PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - The tranquility of Mexico shattered as terrorist bombings take an alarming turn. Uncover the sinister ties between FARC-EP, a notorious Colombian rebel group, and the powerful Mexican cartel CJNG, as the investigation unearths shocking alliances that lead back to a known criminal and high-ranking cartel member in Puerto Vallarta.
In an unprecedented event in Mexico, seven explosive devices detonated on a road in Tlajomulco, near Guadalajara, Jalisco, on the night of July 11. This act of terrorism resulted in the deaths of four public servants and two civilians, while seriously injuring 14 others, including three minors.
Last week, a team from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived at the scene to commence an investigation. Mexican public servants involved in the probe have discovered possible links between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- People's Army (FARC- EP), a group recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel.
According to the investigation files, one of the main suspects in the Tlajomulco attack is Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, alias "La Firma", born on June 19, 1986, in Cali, Colombia. The files indicate that he resides in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and works for the CJNG, specifically for Juan Carlos Valencia González, also known as "Pelón" and "03", the stepson of Nemesio Oceguera Cervantes, the cartel's leader.
"La Firma" is suspected to be the liaison between the FARC-EP and CJNG, purportedly bringing experts in bomb-making to Mexico.
The FARC was founded in Colombia in 1966 as a guerrilla force against insurgents, resorting to massacres and kidnappings. In the 1980s, the group turned to drug trafficking to finance its operations. They became suppliers of cocaine to the Sinaloa Cartel, receiving millions of dollars or weapons in exchange for their violent enforcement.
A common practice of this group was the use of unconventional weapons, such as explosive devices and antipersonnel mines. In 1997, the United States government declared it a terrorist group.
In 2016, a process of pacification and demobilization began in Colombia. Many members purportedly left the guerrilla group in 2017, forming a political party named Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común. As part of this peace process, the United States government removed the FARC from its list of terrorist organizations in November 2021, but retained the FARC-EP, led by Miguel Santanilla Botache alias "Gentil Duarte", on its Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.
The Office of Asset Control of the United States Department of the Treasury (OFAC) stipulated that "all assets and interests in assets of these groups and individuals must be blocked."
In relation to the Tlajomulco explosions, it's suggested that "La Firma", in concert with the CJNG, brought individuals from Colombia, explosives experts tied to the FARC-EP, to Mexico.
The CJNG's ties with terrorist groups in Colombia are well-documented, independent of the investigations by the FBI and ATF. The Mexican drug trafficking organization has been operational in Colombia since at least 2018, according to my months-long investigation into organized crime dynamics in Mexico.
Internal documents from the Colombian Attorney General's Office reveal the operation of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel in Colombia. In 2021, assets related to this organization were seized in various regions across Colombia.
Another classified Colombian government report states:
"Residual Organized Armed Groups (GAOR) are groups that emerged from the demobilized FARC-EP in 2016. Their members rejected the peace agreements and returned to arms, forming these groups. They are known as FARC-EP dissidents and, despite sharing the same insurgent origin, they frequently clash over territorial control of illicit activities. Some even collaborate with the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, Mexican criminal organizations that since 2018 have sought to control the production and distribution of cocaine in the country."
According to the investigations into the seven-bomb explosion in Jalisco, Francisco Javier Gudiño Haro, alias "La Gallina", a suspected CJNG member based in Zapopan, Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta, is implicated. Julio César Montero Pinzón, who serves as Juan Carlos González Valencia's "private secretary", is also under investigation.
On February 17, 2022, the United States embassy in Mexico reported that the Treasury Department issued sanctions against Colombian Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, alias "La Firma" and "La Gallina", alleging they lead a CJNG group in Puerto Vallarta "that has orchestrated assassinations of rivals and politicians using great armed force."
According to a Ministry of National Defense intelligence report dated October 2021, Tlajomulco, Jalisco is a key corridor for drug and arms trafficking. The Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel maintains hegemony over the drug market in the region.
The strengthening of organized crime in Mexico under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has affected Central and South America. The CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel have expanded their operations, not only buying cocaine produced in Colombia but also establishing a territorial presence in key production and trafficking regions.
Despite escalating violence and instability in Mexico, President López Obrador dismisses these concerns. Rather than focusing on his duties as the president, he is accused of unlawfully influencing the 2024 presidential elections and launching disparaging attacks on opposition candidates.
The president has also faced criticism for prioritizing his party's interests over those of the victims in incidents such as the Tlajomulco explosions. On July 12, López Obrador declined to label the seven-bomb attack as an act of terrorism, claiming this would invite interference from the United States in Mexican affairs.
The consequences of this neglect are catastrophic. More than 120 million people live in a climate of violence, death, and disappearances due to the President's apparent complicity.
If investigations confirm that the terrorist act in Jalisco was indeed perpetrated by members of the FARC-EP in conjunction with the CJNG, we can anticipate a rise in violence, leading to more severe and bloody episodes that endanger the civilian population.
