Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Contact:  http://www.dallasnews.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 12 Sep 1998
Author: Nancy San Martin / The Dallas Morning News

POLICE THINK TRAFFICKERS UNITED TO KILL MEXICAN DRUG LORD

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - A drug lord battling to take control of the
lucrative narcotics trade in this border city was found beaten, shot and
wrapped in plastic in a bulletproof vehicle, a signal that other traffickers
didn't like his style, law enforcement officials said Friday.

The body of Rafael Munoz Talavera was found early Thursday in the back seat
of a white 1995 Jeep Cherokee. He had been shot at least three times in the
head. He had been beaten about the face, and his hands and feet were bound
when authorities recovered the body, which was wrapped in plastic,
authorities said.

Experts said the slaying serves as proof that drug cartels in various parts
of the country reached an agreement to get rid of a common nemesis - Mr.
Munoz Talavera - and create what one observer called a "National Criminal
Enterprise."

Drug traffickers have been fighting to take control of a drug empire that
had been controlled by Amado Carillo Fuentes, who died last year during
plastic surgery.

"For the first time we can see a constituency of a federation of Mexican
drug traffickers that did not have room for [Mr. Munoz Talavera]," said
Eduardo Valle, a writer and former head of the anti-drug unit for the
Mexican Attorney General's Office.

"He didn't fit in the scheme because he tried to take over the plaza," a
reference to the Juarez Cartel, Mr. Valle said.

"This shows the tremendous power the drug dealers have," Mr. Valle said.
"Many people will now understand the new force of the Mexican drug
enterprise."

Mr. Munoz Talavera, 45, is said to have owned several homes in Ciudad
Juarez. Mr. Munoz Talavera was linked to the largest single drug bust in
history. In 1989, U.S. drug agents seized nearly 22 tons of cocaine from a
warehouse in a Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar.

The body was discovered in the early-morning hours on Thursday, but
authorities did not confirm its identity until about 10 p.m. Authorities
estimate Mr. Munoz Talavera had been dead no more than 12 hours when the
body was found.

On Friday, Mr. Munoz Talavera's relatives spent more than six hours talking
to authorities at the State Judicial Police headquarters in Ciudad Juarez.
His father, Rafael Munoz Tellez, declined to discuss the matter when he
emerged from police headquarters shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.

"I don't know anything," the father said.

Police presence also was higher throughout the city, indicating preparation
for a potential bloodbath among rival drug gangs.

"The presence of security is in response to an incident of this type," said
Juan Figueroa Vargas, head of the federal Attorney General's office in
Juarez or PGR. "Its purpose is to avoid other acts that could jeopardize
public safety."

A group of about 20 officials from Mexico City, including investigators and
forensic specialists, also flew into Ciudad Juarez on Friday. Initial
reports indicated that the body might be flown to Mexico City to confirm the
identity.

According to Mexican authorities, the Jeep Cherokee that carried Mr. Munoz
Talavera's body was parked Wednesday night in front of a two-story apartment
building in a middle-to upper-class neighborhood called "El Colegio." The
keys were in the car, and the doors were unlocked when authorities found it.

The vehicle was equipped with bulletproof windows and electrical wires on
its door handles. There was a siren inside, presumably to get through
traffic easily. Even the gas tank was covered with a bulletproof case.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said determining who ordered Mr. Munoz Talavera's slaying would
play a crucial role in determining the leadership of Mexican drug
traffickers.

"I don't think anybody knows who's in charge," said a DEA official. "Is this
a message about who's in charge? Absolutely. And it's not the end of it.
This just throws another wrench into the game."

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Checked-by: Don Beck