Three local shootings in last two months allegedly linked to drug cartel: report
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three shootings over the last two months in San Diego are now allegedly being linked to the Mexican drug cartel south, according to our reporting partners at the San Diego Union–Tribune, who said the shootings targeted members linked to remnants of the Arellano Felix Organization, or AFO, an alleged cartel in Tijuana that was disbanded years ago by federal authorities in San Diego.
“We’re not that far from the border, so what goes on in Tijuana and a lot of the border cities will transpose itself into our neck of the woods,” said Jack Strumsky, a retired police officer with experience of investigations involving AFO.
Strumsky said the cross border violent connections are not a shock.
“By no stretch of the imagination am I surprised, this is quite common and its nefarious, but they get away with it,” he said.
Investigations into a drug cartel take a lot of man power to get people with information to come forward, according to Strumsky.
“It’s very difficult, it’s very time consuming, it’s nothing quick and oriented for quick turnover, a lot of these take long term undercover investigations,” he added.
FOX 5/KUSI was at the scene of the first allegedly connected deadly shooting on Feb.17 outside a luxury apartment complex steps from the UTC Mall in University City. Police later confirmed 35-year-old Christian Espinoza Silver was killed. According to our reporting partners at the San Diego Union-Tribune, he reportedly had connected with the remnants of the AFO.
San Diego police have not yet announced any arrests in connection with that murder.
In March, two shootings that happened just hours a part, were also connected, according to our partners at the San Diego Union-Tribune, the first shooting, March 26, happened outside a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista that wounded James Bryant Corona, someone Mexican officials referred to as “one of the main generators of violence” in Tijuana and greater Baja California.
The shooting the following day, just hours after the shooting outside Chili’s happened around 1:30 a.m. on March 27, when authorities said a woman called police from Salerno Luxury Rentals on Calle Verona and said her friend had been shot. Two 15-year-old boys were arrested in that shooting that killed one man and wounded another, after the two victims of the shooting were both shot in the head.
Chula Vista and San Diego police have not yet confirmed any connection between the three shootings.
In a statement on Wednesday, District Attorney Summer Stephan did not directly identify that these shootings were connected to cartels as the cases remain ongoing, but she described the threat of cartel violence as “a significant concern.”
“The safety of our neighborhoods is paramount as we embark on a prosecution in juvenile court and continue the investigation into anyone responsible for harming our community,” Stephan said. “The influence and crime committed by cartels has been, and continues to be a serious issue in our county, as it has been for many years.”
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