Cartel gunmen killed 8 victims and injured three others in a series of bar attacks on New Year’s Day in the coastal state of Veracruz. The violence comes as rival criminal organizations continue to fight for control of the region’s trafficking routes and shipping ports.
The violence took place just after midnight on Sunday and early Monday morning in a series of attacks in and near the town of Poza Rica in Veracruz.
According to Mexico’s El Universal, the first attack took place in a bar called El Molino Rojo (Red Windmill) where a group of gunmen stormed in and began shooting killing three patrons and fatally injuring a fourth one who died at a local hospital.
Soon after gunmen stormed a second bar called El Cafre where they killed one man. The third attack took place in a suburb outside of Poza Rica where gunmen killed three other victims.
Despite efforts by authorities to capture the gunmen, no arrests have been made in the case.
The mass shootings in Veracruz come at a time when government officials claim that violence is decreasing, however, NGOs are reporting record-setting figures. The organization Causa en Comun documents 1,166 high-impact violent crimes in the state of Veracruz from January to October 2022, which include murders, kidnappings, and mass killings. The group document the crimes that were reported on by local news outlets, something that points to a possibly higher number of violent crimes that may have gone unreported.