Children and Hitmen: Organized Crime Now Recruits Youths as Young as 13, Oaxaca Prosecutor's Office Confirms

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The Oaxaca State Prosecutor confirmed the arrests of youths—some as young as 13—involved in murders and extortion, all of whom were recruited en masse by organized crime cells.

Organized crime in Oaxaca has succeeded in recruiting children and youths to carry out murders and extortion. This was confirmed by the General Justice Prosecutor's Office (FGJ), which further indicated that these minors are being enlisted in activities such as acting as lookouts.

The General Justice Prosecutor, Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla, stated that four criminal groups are implicated in these activities.

This recruitment stems from the dismantling of the criminal cell led by "Comandante Cromo," who is linked to numerous executions, acts of extortion, and the kidnapping of business owners and migrants, as well as control over street-level drug dealing in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region.

"These groups have expanded their recruitment bases and are now incorporating children and youths; those who were detained—identified and taken into custody—were involved in an attack on a family in which a father was murdered alongside his wife and children in the La Ventosa area," stated Rodríguez Alamilla.

Youths as young as 13 have been detained in Oaxaca due to criminal ties: Prosecutor

The prosecutor described the situation unfolding in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec as "grave" for several reasons. One of these is the high level of violence and insecurity resulting from the breakdown and deterioration of the social fabric.

"This is reflected in the fact that the majority of the individuals we are detaining in Juchitán de Zaragoza are youths between 18 and 19 years of age—and even as young as 15, 14, and 13," he asserted.

Furthermore, the prosecutor indicated that the detention of minors colluding with organized crime points to a process of social erosion—one that cannot be resolved solely through police operations and arrests, but rather requires a massive institutional effort to mend the social fabric, as the ultimate goal is to restore governability and social peace.

Most of these young people have been detained in the Juchitán de Zaragoza area, where the oldest are up to 19 years old.

Bernardo Rodríguez noted that security forces have fulfilled their mandate by conducting more forceful and surgical operations, as these have led to the capture of more than 200 members of these criminal cells.

La Ventosa, Oaxaca

Source: Telediario