Mexican cartels have reportedly placed bounties on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago, offering to pay up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a Tuesday statement that it had obtained “credible intelligence” indicating that Mexican criminal networks are working with domestic extremist groups to coordinate a “tiered” bounty system. According to the DHS, Mexican cartels are collaborating with street gangs in Chicago and groups like Antifa “to monitor, harass, and assassinate federal agents.”
The federal agency alleged that cartels “have disseminated a structured bounty program to incentivize violence against federal personnel,” offering varying sums of money depending on the actions taken. Information gathered from an ongoing investigation suggests that cartels are offering $2,000 for intelligence gathering or doxxing agents, which includes photos and personal information about their families.
Furthermore, cartels are reportedly willing to pay between $5,000 and $10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal assaults on standard ICE and CBP officers. The highest bounty, up to $50,000, is offered for the assassination of high-ranking officials, according to DHS.
Gang members affiliated with groups like the Latin Kings have been deploying “spotters” to track the movements of ICE and CBP officers. These spotters aim to enable ambushes or disrupt immigration raids. The DHS statement noted that spotters position themselves on rooftops equipped with firearms and radio communications.
The federal agency also claimed that Antifa groups in Portland and Chicago have interfered with the deportation of “cartel-linked individuals.” Their activities reportedly include doxxing agents and supplying pre-staged protest materials.
“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. She added, “Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress. We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”
On October 6, the agency announced the arrest of Juan Espinoza Martinez, a criminal illegal alien and Latin Kings gang member accused of placing a bounty on the Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol, Chief Gregory Bovino.
The arrest followed information provided by a confidential source on October 3 about a “hit” that a member of the Latin Kings had placed on Bovino. ICE Homeland Security Investigations identified Martinez as the individual responsible for placing the hit before arresting him on October 6 in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
DHS also shared a screenshot of a Snapchat conversation received by HSI Chicago from a user named “Juan,” who offered $2,000 for information about Bovino “cuando lo agarren,” which translates to “when they catch him.” The message included a photo of Bovino.
In addition to this, Martinez is suspected of sending further messages promising a $10,000 reward “if you take him down,” followed by another message indicating the Latin Kings’ involvement, stating, “LK. on him.”
“Depraved individuals like Juan Espinoza Martinez who do not value human life and threaten law enforcement do NOT belong in this country. We will not allow criminal gangs to put hits on U.S. government officials and our law enforcement officers,” stated Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
She continued, “Thanks to ICE and our federal law enforcement partners, this thug is off our streets and behind bars. These attacks on our brave law enforcement officers must END. Secretary Noem has been crystal clear: If you threaten or lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Martinez was charged with one count of murder-for-hire for soliciting the murder of a senior law enforcement official, according to an unsealed complaint cited by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The complaint, unsealed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, labels Martinez a “ranking member of the Latin Kings.”
The Chicago-based street gang’s criminal activities include narcotics trafficking, extortion, murder, assault, firearms trafficking, armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, money laundering, racketeering, and intimidation.
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