A year later, a waitress in Chihuahua went missing for a long time. The cook saw her in the restaurant. Miguel Torres Saadoval was cleaning the grills at the restaurant El Fogó del Norte when he saw that the kitchen floor tile was loose. He had only been working there for two months, since March 2012. The tile moved every time the cleaning trolley went past. He thought, “Another thing to fix,” as he bent down to look at it more closely. He found a rectangular hole cut into the concrete when he lifted it all the way up. There was a small metal box inside that was wrapped in plastic. Miguel turned to glance at the kitchen door.
He was the only person working at the restaurant that night, and he was there to clean up. He opened the box very carefully. There was a silver ring, the restaurant’s ID card, initials, Polaroid photos, and a small notebook inside. The card has the name Rosa Delgado Morales on it and says that she was hired on January 15, 2011.
Miguel knew what the old identification cards looked like before the new computer system came. He opened the paper. A woman wrote on the first page, “If anything happens to me, look for Aurelio.” He knows everything there is to know about this business.
The pictures were of the same restaurant’s inside, but from different angles. One picture showed the manager’s office with papers all over the desk. Another one caught a middle-aged man with banknotes next to cardboard bins. The third picture showed the restaurant’s back parking lot, where there were a lot of individuals and figures that couldn’t be identified.
Miguel remembered hearing of an employee who had gone missing the year before. The other workers would talk to Rosa, the waitress, in a friendly way, but she would always change the subject when he sought further information. He put everything in the box and covered it with plastic.
He had to leave by midnight, and the restaurant didn’t open again until 7:00 the next morning. He had time to think about what to do with what he found. He went out the back entrance of the restaurant and walked to the bus stop. On the walk home, he thought about what he knew about Rosa Delgado.
Older workers had seen that she was a young worker who was bothering her family. She went missing overnight, but no other information was available. Miguel looked for news about those who had gone missing in Chihuahua in 2011 when he got back to his apartment. He came across a little piece in the newspaper. August 20, 2011, in the local paper. The young waitress goes missing without a trace.
On August 16, Rosa Delgado Morales, 23, was last seen at work. Authorities are looking into possible connections to organized crime. There is a picture of Rosa in the article. She was a young woman with long, dark hair, a friendly smile, and eyes that showed a lot of emotion. In the picture, she was wearing the restaurant’s uniform.
It said in the story that she had two better sisters and that she was helping to keep the family house in good shape after her parents died. Miguel made up his mind. The next day, he would try to find out more about Rosa’s family. The address in the newspaper showed the neighborhood on the edge of the city. They should have told the sisters that they had found something about Rosa if they still lived there.
Miguel got to work early the next morning and watched intently as Arélio Vázquez Herrera, the restaurant manager, who was in his 50s, did his job. He was a well-dressed man in his 50s who was in charge of the food and programming. Individuals who worked with him respected him, but Miguel noticed that some individuals didn’t want to talk to him for long periods of time. Miguel asked Lúcia Hernández Rojas, the most senior member of the morning group, about Rosa after lunch. “She was a great coworker,” Lúcia stated as she poured coffee.
She always came home late and talked about how hard things were. She looked happy the last night she worked. I remember her asking if anyone would stay late with her. And what happened that night? Arelio stated he left early because he was sick, but he left his luggage and other things in the closet.
She went to work the next day and learned more about her. Miguel wanted to know where Rosa’s family lived. Lúcia told him how to get to the Riveras’ neighborhood in Sacramento. Miguel took two buses to get there after work. The house was little, but it was clean. He knocked on the door, and a twenty-year-old woman came out.
“Are you looking for someone?” She asked, “What?” “I’m looking for the Delgado family.” My name is Miguel Torres. “I work at the restaurant where Rosa used to work.” The woman looked serious at the scene. “I’m Carmela, Rosa’s sister. “What do you know about her?”
Miguel talked about his job at the restaurant and what he found. Carme let him in and phoned her sister Sadra, who was 20.
Carmela remarked, “We never believed the story that she left because of drug problems.” Rosa didn’t like drugs. She had said she would look for a job somewhere else because something at the restaurant was making her nervous. Sadra said, “The week before she went missing, she came home very late.” She added that Aurelio made her perform extra tasks, like collecting money and putting paperwork in order.
Carmela shared with Miguel the last WhatsApp chat she had with Rosa on August 16, 2011. The last message, which was sent at 9:47 p.m., said, “Carmela, if I get there tomorrow, look at my work.” Miguel showed them the box he had found and said, “Aυrelio, it’s not what it seems.” At that moment, the sisters knew what the ring was.
It had been her mother’s. Rosa wore it all the time. Carme responded, “We need to call the police.” Sadra remembered that Rodrigo Martínez was the investigator in charge of the investigation. “But he took us seriously when we said something strange was happening at the restaurant.” Miguel agreed to go with them to the police station the next day.
He shut the box up that night and became ready for anything that might happen. Rosa had left clues on purpose. Someone had tried to make her go away without leaving a trace, but she was ready for the truth to come out. Miguel closed his eyes and thought about the pictures again.
The man collecting money wasn’t Aurelio; he was an elderly man with a scruffy mustache and a white shirt. He couldn’t read the labels on the cardboard boxes very well, but they looked like they were for things that weren’t on the restaurant menu. Miguel knew Rosa had been killed for finding out something she shouldn’t have known, even if the investigation was just getting started.
She will start looking for justice for her tomorrow. Miguel and Sadra were with Carmela Delgado Morales at the police station. Detective Rodrigo Martínez Solao met with them in his office, looking doubtful. “Now.” “We went over that case in great detail,” Martínez stated as he flipped through the file. On August 16, 2011, Rosa Delgado went missing.
The investigations show connections to drug trafficking. She presumably ran away or was killed. Carmela put the box on the desk. This shows that she knew she was in trouble. Check out the pictures. The detective looked at the evidence again, took the diary, and read Rosa’s notes.
