They opened restaurants, bars and red-light districts. a few other important people. ALLENDE 1 2: ALLENDE-SALAZAR 1: ALMADA 1: ALMAZAN 1: ALMESTO 1: ALVA 1: ALVARADO 1: ALVAREZ 1: ALVISO 1: AMADO 1: AMADOR 1: . As ocurri el asesinato de mujeres, hombre y nios en este pueblo de Mxico La historia del asalto mortal a un pueblo mexicano cerca de la frontera con Texas. Pedro was born in 1846, in Allende, Coahuilla Mexico. And Recipes.A Sumptuous Feast Of A Novel, It Relates The Bizarre History Of The All-Female De La Garza Family. I was packing because we were leaving for San Antonio at 5 the next morning to go to a football game. They were our neighbors. Alonso Garza, who sailed to New Spain in 1537. +17 photos. I told him that we were facing an impossible situation and that the only thing we could do was to stand down, out of fear of the threats we faced. We are a small community. that a supervisor in the SIU was responsible. The surname Garza was brought to Mexico by Marcos Alonso De La Garza. We couldnt fight bullets with water. El caso de los 72 migrantes, ocurrido en agosto de 2010, sali a la luz pblica porque hubo dos sobrevivientes "cosa rara" apunta el informe y se . Most members of the Sensitive Investigative Unit receive mandatory training and vetting by the DEA. were too many armed men. All this time, you knew what kind of business your relatives were in. June 12, 2017. We have testimony from people who say they participated in the crime. because I hadnt shown up. Interviews for this story have been condensed and edited for space and clarity. In Allende, people suffered mostly in silence, too afraid to talk publicly. A recent publication by Ginger Thompson, a Pulitzer distinguished senior reporter at ProPublica, offers a unique account of the Allende massacre. Still, with the death certificate I began to make the changes that were long overdue. If your family is here, you still want to be around Thats They lived right here in front of city hall. We had put pressure on people to cooperate. But you cant go down these in Mexico City who served as a liaison with the DEA-trained Mexican federal police unit, declined to be interviewed. The Tejas [a gang based in Nuevo Laredo] were there. Juanita was born in 1882, in Castroville, Texas, USA. After a while, their children began attending schools with your children. They said there were going to be numerous incidents. On top of that I was pregnant, so I couldnt even think of taking any kind of sedative. There are similar hotels available. Everyone was afraid of them. So she came over, and wearing my pajamas, I went with her and my brother-in-law to Toos house. She had stuffed it full of things and was carrying it like Santa Claus, with one hand. The government told us everything. Record information. The failure of Mexican institutions to hold the Zetas accountable for the violence in Allende did not go unnoticed. I did all I could do. The 66-year-old Mexican legend, with over 30 movie credits and TV shows to his name, and more than a dozen best-selling records, is one of the stars of Bravo's new reality show Mexican Dynasties. He is a Texas native and has family in Coahuila. It wasnt my call. You want to run, but you dont know where. Tita, The Youngest Daughter Of The House, Has . Trusted by millions of genealogists since 2003. . He told me, Come on, Mom. If he wants to drink with his friends, let them do that at home. The next morning, Saturday, March 19, the gunmen summoned several heavy-equipment operators and ordered them to tear down dozens of houses and businesses across the region. So the father told the son, Lets dump whats inside. They opened it and saw two bodies. The biggest impact on society was on our sense of freedom. His siblings were: Lisandro de la Garza (1886 - 1962) Federico (de la Garza) de La Garza (1887 - 1983) Rafaela (de la Garza) Ramirez (~1889 - ) Francisca (de la Garza) Garza . . Gerardo didnt answer. I said, No, Gerardo. reads one missing person report. leak in the Allende case. Se trata de casas y ranchos que en 2011 fueron atacados por "Los Zetas", lo cual dej, segn autoridades locales, 50 desaparecidos, aunque . The babys siblings, Andrea and Arturo Espinoza, 5 and 3 at the time, They erected a monument in Allende to honor the victims without fully determining their fates or punishing those responsible. They didnt want to be cruel. Then Richard [Martinez] called me from there. No crying. I remember Ernest [Gonzalez] getting up from the table, going outside His family moved around the country often during Allende's childhood, ultimately settling in . They looked different. Among the first responders We could tell they werent from here. Agren, David. We had information that could have helped us capture these guys, but because of the way it was handled, the whole thing had unraveled. Everyone knows one anothers income levels. Kitchen. Only a few of the victims relatives mostly those who didnt live in Allende or had fled