Regional Leader of Carteles Unidos Allegedly Captured in Los Reyes, Michoacan

 "Enojon" for Borderland Beat 

(Photograph of Wiliam Alvarez ‘El Maniaco') 

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Narco Blockades in Culiacan, Sinaloa Leads to Rumors of Ivan Guzman's Arrest

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

In August 29, 2024, clashes between armed civilians and security personnel were reported this afternoon in Paredones and Jesús María, north of Culiacán. There were also reports of a narco road blocks near Limón de los Ramos, where trucks were set on fire.

Several Mexican news outlets are reporting on the blockades and that they are the result of the possible arrest of the leader of Los Chapitos, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, however no arrests have been reported.

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Narco Blockades Once Again Mar Guanajuato Following Shootout in Juventino Rosas

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

This afternoon, agents of the Fuerzas de Seguridad Pública del Estado (FSPE) engaged in a shootout with armed criminals on the highway between Celaya and Juventino Rosas, in central Guanajuato. The criminals responded by burning vehicles and establishing road blocks in the region. This happens just days after CJNG paralyzed the state with coordinated attacks across ten cities in Jalisco and Guanajuato in effort to disrupt a law enforcement operation against their leaders, as reported by Borderland Beat.

According to security expert David Saucedo, this region is controlled by the Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima.

Video from Audiorama Noticias Twitter.

Photos of the event show spiked caltrops on the ground, called "ponchallantas" (tire puncturerers), a common weapon used by criminals in Mexico against vehicles.

Guanajuato is the most violent in Mexico by its homicide count of 4,333 in 2021, which accounted for over 10% of the nations total, according to government data. This violence has had a profound effect on its citizens, 84.3% of whom responded that they feel unsafe in their city in 2021, a massive increase from the 59.6% who answered five years before, when conflict between large criminal groups arrived to the state.

Sources: Borderland Beat Archives, TV Consecuencias Facebook, WhatsApp correspondence with security expert David Saucedo.

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CJNG Spreads Chaos In Guanajuato After Operation Against High Ranking Officer

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Employing an increasingly common strategy, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) burned dozens of businesses and vehicles in the states of Jalisco and Guanajuato last night in an effort to pressure the government into releasing a captured leader.

Beginning around 8 p.m. last night, CJNG members hijacked and burned vehicles in northern Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Jalisco. While authorities and locals were reeling from the chaos, the same began happening in nine cities in the state of Guanajuato, including Leon, Salamanca, Irapuato, Celaya, Silao, Guanajuato City, San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Francisco del Rincon..

Cities affected: Leon, Salamanca, Irapuato, Celaya, Silao, Guanajuato City, San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Francisco del Rincon.

While criminals in Zapopan targeted primarily vehicles and buses to create narco blockades, the fires in Guanajuato were mostly attacks against businesses, including OXXO corner stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Videos show armed criminals storming businesses, clearing them of civilians with warning shots, and burning the buildings with incendiary grenades or accelerant.

It is possible that the chaos was created in Zapopan to slow police response along roadways, but in Guanajuato the fires were used to create terror and lash out against the government. There is no official count of how many businesses were destroyed, but it is certainly in the dozens.

Femsa, the parent company of OXXO, reported that 25 of their stores were partially or completely destroyed.

Local authorities have closed down schools for the day, in fear that the violence may continue. 

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación Response 

Last night, David Saucedo, a local security expert, told Borderland Beat that the CJNG is behind these attacks in response to the capture of a high ranking leader earlier in the day. At this time it is not confirmed who the captured leader is, but rumors have spread that is is 'RR', a member of 'El Mencho's' inner circle, and the CJNG plaza boss for Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato.

The CJNG has dominant presence in all of the regions affected, but Irapuato, the seat of CJNG Grupo Elite in Guanajuato, was hit hardest.

Furthermore, in videos of the events filmed by gunmen, logos of 'CJNG' can be seen on the vests of those burning businesses. Interestingly, these vests match those seized in a raid in Aldama earlier that day, where explosives were also found.

In one video, armed criminals order civilians out of an OXXO, while warning shots and shouting their allegiance to 'Don Mencho', the leader of the CJNG. 

This morning, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced in his morning conference that the violence resulted from the capture of criminal leaders. He said that two criminal groups were meeting, when the army confronted them, causing the shootout.

In a later press conference, Enrique Alfaro, the governor of Jalisco, stated that the operation resulted in the capture of  five criminals, nine vehicles, 31 rifles, 4 machine guns, and various explosives. He did not clarify who the captured are.

Paralyzing a city through narco blockades, gunfire, and burning of buildings is becoming a common strategy employed by criminal groups in response to the capture of high profile members. Other similar notable events include the 2019 Culiacan capture and subsequent release of Ovidio Guzman, the son of 'El Chapo', or the shootouts in Nuevo Laredo this year when 'El Huevo' of the Cartel Noroeste was captured.

These ‘Culiacanazo’ style attacks are intended to cause enough terror and chaos to pressure the government into submission. While they have occured for over a decade, they have been employed with increasing frequency since their successful use by the Sinaloa Cartel in 2019.

Sources: WhatsApp correspondence with security analyst David Saucedo, AM Noticias, All Source News, Guardia Nocturna, El Universal

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