08/03/2023 (written by vmateoszuniga) –Chilpancingo, Guerrero has recently been at the center of national discourse regarding violence in Mexico in the wake of a sharp increase in crime. The wave of violence appears to be the consequence of an ongoing turf war between the Los Tlacos and Los Ardillos, two of the most prominent organized-crime groups in the state. SEDENA has identified 16 organized-crime groups actively present in Guerrero, a state that the agency’s report identified as the country’s main producer of opium poppy, contributing 60% of the production at the national level. Opium poppy is used in the production of heroin, making control of the state’s drug-trafficking operations a priority among the country’s most prominent drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs).
Recent Chilpancingo headlines
During the month of July, violence in Chilpancingo resulted in six murdered taxi drivers and burnt transport vehicles, prompting local residents to self-impose a nightly curfew. Journalist José Nava Mosso, owner of the ‘Agencia de Noticias Guerrero’, was violently robbed of his vehicle by two individuals who threatened him with firearms as he was leaving a gym located near the State Attorney General’s Office.
On July 29, a close political ally of Mexican presidential candidate Marcelo Ebrard was murdered while driving on a infamously dangerous highway connecting Cuernavaca and Chilpancingo. José Guadalupe Fuentes Brito, a businessman, was murdered along with his 20 year old son. His wife was severely injured and suffered multiple gunshot wounds. During his daily press conference, President López Obrador expressed his sympathy and assured that the incident remains under investigation. Ebrard conveyed his condolences through Twitter and urged the State Attorney General’s Office to promptly intervene and prosecute those responsible.
Attack on state capital following the arrest of Los Ardillos leaders
On July 11th, thousands of protesters flooded the capital of Guerrero following the public arrest of two individuals purportedly associated with the Los Ardillos cartel. Media outlets estimated that between 2,000 to 5,000 protesters stormed the city center and caused mass chaos. The protesters engaged in confrontations with police and National Guard troops, took 13 government employees as hostages, and forcefully breached the legislature’s gates by crashing an armored vehicle. The crowd was mostly composed of residents of villages outside of Chilapancingo who arrived in the city center with rocks, sticks, and machetes. The large crowd easily overpowered the 500 members of the state police and National Guard that were present. Protesters took over an armored state police vehicle and drove it through the state legislature’s gates, leading to dozens of government employees fleeing the building.
The state government took over 24 hours to fully diffuse the situation. The protestors released all 13 hostages, and ended their blockade of the heavily trafficked toll road that connects Mexico City and Acapulco, a tourist hotspot.
During his daily press conference, President López Obrador stated that the administration’s restrained response to the violence was deliberate, aimed at preventing unnecessary bloodshed. Rosa Icela Rodríguez, secretary of public security, previously hinted at the fact that some members of the riot may have been coerced into participating by members of the Los Ardillos organization. President Lopez Obrador seemed to reference this in his press conference when stating “If they [the crime organization] threaten you and make you participate, act with prudence, with caution. Don’t confront the leaders of these groups, stay quiet, but don’t let them manipulate you.” (Washington Post).
Video leaked of mayor of Chilpancingo meeting with Los Ardillos
Chilpancingo’s local government has been under national scrutiny after the release of a new video of Mayor Norma Otilia Hernández Martínez meeting with Celso Ortega Jiménez, leader of Los Ardillos. The 44 second clip, with footage from a meeting in 2021, showed the mayor talking about her relationship with Guerreo’s former governor Ángel Aguirre. This is the third video released from the encounter, the first of which was published on July 5, 2023 and consisted of pictures and a video of the mayor and her husband greeting Ortega Jiménez. The second video was released on July 11 with grainy audio. The third clip included subtitles and was noticeably longer than the first two.
Before the release of the aforementioned videos, seven dismembered bodies were left on a street in Chilpancingo. One of the cardboard signs found on a van near the city center read: “Greetings Mayor Norma Otilia, I’m still waiting for the breakfast you promised me after you looked for me with affection” (author’s own translation)
Guerrero’s Attorney General, Lieutenant Sandra Luz Valdovinos Salmerón, reported that an investigation has been opened against the mayor of Chilpancingo based on the photographs, audio, and video evidence released in the last month. President Lopez Obrador addressed the probe during another one of his daily press conferences, stating that he had spoken to the governor of Guerrero in order to start the investigation and that impunity and corruption would not be allowed.
Sources
Surge nuevo video de alcaldesa de Chilpancingo con líder de Los Ardillos; habla de su relación con exgobernador Ángel Aguirre” (El Universal): https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/surge-nuevo-video-de-alcaldesa-de-chilpancingo-con-lider-de-los-ardillos-habla-de-su-relacion-con-exgobernador-angel-aguirre/
“Fiscalía de Guerrero investiga a alcaldesa de Chilpancingo por reunión con presunto líder de Los Ardillos” (El Universal): https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/fiscalia-de-guerrero-investiga-a-alcaldesa-de-chilpancingo-por-reunion-con-presunto-lider-de-los-ardillos/
“AMLO pide investigar a alcaldesa de Chilpancingo por reunión con Los Ardillos” (El Universal):
“Estalla la violencia en Chilpancingo; miles toman Chilpancingo” (El Universal):
https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/estalla-la-violencia-miles-toman-chilpancingo/
“Mexico’s narco-guerrilla in the spotlight after arrest of alleged gang leader in Guerrero” (The Washington Post):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/11/mexico-narco-arrest-chilpancingo-guerrero/
“Bloqueos en Chilpancingo, Guerrero: Noticias de hoy, 11 de julio” (Milenio):
https://www.milenio.com/estados/bloqueos-chilpancingo-guerrero-noticias-de-hoy-11-julio
“Guerrero: grupos criminales se disputan el estado; estos son los principales” (Milenio):
https://www.milenio.com/policia/guerrero-grupos-criminales-se-disputan-el-estado-estos-son
“Difunden nuevo video de alcaldesa de Chilpancingo con líder de Los Ardillos” (La Jornada):
“Lamenta AMLO asesinato de empresario cercano a campaña de Ebrard” (La Jornada):