dared to seek help. I dont care. Tours & Trips including San Miguel de Allende. I told her he hadnt come home. And then, even if we werent involved with [the cartel], they would establish ties to our families. Now he is being honored . I think in some ways she had already figured it out. the killings couldnt be linked to organized crime, but acknowledged that they also have not investigated. He, in turn, shared it with a I wont fight you for nothing. Obviously Im devastated by it. Within minutes, we called the mayor of Piedras Negras. In addition to trafficking drugs and weapons, they began to start companies and businesses in the service sector, Hes talking about this almost tearing up at times because hes so emotionally invested in this. He worked closely with the DEA on Too Legit to Quit and later prosecuted several Zetas operatives in a case tracing the cartels drug supply chain from Mexico through Guatemala to Colombia. 30-year-old Jose Vasquez, Jr., a Dallas native whod started selling drugs in high school and was now the leading Zetas cocaine distributor in east Texas, moving truckloads of drugs, guns Felipe Garza: Family by Aline Smithson December 27, 2016 Felipe Garza, Four Mothers. With all that we were going through, we distrusted everyone. Interior .042 Acres Exterior Single Family Homes Property type 3N69L7 Web Id Listing Detail Market Statistics Route Planner Both Garza and Vasquez fled Allende into the U.S. in return for cooperating with U.S. law enforcement, leaving the town to bear the brunt of the Zetas wrath. Someone called my cellphone and told me that if I went forward with the complaint, Your email address will not be published. Instead they brought me ashes and dirt from the place where he died. American authorities eventually Home Properties. to be honest with you. A few miles outside of town, the gunmen descended on several neighboring ranches along a dimly lit two-lane highway. This organization was destroying all that with their greed and their violence. He took up residence in the capitol of the country, Mexico City and joined in matrimony with Dona Juana de Trevino. He said something like, Did you hear whats going on? I knew Jose was in a position to help us. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. his mother. But the men told her that the baby was too little and cried too much to leave him there with them. you learned it. Alejandra Xanic, a freelance reporter in Mexico City, contributed research and reporting for this story. Not a single police car came. I hadnt been able to tell her that her father was dead, because, what if he returned? They did so often at great personal risk. The man told me, Theres something bad going on at the ranch. The Mexican newspaper El Universal published a story about the 2009 murder. They described some 50 trucks arriving in Allende, carrying people connected to the cartel. It was not difficult for the Zetas to trace the leak to Allende, due to the small number of people with access to the Trevios PINs. Discover a selection of 29 vacation rentals in San Miguel de Allende, MX that are perfect for your trip. So I wrote, Give me back my son. torn apart: shoes, wedding invitations, medications, television sets, toys. Get out of the house, he said. Pet friendly. This was 100% of all the recorded Garza's in USA. gas tank of a pickup. didnt seem to mind until you were personally affected.. We started to try to come up with ideas I told him this was bullshit. There My husband called again. Almost immediately, the Trevios learned theyd been betrayed. When it comes down to it, a lot of these guys flee the United States. He said that several of the men who worked with my husband had not arrived home the previous night. But when the time came, Garza Gaytn was a member of a Los Zetas cell led by Mario Alfonso "Poncho" Cuellar, a former Mexican federal police officer. hundreds, of men, women and children. Three years after the fact, Rubn Moreira Valds, governor of the state of Coahuila, finally launched an investigation into the Allende massacre. El Gobierno de Mxico ofreci este jueves una disculpa pblica a los familiares de las vctimas de la masacre de Allende, una comunidad del norteo estado de Coahuila donde entre el 18 y el 20 de marzo del 2011 alrededor de 300 personas fueron masacradas por narcotraficantes. Just think about that. Juan de la Garza, who sailed to America in 1514. After a while, I talked him into driving back to the road where he threw the numbers out. It shared the intelligence with a Mexican federal police unit that has long had problems with leaks even though its members had been trained and vetted by the DEA. region. She has traveled to the United States and Europe to denounce drug violence and to seek support for Mexican crime victims. going to get numerous emergency calls about gunshots, fires and things like that. A few minutes later, he called again. Lets go look for them. He said, Dont go anywhere near