UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JOINT TASK FORCE NORTH

OPEN SOURCE REPORT

23 July 2010
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Compiled and Edited by: CW3 Brian Woodworth

Reviewed by: Mr. Bruce Truesdale
Approved for Release by: Mr. Sotero G. Reyes

CONTENTS: (Note: All active hyperlinks have been removed)

NORTHERN BORDER
A. Cocaine Seizure in Edmonton
B. Project Divide
C. Ecstasy Seizure in Oakville, Manitoba
D. Thieves Hit B.C. Medical Marijuana Grow-Op
E. 7 Charged After Lowertown Drug Raids

SOUTHERN BORDER

F. Gun Battles Paralyze Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas

G. More Dead In Nuevo Laredo
H. Explosion outside Reynosa's City Hall
I. Fifty Gunmen Clash with Military in Madera, Chihuahua
J. Weapons and Marijuana Seizure in Sinaloa
K. No Rifles for Municipal Police in Nuevo Leon
L. Drug Cartels Using Phony Military Vehicles
M. Victims Pile Up, But IDS Don't

CENTRAL and SOUTH AMERICA

N. Colombians Denounce Armed Raid by Venezuelan Police

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. COCAINE SEIZURE IN EDMONTON

22 July 2010
Edmonton Journal

Police following up on reports of gunshots discovered a vehicle with bullet holes in its front end
parked outside a home near Cutts Court in the Carlton neighborhood, police said in a news
release. Officers searched the property for injured parties and came across some items that led
them to believe drugs were being kept inside the home. A warrant was obtained and the
subsequent search yielded over five kilograms of cocaine, $ 11,000 in cash as well as packaging
materials and weigh scales. Tommy Tran, 22, has been charged with possession for the purpose
of trafficking, proceeds of crime, and three counts of breach of recognizance.

Source:
[www.edmontonjournal.com/Edmonton+police+seize+worth+cocaine/3310226/story.html]

B. PROJECT DIVIDE

22 July 2010
Winnipeg Free Press

Three members of the same Winnipeg family are headed to prison after admitting to their roles in
a massive (motorcycle gang) drug dealing network. Full-patch biker Sean Wolfe, his half-
brother, David Single and his half-sister, Patricia Walsh, appeared together Thursday morning to
deal with charges stemming from their December 2009 arrest. Wolfe pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to traffic cocaine and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Single pleaded guilty to
possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and received seven-and-a-half years behind
bars. Walsh also pleaded guilty to trafficking and was given six years custody. All of the
sentences were joint-recommendations between Crown and defense lawyers.

The trio were targeted as part of "Project Divide,", which saw police utilize gang associate
Michael Satsatin who was paid $ 450,000 to work as an undercover informant who helped
investigators capture dozens of drug and weapons deals on audio and video surveillance. Police
charged 33 members and associates of the (motorcycle gang) following the 13-month probe,
which involved more than 300 police officers in Manitoba and British Columbia. A total of 18
accused have now pleaded guilty and been sentenced to various periods of custody.

Wolfe is a long-time (motorcycle gang) associate who was promoted several years ago from the
Zig Zag Crew, the so-called puppet club of the notorious biker gang. He is a former model and
the cousin of hockey player Riley Cote, one of the National Hockey League's most feared
enforcers who laces up the skates for the Philadelphia Flyers. Police describe Wolfe in court
documents "as a person one should not cross." "He is not only highly respected but feared by
numerous individuals and has the propensity to resort to violence," one of the investigating
officers wrote in his affidavit for Project Divide.

Walsh was in tears during her initial court appearance following her arrest and claimed to have
no criminal involvement or understanding of why she'd been arrested. Crown attorney Chris
Mainella told court Walsh was involved in several separate cocaine transactions carried out on
behalf of Wolfe. Her arrest warrant included allegations she drove her two young children to
school before heading to a meeting with Satsatin, who was sold seven ounces of cocaine in April
2009. Police say Single met with the agent at the Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre to discuss drug
transactions.

Source: [www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Siblings-headed-to-jail-for-drug-deals-
99038044.html]

Editorial Comment: To view the full text of the article, remove the brackets from both ends of
the source citation and cut and paste the URL into the web browser.