These are serious charges against Arélio Vázquez. We need to check this information. Miguel told how he found the package. It was hidden under a loose tile. Someone put it there right away. Martínez looked at the pictures with his own eyes. We don’t have any files on this man, who is covered in gold.
“Do you know this person?” None of the people there could tell who the man in the picture was.” He was about 60 years old, had a strong build, and wore unique earrings in both ears. Martinez made the decision to “reopen the investigation.” “But I need you to keep this a secret.” If Rosa found something unlawful at the restaurant, the people who were involved would feel threatened. If she knows we have proof,
The detective gave Carmela a phone number to call and urged her to remember anything more she could about Rosa’s dying days. Sadra remembered. Rosa told me that Aurelio had strange visitors outside of business hours, people who didn’t come to eat but instead met at the workplace. Carmela also said that she had changed her main suppliers.
Truckloads of cars came with goods that didn’t appear like food. Miguel said he would watch the restaurant’s operations in secret. I am the closing force. I can check to see if anything strange is still going on. Martínez looked over Rosa’s original file. The first story states that Aurelio was the last person to see her.
She said she had to leave early because of health problems. We couldn’t find her luggage or her things because she said she took them herself. Sadra cut in with, “I’m sorry.” “Rosa would only leave without telling us and always sent us a message after work.” The detective produced Aurelio’s statement from August 18, 2011.
All of a sudden, Rosa Delgado seemed happy. She asked me if she could leave at 9:30 p.m. because her tummy hurt. I let her go early, and she got her stuff from the locker room and exited through the main door. Carmea told me about the contradiction. At 9:47 p.m., Rosa sent her last message.
How did he write to us after he left at 9:30 pm? Martinez noticed this difference. I have to talk to Aurelio and other workers who were there that night.
I will also ask for the restaurant’s records of who came and went on that date. Adrian Motoya, the security manager, should know who arrived and left that day. That same afternoon, the detective chose to go to the restaurant. We will do a secret check. Miguel, you can come with us as a current employee. We will get to the parking lot at 3:00 p.m.
It was a mid-range restaurant in a busy shopping district. There were about 20 tables, a small bar, and the kitchen in the lobby. Arélio Vázqυez welcomed them with professional politeness, but Miguel shouted loudly and stood up as Martínez said who he was. “Detective, is something wrong? I thought Rosa’s case was done.
Martinez said, “Some information has come out that needs to be verified,” but he didn’t go into more detail. “Could you show us the facilities?” Miguel noticed that Aurelio didn’t talk about the private office behind the kitchen throughout the tour. When the investigator asked about the room, Aurelio said, “It’s just storage and my administrative office, everything related to the restaurant’s operation.” Martinez insisted on checking out the office.
There was a metal desk, some files, a tiny safe, and a few cardboard boxes stacked up against the wall. Miguel saw the same boxes that were in Rosa’s pictures. “What’s in those boxes?” “the detective said. “Cleaning products and office supplies,” Aurelio quickly responded.
To get the greatest price, suppliers deliver in bulk. Miguel got closer to look at the labels. He knew the names of the companies on the boxes: Distribuidora Norteña SA and Comercial del Desierto Lida. The labels didn’t have any addresses that could be seen.
The detective took pictures of the boxes and the office. Aυrelio keeps track of these suppliers. “Of course,” Aurelio answered as he walked to the filing cabinet. “All the contracts and invoices are here.” While Aurelio looked for the papers, Miguel noticed that Aurelio’s conduct had changed. He was a little duller, and his movements were more sudden than usual.
“Here it is,” Aurelio replied as he gave me the folder. For two years, Comercial del Desierto has given them cleaning supplies. Distribuidora Norteña takes care of the office supplies. Martínez looked over the bills. The dates were all right, and the amounts seemed right for a restaurant of that size.
But something strange happened. Blanca Estrada Núñez, who worked for several companies, signed all of the invoices. “Do you know Ms. Estrada personally? The detective asked, “She is the main sales representative,” Aurelio said. “She takes care of the accounts for a few restaurants in the area.” Miguel cut him off.
She was the one who saw Rosa in the afternoons when she was at work. Aυrelio was surprised to see him. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” “The employees told me I had made appointments,” Miguel said. “Deliveries are made during the day.” “You must be scared,” Aurelio said forcefully. “There are no meetings here outside of working hours,” the detective said as he closed the folder.
I need to talk to all the workers who were there when Rosa went missing. Can you provide me a list? Aυrelio went to his desk and made a list by hand. Lúcia Herпández was a waiter, Héctor Ramírez was a cook, Aédrés Motoya was a security guard, Patricia Gυerrero was a secretary, and Ferпaнdez Jiménez worked part-time.
Martínez indicated that Héctor Ramírez no longer worked there. “How do I get in touch with Mr. Ramírez? He got in touch with her weeks after Rosa went missing, Aurelio said. “I don’t have any current contact information.” This made the detective pay attention. Why did he keep getting in touch with her? Personal issues.
He said he had to go to a different place because of family issues. Miguel and the detective looked at each other. The cook who worked with Rosa directly disappeared not long after her, which was too much of a coincidence. Martínez told Miguel to “be attentive to any spiritual activity” before he left.
Call me right away if anything weird happens. Don’t annoy someone or ask straight questions. Miguel went back to the restaurant that night for his own personal tour, but this time he saw things in a new way. He saw everything: who was there, what he did, and how Arelio acted during closing hours.
Miguel saw that Aurelio hadn’t gone home like he usually did when the final customer left at 11:30 p.m. Instead, he stayed at the office and made calls in silence. Miguel acted like he was cleaning near the office so he could hear bits of conversation. Today, the detective came here. “Yes, he asked about the boxes.”
No, nothing matters. We need to be more careful. When Arelio pulled Miguel close, the call ended suddenly.
Games for the whole family
“Are you done cleaning?” He asked, He then heard the sound of the rear door opening and closing. Miguel waited five minutes before putting his head out.