there, or else theyll take you too.. Pilo towns busiest streets lie in ruins. Where is the person who killed [my husband]? Their horrifying accounts of what was going on in Allende made American authorities aware of what they had unleashed. Ive been to Coahuila. The day Hctor was supposed to give me the numbers, I called him. When the gunmen showed up, they rounded up everyone they could find and took them hostage. Drugs passed through, but society didnt intervene. those victims whom investigators believed based on confessions were dead. Armed Zetas arrived in Allende on the evening of March 18, 2011, and began by targeting the Garza ranches. How could After they got there, they called me and said, Youre screwed. One of 40s guys was there, cursing my name After a while, Rodolfo called me. Three years after the Zetas rampage, Coahuilas governor, Rubn Moreira, announced that state officials would investigate what happened in Allende. But it was squandered because it wasnt done correctly, and it got compromised. Indeed, these abductions and arson were performed under the radar of the federal police, an army unit, state and municipal police who failed in their duty to protect Piedras Negras, "los cinco manantiales" and all their residents. I got it. So when someone is living on a thousand pesos one day, and 3 million pesos the next, you have to say, wait a minute, somethings going on there. But there was mutual respect. Former senior members of the Mexican Federal Police who worked closely with the unit did not respond to multiple requests for interviews. Courtesy of Garza Blanca Resort & Spa Los Cabos. Estimates of the number of dead and missing vary wildly between the official count, 28, and the one from victims associations, about 300. Who took him?. Whole apartment. came to Mexico, was Marcos Alonso Garza y del Arcon, originally from the town of Lepe in the province of Huelva, Spain. But at that point in the investigation, it had the opposite effect. However, families of the victims in Allende touted the overdue government efforts as a publicity stunt. was a group of firefighters with a backup engine. They stopped at a gas station. One of my cousins suggested The Trevio brothers were powerful Zetas leaders, highly sought after by the DEA. 2022-06-30; . Alongside her brother Miguel and mother Aida Garza, Veronica founded Austin-based Siete Family Foods in 2014, a brand that offers vegan-friendly, gluten and grain free chips, tortillas, and an. Relatives were left on their own to try to piece together what had happened and to rebuild their lives. Sometime in 1569 he moved his residence to the villa de Guadiana, which is now known as Durango. I sat in an armchair the rest of the night and waited for him until about 6:30 a.m. Then I called my sister. In some ways I died. I thought they were going to try to wiretap them or something like that. For years after the massacre, Mexican authorities made only desultory efforts to investigate. What would be the best mechanism where we could definitively say, This is where they are at this time. We knew they moved around a lot. August 9, 2016. He would have called. Jose Garza, who landed in Texas in 1850 [2] Camilo Garza, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1868 [2] Marceline Garza, aged 52, who landed in America, in 1895. Tell your cousin to take you to Eagle Pass. According to court records, each month he moved 3,000 to 4,000 kilos of cocaine valued at $12 million to $16 million through Dallas to different points across the country. I thought that once Jose realized that the jig was up, he was going to do whatever he had to do to help us. She said that she begged them to leave the baby with her. Its management.. It was Morenos brother, Gilberto, who had been caught driving the truck with $802,000 Sometimes planeloads of federal police would arrive, with 200 officers. He told me, My head is killing me. he would first make sure he had taken back their merchandise. They ran away. You still want to eventually come back to America. Casa Vitivincola y Molienda de Caa de Azcar Viedo Garza-Moschen | Allende They were economically stronger. And dont go in our truck. He told me to ask my cousin to take our daughter, Sofa, and me to my mothers house. But leave my wife alone. came to Mexico, was Marcos Alonso Garza y del Arcon, originally from the town of Lepe in the province of Huelva, Spain. +17 photos. Whether you're traveling with friends, family, or even pets, Vrbo vacation homes have the best amenities for hanging out with the people that matter most, including swimming pools and WiFi. I thought he had gone to lie down, but It appeared that the Garza family was having some kind of gathering. rural roads. They killed Vicente Lafuente. His wife and mother were still living in Texas. There were a lot of questions about what we should do, but no one wanted to take charge. In 1840 there was 1 Garza family living in Vermont. The cuisine of San Miguel de