Guanajuato: 4 Killed in Rehab Center; Father and Son Dismembered

"MX" for Borderland Beat

The police confirmed that the assassins left a written message at the scene. The message was not released to the public by press time.

Guanajuato rises in homicide statistics day after day. This time the killings occurred in Apaseo el Grande, a rapidly transforming town of farmers and industrial workers. This town, where Toyota built a US$1 billion assembly plant last year, is home to a deadly cartel war.

Four people were shot to death in La Purísima neighorbood when the gunmen entered an Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) center shortly after noon. Local reports say that the four victims were related and that two of them were 16 and 18 years old.

People heard numerous gunshots and reported the events to the police's emergency line. When the state and municipal police intervened, they discovered the lifeless bodies of four people scattered across the building. They immediately cordoned off the area and reported the events to the Guanajuato Attorney General's Office.

Later that evening, authorities found two dismembered bodies in Apaseo el Grande. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the two victims were a father and his son.

The two dismembered corpses were abandoned near a bridge that connects Apaseo el Grande with Celaya and the state of Queretaro

Background

In recent days, Apaseo el Grande and the neighboring town of Apaseo el Alto have become major centers of organized crime activity. There have been reports of violent clashes between rival drug cartels and attacks against public officials.

"The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) has tried by different means to seize the political, economic, and underworld control of [these two towns]. They want to have control of the local government", security specialist David Saucedo said.

"Unlike other criminal groups, the CSRL wants to have control of the traffic police, city hall, the municipal police, and all law enforcement inspection measures."

These actions had a greater occurrence within the administration of mayor María del Carmen Ortiz, who for two years has been working against the interest of the CSRL. Several of officials in her administration have been attacked by cartel members.

Source: Proceso; Periodico AM (1); (2); Milenio;