Aυrelio had left, but his automobile remained in the main parking lot. Miguel chose to look into the office while Aurelio was away. The door was open, so he could easily get inside. He quickly looked over the desk and found a notebook with notes, numbers, dates, and initials that were written in code and didn’t mean anything obvious.
There was a date on the page: August 16, 2011, with the initials RD and a question mark. There was a phone number and the words “problem solved” below it. Miguel took a picture of the cell phone page and went back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Aurelio came back with an old woman that Miguel hadn’t seen before. Aυrelio shouted out, “Migυel.” “You can go now.”
“We’re closing tonight.” Miguel quickly finished his task and went, although he stayed on guard from the street. The woman and Aurelio worked in the office for more than an hour, moving boxes and papers. That night, Miguel called Detective Martinez and told him what he had seen. He sent him a text with a picture of the coder.
Martínez said, “Miguel, you’ve done an excellent job.” “We’ll start the official investigation tomorrow.” “Stay safe and don’t do anything that could put you in danger.” Miguel went to bed that night knowing that he had launched an investigation that could find out what really happened to Rosa Delgado Morales.
Detective Martinez got to the station early and started looking over Rosa Delgado’s original file. Detective Carlos Ríz was the first investigator on the case, but he retired six months later. Ríz got a call from Martínez. Rosa, the waitress, remembered saying, “Carlos, I need information on the Delgado case from August 2011.”
A weird case. The proof showed drug problems, but I was convinced of something. The family made me stay the same. Could you please share what led you to discontinue your volunteer work on the case? Pressure from above. The head of the division indicated we had more important cases.
The restaurant manager also had a good name in the neighborhood. This information confirmed Martínez’s fears. He made the choice to look into Arélio Vázquez Herrera on his own. In the meantime, Carmela Delgado went to see Rosa’s old coworkers. Patricia Guerrero Vega had been a part-time waiter there since 2011.
Patricia told her at her house, “Rosa has been homeless for the last few weeks.”” She said she saw strange things at the restaurant, such as individuals coming in after it closed and trucks unloading at night. “Did she say what kind of goods she had?” She didn’t express it properly, but she informed me that the boxes were too heavy to store just food or normal supplies and that Aurelio had warned her not to be in the kitchen when special deliveries came.
Patricia thought back to a certain event. Rosa was cleaning one night when she heard a loud fight in the office. Someone was yelling at Aurelio because they were missing money. Aυrelio changed the locks the next day and said that only he could be in the restaurant after it closed. closure. Carmen was involved in all the details.
Patricia handed him the phone number of Fernando Jiménez Ortega, who had worked at the restaurant as a delivery person. When Carme got in touch with Fernando, he seemed friendly. I’d rather not talk about that place. After Rosa went missing, I had troubles. What kind of issues? Arélio let me go without giving me any reasons.
He told me he didn’t need a delivery service anymore, but I knew the restaurant was still using someone else to make deliveries. Fernández said he would meet Carme at the café del centro. He said that his employment included regular food deliveries, but that Aurelio would sometimes ask him to take boxes to people’s homes. I never knew who was carrying the boxes.
Aυrelio said these were exceptional gourmet products for important clients, but the addresses were for regular homes, restaurants, and hotels. Carmela asked him whether he knew any of those addresses. Ferпaпda checked his GPS records on his phone. In August 2011, I took those special boxes to these three places:
Colonia Campestre, Colonia Los Nogales, and the house on the outskirts, on the route to the highway to Juárez. Detective Martínez got information about Aurelio Vázquez that he may use in court at the police station. His criminal history includes the 2009 civil suit for supposed financial irregularities, and the rest of the time he worked as a manager.
Martínez also looked into the companies that sent the invoices: Distribuidora Norteña SA.
Games for the whole family
She had a real business registration, but the address was for a small office that rented space by the day. It had broken up by January 2012, five months after Rosa went missing. The detective went to the office of the delivery driver. The receptionist told him that Blanca Estrada Núñez had canceled her contract in December 2011. ” Ms. The receptionist said, “Estrada has handled several business listings.” “She had the right to be a legal representative and sign contracts with restaurants and food businesses.”
Martínez asked Blanca Estrada for her current email address. The receptionist got her files and gave her the phone number and address of the Valle neighborhood. He remembers something unique about Ms. Estrada’s dealings, but he can’t remember what it was. All he remembers is that she always paid in cash and wanted itemized receipts.
He remarked that his clients liked uncomplicated transactions. Martínez went to Blanca Estrada’s house the same afternoon. There was a “for sale” sign in the front yard, and the house was unoccupied. Neighbors told them that the family had moved several times in January 2012. The old neighbor said, “They left overnight.” “They said they had a family emergency in another state.”
They sold the house rapidly and for less than it was worth. Miguel started to write down what was going on in his own time. He kept a close eye on what was going on in the restaurant. He saw that Aurelio was staying up late on Tuesdays and Fridays, which were the days when special deliveries seemed to happen. Lúcia Hernández provided him more information on Rosa.
Rosa came one day the week before she went missing with extra money. She said that Aurelio had paid her extra for labor, but they didn’t say what that work was. Rosa informed me exactly what she did when she wasn’t working. She stated she conducted inventory and organized documents, but she also informed me that she had seen things that made her worry.
He didn’t say much, just that he was collecting proof just in case. Miguel found out that Rosa had been writing down the restaurant’s unlawful operations, but he found out before she could tell the police. Miguel looked more closely at where the cash register had been that night after Aurelio left.
He saw marks on the sole that showed that other tiles had also been taken off recently. He found a second, smaller hiding hole under another tile. There was a piece of paper in there with phone numbers and the address of a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Rosa wrote a note by hand that said, “Main Warehouse.” Everything is kept here. “Free deliveries on Wednesdays.” Miguel took pictures of all the information and sent it to Detective Martinez with a note.
