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A Rosarito beach man was kidnapped from his furniture business which shares the same parking lot as the "Footprinters". The kidnapped businessman has been identified as Salvador Aguilar Cuen, 56 years old. Lot's of Rosarito Police hang out at Footprinters, but they got him anyway...

Rosarito businessman kidnapped


ROSARITO, Baja California(PH) - Un empresario de Rosarito fue privado de su libertad por sujetos que a punta de pistola lo sometieron y obligaron a subir a una unidad tipo panel en la que llegaron por él.

Los hechos ocurrieron la mañana de hoy en una fábrica de muebles de cocina ubicada sobre la calle Tijuana, en la colonia Machado.

De acuerdo con el reporte de la Policía Municipal, los testigos indicaron que la camioneta tipo panel color blanca, llegó al patio de la fábrica y de ella descendieron varios sujetos que los amedrentaron con armas de fuego y se llevaron al propietario del lugar.

Hasta el momento no se tienen mayores datos y no fue posible localizar la camioneta en cuestión.

http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/...arito.html

ROSARITO, Baja California - A Rosarito businessman was kidnapped by subjects who forced him at gunpoint to get into a panel van in which they came for him.

The events occurred this morning in a kitchen furniture factory located on calle Tijuana, in colonia Machado.

According to the Municipal Police, witnesses said that the white panel truck arrived at the factory yard and several people got out who threatened him with firearms and took the owner from the location.

As of the moment there is no more information and it was not possible to locate the panel truck.

_______________________________________

I go by there a lot, it shares the same parking lot as the "Footprinters Clubhouse". There is a newer exit for Rosarito after the main one. You bang a right from it onto Calle Tijuana, go past these buildings and you intersect with the Benito Juarez Blvd at the Electra store. Our worker Alberto goes by there every day and says Footprinters always has police cars parked in the lot.



They used a van when they tried to kidnap me in 2007. Three vans actually. One van parked at the front door- the others parked at the street on either side of us. One guy gets out and knocks on the door, another is riding shotgun and a third man has the side doors open and camera taking photos. Luckily we weren't home. Our worker told us about it and we reviewed the tape. Our lawyer took the tape to the PGJE where he had a commandante friend at the time (KIA on the job there). They were the ones who noticed it was three vans, etc. The PGJE told me the men "were delinquents who intended to do you harm". At least they were honest. A week or so later I saw a story on the news about a kidnap ring in TJ getting busted and the video showed three white vans. I guess that was them or they would've been back. In 2007 we were driving a new ML series- the Baja boom days. We ditched it soon thereafter, but there is really no way an expat can drive a beater bad enough or dress down frumpy enough to blend in and not be a target.

This is what it looked like when they came for me:

Wow just thinking about getting kidnapped sends chills up your spine Lucky you was not there. I hope in the future Mexico does get better controlling crime. There is still way too many police on the take.

Aren't the Footprinters a bunch of retired expat LE officers? Is there a bar in their clubhouse?

Originally Posted by Amigo Arizona

Wow just thinking about getting kidnapped sends chills up your spine Lucky you was not there. I hope in the future Mexico does get better controlling crime. There is still way too many police on the take.

That was six years a ago. Mexico says it is totally safe now.

Originally Posted by DENNIS

Aren't the Footprinters a bunch of retired expat LE officers? Is there a bar in their clubhouse?

In the USA, the Footprinters organization was mainly comprised of Civilian Law Enforcement employees such as ID Technicans, photographers, fingerprinters(such the name footprinters), not many sworn law enforcement belonged. I don't anything about the one in Rosarito.
Did this kidnap attempt occur at your business or residence? Either way, most of these types of crimes are not random acts but are well planned.

Originally Posted by larry

In the USA, the Footprinters organization was mainly comprised of Civilian Law Enforcement employees such as ID Technicans, photographers, fingerprinters(such the name footprinters), not many sworn law enforcement belonged. I don't anything about the one in Rosarito.
Did this kidnap attempt occur at your business or residence? Either way, most of these types of crimes are not random acts but are well planned.

They are very well planned, almost orchestrated. There a "falcons" all over town with walkie-talkies to track people or police movements all day long. This is what they do all day, every day. If they want you, they will get you. You have to do everything you can do to not be taken away. Our Vet keeps his front door locked, even during business hours- he doesn't want to be taken.

I was an easy and likely target. It was 2007 when real estate was popping and before the crime wave and economic downturn. We had a new ML and a nice house and we moved to a downtown Mexican neighborhood- not an ex-pat community. I always had security in mind though. There was a mindset among Mexican criminals then that Gringo's who are "alone" (no Mexican family or connections) are OK targets. We weren't "alone", but we hadn't been there long enough for the "falcons" to know that I guess. We have always taken safety and security seriously.

I have only heard good things about the Footprinters. Very decent food and a bar. I think you can donate $50 to them and they will give you a "get out of jail free" windshield decal (not really, just for traffic stops).

Have you ever considered K&R Insurance(Kidnap/Ransom)? Do higher profile citizens utilize bodyguard services? I am not selling either, just inquiring.

Originally Posted by larry

Have you ever considered K&R Insurance(Kidnap/Ransom)? Do higher profile citizens utilize bodyguard services? I am not selling either, just inquiring.

People that have good security don't talk about it.

Businesses or individuals in Rosarito Beach can hire Auxiliary or Commercial Police officers for business and private security. They run 350 pesos per day. My neighbors and I chip in for one to watch our street at night. We're all on the same walkie-talkie with them. Good security depends on people you trust.

As far as K&R coverage- last time I checked rates was during the narco crime wave and it ran $3K USD per month for $500K coverage. They do pay for your funeral though.

Kidnappers don't even get their hands dirty anymore. They just make a phone call, tell a person he's marked and can avoid it by paying.
The victim knows it's not an idle threat, so they either pay.......or run.
Chula Vista has a lot of wealthy Mexicans living there who have received the call.

Originally Posted by DENNIS

Kidnappers don't even get their hands dirty anymore. They just make a phone call, tell a person he's marked and can avoid it by paying.
The victim knows it's not an idle threat, so they either pay.......or run.
Chula Vista has a lot of wealthy Mexicans living there who have received the call.

Interesting twist and as long as law enforcement is ineffective or not even made aware, it is likely to continue and grow.

Originally Posted by DENNIS

Kidnappers don't even get their hands dirty anymore. They just make a phone call, tell a person he's marked and can avoid it by paying.
The victim knows it's not an idle threat, so they either pay.......or run.
Chula Vista has a lot of wealthy Mexicans living there who have received the call.

Most of the marked who balk at paying presumably make it to Step 2 and are abducted. The most common form is the "Express Kidnapping: The temporary deprivation of liberty for the purpose of robbery". I do not believe this crime is even considered a kidnapping for the crime stats. In Step 2 they have plenty of payment options available to you and your ATM pin code. You will get a complimentary extended stay until your bank accounts are emptied. If you are lucky- you will be released to make monthly payments. The only good part is they keep you alive after that so you won't miss a payment.

Originally Posted by DENNIS

Chula Vista has a lot of wealthy Mexicans living there who have received the call.

ChulaJuana. A lot of Mexican politicians and their families too.

No word yet on the status of kidnapped businessman Salvador Aguilar Cuen, 56 years old.

From the Christina Science Monitor. The story gives some kidnapping stats and trends but mainly refers to a recent Mexico City incident a few weeks ago when 12 young people were kidnapped from an after-hours club called "Heaven".

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Ameri...-in-abductions

Kidnapping is the crime that causes the greatest fear in Mexico.

Even a slight uptick in abductions can dramatically alter how safe people say they feel, according to a new study by a Mexico City think tank, CIDAC. And kidnapping is on the rise.

