CJNG Spreads Chaos In Guanajuato After Operation Against High Ranking Officer

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Employing an increasingly common strategy, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) burned dozens of businesses and vehicles in the states of Jalisco and Guanajuato last night in an effort to pressure the government into releasing a captured leader.

Beginning around 8 p.m. last night, CJNG members hijacked and burned vehicles in northern Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Jalisco. While authorities and locals were reeling from the chaos, the same began happening in nine cities in the state of Guanajuato, including Leon, Salamanca, Irapuato, Celaya, Silao, Guanajuato City, San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Francisco del Rincon..

Cities affected: Leon, Salamanca, Irapuato, Celaya, Silao, Guanajuato City, San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Francisco del Rincon.

While criminals in Zapopan targeted primarily vehicles and buses to create narco blockades, the fires in Guanajuato were mostly attacks against businesses, including OXXO corner stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Videos show armed criminals storming businesses, clearing them of civilians with warning shots, and burning the buildings with incendiary grenades or accelerant.

It is possible that the chaos was created in Zapopan to slow police response along roadways, but in Guanajuato the fires were used to create terror and lash out against the government. There is no official count of how many businesses were destroyed, but it is certainly in the dozens.

Femsa, the parent company of OXXO, reported that 25 of their stores were partially or completely destroyed.

Local authorities have closed down schools for the day, in fear that the violence may continue. 

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación Response 

Last night, David Saucedo, a local security expert, told Borderland Beat that the CJNG is behind these attacks in response to the capture of a high ranking leader earlier in the day. At this time it is not confirmed who the captured leader is, but rumors have spread that is is 'RR', a member of 'El Mencho's' inner circle, and the CJNG plaza boss for Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato.

The CJNG has dominant presence in all of the regions affected, but Irapuato, the seat of CJNG Grupo Elite in Guanajuato, was hit hardest.

Furthermore, in videos of the events filmed by gunmen, logos of 'CJNG' can be seen on the vests of those burning businesses. Interestingly, these vests match those seized in a raid in Aldama earlier that day, where explosives were also found.

In one video, armed criminals order civilians out of an OXXO, while warning shots and shouting their allegiance to 'Don Mencho', the leader of the CJNG. 

This morning, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced in his morning conference that the violence resulted from the capture of criminal leaders. He said that two criminal groups were meeting, when the army confronted them, causing the shootout.

In a later press conference, Enrique Alfaro, the governor of Jalisco, stated that the operation resulted in the capture of  five criminals, nine vehicles, 31 rifles, 4 machine guns, and various explosives. He did not clarify who the captured are.

Paralyzing a city through narco blockades, gunfire, and burning of buildings is becoming a common strategy employed by criminal groups in response to the capture of high profile members. Other similar notable events include the 2019 Culiacan capture and subsequent release of Ovidio Guzman, the son of 'El Chapo', or the shootouts in Nuevo Laredo this year when 'El Huevo' of the Cartel Noroeste was captured.

These ‘Culiacanazo’ style attacks are intended to cause enough terror and chaos to pressure the government into submission. While they have occured for over a decade, they have been employed with increasing frequency since their successful use by the Sinaloa Cartel in 2019.

Sources: WhatsApp correspondence with security analyst David Saucedo, AM Noticias, All Source News, Guardia Nocturna, El Universal