Clashes for Southern Mexican Poppy Production Areas Leave 16 Dead

Constant cartel gun battles, ambushes on police, and raids on villagers turned the rural areas of Guerrero into a war zone as combatants seek control of the region’s poppy production.

In the most recent series of clashes, six state police officers were ambushed by cartel gunmen near Zihuatanejo. The officers were checking on a group of nine families in the rural community of Petatlan, near the city of Mesillas, in the rural part of the state where they have become the victims of constant raids and attacks by cartel gunmen. The gunmen were pressuring and kidnapping local families to recruit allies or discourage cooperation with rival cartels.

According to information released to Breitbart Texas by law enforcement officials in Guerrero, the six police officers were traveling in a vehicle when gunmen ambushed them. After the police officers suffered wounds, the attackers are believed to have gone up to the officers and shot them in their heads–execution style. It is believed the ambush was a revenge plot for a prior gun battle where 10 cartel gunmen died.

The ambush comes one day after cartel gunmen attacked a convoy of officers near Cuacoyul. The police were riding in two SUVs and came under fire from at least 20 cartel shooters. During the initial attack, despite being outnumbered, the officers killed three gunmen and forced the rest to disperse into the surrounding areas. Authorities called for military and federal police backup to track down the attackers. The follow-up shootout went on for more than one hour, during a time when police forces managed to kill seven additional gunmen.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and other areas to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Jose Luis Lara, a former leading member who helped start the Self-Defense Movement in Michoacán.