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ZAPATA
NUEVO CIUDAD GUERRERO
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Former Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez Jr. posted this photo of one of his political signs alleging that someone had driven over it.
‘Sigi’ reports vandalism to political signs By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Former Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez Jr. said someone is taking down and vandalizing his political signs. Gonzalez is vying for the position currently held by Sheriff
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Alonso M. Lopez. On Saturday, Gonzalez published on Facebook that he had received reports regarding someone taking down and stealing his signs. “I’m offering a reward to anyone that gives me informa-
See SIGNS PAGE 11A
Zapata teen shot in Mexico 17-year-old allegedly part of criminal group By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A teen from Zapata was shot Friday in an armed confrontation that left one gunman dead near Nuevo Ciudad Guerrero, a northern Tamaulipas town that sits across the border from Falcon State Park, authorities said. Tamaulipas authorities said the 17-year-old Zapatan was with a criminal group that operates in that Mexican state. Officials did not identify the group or the teen. The shooting occurred at 1:45 a.m. around kilometer marker 155 of the Nueva Ciudad Guerrero-Nuevo Laredo highway. Shots rang out when Mexican troops patrolling the area came across several vehicles and 15 to
17 gunmen, authorities said. Reports state the gunmen opened fire when they saw the soldiers. Soldiers allegedly fired back, killing a 35-year-old man, who has not been identified. During the shootout, soldiers wounded two gunmen — Manuel Octavio Chapa Diaz, 25, and the Zapatan, officials said. Both were detained and taken to a hospital. Authorities said they seized three vehicles — a Ford F-150 Super Duty, a Ford F-350 and a Ford Lobo — bearing Texas license plates. In the vehicles, troops found five drums containing 200 liters of diesel, eight AR-15s, one AK-47, a .22-caliber rifle, a handgun, clips, tactical gear, caltrops and 70 bags
with food.
Warning A travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State in 2015 states that violent conflicts between rival criminal groups and soldiers can occur in all parts of the Tamaulipas region and at all times of the day. The warning further states that no highway routes through Tamaulipas are considered safe. Violent criminal activity occurs more frequently along the northern border, according to authorities. “Defer all non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas,” the State department adds. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
US CRUDE
OIL KEEPS FALLING. AND FALLING. Experts wonder how low the price can go By DAVID KOENIG ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — The price of oil keeps falling. And falling. And falling. It has to stop somewhere, right? Even after trending down for a year and a half, U.S. crude has fallen another 17 percent since the start of the year and is now probing depths not seen since 2003. “All you can do is forecast direction, and the direction of price is still down,” says Larry Goldstein of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, who predicted a decline in oil in 2014. On Tuesday the price fell another 3 percent to $30.44 a barrel, its lowest level in 12 years. Oil had sold for roughly $100 a barrel for nearly four years before beginning to fall in the summer of 2014. Many now say oil could drop into the $20 range. The price of crude is down because global suppli-
es are high at a time when demand for it is not growing very fast. The price decline, already more dramatic and long-lasting than most expected, deepened in recent days because economic turmoil in China is expected to cut the growth in demand for oil further. Lower crude prices are leading to lower prices for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heating oil, giving drivers, shippers, and many businesses a big break on fuel costs. The national average retail price of gasoline is $1.96 a gallon. On Tuesday the Energy Department lowered its expectations for crude oil and most fuels for this year and next. The department now expects U.S. crude to average $38.54 a barrel in 2016. But layoffs across the oil industry are mounting, and oil company bankruptcies are expected to soar. BP announced layoffs of 4,000 workers on Tuesday. Fadel
See OIL PAGE 11A
Photo by Courtney Sacco/Odessa American | AP file
In this Feb. 25, 2015, file photo, more than 30 oil drilling rigs are idle in a Helmerich & Payne, Inc. yard in Odessa, Texas, along Highway 80, as rig counts drop in the Permian Basin. See related story page 9A.
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Three men busted for human smuggling By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Three men were arrested over the weekend for their alleged involvement in human smuggling activity, court records state. A criminal complaint filed Monday in a Laredo federal court identified the men as Daniel Estra-
da-Cardenas, Oscar Hernandez-Charo and Juan Carlos Morales-Najera. All were charged with transporting illegal immigrants with a motor vehicle. On Jan. 8, a supervisory Border Patrol agent said he spotted a large group of people boarding a silver minivan parked
on the side of North U.S. 83. Authorities responded to intercept the vehicle. Agents in an unmarked vehicle spotted the minivan heading toward Laredo and a Chrysler Sebring suspected of being the scout vehicle. Records state the driver of the scout vehicle, Estra-
da-Contreras, slowed down significantly to obstruct agents from getting closer to the minivan. Agents then intercepted the loaded minivan near Rio Bravo. Its driver was identified as Morales-Najera. He was arrested after a brief foot pursuit along the U.S. shoulder, records state.
Agents said the minivan had 11 immigrants who had entered the country illegally. Then, authorities were able to locate the scout vehicle. They detained the driver, EstradaCardenas, and passenger Hernandez-Charo. Homeland Security Investigations special agents took over the case.
“Estrada-Cardenas admitted to participating in the human smuggling event for financial gain. Hernandez-Charo and Morales-Najera invoked their right to counsel,” states the complaint. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)