The saints march in to drug wars
ELKHORN — Deputies with the Walworth County Drug Enforcement Unit expected to find cocaine when they searched a Darien home in late August.
The found nearly a pound.
They expected to find cash.
They found $31,000.
What they didn't expect was the small altar for a skeletal Mexican saint. It was Santa Muerte, the patron saint of drug dealers, prostitutes and other criminals.
The saint, from the Spanish meaning "saint death," is popular in Mexico, where researchers say the cult claims more than 2 million followers and goes back about 3,000 years.
Police say they found the altar while executing a search warrant at 25 Market St. while investigating Roberto and Jorge Quinonez, a father and son authorities believe were moving large amounts of cocaine into the community.
Learning the culture
Santa Muerte often is associated with drugs, brutality and other crimes. Their followers pray for protection from law enforcement and safety during drug deals. Santa Muerte is believed to be as powerful as the highest Catholic saints, but she doesn't discriminate.
Offerings often are marijuana or alcohol. Blowing smoke in the saint's face is believed to awaken her powers.
Santa Muerte has slowly crept into Mexican communities in United States, often in bigger cities such as Los Angeles or Chicago. She also has started to make her way into Walworth County.
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Grube said knowing about the underground culture is one piece of the puzzle when it comes to investigation. He likened it to police learning about gang signs and colors.
The more authorities know about what the culture behind criminals, the better prepared they are to catch them.
"We learned about some little statues or bags or charms that some people believe that if you put them in a threshold of a room, it'll keep the contents of that room safe from law enforcement," Grube said. "So if law enforcement sees that on the threshold of a room or door, maybe that's the room that the drugs are in. You think, 'What are they trying to protect?'"
The Quinonez duo was not alone.
Walworth County authorities Nov. 3 arrested 11 people on drug charges, and Lake Geneva officers found Santa Muerte in some of their houses, Grube said.
It wasn't the first time Walworth County authorities found evidence of the saint in the homes of suspects, he said.
Grube and other Walworth County authorities attended a class on the topic taught by Robert Almonte, retired El Paso, Texas, deputy police chief.
'A red flag'
Almonte's interest in the religious culture underlying the Mexican drug war comes from working as a narcotics detective in the 1980s.
"We noticed there was an increase that they had these altars set up for protection from law enforcement," Almonte said.
Almonte started researching the topic. He made several trips to Mexico, trying to understand the culture behind patron saints of the crime world.
Despite the association with criminal behavior, he said, it's important to note not all Santa Muerte followers are criminals.
While in Mexico, Almonte went to shrines and participated in processions where more than 6,000 people gathered to worship Santa Muerte, kneeling and crawling after her statue.
Stricken with poverty and struggling in life, most of the followers seemed to be seeking help from whatever source they could find, he said.
But some other Santa Muerte followers have gone to greatly brutal lengths to please their saint.
Almonte recalls a case in Tijuana, Mexico, a few years ago when a member of a small crime organization owed about $7,000 to the organization leaders.
"When he finally confessed he spent the money, they cut his legs and arms off and offered it to Santa Muerte," he said.
The man's head was never found. One of the group members insisted Santa Muerte had taken it, Almonte said.
Almonte now goes around the country teaching a class on patron saints of the underground Mexican drug war.
"I want officers to become familiar with these religious icons that the criminal may have in their possession because I want this to serve as a red flag," Almonte said.
Grube said learning about the subject has heightened his awareness of Santa Muerte in Walworth County.
"It seems like once we heard about this happening, if you just look around, they really are doing this," Grube said. "They really are having these amulets and statutes and jam bags."
Possession of a statue is not probable cause to obtain a search warrant, Grube said, but it helps.
"It's just another tool," he said, "another piece of the puzzle."
Nov 20, 2009 at 7:24 a.m.
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Ok, let me get this straight, a 3,000 year old cult of drug smuggling? I think drugs were not illegal 500 years ago much less 3,000. And you are only gonna search a room that has a little baggie hanging over the door because you are thinking they are trying to protect something? Im thinking that is now a good way to throw the drug cops off. After all this 3,000 year old cult cant work too well, you guys caught them.
Let them both rot in prison.