C. ECSTASY SEIZURE IN OAKVILLE, MANITOBA

22 July 2010
Winnipeg Free Press

About $ 3,500 worth of ecstasy pills and marijuana has been seized inside an Oakville residence.
Portage la Prairie RCMP said today that on Wednesday night officers with the detachment and
the D Division Integrated Gang Intelligence Unit found the drugs after executing a search
warrant. Police seized 188 pills believed to be ecstasy as well as a small amount of marijuana.
Two men and one woman have been arrested for drug trafficking, but their names have not been
released because they haven't been charged yet. RCMP is continuing to investigate. Oakville is
located about 60 km west of Winnipeg.

Source: [www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/breakingnews/RCMP-seize-drugs-in-raid-
99029159.html]

D. THIEVES HIT B.C. MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROW-OP

July 23, 2010

CBC News

A group of armed thieves robbed a small medical marijuana grow-op in Hope, B.C., early
Thursday, police say. Three masked men carrying a gun and two knives entered the residence on
St. Elmo Road, surprising a man and woman inside, according to Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop. One
man held the couple captive while the other two took an undisclosed amount of marijuana. They
then took off in a vehicle, but the victims were unable get a description of it. The victims
described the thieves as one larger man and two of average build, but police said they would
likely stand out to residents of the small town east of Vancouver.

"The individuals likely would have seemed out of place in the small community of Hope and
police are hoping that someone may have seen them," said Dunlop. Anyone with tips about the
incident was asked to call police. "Those who have the legal authority to grow and possess
medical marijuana should be selective about who they share that information with," warned
Dunlop.

Source: [www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/07/23/bc-medicinal-pot-grow-
rip.html#ixzz0uXE4ZcjW]

E. 7 CHARGED AFTER LOWERTOWN DRUG RAIDS

July 23, 2010

CBC News

Seven Ottawa residents were arrested after a police raid in the Lowertown area and charged with
a number of offences related to the trafficking of crack cocaine. Police made the arrests Thursday
after they executed a search warrant in two homes on St. Patrick and Old St. Patrick Streets. A
small amount of crack and pills were confiscated, police said. They also recovered a number of
bicycles and $1,895 in cash. "Both residences were turned over to Ottawa Housing Security and
eviction proceedings will commence immediately," police said in a Thursday evening release.
The seven accused are due in court Friday.

Source: [www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/07/23/lowertown-drug-
arrests241.html#ixzz0uXFbE4Sd]

F. GUN BATTLES PARALYZE NUEVO LAREDO, TAMAULIPAS

22 July 2010
Sign On San Diego

Late-night gun battles with gangs who forced citizens from their cars and used the vehicles to
block streets paralyzed a border city, sound of gunfire alarmed Texans on the U.S. side of the
Rio Grande. The Nuevo Laredo (Tamaulipas) city government posted messages on Facebook
warning citizens to stay indoors as the battles erupted at several intersections in the city across
from Laredo, Texas. Frightened people on the U.S. side of the border called emergency
dispatchers after hearing the gunfire, a Laredo police spokesman said Thursday. But he said there
was no spillover violence. "We were getting reports from people who live on the river's edge that
they could hear gunfire and explosions from the Mexico side," he said. "We didn't have any
incidents on the American side. It's hard for people to understand who don't live here," he added.
"They're not Vikings, they're not going to invade us. It doesn't work that way."

Nuevo Laredo city officials said they could not immediately confirm witness reports that several
gunmen were killed. Gangs used stolen cars and buses to block several main avenues in the city
across from Laredo, Texas. Several residents called local newspapers to report thefts. "For your
security, stay in your homes until the alert has passed," the city government wrote on Facebook.
When the violence subsided, the government urged citizens to come forward and reclaim their
stolen vehicles.

Nuevo Laredo is among several northern cities under siege from a turf battle between the Gulf
cartel and its former enforcers, the Zetas gang of hit men. Violence has surged along the
northeastern border with the United States since the two gangs split earlier this year. Gangs have
frequently blocked streets in the middle of the cities to thwart soldiers coming to the aid of
colleagues under fire. (…)

Source: [www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/22/gunbattles-paralyze-mexican-city-across-
from-texas/]

G. MORE DEAD IN NUEVO LAREDO

Borderlandbeat.com
July 22, 2010

Sister City erupts again with widespread gunbattles

Originally reported by
Laredo Morning Times
July 22, 2010

More bloody gunbattles erupted in Nuevo Laredo on Wednesday night, leaving several people
dead and an unknown number injured as armed gunmen fought each other through the streets
near the center of the city, on Colosio Boulevard in the Parque Viveros area, on Guerrero, on
Reforma and other parts of the city. “I saw a dead body hanging out of a car,” near the restored
historic train station downtown, said one witness who asked not to be identified.
Most of the heavy violence seemed to occur between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. At about 10:30 p.m.,
one government source said soldiers were patrolling the streets and things appeared to be slightly
calmer, but that few people were venturing into the streets.

