Ten people died and five others were injured after an attack inside a bar in the central state of Guanajuatoone of the most violent in Mexico, authorities said on Sunday.
The attack took place after 11pm on Saturday (05am GMT) at the bar “El Estadio”, when a group of gunmen came in and shot customers and employees of the plant, located on a highway linking the cities of Celaya and Querétaro.
Eight people died at the site of the attack, two women and six men, and were injured seven others who have remained “so far unidentified“, according to the official part of the prosecutor’s office.
Subsequently, the municipal government of Apaseo el Grande confirmed the deaths of two of the injured, a 23-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy, who died while being treated in a public hospital in Celaya.
The current death toll is seven men and three women, while the five injured are said to be in “confidential prognosis” due to the severity of their injuries, official sources said.
Agents from federal and local agencies carried out an operation, while the scene was investigated by experts from the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC).
The government of the state of Guanajuato regretted the attack in a statement, where it assured it was collaborating with the prosecutor’s office “to find those responsible” as well as remaining “close to the families of those affected”.
Guanajuato, a thriving industrial state and home to some of Mexico’s most visited tourist destinations, has become Mexico’s most violent entity, due to the dispute between Santa Rosa de Lima groups and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel.
Both organizations, dedicated to drug trafficking and fuel theft, among other crimes, contest the entity’s territories with blood and fire.
In Michoacan
The clashes between drug cartels for control of commercial areas in Mexico do not subside. A total of nine people were killed between Friday and Saturday two clashes between hitmen from rival organizations in the state of Michoacánone of the most violent in the country.
In the same state, Drug traffickers set fire to three nightclubs on Friday night. They threw explosives and fuel bombs at them. It is part of a gang war for control of the drug business.
As for the shootings, the State Attorney General’s Office reported that the first event occurred Friday morning on a path in a wooded area in the Sierra Madre del Sur. There, officers found a burnt-out vehicle with the bullet-riddled bodies of five men, while a sixth body was located just meters from the scene. Neighbors reported hearing volleys of assault rifles.
In a second case, the Guardia Civil (State Police) specified that two groups of killers are antagonists They faced each other with large caliber rifles.and in the municipality of Uruapan, central Michoacán.
The armed confrontation took place in the afternoon in two residential areas known as Tejerías and El Planetario, where three alleged assassins lost their lives and possibly many others were injured.
Agents of the Guardia Civil and Mexican Army deployed to broad operational which allowed the capture of fifteen men who had a strong arsenal.
Assault rifles, handguns and bulletproof vests were seized. The detainees have been transferred to the prisons of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), where agents are investigating which groups of drug traffickers they belong to.
Other cases
Just two weeks ago, another similar incident occurred in Michoacán, where six young people – five men and one woman – died after an intense shooting in a public square in the Las Brisas neighborhood, in the municipality of Sahuayo.
In this state numerous drug trafficking organizations operateaccording to police sources, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Gulf Cartel, the United Cartels, the Tepalcatepec Cartel and the Knights Templar.
All fight blood and fire for control of drug production and trafficking, extortion and kidnapping. Plus, they have a huge arsenal that includes the most modern weapons on the market. In this sense they compete on an equal footing with the Mexican security forces, including the army.
Most of the drugs that are produced in Mexico are marketed in the United States. The problem, in fact, is the movement to the border, which seriously worries the White House.
The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, who has repeatedly supported the security measures taken by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, declared this week that it was “imperative” to step up the fight against the cartels.
“We are particularly concerned about the Gulf Cartel’s control of the area known as the small border,” he said. And he added that “it is necessary to fight impunity and concentrate resources on the security and justice authorities”.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.