Rosa knew more than we did. I found her. The investigation was showing that a complicated operation had killed Rosa. Miguel was starting to figure out why he had been so scared in the last several days.
Detective Martínez took Carmela, Sadra, and Miguel back to the police station to look over the proof. He had looked up the address of the warehouse that Rosa had written down. Martínez said that the warehouse technically belongs to a transportation company called Logística del Norte. But Gυñavo Estrada Núñez, Blanca Estrada’s husband, is the registered owner. Carmela joined the company right away. The same woman who made the fraudulent invoices for the restaurant.
Miguel added information that he had found. The security guard, Adrian Motoya, told me that the rules had changed in August 2011. Arrelio put in a few security cameras, but only in the dining room, the kitchen, or the office. Martinez had learned more about Hector Ramirez Castillo, the cook who came back after Rosa went missing. Hector moved to Torreón right after he got back. Hector moved to Torreón immediately after his return.
The detective went to Torreón to talk to Héctor. He saw him working at a taco stand in the city market. Héctor got really nervous when he saw Martínez. Héctor said, “I have nothing to say about the restaurant,” without looking him in the eye. “Rosa Delgado had hidden proof of illegal actions.” I think she already knows what happened to her.
Hector looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. “My family will be in danger if I talk.” It has previously been looked into. “Your silence won’t help them.” After talking for an hour, Hector agreed to tell what he knew. Arelio wasn’t in charge of anyone; he was only trying to hide other things. Hector told them what to do.
Blaca Estrada made money twice a week. We wrote it down and counted it as restaurant income. Suppliers’ false invoices made the extra money worth it.
Games for the family
Rosa learned this. She started looking into it in depth after closing time and saw the whole thing. Hector told about the night of August 16. Rosa showed Aurelio pictures she had taken without his knowledge. She said she would give them to the police if he didn’t stop the money laundering. What did Aurelio do? He called Estrada Blanca. She came with two men she didn’t know.
They said Rosa knew too much and that she had to solve the situation definitively. Hector began to weep. I was hiding in the closet. I heard Rosa begging them to let her go. She said she wouldn’t say anything, but she had already made up her mind. The investigator wanted to know exactly what she had seen.
Hector said that he had hit Rosa until she passed out and then taken her out of the restaurant in the big boxes he had used to carry her. Why didn’t he just say it right away? Blaca made me feel bad. She told me she had my address and the addresses of my relatives.
They gave me more money to be quiet and said I had a week to leave town. Hector told Martinez the phone numbers he remembered from the calls between Aurelio and Blanca. He also told him what the two men who kidnapped Rosa looked like. Martinez told Carmela and Miguel this information when they were back in Chihuahua.
There was enough evidence to arrest Aurelio, but he still needed to find Blanca Estrada and the other people involved. Carmela was heartbroken, but she was determined. Rosa knew this may happen, so she hid the clues. Miguel wanted to know what to do next. Martinez said they had to work with other authorities since money laundering is a federal offense. We are going to ask for a search warrant for the restaurant and the warehouse.
We also need to closely monitor Aurelio’s bank accounts and Blanca’s businesses. The detective gave Carmela and Miguel secret protection. If these criminals killed Rosa because she knew too much, they might try to kill you too. Miguel worked that night like he always does, but the police were watching him.
He saw that Aurelio was acting differently; he was often checking his phone and making calls. Aυrelio walked up to Migυel at 1:18 p.m. “I’ve been anxious about yesterday. I’m worried about the police visit. Have you told anyone about the restaurant? Miguel said cautiously, “I just work and go home.”
We need to keep the business’s good name. Any false rumors could hurt us. Miguel thought this was an indirect warning of war. “I understand perfectly,” Aurelio said. “Rosa was a terrific worker, but she had a lot of personal problems. There was no connection between her being missing and the restaurant.
This statement went against the official story that Aurelio had told the police. Miguel decided to tell someone about this conversation. Miguel saw that Aurelio didn’t leave right away at the end of the conversation. He started moving boxes from the workplace to his own truck instead. Miguel acted like he was leaving, but he stayed alert from the street.
Aυrelio put about ten cartons in his car and drove them to a place he didn’t know. Miguel quietly followed him on his motorcycle, staying far enough away so that he wouldn’t be seen. Aυrelio even made it to the city’s outskirts, where there were industrial buildings. The building Aurelio used was exactly the same as the one Rosa had written down, and it was a hidden package.
Miguel saw that Aurélio was loading the boxes with the help of two men who were waiting for him. One of them fit Héctor’s description of the people who were involved in Rosa’s kidnapping. He was of average height, had a strong build, and had a tattoo on his left arm that was easy to see.
Miguel took pictures of the scene from a safe distance and sent them to Detective Martínez with an urgent message. Aυrelio is moving evidence to Rosa’s warehouse. Martínez said right away, “Don’t come any closer.” I already have the search warrant. “Operation tomorrow morning.” The next morning, a joint operation by state and federal police simply surrounded the El Fogó del Norte restaurant and the port’s logistics warehouse.
They found financial papers at the restaurant that proved the money laundering scheme. The statistics said that each automobile made up to 100,000 pesos, which is unthinkable for a restaurant of that size. They found out how big the operation really was in the warehouse. The crates had drugs ready for distribution and cash worth millions of pesos.
He also found a secret office with computers, customer lists, and distribution routes that went through numerous states in the Mexican mainland.
Blaca Estrada Nunez and four other people were caught at the warehouse. They had cell phones and were in touch with Aurelio and other members of the organization. Police arrested Aurelio at home when he was burning papers in the backyard.
The partially destroyed documents included records of payments made to workers for special services and lists of problems that had been rectified, with dates that matched the dates of missing people in the area. Aυrelio became helpful and asked for a lawyer during the first interrogation.
