Police Killed, Cocaine Captured, A Prison Escape - Criminal Violence in Mexico Roundup - September 5, 2023

By "El Huaso" For Borderland Beat

The contributors at Borderland Beat aim to cover newsworthy and relevant stories related to organized crime and security in Mexico. However, this means that we sometimes miss the many small footprints left by organized crime groups around the country. This article aims to cover more of these events which do not merit a full article.  

Guanajuato, Celaya - Manuel Pacheco López, an officer on the security detail of Celaya's Secretary of Citizen Security, Jesús Ignacio Rivera Peralta, was killed after an ambush while driving, reported El Universal. 53 police officers have been killed in Guanajuato state this year, the most violent state for police in Mexico, according to Causa en Comun. 17 of these deaths have occurred in the city of Celaya.

Guanajuato, Salamanca - The bodies of two men were found on a dirt road near Valle de Santiago, reported Periodico Correo.

Guanajuato, Valle de Santiago - A woman was killed by armed gunmen who burst into her home, shooting her, reported Periodico Correo. This attack is exemplary of violence between criminal groups in Guanajuato, as it was perpetrated by hitmen on motorbikes, lasted just a few seconds from arrival to exit, and occurred at the victims home or business in broad daylight. 

For a more in-depth look at what cartel violence looks like in Guanajuato, read this article.

Michoacán, La Piedad - Three men escaped from a prison, reported Dominio Publico.

Guerrero, Acapulco - 922 kilos of cocaine were seized by the Mexican navy from two smuggling speedboats, reported Quadratin Guerrero.

Baja California, Tijuana - On September 1, a police officer named Francisco Miguel López Llanos was killed by gunmen while with his daughter at a Tijuana beach. Yesterday, the Mayor of Tijuana announced that he was under investigation for alleged ties to a criminal group, reported El Sol de Tijuana.

Tamaulipas, Reynosa - The government of Tamaulipas reported that they destroyed 25 homemade armored vehicles captured in recent weeks from criminal groups. The letters "C.D.N.", referring to Cartel del Noroeste, can be seen on one truck. These armored vehicle destruction press releases occur every couple weeks, a reminder that Tamaulipas state leads the nation in the use of homemade armored vehicles.

Tamaulipas, Matamoros - Four men were killed in a shootout with the Army. One civilian was wounded, reported Mexico Codigo Rojo. Infobae reported that the shootout caused the US Consulate in Matamoros to issue a "shelter in place" warning.

Veracruz - In response to rising violence along the Veracruz-Puebla highway, the National Guard (GN) will begin using drones to monitor the area from the skies, reported GN commander David Córdova Campos.

Nationwide there are 264,061 soldiers of Mexico's armed forces deployed, according to the most recent security cabinet report from August 22, 2023. 171,310 of these are directly focused on public security duties, although many thousands more are focused on related duties, such as eradicating drug plantations. The rest are assigned to various tasks including fighting illegal fishing, to aiding with natural disaster response.