Guadalajara -
The Jalisco state prosecutor's office announced late last night the arrest of five men in connection with three high profile attacks in Guadalajara since Mar. 1. A total of nine persons died in two of the attacks. All of the men are linked to regional organized crime groups.
On Mar. 9 the Jalisco secretary of tourism, José de Jesús Gallegos Álvarez, was assassinated by gunmen while driving on a busy street not far from his home. Police said they did not suspect an organized crime hit, but rather a long running business dispute which Gallegos had with unnamed persons. But Monday evening authorities announced that they had detained four men in the case. All are reportedly members of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a group often known by its street name of Los Matazetas - the Zeta killers. On Jan. 17 the Jalisco prosecutor said CJNG is one of the three main cartels engaged in a war for control of drug trafficking and other crime in the Guadalajara metro zone (GMZ). CJNG was formed in 2011 by Sinaloa Cartel defectors (see below).
The motive for the attack against secretary Gallegos has not been revealed, but one of the men taken into custody is a 26 year old CJNG "boss of the plaza" in Guadalajara. According to reports, the man himself has survived at least three assassination attempts, the last one of which cost him an eye.
In a separate investigation police arrested a man whom they claim is responsible for two recent bar shootings in Guadalajara which killed eight people. The Easter Sunday evening attacks left a North American citizen dead and many others wounded. The bars, now permanently closed, were owned by the same family and were located just blocks apart. Death toll in Guadalajara bar attacks rises to 8.
Prosecutors offered no motive, but they say the same man was also behind a recent attack on Mural, a Guadalajara newspaper. He is allegedly a member of Los Aliados, a new and lesser known regional gang which has declared war on CJNG.
Los Aliados is said to be an alliance forged by members of two of Mexico's most powerful organized crime groups, the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Caballeros Templarios, united by their opposition to CJNG. Sinaloa was founded by Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, the most wanted drug trafficker in the world, and conducts worldwide operations which extend to the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. The Caballeros Templarios have a heavy presence in the states of Jalisco, Colima and especially in Michoacán, where local authorities have all but lost control to them. Their businesses include drug trafficking and commercial extortion.
May 6 - Murdered tourism secretary led the royal life in Houston, but met his demise in Guadalajara
Apr. 23 - Guadalajara's mayor: "I'm worried about security"
© MGRR 2013. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment