Mexican authorities sentence gang leader to 50 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach

A judge sentenced Carlos Moreno Ochoa, also known as “El Larry,” to 50 years in prison after ordering the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea. “ El Larry ” was found guilty in March but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his sentence.

Miroslava Breach

Velducea was an investigative journalist. She was known for reporting human rights violations, drug trafficking, and government corruption. According to reports, at least two cartels threatened Breach months before her murder: the Juárez Cartel and Los Salazar.

Mexican authorities arrested the criminal in December 2017. In October 2018, the Attorney General’s Office asked the judge to sentence the murderer to 70 years behind bars.

Journalist Miroslava Breach was murdered because of her work and investigations. She denounced a criminal group known as Los Salazar operated in Chínipas, Chihuahua .

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Miroslava Breach Velducea was murdered on March 23, 2017. Although the murderer was arrested and sentenced to prison, two other men involved in the crime are still at large: Crispín Salazar and Jacuel Vega.

According to investigations, Los Salazar is an armed group that works for the Sinaloa Cartel.

Juan Carlos Moreno Ochoa led the local gang in Chínipas and Guazapares, in Chihuahua, as well as in Álamos, Sonora.

The Committee to Project Journalists responds

In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists announced it welcomed the sentence in Miroslava Breach murder case but urged Mexican authorities to further investigate the case: "The Committee to Protect Journalists hailed the measure but urged Mexican authorities to bring all suspects in the murder to justice.”

It added that “Breach, 54, was shot eight times and died on the spot. A second suspect, identified by federal authorities only as Jaciel, allegedly drove the getaway car and remains at large, despite a warrant for his arrest.”

The CPJ adds that according to Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico representative: “Sending Juan Carlos Moreno to prison is a step in the right direction in solving the murder of Miroslava Breach, one of Mexico’s bravest and most intrepid reporters (…) Much still needs to be done before Mexican authorities can claim that have achieved justice, however, as the alleged mastermind of the killing is still at large.”

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The organization explains that “Miroslava Breach was the correspondent for national newspaper La Jornada in Chihuahua. According to the office of the Federal Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), Breach was targeted for her critical reporting on links between local politicians and criminal gangs in the rural Sierra Tarahumara region in western Chihuahua.

According to testimony provided by a witness during the trial, the first day of which CPJ attended on February 17, 2020, Breach’s murder was ordered by José Crispín Salazar, the alleged leader of a criminal gang active in the Sierra Tarahumara region with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s oldest and largest criminal organizations. According to the testimony, Salazar was angered by Breach’s reports in La Jornada about his gang’s interference in local elections and ties to municipal governments in the area.”

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