[4] Nathaniel Morris, Now the Youngsters are Masters of the Opium Harvest: Opium, Agriculture and Indigenous Identity in the Sierra of Nayarit, NORIA Research, 20 September 2020 [https://www.noria-research.com/the-youngsters-are-masters-of-opium/] In recent months, the Jalisco cartel kidnapped several members of an elite state police force, tortured them to obtain names and addresses of fellow officers and began hunting down and killing police at their homes, on their days off, in front of their families. The dramatic shooting attack sent tourists scrambling for cover at the resort of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador accused. By Gerardo 10/28/2010 12:02:00 AM 6 comments. The gunfire from what appeared to be sniper rifles and truck-mounted machine guns sent residents of the western city scrambling for cover. Known to many in Nayarit as El Diablo or La Bestia, Veytia was described by witnesses to his abuses as the military arm of Sandovals governorship, using the Polica Nayaritthe black-uniformed, balaclava-clad paramilitary police he set up as the states main anti-cartel forceas his own personal army. The gunfight took place at a crossroads near Ruiz in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, some Hector Parra/AP A federal grand jury in New York City charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, import and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana between 2013 and 2017. The Puerto Morelos shooting comes two weeks after a California travel blogger and a German tourist were killed in a similar shootout in the beach town of Tulum. The story of how that corruption played out in Nayarit brings into focus the interplay between military operations, political maneuvering and drug trafficking. the victims were just trying to make a living, working in what was available. Joaquin called the attack "a serious blow to the development and security of the state putting the image of the state at grave risk.". There are more than 100,000 guardsmen deployed in the Mexico, plus the military, yet the violence continues apace. Mexico's security secretary, Alfonso Durazo, said the fighting began when about 30 National Guard and army troops patrolling the city were fired on from a house occupied by Ovidio Guzmn Lpez, who is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. In Nayarit, he declared, there was no room for organized crime.. In Nayarit, in many ways, the beat goes on. More troops would be welcome in Zacatecas, though the effectiveness of their patrols is debated. Far from a law enforcement hero, however, Edgar Veytia was in fact the very picture of a miscreant. Ultimately, Veytias incomplete attempt to deliver the state directly into the hands of the CJNG unleashed a new wave of local violence. Accounts on social networks by witnesses said Patrn offered resistance when he realized he was surrounded and troops called in an Apache helicopter. He used his power to amass enormous landholdings and expand his own personal ranching operations. With the army the bad guys dont move in, said a 74-year-old farmer in San Juan Capistrano, who teared up talking about the situation in his community. Nor were skirmishes between rival traffickers, and the killing of state officials on the orders of organized crime, unheard of in the state. Valparasos mayor could not confirm or deny figures given by some residents that were double that. They sometimes beat people or tie them up regardless to instill fear. Str/AFP/Getty Images Zacatecas 746 murders in the first half of the year, compared to 1,065 for all of 2020, give it the highest murder rate per 100,000 residents in the country through June, according to the Mexican government. ", Sington tweeted "I've never been so scared, literally shaking," before adding "I'm fine now, barricaded in my hotel room for the night, just trying to decompress.". Up until May 2019, 130 of the latter had been found buried in 29 mass graves. "It's worth the effort to continue on with this fight," Calderon said. Lpez Obradors party just won the governorship in Zacatecas, but it remains to be seen if coordination with federal authorities will improve. Cinco sedes disponibles, Licenciatura Ejecutiva en Derecho. The other was killed on the beach. In less than eight years, he went from self-proclaimed rags to being one of Nayarits richest men, or, to use a measure more in keeping with his cowboy image, from having two horses, [to], State attorney general Veytia was the man who made good on Sandovals promises to halt the killing in Nayarit: the sheriff to the governors cowboy. He grew up a dual citizen in San Diego, California, The Beltrn Leyva organization were Sinaloans who had once controlled trafficking in Nayarit and several other areas of western Mexico as part of the wider Sinaloa cartel, until a violent break with El Chapo Guzmn and his allies in 2008the same year that Sandoval and Veytia assumed positions in Tepics municipal government. The Mexico Violence Resource Project is a collaborative effort housed at UC San Diegos Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. If