Sheriff (Spokesman) said preliminary information indicated one gunbattle broke out near the
Juarez-Lincoln Bridge. “We’re on alert at this time,” the spokesman said at about 9 p.m. (A)
Laredo Police Department spokesman also said authorities had confirmed the gunbattles in
Nuevo Laredo and that Laredo Police had received numerous calls from Laredo residents saying
they could hear the gunfire across the river.

At about 9:30 p.m., the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo issued a warden message,
saying there were reports of gunbattles near the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Colonia Victoria and
also in the Viveros area of town, where Expomex is located. “There are reports of the gun
battles now moving into other parts of the city at this time and all U.S. citizens are advised to
shelter in place until further notice,” stated the message posted at the consulate’s website.

Reports of the gunbattles filled Twitter and Facebook, starting after 7 p.m. and continuing well
into the night. “Parece guerra … lluvia de balas!!!...esta horrible!!” (It looks like war … rainfall
of bullets!!!) read one Twitter report from a Nuevo Laredo resident. Another wrote: “De nuevo
balaceras, carros atravesados en las calles … dios nos cuide...” (Again there are shootouts, cars
blocking the streets … God protect us)

At a downtown gas station in Laredo, a taxi driver from Nuevo Laredo was overheard telling
another motorist that his dispatcher was warning drivers in Nuevo Laredo to park their cars, take
their keys and take cover because gunmen were carjacking vehicles to block roads.

Nextel traffic filled the airwaves as people trapped inside their workplaces and restaurants called
family and friends to report the danger. Streets were reported blocked at 15 de Septiembre and
Reforma and Paseo Colon and Reynosa, among others.

At about 10:30 p.m., the City of Nuevo Laredo’s Facebook page reported that the risk appeared
to be over for now and asked people who had abandoned their cars or whose cars were blocking
streets to “please go pick them up, carefully.”

Wednesday’s attack was just the latest in a series of violent outbreaks in the Sister City. On
Friday, 12 people were killed in gunbattles between alleged drug traffickers and soldiers On
Monday, an unknown person dressed in civilian clothes tossed a grenade into a late-night crowd
at a sports complex, killing one person and injuring 16, including several children. And on
Tuesday, a grenade was lobbed at a police car parked at an auto repair shop, but no injuries were
reported.

WARDEN MESSAGE: NUEVO LAREDO (MEXICO) REPORTS OF ONGOING GUN

BATTLES - CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS

U.S. Consulate General Nuevo Laredo released the following Warden Message on July 21:
The U.S. Consulate General has received reports of ongoing gun battles near the International
Bridge 2 in the Colonia Victoria and Viveros areas of town. There are reports of the gun battles
now moving into other parts of the city at this time and all U.S. citizens in the area are advised to
shelter in place until further notice.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the
Department's internet web site at http://travel.state.gov/ where the current Worldwide Caution,
Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada, or, for callers from
Mexico, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American
citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S.
Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website at
https://travelregistration.state.gov/.

For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the U.S. Embassy or the
closest U.S. Consulate. The numbers provided below for the Embassy and Consulates are
available around the clock. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma
305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone
within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. You
may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at: ACSMexicoCity@state.gov The Embassy's internet
address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/.

The Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo is located at Allende 3330, Colonia Jardin, Nuevo
Laredo, Mexico. The Consulate General’s telephone number from the U.S. is (011)(52)(867)
714-0512; within Mexico, (01) (867) 714-0512. The fax number is (011)(52)(867) 714-6075. For
additional inquiries.