Last month, 12 people disappeared from an after-hours bar just one block from the monuments and skyscrapers of Mexico City's busy Reforma Avenue last month. Twelve days have passed with no word of their whereabouts, and the capital’s chief prosecutor has so far declined to name suspects or possible motives.

Adding to Mexicans' concerns is that the monthly average of reported abductions grew 132 percent between 2006 and 2012, according to México Evalúa, a Mexico City-based think tank. So far this year, reported kidnappings are averaging 130 per month, up from 109 per month last year and a monthly average of fewer than 40 in 2004.

“I think it’s a blunt signal that insecurity continues to be a serious problem in Mexico,” says Edna Jaime, México Evalúa executive director. “The fact that something like this occurs, I think it ought to be an alert that the city is not protected.”

Each time the number of reported abductions per 100,000 people rises by 10, the perception of insecurity jumps 5 percent, according to the CIDAC report, “Eight Crimes First.”

Mexico City has managed to maintain its distance from the mass kidnappings, disappearances, and murders that have plagued other regions of the country after the previous government of Felipe Calderón launched an offensive against organized crime. It did so by installing hundreds of security cameras, creating a high-tech headquarters for monitoring security citywide, and by managing one of the world’s largest city police forces.

Is the bubble bursting?

Some fear that the disappearance of the 12 people could signal a popping of the security bubble that has managed to keep Mexico City out of the more gruesome headlines. But kidnapping has been an ongoing problem, as rising statistics show, and many say the larger issue is the government’s inability to investigate and prosecute crimes.

“Instead of criminal intelligence, what you see is a bureaucratic procedure that doesn’t succeed at putting together sufficient evidence to prove the suspect’s culpability before a judge,” according to the CIDAC report. “That’s without mentioning the possibility that one or all of the authorities involved are colluding or, simply, end up being incompetent.”

Authorities currently don't have a mandate to allocate resources according to the seriousness of a crime, according to the CIDAC report, and as a result, the saturated system is incapable of dealing effectively with serious cases. CIDAC recommends the government prioritize how it investigates and prosecutes crimes.

Mass kidnapping

It's not uncommon for wealthy families to hire their own investigators to look into kidnapping crimes. Two high-profile kidnappings in 2005 and 2008 saw the families deliver suspects identified in their private investigations to the police's doorstep.

The case of the 12 people reported kidnapped outside a bar known as Heaven After grabbed headlines only after family members blocked a major road in protest. It took investigators several days to piece together that the missing persons reports were connected. (Police initially believed there were 11 victims, but a 12th missing person was added to the list this week.)

Meanwhile, investigators lost track of a key witness for several days, a man who said he escaped the bar through the roof. The man told police his version when he accompanied relatives of one of the missing to file a report, but apparently gave a false name and false address, according to Chief Prosecutor Rodolfo Rios. Mexico City's Milenio newspaper reported today that the man was finally found by police again.

Most of the missing are from a tough neighborhood known as Tepito, notorious for the contraband sold and trafficked there. The Associated Press reported that the fathers of two of the missing young men are suspected former Tepito crime bosses doing time in prison.

"We're not going to victimize, nor criminalize anyone for their family situation or their record," Mr. Rios said in a June 1 press conference.

Another case involving the nightclub has come to light, as well. Nearly two years ago a man was kidnapped from the same spot, CNNMexico reports.

Three people have been detained in the current case.

Nationwide, more than 26,000 people have vanished over the past six years, often at the hand of organized crime, and sometimes by corrupt authorities, according to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH). Observers worry that the number of missing persons could be much higher, given how often crimes aren’t reported to the police. Civil organizations estimate that between 60 percent and 90 percent of kidnappings go unreported in Mexico.

What’s known as secuestro in Mexico is usually followed by a call for ransom, but an untold number of those reported kidnapped never reappear. Instead, they slip into the tally of Mexico’s “disappeared.”

