Tepetongo, Zacatecas: Without Police and in the Middle of a Cartel Dispute

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat; TY to "El Zacatecas"

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) are competing for control of Zacatecas.

Tepetongo, a municipality located in the southwest of Zacatecas, was considered one of the quietest in the region. But the dispute between two criminal groups and the rise in extortions which the residents are subjected to are turning it into a ghost town.

The wave of violence took hold of Tepetongo since on December 4, 2020, when a criminal group kidnapped the director of the Municipal Police, along with two elements. That same night, seven agents who were in the police force resigned.

On December 7, the two uniformed men who accompanied the director were found dead near Juancho Rey rural community. Their assassins left a written message at the scene.

Tepetongo barely exceeds 7,350 inhabitants according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). According to the guidelines of the United Nations (UN), there should be 1.8 policemen for every thousand inhabitants.

In other words, the municipality must have at least 14 elements. However, this number was never met, even when the director of the police was present, since there were very few people interested in being part of the police.

Tepetongo has been in the middle of a deadly dispute between rival drug cartels for over 4 months. Cartel gunmen fight day and night because they want to control this municipality.

Since the beginning of 2021, residents say that the criminal confrontations have not stopped and attacks against the few police officers left are frequent. So far this year, the police headquarters has been attacked three times, including one that was recently reported by Borderland Beat.

Among the few residents left, one can hear whispers in the streets saying that the government has abandoned them. 

"Mayor? We don't have a mayor here. The mayor lives somewhere else. Who is going to take care of us? No one. That is why my family wants to leave", one of the residents said.

Residents say that have not seen the mayor, Sinforiano Armenta, in a long time. They also say he is never available to take calls or meet with the townspeople.

Reports of kidnappings, extortions, and vehicle thefts are on the rise, residents say. Many residents of Tepetongo have left, including some that have gone to the United States. Businesses have closed because the extortions fees are too high and they were operating on a loss.

It is only a matter of time before this municipality becomes a ghost town.

Source: Imagen Zacatecas; Borderland Beat archives