Terror swept Jalisco and Guanajuato on Tuesday evening. Criminals burned cars, trucks and shops and blocked several roads in those two areas just after 7:00 p.m. It was in response to the operation to arrest a regional criminal and the clashes between criminals and members of the army, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Wednesday.
“It was reported that the Minister of Defense and the police of Jalisco and Guanajuato intervened because apparently there was a meeting, a meeting of two gangs, and elements of the defense came, there was a confrontation and arrests, that was the reason for the Combustion of vehicles,” the President said during his morning press briefing. It was the arrest of Ricardo Ruiz Velazco, nicknamed “El Doble R”, operator of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the West and Bajío, that sparked an aggressive response from organized crime groups.
A group of men attacked at least three public transport trucks in Zapopan, in the greater Guadalajara region, with gunpoint, beatings and Molotov cocktails, according to multiple videos that emerged Tuesday night. Almost at the same time, a commando barricaded the highway to Saltillo (Coahuila).
In Guanajuato, too, the atmosphere turned violent minutes after what happened in Jalisco. In the communities of Celaya, Silao and Irapuato, dozens of gunmen set fire to at least 25 Oxxo stores, as well as pharmacies and other local businesses, while setting fire to taxis and private vehicles driving near highways. According to the report by Guanajuato’s security minister, it was in Irapuato where more violence broke out, with a dozen grocery stores burning and a gas station burning after eight at night.
The governments of both countries have been giving details of what happened since Tuesday evening. Libia Denisse García, secretary of the Guanajuato government, pointed out that the terror that was spreading in the three communities was due to the violence in Jalisco. “As a result of a confrontation in a neighboring state (Jalisco) with a criminal group, individuals attempting to set fire to facilities and cars have been identified in two communities.”
For his part, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said the clashes and the numerous burning vehicles had left no one injured. “The situation is under control and we are working on the matter in coordination between the three levels of government.”
As of Wednesday morning, elements of the army remain present in both states, while López Obrador has guaranteed the safety of residents in communities affected by the violence.
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