Source: [www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/07/more-dead-in-nuevo-laredo.html]

H. EXPLOSION OUTSIDE REYNOSA'S CITY HALL

22 July 2010
The Monitor

Officials reported no injuries after an explosion outside City Hall here early Thursday morning.
More explosions were reported in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood on the city’s west side near
the road that leads to the Anzalduas International Bridge. It remains unclear whether any injuries
or deaths resulted from that incident. The “situations of risk” reported by city officials via social
networking websites have continued on a scattered basis since February, when the two dominant
drug cartels in the area began battling each other for control over smuggling routes through
northeast Mexico. City officials reported the explosion outside City Hall about 6:30 a.m., saying
no injuries resulted from the blast. Exactly what detonated on the sidewalk adjacent to the
administrative building, which faces the city’s main downtown plaza, remains unclear. City Hall
opened for regular business by 8 a.m. Thursday.
Widespread violence has dogged Tamaulipas and other states in northeast Mexico since the Gulf
Cartel and the Zetas — a paramilitary organization that served as the enforcement arm of the
Matamoros-based cartel — split in mid-February. But the successful use of explosives is a recent
development for suspected cartel attackers. A car bomb likely constructed from explosive
material stolen from an industrial mining operation detonated July 15 in Ciudad Juárez, the
epicenter of border cartel violence, The Associated Press reported. Three people died in the
attack, including a federal police officer. In April, suspected cartel members attacked the
Reynosa location of Schlumberger Ltd., which commonly uses explosives in its operations as the
world’s largest oilfield services company. The attackers stole industrial equipment, but local
officials did not disclose whether any explosives went missing. No deaths were reported in
connection with the incident.

Mexican soldiers have seized improvised explosive devices and grenades from cartel members in
Reynosa — and have responded to several discoveries of grenades on bridges and near public
buildings — since widespread violence flared in February. Continued reports of robberies,
roadside checkpoints manned by armed cartel members, kidnappings, blockades and street
battles prompted the U.S. State Department to revise its travel advisory for the border region last
week. State Department employees are now barred from overland travel between Mexico’s
interior and border cities. (…)

Source: [www.themonitor.com/articles/reynosa-41072-reported-city.html]

I. FIFTY GUNMEN CLASH WITH MILITARY IN MADERA, CHIHUAHUA

22 July 2010
El Universal
Summary Translation of Spanish Source: CW3 Brian Woodworth

An isolated location in the mountains was the scene of a bloody battle between the Army and a
group of paramilitary gunmen which left at least eight civilians dead. The confrontation took
place in the municipality of Madera, near a place known as La Simona, which is ten hours from
the capital. Approximately 100 military personnel and approximately 50 gunmen from an
unknown criminal organization were involved in the battle. There were no arrests and the
gunmen fled into the rugged mountains heading towards the State of Sonora, located several
kilometers to the west. The Army seized rifles, grenade launchers and military tactical
equipment.

Spanish Source: [www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/697088.html]

J. WEAPONS AND MARIJUANA SEIZURE IN SINALOA

21 July 2010
Informador
The Army seized 4 tons, 256 kilos of marijuana and 24 weapons including a caliber 50 Barret
rifle in the State of Sinaloa. Nineteen people were arrested. The arrests and seizures took place in
three separate incidents described as follows:

While conducting ground patrols in the community of Alhuey, Angostura, the Army
caught 16 people by surprise as they were loading two tractor trailer trucks with 4 tons,
251 kilos of marijuana which was divided into 623 packages. The vehicles are described
as a blue Kenworth tractor trailer, serial number IXKKD29X3DK351282 and a
Freightliner, with plates 948 CK7, registered to Transportes Alcaraz of Hermosillo,
Sonora. Also seized was a 1989 Volkswagen without plates and with the words “Fresas
con Crema” inscribed on the vehicle.

In the town of Roble in the municipality of Mazatlan, soldiers from the Eighth Infantry
Battalion arrested a couple on a 480 square meter farm and seized from them 5 kilograms
of marijuana in a sack and 22 firearms, among which were a caliber 50 Barret rifle, 13
AK-47 rifles, and 2 AR-15 rifles. The army also seized an improvised explosive device,
71 magazines, 2,418 cartridges, an armor plated Silverado, a Jeep Gran Cherokee with
plates VKJ 8977, ten bullet proof vests, and 5 black uniforms, among other items of
clothing.

In Colonia PEMEX, soldiers arrested a man on a small plot of land and seized 248.8
grams of crystal, $ 30,500 pesos and three firearms including a 38 Super handgun. The
army also seized a scale and 2 Nextel radios.