But Blaca started giving information to help negotiate a lower award. Blaca said that Aurelio ran the operation from the restaurant. We just put the money in the bank and made sure it got to the right people. Rosa became a problem when she began to take pictures. Carmela was happy to hear of the arrests, but she knew that Rosa’s body had not yet been found and that justice had not yet been done.
Miguel was formally named a protected witness and given money for helping with the investigation. While the investigation was going on, the restaurant was shuttered for a short time. Carmela told Miguel that Rosa was right about everything. Her sacrifice was for nothing. The investigation had shown that a complicated criminal network was running a genuine business, but there were still important questions about what would happen to Rosa Delgado Morales in the end.
In the room where they were questioning her, Blanca Estrada Núñez talked to Detective Martínez. Her first statements led to many lines of investigation, but they still didn’t tell us where Rosa was. “I need guarantees of safety for my family,” Blaca said.
“This group has connections all over.” Martínez put the pictures Rosa had taken on the table. “Recognize this office and the man who was killed.” “You were there the night Rosa went missing.” Blanca looked at the pictures in silence for a few minutes. Rosa followed them for weeks.
I had more pictures than this. Where are the rest? After what happened to him, Aurelio burned them. The detective kept asking, “What happened to Rosa Delgado?” “Blaca wanted to talk to a lawyer first.” Martínez looked over the phones that were taken during the operation while he waited for the lawyer.
There were text messages on Aurelio’s phone that backed up what Hector said. One message, sent on August 16, 2011, at 10:15 p.m., said, “Problem under control, merchandise moved, cleaning completed tomorrow.” There was another message the next day. The official version will come from employees. The cook will work with the family.
Fernández Jiménez had been looking into Carmela Delgado. They went to the places where Ferпaпdez had delivered the special boxes together. The people who live at the house in Colonia Campestre right now didn’t know about the deliveries that had come before. The family bought the house in February 2012.
But in the Los Nogales neighborhood, useful information was gathered. The person who lived next door to the house where the boxes were delivered remembered the important event that happened in 2011. An older man named Roberto Pacheco, who lived next door, said, “Trucks were coming by car.” The house was officially empty, but there had been a lot of activity. People were coming and going with big boxes.
Roberto showed them the pictures he had taken to tell the neighborhood administration about the abuse of the empty property. One of the pictures definitely shows Arrelio loading crates with two other men. “Do you keep these pictures with certain dates?” “Carme inquired.
They all have a digital time stamp. This one was taken four days after Rosa went missing, on August 20, 2011. Fernandez knew that the truck in the picture was the one that Aurelio used for special deliveries. He also said that two of the men had sometimes gone with him on his distribution routes. Carmen gave this proof to Detective Martinez.
Roberto’s pictures made it easy to see how Aurelio, the storage properties, and the dates after the crime were all related. Blaca’s lawyer was at the police station, and talks were going on. Blaca decided to give a lot of information in exchange for a lower fine and protection for her family.
Blaca said that the operation has been going on for three years. In 2008, Aurelio got in touch with me because he needed a mechanism to clean money from bigger drug-dealing operations. What did it do? After closing, the distributors would bring the cash to the restaurant. We would collect it, register it as restaurant income, and then move it to clean bank accounts.
Games for the whole family
The investigation team started to think that there were differences between the stated income and the actual clients. She was smart and kept track of client accounts in her head, so she knew the numbers didn’t add up.
Arelio found a small hidden camera in the office in early August, when it became evident that Rosa was being watched. Rosa had been making tapes of the meetings. Blaca said that they first threatened to scare her, but she showed them the pictures she already had in response.
Rosa assured them that she had saved copies in a safe place and that she knew how to hand them to the police if something happened to her. “Why did you choose to kill her instead of talking things over?” Blaca said. “My husband, Gustavo, said that Rosa knew too much about routes and contacts.” He was afraid that she would tell the whole network if the police put too much pressure on her. Blaca talked about what happened on August 16.
After the restaurant closed, Aurelio took over. We got there at 10:00 p.m. for an emergency meeting to talk about the issue. Who was there? My husband, Gustavo Aurelio, and two security guards, Raúl Moreño and César Villanueva. The detective made a duplicate of these two names.
What did you choose to do with Rosa? Gustavo said we couldn’t let her talk. The security guards had dealt with these kinds of issues before. Blanca said that at first she had convinced Rosa to go through with the surgery in exchange for a cut of the profits. She said yes.
He said that he would rather die than do something illegal. Blaca’s confession gave the whole story of the crime, but Martinez needed to know exactly where Rosa’s body was. “Where is Rosa Delgado?”” Blaca stayed quiet for a few minutes. Before she could answer, her lawyer whispered something in her ear: “It’s in the main warehouse, but they didn’t search it.”
There is a part of the ground that isn’t shown on official maps. This new information radically changed the direction of the investigation. Martínez quickly put together a team of experts to look for remains in the winery. Carmen got word that Rosa might have been found. She finally got answers on where her sister was after a year and seven months of not knowing.
Miguel Cotió worked under police protection, gave information on how the restaurant ran on a daily basis, and helped put together a full timeline of events that led to the murder of Rosa Delgado Morales. The search crew got to the port’s logistics warehouse with metal detectors, cameras that could see underground, and tools for digging.
Blaca Estrada took them to what looked like the main part of the warehouse. Blaca said, “There’s a trapdoor under these boxes,” as the officers shifted the stacked goods. Grxstavo commanded us to build the basement where we began the main operations. Investigators did indeed uncover the hidden entrance. There was a fake ceiling over the metal trapdoor, and it needed a unique key that Blaca had.
Detective Martinez was the first to go down with the forensic tools. The basement was bigger than intended, about 50 m², and the ceiling was made of reinforced concrete. It had an artificial ventilation system and a number of different rooms. The first chamber had tools for making and packaging drugs.
