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Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez

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Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez
Born (1976-10-11) 11 October 1976 (age 48)
Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico
EmployerJalisco New Generation Cartel (suspected)
Criminal statusFugitive
SpouseJessica Johanna Oseguera González
RelativesNemesio Oseguera Cervantes (father-in-law)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Castillo and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez (born 11 October 1976), commonly referred to by his alias Ojo de Vidrio (English: Glass Eye), is a Mexican suspected drug lord and former high-ranking leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He is the son-in-law of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (alias "El Mencho"), the leader of the CJNG and one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. He was reportedly responsible for managing money laundering schemes for the CJNG.

In June 2015, he was arrested in Jalisco along with his brother-in-law Rubén Oseguera González (alias "El Menchito"), and imprisoned at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1, Mexico's maximum-security prison. He was released a month later for lack of evidences. Mexican federal authorities re-arrested him in April 2016 for his alleged involvement in the CJNG.

Early life and career

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Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez was born on 11 October 1976, in Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico.[1] He is nicknamed "Ojo de Vidrio" (Glass Eye).[2] He is married to Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, the daughter of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (alias "El Mencho"), the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords.[3][4] According to Mexican government sources, Castillo Rodríguez worked under Oseguera Cervantes as one of the CJNG's financial operators in the state of Jalisco.[5] He also reportedly led a group of hitmen for the CJNG.[6] Castillo Rodríguez has at least one sibling, Fernando Castillo Rodríguez (alias "El Toro Valencia"), who reportedly worked for the CJNG.[7]

On 27 October 2016, the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Castillo Rodríguez under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (also known as the "Kingpin Act") for his alleged involvement in money laundering and/or international drug trafficking.[8] This sanction was a result of an investigation done by the OFAC and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Los Angeles in an attempt to disrupt the inner circle of the CJNG and affect their finances in Mexico's domestic economy. He was accused of providing material assistance to Nemesio and Abigael González Valencia (alias "El Cuini"), the two leaders of the CJNG and Los Cuinis.[a][10]

This sanction was also extended to eight more individuals: Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, businessman Fabián Felipe Vera López, attorney María Teresa Quintana Navarro, and five of González Valencia's siblings: Arnulfo, Édgar Edén, Marisa Ivette, and Noemí, and Elvis.[11] As a result, all of their U.S.-based assets were frozen. The act also prohibited U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions with them.[10]

2015 arrest

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On 23 June 2015, Castillo Rodríguez was arrested by the Mexican Army and the Federal Police in the Lomas de Altamira neighborhood in Zapopan, Jalisco, along with his brother-in-law Rubén Oseguera González (alias "El Menchito"). The operation lasted about 20 minutes and no shots were fired. The officers entered the private neighborhood in several vehicles at around 2:15 am. CT and subdued the entrance guard. They then shot the security cameras with paintball guns to obscure them, destroyed several others, and asked the guard to cut the electricity power in the vicinity. As they were in the entrance booth of the neighborhood, the telephone rang but none of them answered. The guard was then asked to kneel down while the officers entered the neighborhood and apprehended Castillo Rodríguez, who was inside a vehicle with Oseguera González. Authorities confiscated several weapons, including 2 customized AR-15 assault rifles engraved with the insignias "CJNG 02 JR" and "Menchito".[12][13]

Castillo Rodríguez had a pending order of appearance in court and there was an open investigation against him for kidnapping and organized crime involvement.[14] Once in custody, he was taken to the SEIDO, Mexico's anti-organized crime investigatory agency, where he gave his statement and was interrogated by law enforcement.[15][16] He was later transferred to the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 (also known as "Altiplano"), a maximum-security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico, along with Oseguera González.[17][18] Castillo Rodríguez was charged with using ammunition of exclusive military use, having five weapons of exclusive military use, carrying a firearm without a license, and organized crime involvement.[b][18]

Release

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On 1 July 2015, a federal judge from the State of Mexico ordered Castillo Rodríguez's release after concluding that the evidences against him were insufficient and that his due process was violated at the moment of his arrest and after he was in custody.[20][21] The judge stated that when he was arrested in June, the officers did not have an arrest warrant against him and entered the private property without legal authorization. He also stated that the detainee was in custody for 9 hours and without a lawyer before he was sent to the justice department.[22] When the judge considered that authorities had failed to prove that he was involved in organized crime, he was released from prison.[23][24]