Spanish Translation of Spanish Source:

[www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2010/219762/6/ejercito-arresta-a-19-personas-en-sinaloa-en-
tres-situaciones-diferentes.htm]

K. NO RIFLES FOR MUNICIPAL POLICE IN NUEVO LEON

22 July 2010
El Universal

The Department of Public Security (SSP) in Nuevo Leon declined to comply with the governor’s
request to re-arm municipal police in the Monterrey metropolitan area with rifles. The police
department issued a statement which provided “in compliance with the agreement of June 9,
2009, the possession of high caliber weapons is prohibited for all municipal personnel”. The
police department added that the only personnel who can carry rifles are those who are “assigned
to providing protection for municipal officials and buildings”.

High powered weapons were taken away from municipal police after they threatened to use them
against federal personnel at the beginning of this year. The dispute took place because police in
several municipalities were trying to block an Army operation following the capture of a female
police officer who was working for drug traffickers. Governor Rodrigo Medina argued recently
that police should have weapons equal to or superior to those used by organized crime. The
Governor made the request hours after gunmen fired rifles and threw grenades for more than 40
minutes at a residence.

Summary Translation of Spanish Source:[www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/697019.html]

L. DRUG CARTELS USING PHONY MILITARY VEHICLES

22 July 2010
The Monitor

Mexican military soldiers seized two trucks painted by suspected drug cartel members to look
like vehicles used by the army. Military personnel were patrolling Mier on Monday when they
found two extended cab pickup trucks painted olive green with markings similar to those used by
the Mexican army. In a statement, defense ministry officials said the discovery "highlights the
actions taken by organized crime, pretending to be members of the army." Violence remains
widespread across northeast Mexico, as the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas — the once allied and
dominant smuggling groups in the region — split earlier this year and have battled for control of
routes into the United States. Early Thursday morning, an explosion was reported outside the
city hall in Reynosa.

Source: [www.themonitor.com/articles/phony-41080-cartels-tamps.html]

M. VICTIMS PILE UP, BUT ID'S DON'T

Mexico grows numb to killings, gang butchery

July 23, 2010

Houston Chronicle

GUADALUPE, Mexico —The brutality done amid the stacks of rusting cars might unnerve even
the meanest junkyard dog. Mexican soldiers raided a salvage yard here — tucked down a rutted
dirt road flanked by scrap heaps and truck repair shops on the east side of Monterrey - to
discover the fragmented remains of as many 14 people in shallow graves and 55-gallon drums.
The bodies had been burned, perhaps dissolved in acid, beyond recognition. More victims of
Mexico's gangland wars, investigators said.

Little wonder. Cartel clashes have killed scores across northern Mexico over the last 10 days: a
car bombing in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso; gunfights with troops in Nuevo Laredo,
across from Laredo; an attack on a birthday party in Torreon, 300 miles south of west Texas;
gunbattles in Sinaloa, the Pacific Coast state considered the cradle of Mexico's mobsters. But
with the underworld violence killing 25,000 Mexicans in less than four years, assassins have
become nearly as inventive at disposing of their victims as in dispatching them.

Bodies minus limbs

Bodies get dumped in empty lots and roadsides, heaped together in cases of massacre, or laid out
alone if that's how the victim died. Police recover corpses stuffed in cars, tumbled into
clandestine tombs, laid out like scrabble pieces to form letters. The detached head, legs and
trunk of a man's body were found strewn through Ciudad Juarez on Tuesday evening, the local
newspaper El Diario reported, one of seven people killed in the city Juarez that day.

With decapitations becoming almost cliché, now arms and legs get severed, too. One victim in
Ciudad Juarez was found crucified on a chain-link fence with a pig's head attached to his torso.
Another reportedly had his face stitched to a soccer ball.

Videos of torture interrogations and gruesome executions appear online.

"This is narco-terrorism. The criminals are seeking a reaction in the public," said Eduardo Gallo,
president of Mexico United Against Crime, a citizens' group. "They want the public to doubt that
government is doing well in the fight. "We aren't addressing the psychological damage this is
causing. We are becoming so accustomed to such violence that we incorporate it into our daily
lives."