Allende is one of the best aspects of any visit there, with gorditas, mole, and stuffed chiles topping any foodie's list of things to savor. He had just turned 15. There is no first step. Size. Saturday is when everything began. Soon after, former Governor of Coahuila, Humberto Moreira Valds, sued Aguayo for defamation of character due to an opinion piece labeling Moreira as corrupt. But it didnt, until it was happening, until it happened. Unfortunately, Hes got family thats from Mexico. A report by independent human rights investigators at the Colegio de Mxico found evidence that Prez was last seen in the custody of Allende police officers. It was nine at night, which was not very late, not on a Friday. Dont leave the house, he told me. I think Richard was of the same mindset. Thompsons fears are not unfounded. [1] Biography [ edit] Museo de San Miguel de Allende is located very near the Parroquia within the former house of one of the leaders of Mexico's revolution from Spanish rule, Ignacio Allende. He was at one of the Garza ranches when the massacre began, and is presumed dead. First they killed them. The most popular month to go is September, which has the largest number of tour departures. In a recent email correspondence, Thompson commented, I worry that this story, and the accountability issues it raises for American security agencies working in Mexico, could be lost.. 600 Reynolds Avenue Las Vegas, NM PRESTON GARZA OBITUARY Preston Robert Garza, 44, a longtime resident of Tecolote, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. I was at work, waiting for the judge to sign off on two sentencing reports I had written, when Edgar called to say his friend Too had invited him over to watch a soccer match. We've got 14 adventures going to San Miguel De Allende, starting from just 3 days in length, and the longest tour is 22 days. And we all like money. Mexicos monthly murder rate reaches 20-year high. The Guardian. But according to family members,. Lira and her daughter fled to the U.S. as the massacre began and have never returned to live in Allende. That just didnt seem possible. Thats when I knew I had to leave. Nearly 20 members of the Garza family are dead or missing. The most Garza families were found in USA in 1880. Many victims were brought to a ranch outside Allende, owned by the Garza family. So I went out looking for him. Mexican federal police unit that had been specially created to conduct operations under the DEAs direction. the drug trade, would be picked up and killed. Malkin, Elisabeth. Nearly 20 are believed dead, including 81-year-old Olivia Martnez de la Torre and her 7-month-old great-grandson, Mauricio Espinoza. Under pressure to get the phones PINs, Vasquez turned to Moreno, using a little leverage of his own. In the end we learned they were people from here. Subscribe to our newsletter and join other 2,442 Justice in Mexico readers! to bigger businesses. A family by the name Villanueva and said to be linked to organized crime was hit hard in Allende. I called 40 and asked him, Hey, whats this about? He didnt answer. The next day, I was running errands in town, and I saw a line of cars heading toward me. A 12-year veteran of the agency, he led Operation Too Legit to Quit. At 11 at night there was no traffic on the streets. They had put a machine gun to his head and threatened to shoot him. It sends chills up my spine. DEA did our job to target them and to try to focus and dedicate our resources to put them out of business. We had been trying forever to find the best way to locate the Trevios. All the narcos in the area had to work for the Zetas. One was a tractor driver. As Martinez spoke, Baer interrupted to stress that the top Zetas were in prison and the agencys investigation His sister wasnt answering her phone. Federico De la Garza was born on 22 Apr 1899 in Allende, Mxico, son of Ventura de la Garza (1863 - >1907) and Maria del Refugio (Ramirez) de la Garza (>1869 - 1907). January 21, 2022 garza family allende mexicopss learning pool login. It was something personal, absolutely. ProPublica and National Geographic have identified about 60 people whose deaths or disappearances have been linked They were better armed. Theres going to be a lot of murders that come behind this., He was like, All I have to tell you is if you dont cooperate, theyre going to do time with you.. Hector Moreno Villanueva and Jos Luis Garza Gaytan allegedly betrayed the Zetas leader, also known as Z-40, by informing United States drug authorities about the cartel's activities after they. you could do that. I could finally speak openly with my daughter about what had happened. people who lived in those houses and took them to a ranch just outside of Allende. And Lafuente didnt interfere about how to capture them. He brought them to me and gave me a kiss. 37700 Casa en Venta en Guanajuato Municipio San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Esta propiedad ya no se encuentra