2016 arrest

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Shortly before midday on 6 April 2016, Mexican federal authorities headed to Providencia neighborhood in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in several vehicles.[25][26] When they arrived at the property they were looking to raid, they cordoned the area and entered the building through the front entrance while a helicopter flew over the vicinity. Neighbors stated that other federal agents surrounded the property through the rear and climbed the back walls from other properties.[26] The helicopter then descended at the golf course of the Guadalajara Country Club, where three military vehicles later arrived.[27]

At the scene, officials arrested Castillo Rodríguez and two of his companions, Édgar Ernesto Moreno Barragán and José Antonio Rodríguez Contreras.[28] It was a joint arrest conducted by the Mexican Army, Navy, the Mexican National Security Commission [es] and the Office of the General Prosecutor (PGR);[29] no single shot was fired in the operation and authorities did not consider that the arrest created a risk situation.[30] About 50 officers participated in the operation.[31] Investigators seized four assault rifles, one which was equipped with a grenade launcher, and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, similar to the one the CJNG used to shoot down an Army helicopter in 2015.[32] In a bulletin, the government stated that Castillo Rodríguez was responsible for coordinating money laundering schemes and other illegal activities for the CJNG, and that the arrest marked an important step in disrupting the financial, operational, and public relations structure of the criminal group.[33]

After his capture, Mexican authorities patrolled several areas in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area to prevent an aggressive response from the CJNG. The municipal police travelled in groups of three to five vehicles, while the Mexican National Gendarmerie [es] and the military patrolled the streets with a helicopter as backup.[34] Castillo Rodríguez and his two companions were then transferred to the SEIDO installations in Mexico City.[35] The evidence seized at the scene was also transferred to Mexico City for the PGR to investigate.[36]

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On 20 October 2016, Castillo Rodríguez's wife issued a writ of amparo to prevent her arrest and deposited $MXN24,000 in bond insurance. This request was submitted through an appeal court in Jalisco. She had previously issued another writ of amparo against the National Banking and Securities Commission after the PGR froze her bank accounts as part of an investigation.[37] She owned a sushi restaurant chain in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, a rental cabin business in Tapalpa, and a tequila company in Tepatitlán;[c] investigators believed that she was laundering money for the CJNG through these businesses.[40][41] Two months later, on 30 December 2016, an appeal court denied her writs of amparo.[41]

Released

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Subsequently, on April 6, 2016, now in Guadalajara, Jalisco, federal agents arrived at a home and arrested Castillo Rodríguez, as well as two of his companions Édgar Ernesto Moreno Barragán and José Antonio Rodríguez Contreras, only to be again months later.[42]

See also

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Sources

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Footnotes

  1. ^ Abigael González Valencia was arrested on 28 February 2015, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.[9]
  2. ^ A detainee in possession of at least five weapons of exclusive use from the Mexican Armed Forces is charged with acopio de armas.[19]
  3. ^ Other sources state that the tequila company is based in Guadalajara and co-owned by a lady named Paloma Novoa Gómez.[38][39]

