Justice in Mexico

Operation Laguna Segura Launched in Coahuila and Durango

10/24/11– Last week, Interior Secretary (Secretario de Gobernación) José Francisco Blake Mora announced at a government press conference the launch of Operation Laguna Segura, a bold investment of federal police forces and machinery to combat organized crime in the northern Mexican region, specifically in the states of Coahuila and Durango. The governors of Coahuila and Durango, Jorge Torres López and Jorge Herrera Caldera, respectively, were present at the press panel to discuss the ramifications of the new federal security plan that would place all levels of police and security, local, state and federal under the federal government’s control. The entirety of the press conference can be read here. The secretary of the navy (Secretaría de Marina, SEMAR), national defense (Secretaría de Defensa Nacional, SEDENA), public security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, SSP), and the attorney general’s office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) were also present to support the implementation of Operation Laguna Segura.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78P-2pzS4JA]

The Laguna area in northern Mexico has recently become a cartel hotspot between the feuding Sinaloa and Zeta cartels. According to the National System of Public Security (Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública, SNSP) website, 473 homicides were reported in the urban area in 2009. In 2010, the number rose to 799, and in 2011, 804 killings were reported.

Alejandra Sota Mirafuentes, the spokesperson for the Calderón administration, discussed the increase in violence and announced,  “The lesson is clear, only through strong and reliable police and local prosecutors is it possible to achieve lasting security. There is no other effective way to take back our public spaces and to bring criminals to justice. Therefore, the Calderón administration and federal government will use all the instruments at its disposal, in order to support state authorities in the procurement of safer environments for their communities.” In Sota’s announcement, she called for local mayors, governors, and federal officials to work together to bring justice to the affected areas.

Sota cited successful initiatives in Veracruz and Guerrero as the groundwork behind Operation Laguna Segura. According to Sota, Veracruz’s similar operation, “Segura Veracruz”, has resulted in the seizure of over 300 thousand doses of drugs, 40 guns, three thousand  cartridges of different calibers, 309 magazines for different weapons, and 190 vehicles that were used in various crimes in less than ten days.

The Interior Secretary and the governors of Coahuila and Durango agreed to a ten point approach to Operation Laguna Segura. These points include purification and strengthening of police forces; continuing evaluations; increasing size and strength of the police force; participation in joint mobilization efforts between state, local and federal police; review of corruption in the system; and monitoring of money laundering and corruption .

Early Sunday, the official military start-up to Operation Laguna Segura began with a public unifying display of federal forces. Mexican Army troops kicked off “Laguna Segura” with an impressive show of force in the landing of an air force helicopter and announcing the participation of all air forces for rapid response to fight organized crime.

Sources:

“Lanzan operativo Laguna Segura.” Informador. October 19, 2011.

“Sala de Prensa- Laguna Segura”. Secretaría de Gobernación. October 19, 2011.

“México lanza Operativo Laguna Segura, en la zona de ‘El Chapo’.” Univision. October 20, 2011.

EFE. “Mexican gov’t expands security plan to 2 other northern states.” La Prensa. October 21, 2011.

“¡A trabajar! Ya inició operativo Laguna Segura.” Milenio. October 23, 2011.

González, Arturo. “’Laguna Segura’… ¿más de lo mismo?.” El Siglo de Torreon. October 24, 2011.

1 thought on “Operation Laguna Segura Launched in Coahuila and Durango”

  1. Pingback: Terror resurfaces in Coahuila: five employees of ‘El Siglo de Torreón’ abducted | Justice in Mexico

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