There were financial documents and computers with full transaction records in the second room. The third chamber had even more interesting evidence. One of the forensic technicians said, “Detective.” “I found something.” In the third chamber, behind a layer of lime and dirt, were the bodies of Rosa, Delgado, and Morales. Next to the body were her things: the purse she had with her when she went missing, her cell phone, and her restaurant uniform.
The foreperson, who was with the team, did a preliminary exam. Injuries: Head trauma from a communicable object; death from head trauma. The state of the remains shows that the patient died about a year and a half ago. Martínez found more evidence than what Rosa had planned to leave. Inside her pocket, there was a folded piece of paper with numbers of bacterial infections and names that matched what Blaca had said during her confession.
They also found out that the basement had been used to keep people who had been victims of various crimes. Investigators found the bodies of at least three other victims, all buried in different parts of the same room. The technical team got the computers and hard disks back from the second room.
The files had all the financial information about the money laundering operation from 2008 to August 2011.
They kept track of monthly transactions that added up to more than 5 million pesos. The money came from a number of places that were involved in drug trafficking, co-entrapment, and extortion. Carmela Delgado was officially told about Rosa’s find.
She finally got confirmation of her sister’s fate after months of not knowing. Carmela responded, “At least now we know the truth,” with tears in her eyes. Rosa died while trying to stop these criminals. Miguel was asked to come in and look at things found in the basement that possibly have something to do with the restaurant. He noticed that some kitchen products were missing from the current inventory, but no one could explain why.
Miguel confirmed, “These covers are from the game we played at the restaurant.” And this story had the usual El Fogó del Norte logo on it. Investigators found that the basement was where the organization’s most serious crimes took place.
Rosa had not been the first, and maybe not the only, victim. When police came to arrest Gustavo Estrada Nunez at his home, they had an arrest warrant. He tried to get rid of his satellite phone and the papers that were burned in the yard. Gustavo threatened the police while they were arresting him. He has no idea what he’s getting into. This operation has levels of protection that are hard to imagine.
The documents he wanted to eliminate were only partially burned. They had the names of public officials and bank accounts that were thought to be involved in widespread government corruption. Detective Martinez worked with federal officials to look into political relationships that had to do with the documents. The money laundering operation was more complicated and required more protection than he had thought at first.
Héctor had named Raúl Moreó and César Villanueva as people who had taken part in Rosa’s kidnapping. They were both caught in separate operations. Both had been convicted of violent crimes before and had worked as mediators for the group. Raúl confirmed the specifics of the crime throughout the interrogation.
Rosa started to help. Gustavo ordered her death because she knew too much about political and financial cooperation. Cesar told us about the other bodies that were found in the basement. They were either competitors who got in the way of business or staff who stole goods.
The investigation found that Rosa Delgado had been killed for exposing a large criminal network that included money laundering, drug trafficking, and maybe even government corruption. Carmen set up a news conference to publicly thank Miguel Torres for finding Rosa’s clues and having the guts to tell the right people about them.
Carmela said, “My sister died because she wouldn’t tell the truth.” Finally, her bravery and preparation enabled her to make sure that justice was done. The case was settled when the people who were responsible were found and Rosa’s body was found. However, the legal and political effects of the investigation were only just starting to show.
Aυrelio Vázqυez Herrera was questioned for six hours in front of his defense lawyer and representatives from the Public Ministry. He didn’t say anything at first, but the evidence made him speak. Aurélio started by saying, “Rosa was a bad worker.” “She always asked questions about things that didn’t matter to her.”
Detective Martinez showed him the pictures that Rosa had taken. She wrote down things that were against the law in her restaurant. “Are you denying that you are coordinating money laundering operations?” “We were only reporting real income from the restaurant,” Arrelio said. Martinez put the financial paperwork he got from the warehouse on the table.
These papers demonstrate that money moves total 5 million pesos per month. The food costs less than those amounts. Aυrelio’s lawyer looked over the papers and told his client something secret. Aυrelio changed how he was going to defend himself. He said, “I know about financial problems.” “But I didn’t kill Rosa Delgado.” People at the top of the organization made the decision.
Who are these people? Aυrelio gave the names of municipal and state officials who were said to have gotten regular payments to keep the operations safe. He mentioned a police commander, two deputy councilors, and an official from the State Treasury Department.
How did you get in touch with these people? Blaca was directly in charge of these people. I only ran the restaurant and kept track of the money that came in and out. Martinez used Hector’s testimony to fight back against Aurelio. The witness said that you were there when Rosa was kidnapped and killed.
Aυrelio said that Hector was there to protect himself.
He took part in the money laundering operations on his own. The detective showed him the text messages that were on his confiscated phone. These communications directly linked him to the cleanup after the crime, giving proof that could not be denied. Aυrelio finally admitted something. Rosa said she would give the police pictures.
I called Gustavo to tell him about the problem. He made up his mind. “It tells exactly what happened on the night of August 16,” Aurelio said. After hours, I retained Rosa to do some extra veterinary work. At about 10 p.m., Grхstavo, Blaca, and the security guards showed up.
What did they do when they got there? They got Rosa to become a member of the group. They promised her money and a better-paying job in administration. She said yes. She was completely loyal. She stated she would tell everything she knew, no matter what happened. Gustavo thought she was too dangerous to let go.
Aυrelio told how the security guards had hit Rosa so hard that she passed out. They escorted her out of the restaurant and to the cash registers. I cleaned both the office and the place where the attack happened.
Martínez wanted to know what steps they took to hide the crime and how they got rid of the proof from the restaurant. We put new tiles on the floor where blood had fallen. We painted the walls of the office. We ruined Rosa’s clothes and things in the fitting room. Why did they find the places Rosa had hidden? We didn’t know she had hidden clues. We thought that the pictures she had were the only ones she had taken.
Aυrelio’s confession confirmed the main parts of the crime, but Martínez needed to know more about his political connections before he could make more arrests. At the same time, Carmen Delgado worked with a human rights lawyer to make sure that the issue got the attention it needed. The discovery of government corruption has caught the attention of the national media.
