Cuidad Juarez: Another Close Call for Nat Geo Journalist

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Infobae y telediario y ElSol

A National Geographic journalist was injured while recording at an address identified as a drug sales point in Ciudad Juarez.

An alleged narcomenudista , ie drug dealer, was apparently killed while being interviewed by the National Geographic recording team, when armed men from the opposite group arrived and opened fire, the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) said in a statement.

Without providing the name of the reporter, the authorities confirmed that the incident took place around 7:30 p.m. on Friday in a house located on the Cerro de la Mesa and Ciénega de los Olivos streets of the Valle de los Olivos subdivision, to the south of this border.

According to the official report, said domicile is identified as a point of sale of drugs and a search had even been carried out there recently, after it was reported that two members of a criminal group had been killed there.

The journalist was transferred to a local hospital where he was treated for a bullet impact injury in one leg.

"In this event an alleged narcomenudist who was apparently being interviewed by this recording team was killed and armed men from the opposite group arrived and fired," the bulletin said.

Three other members of the aforementioned international organization are under the protection of the State Attorney General's Office.

Earlier, National Geographic reporters had been at the prosecutor's premises gathering information with the prosecutor in the northern area Jorge Nava and then moved to the aforementioned area of ​​the city, apparently to seek personal testimonies and conduct interviews related to the sale of drugs.

However, they did not inform the authorities that they would go to a high-risk area dominated by the gang known as ''Los Mexicles''.

The network of Journalists Network of Ciudad Juárez denounced an attack against a team of communicators filming a documentary about the sale of drugs in the border city.

So far the National Geographic international organization has not issued any report in this regard. From December 1 to date, the collective Article 19 has documented 11 murders against journalists in relation to their informative work.

At least five drug cartels operate in the border entity. Among the groups is that of Sinaloa , under the pseudonym of ''Gente Nueva'', which operates under the leadership of Manuel Arzola Campos, aka “Don Meny”. Together with these organizations, there is that of "Los Mexicles" , an armed arm of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Other cells that are managed inside the capital is the Juarez Cartel , known as "La Línea", which is currently led by Ariana Carrillo "La Inge".

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel , CJNG, has begun to enter; however, it has not yet established itself as its rivals, the Sinaloa drug traffickers.

At the close of this note, none of the official accounts of National Geographic have published a position on what happened.

So far in October a dozen people have been deprived of life in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; the majority with the modus operandi of organized crime.