The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Zacatecas has charged Leonel N., originally from Sinaloa, and Oswaldo N., from Durango, in connection with their alleged participation in the July 18 mass murder, in which 10 people were killed.
The state’s attorney general, Cristian Paul Camacho Osnaya, reported that both men were charged with aggravated homicide after the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for High-Impact Crimes presented various pieces of evidence supporting their probable participation in the events.
The two men were arrested along with a 16-year-old girl from Jerez, Zacatecas. Blood was found in the bed of the pickup truck they were traveling in, and its genetic profile matched that of Fidel Alvarado, former Secretary of Social Development of the municipality of Fresnillo, who was one of the 10 victims.
The defendants will remain in custody under justified and mandatory pretrial detention, imposed by the trial court, while the criminal proceedings continue.
Camacho Osnaya reported that charges against the teenager could be formally filed in the coming hours. She remains in preventive detention.
Criminal Groups
Camacho Osnaya stated that the Attorney General’s Office is maintaining a “very objective and professional” investigation and continues gathering evidence to fully clarify the events and determine the responsibility of those involved.
He indicated that the two men charged are allegedly members of a criminal group linked to the so-called Pacific Cartel.
However, he added that during one of the searches carried out in the municipality of Calera, as part of the investigation into the mass murder, authorities also found evidence suggesting possible involvement by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“We are not going to rule out any possibility; we are investigating both criminal groups.”
— Cristian Paul Camacho Osnaya, Attorney General of Justice of the State of Zacatecas
The prosecutor revealed that, following the operations and investigations conducted after the mass murder, at least 18 people have been arrested for various crimes.
“It has been a great team effort that has allowed us to achieve these results,” Camacho Osnaya said, acknowledging the participation of the Mexican Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Police in the operations carried out.
Source: oem
