07/02/11— Along with threats issued to local and state governments, decapitated bodies were left at the offices of two local, but separate, newspapers in Mazatlán, Sinaloa earlier today. The first body was discovered alongside blankets and tarps at Noroeste at 1:40 am. On the blankets was a note allegedly written by the Beltrán Leyva and Los Zetas criminal organizations and directed toward Sinaloa State Governor Mario López Valdez and Mazatlán Mayor Alejandro Higuera Osuna. A similar scene was discovered moments later at the offices of El Debate, a second newspaper located in the city.
Both notes issued similar threats: retaliation against Governor López and Mayor Higuera if the so-called Elite Police- the special unit of the police force- are allowed to return to the municipality. The Ministry of Public Security (Secretaría de Seguidad Pública) announced that the operations of such forces would continue indefinitely in the area despite allegations, like those highlighted in the notes found at the crime scenes, that the units are responsible for killing innocent people. Following the discovery of the bodies, Higuera issued a statement that the threats against him and López will “collapse the activities of both levels of government,” according to Noroeste. However, the mayor also noted that work at the city level would continue as normal, saying the threats will not “change the dynamics of attention to the public” in Mazatlán.
The victims were later identified as a 32-year-old local man from the Infonavit Jabalíes district in Mazatlán and a 16-year-old boy from the Francisco Villa district. While unrelated, both victims were kidnapped earlier this week in Francisco Villa. The offices of Noroeste and El Debate have been previous targets of violence linked to organized crime, with separate instances occurring in the fall of 2010.
Sources:
“Arrojan cuerpos decapitados en diarios de Mazatlán.” El Universal. July 2, 2011.
“Arrojan dos cuerpos mutilados en Noroeste y El Debate, en Mazatlán.” Noroeste. July 2, 2011.
“Descarta el Alcalde de Mazatlán que amenazas colapsen al gobierno.” Noroeste. July 2, 2011.
“Identifican a víctimas dejadas en diarios.” El Debate. July 2, 2011.
