Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) in Mexico are trying to distance themselves from a recent massacre where gunmen killed 12 people in Irapuato, Guanajuato.
The mass killing took place last Saturday at a bar in Guanajuato, a state known for its significant population of retired Americans mainly in San Miguel de Allende.
Witnesses told authorities that gunmen entered the El Pantano bar, also known as La Texana, and began shooting indiscriminately. One woman tried to escape by running outside, but the gunmen followed and murdered her. The casualties were six men and six women. One of the theories presented by law enforcement sources pointed to CJNG as behind the attack to pressure the government into releasing gunmen on trial.
A second theory suggests the attack is part of the fierce turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS), Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), and CJNG for the control of drug dealing in the area.
In what is already a common practice by cartels, narco-banners popped up in different parts of Irapuato this week, presumably signed by CJNG Elite Group, which claim no responsibility for the weekend massacre.
“This is not only an act of cowardice but also an act of affront to the government, let us do our job,” the gunmen said on the banner. “Irapuato and all of Guanajuato already have an owner and he is Mr. Mencho.”
The message referenced Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, founder of the Jalisco Cartel and one of the most wanted drug traffickers by the U.S.
So far, there is no statement from the state government on the banners. Officials only acknowledge that an attack occurred.
“The state government, through the Secretary of Government and Security, in coordination with the federation and the municipality of Irapuato, will reinforce the operations in the city after the reprehensible events that occurred in the neighborhood of December 12 (…) in addition, it will be carried out on time follow-up to the investigations of the State Attorney General’s Office to find those responsible for this reprehensible act,” a government statement explained.
The cartel turf war has made Guanajuato into the Mexican state with the most murders since 2018.
According to Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Guanajuato has seen a downward trend in murders, however, it remains the state with the most in the country.
According to Mexican authorities, nine out of 10 murders in Guanajuato have some connection with the cartel turf war.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “Dharma Fernández” from Baja California.
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