this had been a lone shootout in this city of 300,000 people, residents might have written it off as a fluke and moved on. When Sandoval acceded to the state governorship he named Veytia the states assistant attorney general but never appointed anyone as head of the state justice department, leaving Veytia its de facto chief. But this fall, the arrest of Mexicos former secretary of defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, dragged this small and unassuming state into the spotlight. It is inevitable to end this without some kind of force, but importantly, an intelligent and unified manner.Thanks for reporting Gerardo. The shootout left eight presumed drug cartel members and one policeman dead. [1] Benjamin Smith, The Rise and Fall of Narcopopulism: Drugs, Politics, and Society in Sinaloa, 19301980, Journal for the Study of Radicalism, ii (2013) He used all of the forces at his command to give H-2 complete control of drug trafficking in the state: according to witnesses in Compostela, for example, every week Polica Nayarit officers would escort a truck full of H-2 gunmen into their town to help them to disappear people. Veytia also made sure that any H-2 members who were arrested were always quickly freed. During the two years that attorney general Herrera Valle spent as the security chief, an estimated 1,500 killings were linked to the states new drug war, as well as close to another 1,400 disappearances. With the death of H2, 107 have now been arrested or killed. Disfruta de nuestras lecciones personalizadas, breves y divertidas. But it now appears that Sandovals was not the only name Veytia shared with U.S. authorities. "Sol Prendido" and "HEARST" for Borderland Beat In Colima, a video shows CJNG hitmen interrogating a CDS member who alle "Ivan" for Borderland Beat Guano Guzman & Seor Guzman News started to emerge on Friday, February 24, 2023 that a joint fede "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat The aftermath of an armed attack comes into view. 2011 was even bloodier, with 456 murders recorded across the state. Others just stayed inside. Vean el tipo de armas que se estn usando. Obtendr un diploma con estadsticas de nivel, progresin y participacin. Sandoval was a cowboy in other senses too. A federal grand jury in New York City charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, import and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana between 2013 and 2017. By 2010, Tepic had a murder rate of 229 for every 100,000 inhabitants, and was ranked the thirteenth most dangerous city in the world. Sandoval was a cowboy in other senses too. "People were yelling, 'They're shooting! The strength of the PRI political machine in a small, provincial but strategic agricultural state enabled an openly corrupt political clique to cut lucrative deals with local drug traffickers. Guests at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun posted videos and photos of tourists hiding or nervously milling in the lobby and hallways of hotels during the incident. Opium Crisis,' Journal of Illicit Economies and Development 1, No.3 (2019) This region is difficult to access, sparsely populated, incredibly poor (even by Mexican standards), and predominantly populated by Indigenous Wixrika (Huichol) and Nayari (Cora) people. All Crime "has gone up a little with extortion, with drug sales to foreigners and Mexicans," the prosecutors office said about the raid. Outbursts of gunfire are common. The operation was a joint effort between Veytias police forces and the Navy, a surprising partnership given previous events. WebA bullet-ridden sport utility vehicle was taken away after a gun battle with Mexican marines in which an alleged regional drug cartel leader was killed in Nayarit state. "It's worthwhile in order to build a free and safe country." And these practices were so profitable that officials at the heart of President Pea Nietos PRI federal governmentindeed, the commander-in-chief of the same army prosecuting Mexicos war on drug traffickingdecided to get in on the action themselves and take their own cut of the reward. The battle for Zacatecas is part of the larger war to dominate the fentanyl market, which is the largest source of money for the cartels in the United States, said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 'The cartels are not just a U.S.