Upoeg kidnap member of Los Ardillos in Guerrero, 4 Upoeg member die in the aftermath

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

Subject Matter: UPOEG, Los Ardillos, Guerrero
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

The kidnapping of an alleged narco-trafficker in the rural zone of the State Capital provoked diverse armed attacks and blockades on the Mexico-Acapulco Federal highway, where four members of UPOEG were executed and burnt.

Reporter: Ezequiel Flores Contreras
Five persons were also wounded, four men and a woman, all involved in the conflict, who were circulating on board various vehicles on the Federal highway, where groups of auto-defensas and criminal groups set up check points from the village of Petaquillas, Chilpancingo, until the town of Juan R Escudero.

According to official reports, the violent events that were registered last night, provoked the closure of school classes in five villages: Rincon de la Via, Cajeles, Mohoneras, Buena Vista and El Ocotito.

The official reports also detailed that the new conflict in the rural zone has its origin in the confrontation that UPOEG maintains against the criminal group Los Ardillos, for control of the heroin production zones in the central region of the State.




The authorities indicated that on Sunday the 28th, Miguel Avila was kidnapped in Buena Vista, he has alleged ties with narco traffickers. His family have blamed UPOEG directly, whose base can be found in the community of El Ocotito.

In response, yesterday afternoon, dozens of villagers from Buena Vista blocked the Federal highway Mexico-Acapulco and demanded the return alive of the alleged narco trafficker as well as the withdrawal of UPOEG.

Simultaneously, in the immediacy of the village of Zintlanapa an armed group linked to Los Ardillos attacked a van that was carrying four members of UPOEG, among them Commander Arturo de Dios and his brother Mario, as well community guards who were killed and burnt in their vehicle.

Minutes after, units of UPOEG left the village of Rincon de la Via, to the place of the assault on their companions, but they could not get there due to the blockades of civilians from Buena Vista.

There followed various armed attacks against motorists that were travelling in this zone. Reports say five persons were wounded in different events that provoked panic and terror among the population of this rural zone of Chilpancingo.

Subsequently the UPOEG leadership issued a statement on social networks that said:
"It is communicated to the general public that a few moments ago a group of people from Buena Vista put up a blockade to prevent comrades access, and to allow entrance of the armed group of Los Ardillos, who entered the community of Rincon, killing a commander and a municipal councillor as well as two other people."

"The people heading the blockade against UPOEG are Victorina Mota Araujo, Victorina Perez Sanchez, Abel Avila Zamora, Norma Arcos Gonzalez, Patricia Castillo Diaz, Manuel Avila Zamora, Ruben Vega Barrientos, all under the orders of the Jesus Avila Zamora brothers and Miguel Avila Zamora, for which we make them responsible for the vile murders of our comrades", he said.

Manuel Avila, linked to the narcos is still missing and the confrontation between the self-defense group of UPOEG and Los Ardillos warns of an upsurge in violence in this part of the State, where the vacuum of any authorities is evident.