Fernández Jiménez gave a lot of information on the deliveries he had made for the organization. His GPS and gas receipts showed where and how often he was involved in criminal activities. Miguel Torres worked with the police while looking for work elsewhere.
The restaurant stayed closed, and it seemed unlikely that it would open again because of the police investigation. Carmela told Miguel, “Rosa saved a lot of lives with her bravery.” The organization would still be running and killing people if she hadn’t written down what they were doing.
The confessions of Aurelio and Blaca led to a federal corruption investigation that allegedly involved dozens of public officials at various levels of government. Patricia Guerrero, who used to work part-time at the restaurant, was interviewed and gave information on customers that seemed suspicious in 2011.
Her testimony helped find the local distributors who had used the restaurant as a staging area. The criminal network that killed Rosa was a lot bigger than anyone thought at first. Gustavo Estrada Núñez was interrogated in federal court because his case had implications in more than one jurisdiction.
He was the head of the organization and knew about operations that took place in many states in Mexico. Gustavo remarked in front of his lawyer and representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, “I admit to my money laundering activities,” but he wanted to make it clear that Rosa Delgado’s death was not part of the original plan.
The federal prosecutor showed him the intercepted phone calls between Gustavo and co-contractors in other states. He worked with drug trafficking cells in Santa Ana, Socorro, and Nuevo León as part of his operations. Gustavo said, “Our work was only money laundering.” “We weren’t directly involved in drug trafficking or violence.”
The government told people to kill Rosa Delgado. Gustavo begged for a break so he could talk to his lawyer. He came back an hour later, ready to help out completely. He said, “Rosa became a threat to the whole network.” “The pictures she took showed not only other businesses in the area but also the faces of important people from other states.”
Gustavo disclosed that Rosa had managed to photograph a regional coordination meeting held at the restaurant in July 2011. People from five different groups were at this meeting. If Rosa had given these pictures to the police, they would have shown operations worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
The prosecutor wanted to know what happened at that meeting, who was there, and what was decided. Delegates from Caliaca, Hermosillo, Monterrey, and Járez were there. The goal was to plan out distribution routes and money laundering methods so that federal authorities wouldn’t attack. Gustavo said that Rosa had been serving drinks during the meeting, but no one knew that everything was being recorded. She was very careful, taking pictures with a hidden camera while pretending to clean tables.
When did they find out that Rosa had taken pictures of the meeting? Three weeks later, a delegate from Mooresville told them that she had seen Rosa in a photo that was going around between competing groups. This discovery showed that Rosa had sought to see or share the information to protect herself, but her plan had not worked.
Gustavo said, “Rosa directly contacted the competitors of another organization.”” She thought she could use the information to get protection for herself and her family.” The prosecutor knew what was going on. Rosa did anything dangerous that led to her death. That’s right. The competitors betrayed her and told them about her pictures in exchange for benefits in negotiations over land.
Gustavo talked about what happened during the murder. On the night of August 16, Rosa was lured to the restaurant with the promise of a meeting to work out a bargain. We didn’t talk things over; we showed her proof of her betrayal. What went down during that meeting? Rosa said that she had gotten in touch with other groups.
She told him she had additional secret pictures and that he should give them to her if something happened to her. Gustavo said he had to torture her to get the location of the extra photos, but she kept giving him information until she passed out. Raúl and César made the interrogation sound worse than it was.
Before we could get the information we needed, Rosa perished from the blows. The prosecutor wanted to know what had happened to the body. Instead of throwing it away, it was buried in the basement. It was the safest spot. The basement wasn’t indicated on the official plates, and access was limited.
We thought someone would check there. Gustavo gave a lot of information on the public officials who had gotten money from the group. There were names, exact minutes, and transaction dates on the list. To make sure that other operations were looked at, Commander Rafael Saadoval got 50,000 pesos a month.
Council members Atório Vega and Luis Morales gave permission to build on other properties. This information explained why the first investigation into Rosa had been concluded too soon and called a voluntary death. Carmela Delgado had permission to take Rosa’s body for a suitable burial.
After a year and a half of looking, she was finally able to say goodbye to her sister. Miguel Torres was formally named as the citizen whose help had led to the case being solved and the criminal network being exposed. They didn’t have much police protection since other groups threatened to hurt them.
The El Fogó del Norte restaurant was shut down for good, and the property was taken as criminal-related property. Injured workers got money and help finding new jobs. Lucía Hernández, Andrés Motoya, and other employees gave more testimony that backed up the confessions of those who were arrested and helped put together a chronological account of what happened.
The investigation had gone from looking for a missing person to a federal operation against organized crime and government corruption that would have effects for years. The Attorney General’s Office set up a special task team to look into the political ties that the money laundering group showed.
The Rosa Delgado case showed that corruption went all the way up to the state and federal levels. While destroying files, Commander Rafael Saadoval was caught and jailed. He was trying to get rid of records of monthly payments made to him by Gustavo Estrada since 2009. At the press conference, the federal prosecutor said that Commander Saadoval changed the course of criminal investigations in exchange for regular payments.
His involvement let the group run its own police interference for three years. At their homes, councilmen Atório Vega and Lís Morales were taken into custody. The investigations into their bank accounts showed that they made regular deposits that matched their official incomes.
Alberto Vega helped by giving information about other Treasury officials, police officers, and local judges. Everyone got paid for helping with transactions. Luis Morales first said he was guilty, but he changed his mind when investigators showed him proof of his banking transactions in other countries. Morales admitted that the payments were made through fake companies.
Gustavo had set up a complicated method to make the deposits look like real income from consulting services. Carmela Delgado kept a close eye on how the FBI investigation was going. Rosa’s death revealed corruption that put the safety of the whole area at risk. Carmela told Detective Martinez, “Rosa thought her investigation would find something so serious.” She
only wanted to keep other restaurant workers safe. Federal investigators talked to Miguel Torres because they wanted to know exactly how Rosa found her clues. Her testimony helped put the events in order and backed up Rosa’s idea of exposing the organization.