disponible Pero no te vayas! How did I know there was trouble? Just go.. The book stunningly claims that the 1973 assassination of family patriarch Eugenio Garza Sada was not the work of leftist guerrillas, as the country had been led to believe, but had been ordere. As they prepared to arrest him, Vasquez slipped across the border to Allende, where he sought protection from members of the cartels inner circle. Garza Sada Family, major Mexican entrepreneurial family. The night belongs to us.. The monsters we thought had come from who knows where were monsters who had lived among us, and who were supposed to protect us. Another watered the fields. Facing 20 years in prison, Gilberto had confessed that he was working for the Zetas and that the cash belonged to the Trevio brothers. I told him I was going to be at the horse track. Trevio brothers, who had killed their way onto the list of the DEAs top targets. We waited more than five hours for them. You guys think that youre so tough because youve got weapons, and that theres nothing we can do about it. I asked them, Whats the matter? Its black, scary smoke.. The motorcycle looked like it was going to tip over, but they looked happy with all the stuff they had taken. Edgar had Los 41 inmuebles que nadie quiere en Allende, Coahuila. Chapo [Joaqun Guzmn, head of the Sinaloa cartel] was there. Vasquez arranged for his lawyer in Dallas to represent Gilberto and promised not to let anyone else in the cartel know about Gilbertos incriminating statements. I called the investigator that same day. And for a long time, there was only one boss, named Vicente Lafuente Guereca. In March 2011 the Zetas cartel conducted a brazen campaign of violence from Allende to Piedras Negras that killed dozens possibly hundreds of people and destroyed scores of homes and businesses. He sounded exhausted. I am also the creator of this blog We Are Cousins, and the Mexican Genealogy blog. They killed 04 of 24 Getty Images Im going to take a shower. He was completely covered in soot because he was opening a new coal mine. Jos Luis Garza, quien no haba estado involucrado directamente en esto, era considerado un sospechoso de forma errnea y se orden la detencin de cualquiera con su apellido. But they told me they were confident that Edgar was there at the time of the massacre. You said you were going to give them to me., He told me, These numbers could get us in a lot of trouble, so I threw them out the window., I told him, I have these guys waiting for me. But unfortunately, drug trafficking brings a lot of money with it. I got all the numbers for 40, and 42, and all of them. En total, el estimado de vctimas de la masacre es de 35 hasta 200. The Allende massacre was left largely unacknowledged and uninvestigated by the Mexican government. Officers under my command responded to reports of a fire at one of the Garza ranches. The Zetas killed Pia because his ranch was set on the Ro Bravo [Rio Grande]. When information was passed on previous occasions, it always seemed that something would happen. I told him that I had turned them in to the DEA. I went to the police and asked, Why in the hell did you let those assholes beat my son? I took the keys to their patrol cars. I filed a missing person report. The director of public security told us, These are their affairs. He didnt say any more. Then, the Zetas moved north of the region, pillaging, kidnapping and killing those unfortunate to cross their path. We had believed all this time that the people who did this had been brought from another state. We were My husband, Rodolfo, arrived. The gunmen opened the gate. In the words of Thompson, [The Allende] story [is] about the permeability of the border of what its like when a cartel infiltrates your town and most of all, what its like to live in a country where you dont trust anyone enough to help.. 323 ft. The properties belonged to one of Allendes oldest clans, the Garzas. They said that would be difficult, since my son was incinerated along with a lot of other people. Ginger Thompson is a senior reporter for ProPublica. I understood: Dont investigate or intervene, or else., The last phone call with Rodolfo was at a quarter to noon. Ive got family in Coahuila. In my capacity as fire chief, what I did was to advise my boss, who in this case was the mayor. They were better organized. How the U.S. I never thought they were going to send the numbers back to Mexico. I moved out of our house. And when they finally got there, all they offered were symbolic gestures. If I just sat on a number what am I going to do with them here in Dallas? Dont pack. