At Least Five Victims of the Loma de Flores Massacre Were Linked to the CJNG

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

The attack triggered a massive mobilization of security forces and emergency services, who provided assistance to the injured and cordoned off the area.

The massacre recorded in the Loma De Flores community  of the municipality of Salamanca resulted in 11 people dead and a dozen injured.

At least five of the eleven people murdered during the armed attack at a soccer field in the Loma de Flores community, in the municipality of Salamanca, were linked to a private security company connected to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to the authorities' initial lines of investigation.

At least ten people were also injured in the attack.

The investigations indicate that the attack was perpetrated by an armed group belonging to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL).

Prior to the events, two signs attributed to this criminal group were seized, which make direct reference to a dispute with the CJNG, reinforcing the hypothesis of a targeted attack within the framework of the conflict between the two criminal organizations.

Authorities are investigating the possible involvement of Moisés Soto Bermúdez, identified as the leader of the hit squad known as "Los Marros."

This cell operates under the command of Mario Eleazar Lara Belman, alias "Negro," "Camorro," or "Gallo," identified as a cell leader and one of the main targets of security forces in the region.

Mario Eleazar Lara Belman is considered a generator of violence in the municipalities of Irapuato, Salamanca, and Celaya.

He has an outstanding arrest warrant for the crime of aggravated homicide for the execution of a sentence and is linked to crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, homicide, drug trafficking and distribution, as well as forced disappearance of persons. The Public Prosecutor's Office continues its efforts to identify the victims, as well as to analyze the evidence collected at the scene of the crime in order to determine the motive for the attack and locate those responsible.

Meanwhile, a security operation remains in place in the area due to the risk of further violence stemming from the dispute between criminal groups.

Sources: Milenio, Borderland Beat Archives