Nov 17, 2009 at 9:41 a.m.
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THANK YOU !! to Walworth County Narcotics units for removing these people and drugs from our communities. Let's KISS. If Saint Muerte is *supposedly* protecting the drug and slave trades in the Mexican culture, may God have Mercy on her Satanic soul.
Nov 17, 2009 at 7:55 a.m.
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No one can prove that Santa Muerte does not exist.
Nov 16, 2009 at 8:23 p.m.
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thekai
Most illegal firearms in Mexico come from the United States and cross the border (opposite way haha.)
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yep, all the full auto AK47's and M16 the drug cartels use are bought at Wal-Marts in Kansas and Gerogia. I bought 3 more just yesterday.
if you want to rely on trace data, then get it straight that the only arms traced are those that are obviously likely to yield a result. if someone is toting a Springfield XD and busted it is more likely to be traced than a Romanian Tokarev seized the same way.
the percentages of firearms traced is minuscule compared to totals seized. Most arms in mexico are either the ones that soldiers/police steal when changing sides or bought from China, Honduras, etc. the ones from the US are Illegally purchased (straw man) or stolen (usually to finance drug purchases)
Nov 16, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.
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this recent story suggests as much as 60% of the cartels money comes from pot. want to know who is ALREADY doing the most damage to the cartel?? please read...:)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/0...
Nov 16, 2009 at 3:38 p.m.
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thekai-I agree the cartels would take a hit if pot was legalized(personally I would like to see it legalized) however I don't believe the bulk of their business is in pot. I think they would still have plenty of customers to sell their heroin, crack, etc. to. I just don't think it would have a debilitating effect on the cartels. Certainly not to the point of driving them out of business.
Nov 16, 2009 at 2:35 p.m.
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back to my original point. the drug POLICIES fuel these wars, not the drug USAGE. the policies create a black market and unregulated/untaxed profits. its the EXACT same thing that happened during alcohol prohibition.
Nov 16, 2009 at 2:30 p.m.
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davvic,
TheKid is referring to the fact that if we legalize marijuana for the United States, the supply of marijuana will not be through drug cartels. The majority of marijuana would be a domestic product, and it would be like any other commodity (such as tobacco) sold in the United States. This power play would severely damage the drug cartels in Mexico, and they would take a gigantic financial hit.
Nov 16, 2009 at 2:14 p.m.
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thekid3477-Your statement that "they have thousands of murders annually from the drug wars but allow adults possession of almost any drug. theyre differentiating between adults who choose to consume drugs and the cartels who are murdering for profit and control" doesn't exactly sweeten the pot(no pun) in favor of legalization. With all the corruption, poverty, disease, environmental mayhem, and as you mentioned thousands of murders annually, how is one able to sift through all of those problems and determine that the legalization of drugs has had a positive effect on their society. Granted, if I lived in that country I would probably stay stoned 24/7 but that would not necessarily be a good thing. But you said it yourself, those murders aren't in my backyard they're in MEXICO !
Nov 16, 2009 at 1:13 p.m.
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BunBun,
Most illegal firearms in Mexico come from the United States and cross the border (opposite way haha.)
/fail
Nov 16, 2009 at 12:34 p.m.
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yep, Mexico is a great country on which to base you own countries legal policies.
we shouldn't let people privately own guns in the US 'cause making it next to impossible to own one in Mexico has sure worked to keep the murder rate low...(that was sarcasm, for those whos sarcasm meter is not functioning).
Nov 16, 2009 at 12:28 p.m.
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Spunkmeyer, the thousands of active editors on Wikipedia strive to make it as accurate as possible. If you have specific information that an article on Wikipedia is incorrect, you can fix it yourself or request that it be fixed on the article's talk page.
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Omerta and muerta and mortal and mortuary all derive from the Latin word for death, and even the Germanic word murder is related.
Nov 16, 2009 at 11:52 a.m.
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they have thousands of murders annually from the drug wars but allow adults possession of almost any drug. theyre differentiating between adults who choose to consume drugs and the cartels who are murdering for profit and control. the united states should follow suit. you could do a minimal amount of research and formulate your own opinion on the topic but its prolly easier to sit at yo puter an make fun of those who have suggestions for ending our drug problem.
if those murders were in your back yard youd have a dift opinion...
