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Monday, August 27, 2012

Conflicting reports emerge over Mexico state intergang gun fight

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Less than 24 hours after several Mexican news organizations reported a large intergang gunfight in central Mexico conflicting stories have emerged as to whether the gun battle even took place.

Sunday night late several credible Mexican news agencies and news outlets, including Organizacion Editorial Mexicana, Televisa and Informador reported a gun battle between elements of Los Zetas and Los Caballeros Templarios took place in Luvianos municipality in western Mexico state claiming the lives of at least 30 shooters.

Now 24 hours later, respite a confirmation from unnamed Policia Federal officials, and military officials in the Mexican 22nd Military Zone, the Mexico state Secretaria Seguridad Publica (SSP) denied in a Tweet Monday afternoon the confrontation ever took place.

According to several news agencies, Mexico state SSP head Salvador Neme Sastre denied the battle ever took palace, saying, according to a report posted on the website of SDP Noticias news agency,  "I deny that there has been fighting between criminal groups in Edo Mex  (Mexico state) Luvianos. Much less 30 dead."

Despite that denial by a top Mexico state government official, according to the  article other unnamed government officials in Mexico state now state that the confrontation did occur but between Los Caballero Templarios operatives and local civilians after elements of the Los Caballeros Templarios demanded paid tribute from several far western Mexico state municipalities including Luvianos, Amatepec and Tejupilco.

The report also said that the the ensuing gunfight lasted three hours until 1800 hrs local time Sunday.

Mexican news agencies and federal and state government agencies  have an arrangement.  Government agencies report and news agencies transmit the reports.  Given the nature of reporting on the drug war, Mexican news agencies seem to be fine with the arrangement, even as they augment that information with their own people on the ground.

What made Sunday's report report unusual is that in as little as a few minutes after such an incident, social media such as Twitter would have photos transmitted from the scene,and would have included photos of shot out pickup trucks or buildings, spent cartridges and other debris of armed confrontation.  None of that information has been released to date by any agency of individual.

A separate report by Radio Formula news agency said that the remote area that include  Luvianos is used for cultivating marijuana and is desirable because of its remoteness.

The SDP Noticias report added that it is impossible to independently verify the report because of how remote the area is, and because of security forces cordons and checkpoints.

Erroneous reports are not rare in Mexico. For example, at the start of last April's gun battle between gunmen with the Sinaloa Cartel and an amalgamation of rival cartel shooters in northern Sinaloa state, a report released by El Debate claimed 40 died in the initial encounter.  Although the death toll turned out to be much lower, more than 50 ended up dead and possible more over the next several weeks as security forces filtered into the area.

That initial report relied on a single government source,  Eleazar Rubio, mayor of El Fuerte municipality.  And while no one ever found the 40 bodies claimed killed, it is possible many of those dead were retrieved by shooters as a security measure.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

16 comments:

  1. .

    ... Yes well, I am VERY positive about my FUTURE: I HOPE I WAKE UP TOMORROW to L.I.V.E. j.u.s.t. One More Day!

    I am Mexican

    .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hoye chivis!!!hay UN pedo raro sobre una nota KE sircula el los narco blogs de aca de mexico sobre una supuesta roptura entre cds y los cjng segun que amanecio lleno de mantas jalisco por parte del cds donde acusan a el mencho de rata y secuetrador quien save como este el pedo a hora...ct vs cjng...cjng vs mugrozoz...ct vs mugrozoz...cdg vs mugrozoz...cds vs mugrozoz...cdj vs cds...b.l.o vs cds...fm vs ct...cjng vs cds...y mugrozoz vs mugroZoz Que desmadre alguien save Que pedo a lo k entiendo el macho prieto esta peliando con los alvares en sonora y estos esta apoyados por mencho y pues el macho es encargado por cds en sonora k no o no c enrialida pero el pedo esta culero aka en mexico

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No te olvide el pedo en durango los Ms contra los GN los dos son de CDS y tambien metros contra los rojos los dos de CDG..... pura pinche traicion

      Delete
  3. the shoot out did happened , or at least that is what they say in other narco blogs comments.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CDS HAS KICKED CJNG TO TE CURB OR AT LEAST EL MENCHO, R1 AND R2 AND THEIR PPL

    ReplyDelete
  5. why would people try and deny it happened?!??!

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  6. It is a more plausible theory that the CT essentially attempted to invade Luvianos Municipio poblados, since the fire fight moved from Mexico State into Michoacan as CT retreated after resistance to their incursion either by locals, of LFM, or Z, or any combination of those three.

    Luvianos has traditionally been a LFM stronghold especially after the CT split from LFM and LF operations were centered around western Mexico State.

    LFM has been very active in Mexico State lately, especially after they claimed that Mexico State authorities had been bought off by CT and that LF would not allow a CT invasion of Mexico State. There have been alot of executions in Toluca related to this CT-LF struggle for control of Mexico State, but the thing about it is that LF is entrencehd in Mexico State especially western MxSt and I doubt Peña Nieto will want to sink his home state into the violent environment that some of the nation's sates are experiencing, but if they are bothering his under-the-table-dealings and underground aspirations well then you can add Mexico State to the list of recent surges in violence because the gov will have to elimintate a few hundred if not at least a thousand LFM members in the most populous state in the nation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Arriva Ramon Arellano-Felix!!!!.....


    Baja-CAFlifornia.....

    ReplyDelete
  8. What the hell is it then?was there a battle or wasnt there one.Why say there is one when there isnt or why say it didnt happen when everyone says it did occur....who is lying?why?.(im going outside to have a ciggie and dwell on this story, its bloody confusing)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. do you have an extra cig i can.bum off of you

      Delete
    2. Nah mate, buy your own you tramp

      Delete
  9. Mexico is the country of rumors and misinformation. We may never know the real number of people at any given cartel battle or the actual government - cartel war altogether. Sad, but true.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Only if cartel members recorded their gunfights.

    ReplyDelete
  11. (I am back from my ciggie) it happened,just the opposing forces took there dead with them after the battle.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "(I am back from my ciggie) it happened,just the opposing forces took there dead with them after the battle"
    Ey man,is that your wife telli you to go outside?
    I know the feeling,dont smoke in here.Or you in work?Anyway what happened with this battle?

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Nah mate, buy your own you tramp"
    You smokin rollies aint you.Old hippie.

    ReplyDelete

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