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico. Explore historical records and family tree profiles about Maria Garza on MyHeritage, the world's family history network. The Trevio brothers were eventually captured, Miguel in 2013 and Omar in 2015, in operations led by Mexican marines. I told her, Break the phones. We had toilets in the house that flush real strong, so she broke them and flushed the phones down the toilet. He had been drinking with his friends. them if I could go there. I would like to make clear that Allende looks like a war zone, Moreno repaid the favor by agreeing to get Vasquez the numbers. He said that he felt terrible about what had happened to us, but there wasnt anything he could do. $500USD Weekly 2 Bedrooms , 3 Bathrooms , 1 Half Bathrooms . Theres no missing the signs that something unspeakable happened in Allende, a quiet ranching town of about 23,000, just a 40-minute drive from Eagle Pass, Texas. It was really bad. Thats the way I felt. Catholic Church records created by parishes in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Viridiana Ros, a Wilson Centre analyst, remarked, The increase in violence is a clear sign that the strategy Enrique Pea Nieto sold us has failed (The Guardian). Houses began exploding. 6/27/2017 (written by Lucy Clement La Rosa)- Over six years ago, a small ranching community near the Texas border of Mexico bore witness to the vengeful assault of Las Zetas, one of Mexicos historically violent drug trafficking organizations. Everyone was afraid of them, and those who werent afraid had been bought There were no kidnappings. No answer. View all View all photos (338) Traveler (140) Room & Suite (141) Dining (25) About 4.0 Very good 229 reviews #25 of 148 hotels in San Miguel de Allende I shouted at them, Tell the [Zetas] boss I want to see him.. But this is not a story where the DEA has blood on its hands. It was important because of my background, because of my own personal heritage, and of knowing what [the Zetas] were doing to Mexico. After nightfall, flames began rising from one of the ranchs large cinder-block storage sheds. The original head of probably the single most influential and extensive capitalist family in Mexico was Isaac Garza Garza, the son of Juan de la Garza Martnez, mayor of Monterrey, and Manuela Garza, Jewish immigrants from Spain who had settled in the region of Monterrey, Nuevo Len. Then the traffickers embedded themselves in society buying businesses, staging galas, recruiting from or marrying into local families. En una cruel venganza, Los Zetas mataron a todas las personas con el apellido Garza en Allende, incluyendo mujeres y nios, y destruyeron sus casas y ranchos. She is the goddaughter of Salvador Allende , the first socialist president of Chile who was her father's . Sources: ProPublica, OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos by Kirsten Luce, special to National Geographic and ProPublica. The Zetas had begun burning the bodies of some of those theyd killed. The boys told me they didnt recognize the men. of the Garza ranches, including Gerardo Heath, a 15-year-old high school football player, and Edgar vila, a 36-year-old factory engineer. The phone was not in service. Thats when we figured something was going on, and we decided What people?. I remember my first meeting with the DEA. The prosecutor and his team were supposed to arrive in the afternoon, but they didnt arrive until that night. The boss did it. was out of his hands. Evaristo Trevio, Allendes fire chief at the time, said, The only thing we could do is stand down, out of fear of the threats we faced We were afraid for our lives. Father Dont think they were living on the outskirts in some ranch. They would leave his gates open, so his cattle would escape. has failed. I told them I wanted his remains. Well get you out on bond.. I saw it as an opportunity to stop the Miguel and Omar Trevio reign. He talked about health problems. Zetas. He told me he was going to try to sneak onto the ranch through the back. and money each month. Because I was holding 596 kilos of cocaine for the cartel, and 40 sent a guy to take it back from me. So I knew that if the government got those numbers, the Zetas would find out. To avoid capture, the Zetas had their closest lieutenant in Coahuila, Mario Alfonso Poncho Cullar, provide them new cellphones every three or four weeks. He sent me a photo of himself, with drawings of frogs all over it. Plan B reform bill passed despite backlash from opposition and citizens, The Inter-American Court for Human Rights Condemns Mexico for Human Rights Abuses, Largest fentanyl lab seizure in Mexico comes a day before U.S. Senate hearing on bilateral efforts to combat fentanyl crisis. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico. ProPublica. a lamp. Design and production by David Sleight, Rob Weychert and Jillian Kumagai. Its unclear if Reyes was the source of the There was a military checkpoint a few meters away from his property, so I asked him, What about the soldiers? He told me, Whole apartment. Richard tells him, Your moms going to be charged., I told him, Man, listen, man, Ill go to the border right now, walk over and turn myself in. The gunmen invited townspeople to take whatever they wanted, triggering a free-for-all of looting.