Nov 16, 2009 at 11:21 a.m.
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thekid3477-Yeah, lets decriminalize drugs in the states cause if Mexico does it it must be a good idea. Sounds like we could take some more lessons from their government cause they're a country that really has it all together. It might even solve our illegal immigrant problems. Before you know it they'd be sneaking into Canada instead of the U.S. Of course when you think about it so would we!
Nov 16, 2009 at 11:13 a.m.
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Truth1-There is really no coincidence in the two words. They are simply the same word (death)in two different yet quite similar languages. Italian and Spanish.
Nov 16, 2009 at 10:57 a.m.
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Leave us be a tad more precise about what 'decriminalization" means. Once you know, I urge any Americans who would prefer the gentle justice of the Mexican police to head on down and party hearty!
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/noteboo...
"The new drug law contains a table of drugs and corresponding maximum quantities. Simple possession under those quantities will not result in prosecution. However, if someone is caught with an amount of drugs that falls within the boundaries of simple possession, the authorities will record the person's name and personal information and pass it on to health authorities, who will contact the person and inform them of drug rehabilitation options in their area. The person may be required to present himself or herself before relevant Health Department officials in order to receive information on treatment options.
If the district attorney determines that the person in question is "drug dependent," (that is, if the person "presents some sign or symptom of being dependent on drugs"), then drug rehabilitation is mandatory in order to avoid prison. Rehabilitation is also mandatory the third time a person is caught with an allowable amount of drugs.
The law also allows for ceremonial and traditional use of peyote and hallucinogenic mushrooms in indigenous communities, as long as the use is recognized by indigenous authorities. However, the law in this respect is very vague, and does not set up an authorization system such as the one that exists in the United States, meaning that the law runs the risk of being arbitrarily applied.
Erich Moncada, writing for El Sendero del Peje, argues that the decriminalized quantities of drugs are arbitrary. The allowable quantities of marijuana (5 grams) and heroin (50 mg) constitute multiple doses. The allowable quantity of cocaine is a half a gram, or about three lines--not nearly the quantity an established user would consume in a single session. Regarding the .5 gram cocaine limit, the Mexican Collective for Integrated Drug Policy stated, "These amounts are not realistic in terms of the drug market (for example, the initiative allows a consumer to have .5 grams of coke, when coke is sold on the streets by the gram)." In the case of marijuana, even though 5 grams is a multi-dose quantity, it is still less than most Mexican consumers purchase at once, because marijuana is significantly cheaper in Mexico than in the United States, and purchasing in larger quantities means a significant reduction in price."
Nov 16, 2009 at 9:56 a.m.
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why would anyone get their facts from wikipedia?? that's just silliness.
Nov 16, 2009 at 9:53 a.m.
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A number of points need to be made.
1. If this cult goes back 3,000 years, it predates Christianity.
2. This "saint" is not really a Catholic Saint, so save that bashing for another article.
3. The Catholic Church of Mexico denounces Santa Muerte.
4. To learn more, check it out on Wikipedia. It is pretty interesting to read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muert...
Nov 16, 2009 at 9:39 a.m.
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DiGriz - You are a hoot!
Nov 15, 2009 at 8:20 p.m.
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With this coincidence, it would truly be interesting to know the source and origination of the word "Omerta" ...
Nov 15, 2009 at 8:06 p.m.
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I belive Omerta is correct...
Nov 15, 2009 at 7:56 p.m.
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Coincidentally, I think the "code of silence" for organized crime figures of most all nationalities is called Omerta or Omeurta...(?)
Nov 15, 2009 at 7:19 p.m.
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the united states drug policies fuel the mexican drug wars, not the usage. mexico has de-criminalized possession of almost all drugs for adults. the united states should do the same.
Nov 15, 2009 at 7:05 p.m.
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I thought I had discovered almost all of the absurdities and fraud that was encompassed within that particular religion....................Here, I learn something new..
Nov 15, 2009 at 5:42 p.m.
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Psalm 32:7
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Nov 15, 2009 at 5:34 p.m.
Nov 15, 2009 at 5:26 p.m.
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Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
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