The macabre itself usually serves as the killers' message. But, as punctuation, often-misspelled
notes left with bodies explain why the people were killed and warn others that a similar fate
awaits. "They have their own special codes of communication," said David Perales, a press
liaison with the Nuevo Leon state detective agency in Monterrey. "Sometimes they use the
bodies to leave a message, and other times they want to hide all evidence of their crime."

Not so subtle messages

Three men were found hanging from bridges on busy roads this month in Cuernavaca, the oasis
50 miles south of Mexico City once known mostly for its flowering gardens and spring-like
weather. "You'll have to find another lover, I've killed this one for you," sneered a placard
addressed to Texas-born gangster Edgar Valdez, whose nickname was La Barbie. "The
authorities can't do it, but we can." "Let it be clear: all the pushers, thieves, extortionists and
kidnappers are going to end up like this," the note warned.

Dying far from their homes, many of the fallen are neither claimed by families nor fully
identified by authorities, and so they are buried nameless in common graves of municipal
cemeteries. Other victims simply vanish, swallowed by the earth or disintegrated in a chemical
stew. Officials in early June pulled 56 bodies from an abandoned mine shaft south of
Cuernavaca. Clandestine plots, called narco graves, and makeshift crematoriums turn up from
Cancun to the Baja California coast.

The scrap yard holding some of the latest discoveries hunkers on the frayed edge of Monterrey -
the wealthy city 130 miles south of the border that is Mexico's industrial motor. Many of the
businesses along the lane leading to the yard seem abandoned. A river flanks the high-fenced
yard, as do empty lots, shipping containers and a garbage dump. Steam shovels and trucks were
noisily depositing the rubble wrought by last month's Hurricane Alex into the dump.

"This is the perfect place to do this sort of thing," said Heriberto Enriquez, who was directing the
trucks bringing rip-rap to the dump, of the narco graves. "We're no longer shocked by any of
this; it's happening all the time now."

Identification tough
A day after soldiers and investigators uncovered the graves, the yard stood abandoned. Only two
visibly frightened black dogs prowled behind the locked wire gate. Local media forgot the mass
graves almost as soon as they were discovered. Attention turned to the bodies of four young men
dumped last week in a busy intersection in Monterrey and gunbattles Friday in Nuevo Laredo.

With only some teeth and bone fragments to work with, investigators say, it will take a while to
identify how many people were found in the junkyard. Putting names to the remains will take
longer. "We have to do it scientifically," Adrian de la Garza, head of the Nuevo Leon state
detective force, said. "We still have to figure out if they were human."

Source: [www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/7120925.html]

N. COLOMBIANS DENOUNCE ARMED RAID BY VENEZUELAN POLICE

21 July 2010
Latin American Herald Tribune

Small farmers in a rural area of the northeastern Colombian province of Norte de Santander
denounced a raid by armed police from neighboring Venezuela, saying the officers fired several
shots in the air. “They entered firing shots into the air, passing alongside some houses and a
small school with children,” Jose Jesus Rendon, a peasant leader in San Faustino, a hamlet some
600 meters (2,000 feet) from the border with Venezuela, told Caracol Radio on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s incident sparked panic among local inhabitants, Rendon said, adding that the
Venezuelans returned to their side of the border after a discussion with police in San Faustino.
Several violent incidents have occurred along the border since Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez froze relations with Colombia almost one year ago.

This latest episode comes amid a new bilateral spat sparked by Bogota’s allegations that
Venezuela is tolerating the presence of Colombian guerrilla leaders in its territory, evidence of
which is to be presented to the Organization of American States on Thursday. Chavez has
reacted to that accusation by recalling Venezuela’s ambassador to Colombia for consultations,
announcing that he will not attend the Aug. 7 inauguration of Colombian President-elect Juan
Manuel Santos and warning of a complete severing of bilateral relations.

Relations between Colombia, the United States’ closest ally in Latin America, and leftist-led
Venezuela have soured on several occasions in recent years.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez froze relations with Colombia a year ago over Bogota’s
allegations that anti-tank weapons made in Sweden and sold to Venezuela in the 1980s had
turned up in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the Andean
nation’s largest insurgency.
The main effect of that souring of ties has been a sharp reduction in Colombian exports to its
neighbor. Tensions worsened with the signing in October 2009 of a military agreement that gave
U.S. troops greater access to at least seven Colombian military bases.

Source: [www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=360878&CategoryId=12393]
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