Miguel said, “Rosa knew she was in danger of dying.” That is why she kept the clues to herself so that no one else would find them. Federal investigators found out that the group had run identical restaurants in Járez, Tijápaa, and Mexicali. All of them followed the same plan: they used real businesses as fronts to launder money made from illegal activity.
Héctor Ramírez Castillo was brought from Torreón to give a full account of how the money laundering network worked on a daily basis. We needed his help to understand the exact tactics used. Héctor said, “Every Tuesday and Friday, between 300,000 and 500,000 pesos in cash came.”
We quoted it, broke it up into smaller amounts, and said that it was sales spread out across the week. What did he say to explain such high sales? Arelio made up fake sales receipts. He set up his cash register system to do automatic transactions that tallied up the right amounts.
Tax crime experts looked at the confiscated computers and found specialized software that could make fake business documents. The system was smart enough to get past basic audits. Blanca Estrada gave a lot of information about the network of properties that were used for operations. The organization owned 12 sites in Chihuahua that were used for storage, processing, and distribution in addition to the main warehouse.
Blaca said that each property had a distinct purpose. Some were known only for storing cash, others for processing drugs, and still others for holding meetings to plan things. Simultaneous searches of the 12 properties showed the full extent of the operations. Investigators found more than 20 million pesos in cash and equipment, drug processing, and papers that connected more than 50 people.
The office had everything it needed, including computers, satellite communications equipment, and paperwork that showed operations in six other states. Carmela was told that she had found proof that Rosa was not the only worker killed by the company.
In the files that were taken, there were records of deleted numbers that matched up with the dates of disappearances that were reported in the area. Carmela told national journalists, “My sister died trying to find out who the serial killers were.” She was brave, and that saved other lives. Rosa Delgado’s funeral was held with particular honors to honor her work in exposing the criminal network.
People from human rights groups and family members of other victims of the organization were there. Miguel Torres was officially recognized for his civic work and was employed by the government to help with similar cases in other states.
The federal investigation found that the group had laundered more than 200 million pesos in its three years of operation and was responsible for at least 12 murders in the area. Judicial proceedings against corrupt officials started right away. Several members let go of their accusations before the formal proceedings were over.
Patricia Guerrero and Fernando Jiménez were given witness protection for helping with the investigation. Their testimony was crucial in establishing links between the different characteristics and operations. The Rosa Delgado investigation had turned into a federal case that would last for years, but the truth about her death had already been found.
The Supreme Court of Justice began the trial of the people who killed Rosa Delgado Morales in February 2013. Arélio Vázquez Herrera got 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide, money laundering, and being part of a criminal organization.
He stayed quiet, didn’t glance at Rosa’s relatives, and waited for the result. Gústavo Estrada Núñez was sentenced to 40 years in prison for running a criminal organization and giving orders for multiple murders. His wife, Blaca, got 20 years in prison for working with the police and giving them important information that helped them break up the whole network.
Raúl Moreó and César Villapúeva, who really killed the victim, were given life in prison with the chance of parole. Commander Rafael Sandoval was given a 25-year prison sentence for being involved in multiple crimes and being corrupt. Aitor Vega and Luis Morales, two councilmen, were each given a 15-year prison sentence and barred from holding public office for life.
Carmela Delgado started the Rosa Memorial Foundation to support families of missing people. My sister showed that normal people can stand up to organized crime with bravery and strength. Miguel Torres was brought on as a professional consultant to help with the investigation of businesses that were being used to launder money.
Because of his work on the Rosa case, he became a well-known specialist on this kind of crime. Miguel said during a conference on how to stop financial crimes, “Rosa taught me that we must always seek the truth, no matter how dangerous it may be.” More than 100 persons were arrested in six states as a result of the FBI investigation into the Rosa Delgado case.
They took properties worth more than 500 million pesos and shut down money laundering networks that had been running for more than ten years. For his testimony and help, Fernando Jiménez got paid. He used the money to start his own delivery service, which he ran in a perfectly legal and open way.
Patricia Guerrero went back to school with a scholarship from human rights groups that praised her for having the courage to testify against the criminal network. Adrian Motoya and Licia Hernandez got jobs at various restaurants in the city. They both indicated that the experience had taught them how to spot signs of illicit activity at work.
They tore down the El Fogó del Norte restaurant and built a modest public park with a plaque honoring Rosa Delgado Morales and other victims of organized crime. Hector Ramirez went back to Chihuahua to testify in other cases against lower-ranking members of the group. He got witness protection and eventually moved to another place with his own identity.
Every August 16, Carmen held ceremonies to remember Rosa and raise awareness about the dangers of organized crime. These ceremonies brought together families of victims from all around the region and helped get support for new measures to safeguard citizens. Sadra Delgado finished her studies in criminology because she was inspired by Rosa’s bravery and Detective Martínez’s work.
She worked on missing person cases and eventually became a member of the state police. Detective Rodrigo Martínez was made chief of the specialized organized crime unit because he did such a good job on the Rosa Delgado case. He solved more difficult cases using the investigative skills he learned in this case. Roberto Pacheco, the neighbor who gave important photos, was honored as a model citizen for his role in solving the case.
His pictures were very helpful in linking the crimes to the places where they happened. Carme wrote a book called “My Sister Valiete” in March 2015, four years after Rosa died. The book tells the whole story of the investigation and honors Rosa’s memory.
In the book’s introduction, Carme stated, “Rosa died defying justice.” Her example demonstrates that ordinary individuals may effect change by confronting corruption and organized crime. The Rosa Delgado Morales case established a significant legal precedent for money laundering investigations in Mexico.
Other places used the same methods that were developed during the investigation in other cases. Miguel Torres finally opened his own restaurant, being completely honest about it and working with the police on a regular basis to stop legitimate businesses from being used as fronts for crime.