References

  1. ^ "Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" (PDF). Office of Foreign Assets Control. 1 November 2016. pp. 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2017.
  2. ^ Mosso, Rubén (6 April 2016). "Detienen a yerno de 'El Mencho'" (in Spanish). Milenio. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  3. ^ "El Menchito a un paso de su libertad". Zeta (in Spanish). 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Recapturan al operador financiero del cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación" (in Spanish). Univision. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Detienen en operativo conjunto a integrante de grupo delictivo en Jalisco" (in Spanish). Secretariat of the Interior. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Detienen a yerno de 'El Mencho' en Guadalajara" (in Spanish). Mexico City: Excélsior. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Cae 'El Toro Valencia', cabecilla del Cártel Jalisco en Colima". Mi Morelia (in Spanish). 15 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Federal Register Volume 81, Number 211: Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act". Office of Foreign Assets Control. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017.
  9. ^ Vicenteño, David (2 March 2015). "Marina detiene a operador del cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación" (in Spanish). Excélsior. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Treasury Sanctions Individuals Supporting Powerful Mexico-Based Drug Cartels". United States Department of the Treasury. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017.
  11. ^ Lastri, Diana (27 October 2016). "Incluye EU en 'lista negra' a hermano y cuñado de 'El Mencho'" (in Spanish). El Universal. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Militares encapuchados capturaron a 'El Menchito'". El Informador (in Spanish). 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Capturan a El Menchito, uno de los líderes del cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación" (in Spanish). Univision. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  14. ^ Dávila, Patricia (23 June 2015). "Recapturan a 'El Menchito', hijo del líder del CJNG". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  15. ^ "'El Menchito' quedó libre; pero lo recapturan por desaparición de personas" (in Spanish). UN1ÓN Jalisco. El Universal. 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  16. ^ Méndez, Alfredo; Martínez, Fabiola (24 June 2015). "Detienen de nuevo a El Menchito, hijo del líder del cártel Jalisco Nueva generación". La Jornada (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 June 2015.
  17. ^ Mosso, Rubén (2 July 2015). "Confronta 'El Menchito' a Poder Judicial con PGR" (in Spanish). Milenio. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  18. ^ a b "'El Menchito': Las pifas de la PGR". Zeta (in Spanish). 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Acopio de Armas" (PDF) (in Spanish). Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. October 1994. p. 273. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2017.
  20. ^ Barajas, Abel (2 July 2015). "Libera jueza a El Menchito, pero la PGR lo vuelve a retener" (in Spanish). El Sur de Acapulco. Reforma. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  21. ^ Jaramillo, Abraham (1 July 2015). "La PGR recaptura a 'el Menchito' por nuevos cargos" (in Spanish). CNN. Expansión. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Nota Informativa: Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mexico City: Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. 1 July 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2017.
  23. ^ Yánez, Israel; Garduño, Javier (2 July 2015). "Liberan a El Menchito, pero lo vuelven a retener" (in Spanish). 24 Horas. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.
  24. ^ Garduño, Javier; Rodríguez, José Víctor (14 June 2015). "Capturan a El Menchito por tercera vez en año y medio" (in Spanish). Diario 24 Horas. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015.
  25. ^ Reza M., Gloria (6 April 2016). "Recapturan a yerno de 'El Mencho'". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Sorprende operativo en Providencia; aprehenden al yerno del 'Mencho'" (in Spanish). El Informador. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  27. ^ "Recapturan a yerno de 'El Mencho'" (in Spanish). Liberal del Sur. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  28. ^ García, Octavio (6 April 2015). "Detienen fuerzas federales al operador financiero del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación". MVS Comunicaciones (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  29. ^ "Detienen a yerno del 'Mencho'". Zeta (in Spanish). 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  30. ^ Madrid, Lemuc (6 April 2016). "Reaprehenden al yerno de 'El Mencho' en Jalisco" (in Spanish). TV Azteca. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Atrapan a yerno de El Mencho en Guadalajara" (in Spanish). Guadalajara: Quadratín. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Fuerzas federales reaprehenden a yerno de 'El Mencho'" (in Spanish). El Financiero. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  33. ^ "Fuerzas federales mexicanas capturan al yerno del líder del Cártel Jalisco" (in Spanish). Terra Networks. Agencia EFE. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Reaprehenden al yerno del Mencho en Guadalajara" (in Spanish). El Diario de Guadalajara. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  35. ^ "Yerno de 'El Mencho' declara en la SEIDO" (in Spanish). El Universal. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  36. ^ "México: Cae yerno de líder del Cártel Jalisco" (in Spanish). WWSI. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  37. ^ Martínez, Jorge (20 October 2016). "Hija de Nemesio Oseguera 'El Mencho' se ampara para evitar ser detenida". Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  38. ^ "CJNG and Los Cuinis: Drug Trafficking Organizations" (PDF). Office of Foreign Assets Control. September 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 April 2017.
  39. ^ "Marcas de tequila de envasado de origen certificadas por el Consejo Regulador de Tequila" (PDF) (in Spanish). Tequila Aficionado Media. 17 September 2013. p. 63. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2017.
  40. ^ "Hija de 'El Mencho' tramita amparo". Un1ón Jalisco (in Spanish). El Universal. 22 October 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  41. ^ a b Lastiri, Diana (30 December 2016). "Niega juez amparo a la hija de 'El Mencho'". El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017.
  42. ^ "He Is Who Could Take The Reins Of The CJNG In The Absence Of "El Mencho" After Stealing His Daughter's Heart". Borderland Beat. Borderland Beat. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
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