TIJUANA BC 19 DE JUNIO DE 2013 (AFN).- Un operativo conjunto entre soldados del Ejército Mexicano y oficiales de la Policía Municipal, esta mañana, culminó con la detención de dos presuntos secuestradores y el rescate de una víctima, a la que mantuvieron privada de la libertad durante casi quince días.

En la casa donde los supuestos delincuentes tenían a la víctima, un comerciante de Playas de Rosarito, militares y policías municipales encontraron 20 paquetes de una hierba semejante a la mariguana, se informó por parte de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal (SSPM).

Los sospechosos son Ignacio Mora García, de 51 años de edad, originario de Tepic, Nayarit, y Cuauhtémoc López Romero, de 48, nativo de Acaponeta, Nayarit; ambos fueron remitidos al Ministerio Público federal para que solicite el cateo y prosiga las investigaciones.

http://www.afntijuana.info/seguridad...o#.UcKY3DvCam4

TIJUANA, BC, June 19, 2013 - A joint operation of the Mexican Army and municipal police this morning ended with the arrest of two suspected kidnappers and the rescue of the victim, who was held captive for 15 days.

In the home were the criminals had the victim, a businessman from Playas de Rosarito, soldiers and municipal police found 20 packages of what appears to be marijuana, reported the Chief of Police.

The suspects are Ignacio Mora García, 51, originally from Tepci, Nayarit and Cuauhtémoc López Romero, 48, a native of Acponeta, Nayarit. Both were turned over to the federal Public Minister for search and further investigations.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

TIJUANA BC 19 DE JUNIO DE 2013 (AFN).- Un operativo conjunto entre soldados del Ejército Mexicano y oficiales de la Policía Municipal, esta mañana, culminó con la detención de dos presuntos secuestradores y el rescate de una víctima, a la que mantuvieron privada de la libertad durante casi quince días.

En la casa donde los supuestos delincuentes tenían a la víctima, un comerciante de Playas de Rosarito, militares y policías municipales encontraron 20 paquetes de una hierba semejante a la mariguana, se informó por parte de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal (SSPM).

Los sospechosos son Ignacio Mora García, de 51 años de edad, originario de Tepic, Nayarit, y Cuauhtémoc López Romero, de 48, nativo de Acaponeta, Nayarit; ambos fueron remitidos al Ministerio Público federal para que solicite el cateo y prosiga las investigaciones.

http://www.afntijuana.info/seguridad...o#.UcKY3DvCam4

TIJUANA, BC, June 19, 2013 - A joint operation of the Mexican Army and municipal police this morning ended with the arrest of two suspected kidnappers and the rescue of the victim, who was held captive for 15 days.

In the home were the criminals had the victim, a businessman from Playas de Rosarito, soldiers and municipal police found 20 packages of what appears to be marijuana, reported the Chief of Police.

The suspects are Ignacio Mora García, 51, originally from Tepci, Nayarit and Cuauhtémoc López Romero, 48, a native of Acponeta, Nayarit. Both were turned over to the federal Public Minister for search and further investigations.

Good work

Did it ever come out whether the victim was at footprinters or if there was an inside connection???

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Did it ever come out whether the victim was at footprinters or if there was an inside connection???

Haven't heard anything more on it yet.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

From the Christina Science Monitor. The story gives some kidnapping stats and trends but mainly refers to a recent Mexico City incident a few weeks ago when 12 young people were kidnapped from an after-hours club called "Heaven".

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Ameri...-in-abductions

Kidnapping is the crime that causes the greatest fear in Mexico.

Even a slight uptick in abductions can dramatically alter how safe people say they feel, according to a new study by a Mexico City think tank, CIDAC. And kidnapping is on the rise.

Last month, 12 people disappeared from an after-hours bar just one block from the monuments and skyscrapers of Mexico City's busy Reforma Avenue last month. Twelve days have passed with no word of their whereabouts, and the capital’s chief prosecutor has so far declined to name suspects or possible motives.

