TIJUANA An anonymous phone tip led authorities to a criminal cell believed to be working for the Sinaloa cartel in Ensenada and Rosarito Beach, state officials announced.
Authorities arrested on Saturday a total of 13 people, among them a couple who allegedly led the cell and two of their children, who in initial statements said they worked for the Sinaloa cartel.
One of them, identified as Cristian Morán Matus, confessed that his father worked for two known criminals from Sinaloa, nicknamed "El Güicho" and "El Trejo," who smuggled arms and people, said Carlos Alberto Gómez, a deputy director of the state police.
The Sinaloa cartel is fighting the remnants of the Tijuana-based Arellano Félix criminal organization to control smuggling through the border region.
According to Gómez, an anonymous caller reported that various armed people could be found in a restaurant in the Maestros neighborhood of Ensenada.
He said agents quickly descended on the business, where they arrested ten people who possessed illegal drugs and weapons and seized their vehicles, where additional drugs were found.
Gómez said that those detained said that two other members of their group were in Rosarito Beach. There, police located their vehicle, a BMW, and found packages of marijuana and methamphetamine.
Police also stopped a vehicle that was following the BMW, a Nissan Altima, where additional packages of marijuana were found in the trunk, as well as an AK-47. That car's passengers tried to bribe the officers to let them go, Gómez added.
Those arrested in Ensenada were identified as Marcial Morán Blanco, 43 años; Claudia Elena Matus Baro, 41; Cristian Morán Matus, 23; Claudia Gabriela Morán Matus, 21; Víctor Sanabia González, 23; Raúl Gurrola González, 21; Raymundo Bautista Morones, 20; Rubén Gil Baro, 26; Jorge Octavio Ulloa García, 27; and Alexis Jazmín Ritchie López, 22.
In Rosarito Beach, those arrested were identified as Ricardo Sharo Ruiz Zamudio, 31; Ricardo Rojas Morán, 22; and Pedro Damián Ruiz, 29.
Police seized 20 kilos (44 pounds) of marijuana, 290 grams (about 2/3 of a pound) of heroin, 39 grams (about 1.4 ounces) of "ice", several weapons, a silencer, and 1,300 pesos and $4,232 in currency.
