The U.S. National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) revealed that a faction of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, was murdering pregnant women to harvest their organs and sell their children to U.S. couples.
The information first came to light earlier this month when Mexican authorities, acting on U.S.-based intelligence, arrested Martha Alicia “La Diabla” Mendez Aguilar, the alleged ringleader of a baby trafficking organization in Ciudad Juarez that is reportedly connected to the Juarez Cartel and CJNG. Earlier this year, the U.S. government labelled CJNG and five other cartels in Mexico as foreign terrorist organizations and called for their eradication.
According to information released this week by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, La Diabla’s organization would lure pregnant women in Mexico to perform clandestine C-sections, murder them, harvest their organs, and sell their children to U.S. couples for up to 250,000 pesos ($14,500 USD).
“This is one example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations,” said Joe Kent, NCTC Director, in a prepared statement. “NCTC delivered critical intelligence on ‘La Diabla’s’ location and developed a comprehensive analysis that enabled U.S. and Mexican law enforcement partners to take action.”
In the subsequent investigation, authorities in Juarez found several bodies that belonged to women from low-income families who had been lured by the organization and murdered during the clandestine C-sections. The online news outlet Infobae.com reported that gay couples were the primary customers who used La Diabla’s services.
The Mexican state judicial system has been attempting to keep the case under wraps and has limited the presence of local news outlets during the hearings. According to Mexican journalist Luis Chaparro, the Juarez Cartel is attempting to bribe the state judicial system to release La Diabla as a means of protecting their business.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded the Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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