Adding to Mexicans' concerns is that the monthly average of reported abductions grew 132 percent between 2006 and 2012, according to México Evalúa, a Mexico City-based think tank. So far this year, reported kidnappings are averaging 130 per month, up from 109 per month last year and a monthly average of fewer than 40 in 2004.

“I think it’s a blunt signal that insecurity continues to be a serious problem in Mexico,” says Edna Jaime, México Evalúa executive director. “The fact that something like this occurs, I think it ought to be an alert that the city is not protected.”

Each time the number of reported abductions per 100,000 people rises by 10, the perception of insecurity jumps 5 percent, according to the CIDAC report, “Eight Crimes First.”

Mexico City has managed to maintain its distance from the mass kidnappings, disappearances, and murders that have plagued other regions of the country after the previous government of Felipe Calderón launched an offensive against organized crime. It did so by installing hundreds of security cameras, creating a high-tech headquarters for monitoring security citywide, and by managing one of the world’s largest city police forces.

Is the bubble bursting?

Some fear that the disappearance of the 12 people could signal a popping of the security bubble that has managed to keep Mexico City out of the more gruesome headlines. But kidnapping has been an ongoing problem, as rising statistics show, and many say the larger issue is the government’s inability to investigate and prosecute crimes.

“Instead of criminal intelligence, what you see is a bureaucratic procedure that doesn’t succeed at putting together sufficient evidence to prove the suspect’s culpability before a judge,” according to the CIDAC report. “That’s without mentioning the possibility that one or all of the authorities involved are colluding or, simply, end up being incompetent.”

Authorities currently don't have a mandate to allocate resources according to the seriousness of a crime, according to the CIDAC report, and as a result, the saturated system is incapable of dealing effectively with serious cases. CIDAC recommends the government prioritize how it investigates and prosecutes crimes.

Mass kidnapping

It's not uncommon for wealthy families to hire their own investigators to look into kidnapping crimes. Two high-profile kidnappings in 2005 and 2008 saw the families deliver suspects identified in their private investigations to the police's doorstep.

The case of the 12 people reported kidnapped outside a bar known as Heaven After grabbed headlines only after family members blocked a major road in protest. It took investigators several days to piece together that the missing persons reports were connected. (Police initially believed there were 11 victims, but a 12th missing person was added to the list this week.)

Meanwhile, investigators lost track of a key witness for several days, a man who said he escaped the bar through the roof. The man told police his version when he accompanied relatives of one of the missing to file a report, but apparently gave a false name and false address, according to Chief Prosecutor Rodolfo Rios. Mexico City's Milenio newspaper reported today that the man was finally found by police again.

Most of the missing are from a tough neighborhood known as Tepito, notorious for the contraband sold and trafficked there. The Associated Press reported that the fathers of two of the missing young men are suspected former Tepito crime bosses doing time in prison.

"We're not going to victimize, nor criminalize anyone for their family situation or their record," Mr. Rios said in a June 1 press conference.

Another case involving the nightclub has come to light, as well. Nearly two years ago a man was kidnapped from the same spot, CNNMexico reports.

Three people have been detained in the current case.

Nationwide, more than 26,000 people have vanished over the past six years, often at the hand of organized crime, and sometimes by corrupt authorities, according to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH). Observers worry that the number of missing persons could be much higher, given how often crimes aren’t reported to the police. Civil organizations estimate that between 60 percent and 90 percent of kidnappings go unreported in Mexico.

What’s known as secuestro in Mexico is usually followed by a call for ransom, but an untold number of those reported kidnapped never reappear. Instead, they slip into the tally of Mexico’s “disappeared.”

This story came to a sad ending today when the 13 young people's bodies were found in a grave outside Mexico City:

Autoridades hallan muertos en Chalco, Estado de México, a los 12 jóvenes desaparecidos en el Heaven