-Mexico problem I think the way most people see them,' a former Texas Public Safety officer said. It sits halfway up Mexicos Pacific coast, sandwiched between Sinaloa to the north and Jalisco to the south, while its mountainous interior also borders Durango and Zacatecas. Gulf Cartel Based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, it started in 1920. It would seem that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who now moved into Nayarit en masse, had outbid Patrn Snchez and become Veytias new paymasters. For the first time in years, the drug trade in Nayarit received global media attention. Indeed, Nayarit is Mexicos second biggest exporter of mangoes, and primary producer of tobacco. Thanks for everything. It is ironic, then, that it was precisely the Federal governments militarized crackdown on the cartelsand the extreme and generalized violence that accompanied itthat allowed the so-called H-2 cartel to extend its influence to the heart of the government itself; first by gaining unprecedented sway over state authorities in Nayarit, and from there suborning General Cienfuegos Zepeda, the very man supposedly leading Mexicos fight against organized crime. The larger currents of the international drug trade engulfing these Zacatecan communities may not be clear to their residents, but the impact is inescapable. Zacatecas had it then too as cartels battled for control, but it was overshadowed. Since then, H-2 and his men had fought hard against El Chapos group to maintain control of Nayarit and found a vital ally in Veytia, who from 2011 helped them to locate and assassinate their rivals. Highways running north to key border cities pass through Zacatecas, providing a direct route for northbound drugs and southbound guns. 06/26/2021. Comments are moderated, refer to policy for more information.Enva fotos, vdeos, notas, enlaces o informacin Todo 100% Annimo;borderlandbeat@gmail.com. With his return to Mexico, though, Cienfuegos fate is now tied far more tightly to that disgraced ex-governor Sandovalcurrently a fugitive and likely still on Mexican soilthan it is to Veytia. He said he has not been directly threatened, but he has the same fear as everyone. Finally, Mexicos largest mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental, completely dominates the western third of the state. Shortly after the confrontation, gunmen some wearing black masks took off on a rampage, driving through the city in trucks firing heavy caliber weapons. He was the very image of a Mexican lawman, with a round, jowly face and thick mustache, a pistol shoved into his belt. The story of how that corruption played out in Nayarit brings into focus the interplay between military operations, political maneuvering and drug trafficking. i guess it was less corruption back then i do not know, all i know is it is a shame to see Mexico in this situation, people just dont give a damn about anybody else, and they are leaving a trail of people who wont give a damn about others either..terribly sad. The difference between a state being a venue for drug production, trafficking, and conflicts between rival cartels, and one in which the cartels have actually taken control of the local authorities (or in which the authorities have in fact become narcos themselves), is an inherently political one. That Edgar Veytia was eventually arrested, tried and convicted for his part in this story, and that an arrest warrant has since been issued for Roberto Sandoval, is somewhat heartening. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. Disfruta con nuestros Crucigramas para expertos! The shootings were the latest chapter in drug gang violence that has sullied the reputation of Mexico's Caribbean coast as a once-tranquil oasis. Heavily armed gunmen went on a shooting rampage through the city of Culiacn, the capital of Sinaloa state on Mexico's Pacific coast, battling security forces after authorities attempted to arrest a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn. WebA commando of drug gang gunmen on Thursday stormed ashore at a beach on Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast in front of luxury hotels and executed two drug dealers Attacks on police have become routine in Mexico as the countrys travails with drug cartels and organised crime drag on and the murder rate remains stubbornly high. Jose Garcia works at the taxi stand out front, hailing cabs and helping people with their shopping bags. The strategies that the Mexican government has implemented over the last 15 years have not worked, he said. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens. Instead, they changed form, as murders, disappearances, abduction, extorsion and land thefts were carried out en masse by a united front of state officials, police officers, cartel gunmen, andas US allegations against General Cienfuegos attestmembers of the military. Subsequently, in early 2019, the, Then, in February 2020, and apparently on the basis of, But it now appears that Sandovals was not the only name Veytia shared with U.S. authorities. Then, in February 2020, and apparently on the basis of evidence given by Veytia as part of a sentencing deal, the U.S. State Department indicted Sandoval, alleging he had misappropriated state assets and received bribes from narcotics trafficking organizations, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) [and] the Beltran Leyva Organization. On 13 November, at the same time as the Mexican government was pressing for the release of General Cienfuegos in the US, the Mexican prosecutors office issued a warrant for Sandovals arrest on charges of embezzlement, graft and corruption. His name was added to INTERPOLs red list, while Mexican President Lpez Obrador urged him to turn himself in and face justice although to date his whereabouts remain unknown.