Tuesday, January 8, 2013

More attacks on Jalisco police; state homicides increase

Just as predicted, Guadalajara and Jalisco are the latest drug war battlegrounds

*Updated Apr. 7*
Guadalajara -
Following Christmas weekend attacks against police departments in several Jalisco communities, and in neighboring Michoacán state, which left at least 14 officers dead and others wounded, another ambush occurred yesterday in the streets of San Miguel el Alto, northeast of Guadalajara.

The town's female police chief and her armed escort were attacked by a commando team about 11:00 a.m. Monday. Chief Sara Chávez was only grazed by bullets, but her escort was not so lucky. He was hit 12 times and gravely wounded. A military helicopter evacuated him from the area.

Police agencies report that in the first seven days of January, at least 26 persons in outlying areas of Jalisco state died as the result of executions or organized crime violence.

Jan. 12 - Guadalajara proper recorded eight executions in less than 24 hours from Thursday to Friday. The victims included three men whose bodies were mutilated and left in plastic bags, and an attorney.

Jan. 17 - Jalisco has recorded 67 organized crime homicides since Jan. 1, while Guadalajara had 34. The state prosecutor said today that at least three of Mexico's most dangerous cartels are fighting for control of drug sales in the city, including the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (a/k/a Los Matazetas), the Sinaloa Cartel of El Chapo Guzmán and Los Caballeros Templarios, a Michoacán-based group.

Jan. 25 - On the outskirts of Guadalajara, in the town of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, a team of gunmen attacked two police officers this morning while they were having breakfast at an outdoor restaurant. The community is just southwest of city limits (see map below). The hit squad arrived by motorcycle and opened fire. A police commander died at the scene. Police units from Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque, Zapopan and Jalisco participated in a regional sweep, and later detained a man who admitted to being involved. He is said to be an ex-policeman with links to organized crime, who was fired from his job for failing to pass "confidence checks.". The other sicario was killed at the scene by the surviving officer.

Jan. 29 - The police chief of Hostotipaquillo, Jalisco was shot to death this morning by a team of sicarios. The town is northwest of Guadalajara. One of the chief's two escorts was also killed, as was an attacker. The chief's wife and a bystander were badly wounded. Roving cartel execution squads plainly control much of the terrain in rural Jalisco. The same is true in many other regions: In the hard, cold land of the Sierra Tarahumara, narco traffickers wage open war against the poorest of the poor. The state prosecutor said today that the execution was part of a struggle for "control of the plaza" - i.e., retail drug sales - by competing local gangs. Jan. 30 - All the familiar weapons used in latest assassination of Jalisco police chief

Feb. 4 - Jalisco has recorded at least 122 homicides since Jan. 1, 95 of which were organized crime executions. Among the victims were five police officers and a soldier. The state prosecutor says that competing regional and national drug cartels and crime gangs are "heating up the plaza."

Apr. 7 - In the first three months of 2013, Jalisco reported 443 homicides: 155 in January, 133 in February and 155 in March. That tally earned it fourth place for homicides recorded in Mexico's 32 separate jurisdictions during the first two months of the year. Overall, 69% (305) of the 443 murders were organized crime or drug war related. The remaining 31% were routine offenses against the fuera comun which caused someone's death: robberies and street crime, fights, intra-family violence, etc.

Jan. 20 - Narco executions continue in the heart of Guadalajara, and near Lake Chapala
Jan. 7 - More narco violence predicted for Guadalajara
Jan. 5 - Organized crime hit claims four lives in Guadalajara metro
Dec. 25 - Death toll in Jalisco-Michoacán violence rises to 28, including 14 police officers

San Miguel el Alto has a population of 45,000; Tlajomulco de Zúñiga is minutes southwest of ZMG

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