Nuevo León

09 April 2007

Tampico

Tamaulipas

02 April 2007

Matamoros

Tamaulipas

08 February 2007

Mexico City

Federal District

17 March 2007

Mexico City

Federal District

16 March 2007

Guadalajara

Jalisco

08 July 2006

Reynosa

Tamauliapas

24 November 2006

Nuevo Laredo

Tamaulipas

18 June 2006

Search results referring to 5.7 X 28 mm weapons

Uruapan

Michoacán

22 December 2006

Apatzingán

Michoacán

16 August 2006

Civilian Attacks

Involving

5.7 X 28 mm

Weapons

Petatlán

Guerrero

31 May 2006

Magdalena de Kino

Sonora

01 March 2007

Linares

Nuevo León

13 September 2006

San Pedro Garza García

Nuevo León

05 September 2006

Mexico City

Federal District

29 November 2006

Sabinas Hidalgo

Nuevo León

13 February 2006

Agua Prieta

Sonora

26 February 2007

San Nicolás de los Garza

Nuevo León

15 March 2007

Hermosillo

Sonora

08 March 2007

Cananea

Sonora

06 March 2007

Santa Catarina

Nuevo León

16 January 2007

Monterrey

Nuevo León

09 February 2007

General Escobedo

Nuevo León

24 November 2006

Ciudad Victoria

Tamaulipas

13 September 2006

Police Attacks

Involving

5.7 X 28 mm

Weapons

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