A year after the death of beauty queen Maria Susana Flores in a shootout with the Mexican Army, several banners were left in the municipalities of Culiacan, Salvador Alvarado and Mocorito in Sinaloa, blaming a Mexican General of Her death. The messages were left in visible places for passing motorists and pedestrians to see, they were left in the cities of Culiacan, Guamuchil and at the entrance arches of several town in Mocorito.
The banners were left in the early hours of the day. In Culiacan they were left in the area of La Lomita, around Blvd. Emiliano Zapata on several bridges, outside the 9th Military Zone headquarters and in the State Government´s Administrative Services Unit.
The banners read: “General Gurrola, you frightened and murdered Maria Susana Flores and keep killing innocent people, Mr. Defense Secretary, let this general be investigated because he has only trampled the human rights, killed, tortured innocent people, just like you killed Maria Susana Flores, and many more. Mr. President, with all due respect, open an investigation on this General who should not be on the Army, but on jail. Yours truly, Cholo Ivan“. Original text: “General Gurrola atemorizaste y mataste a María Susana Flores y todavía sigues matando gente inocente, señor Secretario de la Defensa que se investigue a ese General porque lo único que se ha hecho es pisotear los Derechos Humanos, matar, torturas gente inocente, así como mataste a María Susana Flores y muchos más, señor Presidente con todo respeto investigue al General que no debería estar en el Ejército si no en la cárcel, atte Cholo Ivan”. The man signing the banners is accused of operating in the area of Evora (NOTE: He is considered a cell leader for CDS in charge of battling BLO), authorities accuse him of stealing fuel from PEMEX in that area. The banners make reference to the death of Maria Susana Flores(You can read BB´s post on the subject HERE), she was the girlfriend of the alleged criminal. She was gunned down during a gun fight between hit men led by Cholo Ivan and members of the Mexican Army which took place on November 24th, 2012 in the towns of Caitime and El Palmar de los Leal. The banners were taken away by soldiers and members of all the different police agencies.
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| Maria Susana Flores, former Miss Sinaloa. |
On May, 2013, a series of small pamphlets were thrown from Army helicopters in the cities of Guasave and Culiacan, the pamphlets ask for citizens to denounce Ivan Gastelum Medina aka “El Cholo Ivan”, who they accuse of “homicide, femicide, thief, kidnapper, extortionist, hitman, rapist and retail drug seller”.
“Your call is anonymous” they claimed.
The answer came two days later. A banner alluding the pamphlets thrown by the Army helicopters was hung in the city of Guamuchil.
The banner read: “It was already known which side you were on, why do you have to fill Guasave with pictures of “Cholo Ivan”?, where are the ones from “Chapo Isidro”?…“.
Original text: “YA ERA SABIDO DEL LADO QUE ESTAN XQ TAPIZAN GUASAVE CON FOTOS DEL CHOLO IVAN Y LAS DEL CHAPO ISIDRO DONDE ESTAN…“.
Two days after the first banner, more than 60 banners were left in the city of Guamuchil, all with the same message:
“Mr. Defense Secretary: I, Cholo Ivan, my respect for the Army, all I have done is defend myself while the responsible of all this is General Gurrola, he is the one who has done to innocent people, and violated human rights, he is the one who should be jailed and not in the Army, he is the only femicide, murderer and rapist, Mr Secretary, with all due respect investigate who this General Gurrola is, just so you can know who he really is look at El Debate from May 28th, look at how he denies ordering the pamphlets and killing Maria Susana Flores, who is the one committing femicide? Yours truly, El Cholo Ivan.“.
Original text: “Señor Secretario de la Defensa Yo el cholo Iván mis respetos pal ejercito yo lo que he hecho es defenderme mientras el culpable de lo que sucedió es el General Gurrola es el que a hecho es gente inocente y violar derechos humanos el es el que debería estar en la cárcel no en el ejercito ya que es el único feminicida y homicida y violador señor secretario con todo respeto investigue quien es ese General Gurrola para que se de cuenta quien es en realidad cheque el debate el día 28 de mayo ya que se niega que el mando tirar volantes en los helicópteros y como también niega que el mato a María Susana Flores quien es el feminicida? ATTE: El Cholo Ivan”.
(You can read Borderland Beat´s original post on the banners by clicking
HERE)
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| Orso Ivan Gastelum Avila aka Cholo Ivan, cell leader for CDS in Sinaloa. |
Ivan Gastelum Medina aka “El Cholo Ivan” escaped from Culiacan´s prison on October, 2009, he was serving a sentence for drug trafficking and organized crime. He is operates for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
WHO IS GENERAL GURROLA?
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| General Pedro Felipe Gurrola, Commander of the First Special Forces Brigade in Sinaloa. |
According to a report published in LaParedNoticias “Of the three Generals with troops under his command in Sinaloa, Pedro Felipe Gurrola Ramirez stands out for his experience in the war against drug traffickers dating back to the early 90´s, when he was deputy leader of the Presidential Guards of the Marte XXI task force in Badiraguato, Sinaloa (“Chapo Guzman, “Mayo Zambada”, the Beltran Leyva brothers, Caro Quintero, “Azul Esparragoza”, Pedro Avilez and many more legendary druglords have been reported to be born in Badiraguato). He had his formation in the mountains, always commanding Special Forces commandos. He is a member of the Mexican Army´s legion of honor, and a graduate of the US Army School of the Americas now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. It is believed General Gurrolla was in command of the Special Forces team which raided the town of El Melon, in Quila, Sinaloa looking for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on July, 2011. His area of operations is the so-called Golden Triangle formed between Durango, Sinaloa and Chihuahua states. No proof has been given by anyone of any corruption acts by the General.
SOURCES:
http://laparednoticias.com/el-retador-del-cholo-ivan/ http://riodoce.mx/narcotrafico-2/aparecen-decenas-de-narcomantas-acusan-general-de-asesino
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2013/12/cholo-ivan-of-cds-asks-pena-nieto-for.html
Mexican Drug Cartels, Violence and Drug Trafficking across the US-Mexico Border 