Mayor of Aguililla, Cesar Arturo Valencia Assassinated

“Socalj” for Borderland Beat

Despite the presence of authorities including soldiers in Aguililla, the Mayor, César Valencia Caballero, who was elected in the June elections of last year, was assassinated.

The mayor of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) was shot by gunmen who intercepted him when he was driving a unit near the Municipal Palace warehouse, in front of the area's soccer field, according to a source consulted by Infobae Mexico. The governor of the entity, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, condemned the murder and sent condolences to relatives. “I have issued instructions so that the events are thoroughly investigated, clarified as soon as possible and those responsible are punished. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and collaborators.”

Gilberto Vergara, parish priest of Aguililla, commented to the press that he was next to the body and described part of the scene in which, apparently, Valencia Caballero was attacked aboard a white truck, on Benjamín Ruíz avenue, in the center of the city. Municipal head. He was heading home after leaving the presidency.

He drove alone, and apparently they stopped him to talk with him and they shot him. There is nothing to indicate that it was moving, the truck was parked, the impacts were two in the chest and one in the neck.

According to preliminary reports, the attack against the official occurred around 4:30 p.m. on March 10. Staff from the Michoacán Prosecutor's Office traveled from its headquarters in Apatzingán to process the criminal scene. 10mm caliber shell casings were found at the site, while the body was transferred to the Forensic Medical Service for a necropsy of law.

More than a thousand soldiers arrived in the region at the beginning of last February to help control violence erupting between CJNG and Carteles Unidos.

Who Could Be Responsible?

"If it is assumed that there are no longer CJNG in the area and this happens, who was it? Or is it the military or are they United Cartels, do not look for them anymore, the town did not do it," said a resident in an interview who accused the collusion of authorities with the Tepalcatepec Cartel of Juan José Álvarez Farías, El Abuelo, and the rest of the rivals of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).

The members of the CJNG no longer remained in the municipality after nine months in which they broke in, dominated the Aguaje, Coalcomán tenure and approached Tepalcatepec, in search of Abuelo Farías. The latter was an ally of Oseguera Cervantes and has been through various cartels in Tierra Caliente.

One of the fears of the inhabitants was that, precisely, rivals of Mencho 's forces would retake the territory from which they were displaced and the violence would continue regardless of the presence of agents, even with their permission. Part of that forecast materialized with the assassination of Mayor Valencia Caballero.

However, it is also said that Cesar Valencia was linked to criminal groups that pretended to be self-defense groups to carry out their illicit activities.

Now he joins the list of municipal presidents assassinated in Tierra Caliente, which has the number of 16 mayors assassinated since the year 2000.

Valencia Caballero was a rancher and farmer, dedicated to planting corn. He orphaned his wife and four of his children. Two of his offspring are adults and two are small, a boy and a girl.

Source Infobae