Six of the 18 people arrested last Friday, February 27, in the municipal seat of Nochistlán, Zacatecas, in an operation by the Zacatecas Attorney General’s Office—with the support of the Mexican Army and the National Guard—as alleged members of a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, “are innocent; they are not criminals as the government wants to portray them.”
Dozens of people—including close relatives and friends—denounced the situation on social media, stating that six of those charged and arrested belong to the López Saldívar family. “They are not criminals; they are hardworking people, neighbors whom we all know for their honesty and daily effort. Today they are being used as trophies to pretend that the state is being cleaned up, while the real culprits remain free.”
They are demanding that Governor David Monreal Ávila and Cristian Paúl Camacho Osnaya, head of the Zacatecas Attorney General’s Office, release members of the same family, four of whom are construction workers—including an elderly man—along with a 16-year-old and a woman.
Last Saturday, February 28, the Zacatecas Attorney General’s Office (FGJEZ) announced in a statement the operation carried out the previous Friday, in which 18 alleged members of the CJNG cartel were arrested. The operation’s main objective was to locate and capture Gerardo González Ramírez, alias “El Geras,” the leader of that criminal cell.
Camacho Osnaya reported that among the 18 detainees are 15 men and 3 women, including the second-in-command of “El Geras” and his partner, but admitted that the leader of the criminal cell was not apprehended. Gerardo González Ramírez managed to escape, despite the fact that “a very strategic operational deployment was mounted in strategic areas and points to avoid endangering the public,” declared the Zacatecas prosecutor.
Now, less than a week after the partially successful operation, family and friends of six of the eighteen detainees have protested their arrest, asserting that they are innocent civilians, members of the same family, and demanding their release.
Among other Facebook accounts, one belonging to “Diley López”—daughter of one of the detainees—a photograph of her family members was uploaded, demanding their release. Dozens of people (with verified real profiles), all from Nochistlán, supported her:
“Leticia Muñoz” stated, “They weren’t 18 instigators of violence, that’s a lie. Many of them are honest workers, just like the 16-year-old construction worker who is honest. Justice for them… the government is arresting innocent people, and they just want to show off to people who don’t know the reality of these innocent people.”
Another family member, “Ely López,” complained: “I don’t know about the other families, but I speak for mine, which is them: my father, an elderly man, my brothers, and my sister-in-law, who are completely innocent, and they were taken away like the worst criminals in this country. It’s not fair that the government isn’t investigating and doing its job properly.”
A man identified as “Ramiro Muñoz” stated, “That’s right, even the boys’ father is my music partner.” Similarly, “Nelly Sandoval Ramírez” echoed this sentiment: “Isn’t Ramiro Muñoz Professor Jorge? Honest, hardworking people. It’s outrageous; they don’t even publicize the names of those who are truly involved. What’s going on? We want them back.”
For his part, “Enrique Martínez” confirmed, “I can vouch for that family, decent, hardworking people. The government is staging a show without any evidence, and that can’t be allowed. We must request a federal investigation against state agents who are acting arbitrarily with the sole purpose of making it seem like they’re working, at the expense of the freedom and rights of innocent people. In Nochistlán, we cannot allow these abuses.”
Furthermore, “Javier Avelar” commented on the authorities’ operation: “They are making a grave mistake. Please investigate and do your job properly. Freedom for the innocent family. Everyone here in the San Sebastián neighborhood knows them as a quiet and hardworking family.”
Among many others, “Reyna Esmeralda Robles” wrote in the same reel about the six people arrested by the FGJEZ (Zacatecas State Attorney General’s Office) as part of a criminal gang: “They are completely innocent. As has been mentioned, one of them has been a musician for many years, his children work with plaster and drywall to support their families, and my sister (the only woman arrested) helps by making flour tortillas to sell. It’s not fair that they were arrested as if they were criminals, leaving parents, siblings, cousins, and friends feeling helpless, especially their two children suffering from the absence of their parents.”
Source: jornada
