Eight Central Mexican Policemen Killed in Six Days

Eight police officers were murdered in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato during a recent six-day period. A total of 37 were killed statewide in 2019.

The eight law enforcement officers were killed from September 18 to September 24. Monday’s most recent attack focused on the operations commander from the municipality of Celaya, according to local reports.

The violence began against a federal officer in charge of the Regional National Intelligence Center (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia or CIN) when he was wounded and his bodyguard was killed on a rural highway. Cartel assassins reportedly stopped Officer Juan José Olvera Soriano’s car and shot Cuauhtémoc Izquierdo, the bodyguard. The assailants beat Olvera Soriano and left him behind.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of gunmen in three SUVs ambushed a convoy of correctional officers transporting prisoners. The attack left five dead and two wounded. The incident occurred on the road connecting Valle De Santiago with Salamanca, a short distance from the Cereso Mil prison.

The next attack occurred on Friday night when gunmen fired a volley of rifle rounds at the offices of the state attorney general’s office, according to local reports. A ministerial police agent identified as Luis Alberto died from gunshot wounds, plus three other officers were wounded with a civilian.

On Saturday at noon, Deputy Police Director Jorge Cisneros Rangel from the municipality of Pénjamo was murdered after being kidnapped during a university lecture. His body was recovered in rural Huanímaro.

The most recent killing occurred Monday when the operations commander identified as Comandante Sergio Morales Casas was ambushed while traveling on a city street, according to local reports. Comandante Casas was driving home at the end of his shift when multiple shooters fired from a nearby vehicle.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce completed work assignments in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year tour in Monterrey, Mexico, for the U.S. Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program. As the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico in charge of the Mexican states of, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas) You can follow him on Twitter or reach him at robertrarce@gmail.com.