Finally, Mexicos largest mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental, completely dominates the western third of the state. Hctor Luis Palma Salazar - Wikipedia [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/] Now Zacatecans, including in the state capital of the same name, have awoken on several occasions to corpses dangling from overpasses. Both sides gained from this partnership: Sandoval grew extremely rich, as did Veytia, who earned money from embezzlement, kidnapping, murder-for-hire, extorsion, and the seizure of peasants lands. 06/26/2021. More troops would be welcome in Zacatecas, though the effectiveness of their patrols is debated. Photograph: Zacatecas, once dominated by the old Zetas cartel, has been the scene of turf battles between a number of cartels. Vean el tipo de armas que se estn usando. " he says. Nayarit rarely makes the headlines in Mexico, far less in the rest of the world. Mike Sington, a guest at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, wrote in his Twitter account that "Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing gun. In 2020 Mexico had the highest number of homicides in the countrys history, there were 17,439 murders, a 1.7% increase but most of the deaths in Mexico are due to fighting between cartels and if you are not part of the cartel then you are probably safe. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star The four Arturo, Alfredo, Hctor and Carlos began their criminal career in northwest Mexico as hitmen for the Sinaloa cartel, then led by Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn. In November, a shootout on the beach of Puerto Morelos left two suspected drug dealers dead. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); All Rights Reserved The Yucatan Times 2020, Merida number one in the preference for Easter vacations, US Ambassador Ken Salazar says the USMCA achieved Teslas investment in Mexico, Lpez Obrador accuses opponents of exaggerating minister Yasmn Esquivels case, German circus replaces wild animals with holograms, Maya indigenous tourist guide speaks 4 languages fluidly, Battle for water in Yucatan: there are big challenges to ensure the supply, Rhythmic gymnastics team will compete in Yucatan Cup, Worlds second-largest blue hole found off the Yucatan Peninsula shores, Cine Mvil ToTo: dates and locations in Yucatn. Government forces guard the entrance of hotel after an armed confrontation on Thursday near Puerto Morelos, Mexico. 7. He bought a bachelors in forensic science in Tepic, married into a local political family, bought a local transport franchise, and made friends with Roberto Sandoval, who appointed him as Director of Roads and Transit when he became Tepics municipal president in 2008. Cartel violence is raging in Mexico - should you cancel your trip? In the tourist town of Taxco, south of Mexico City, soldiers fought a 40-minute gun battle with alleged cartel hitmen that left 15 people dead. Mexican marines use helicopter gunship to kill alleged cartel In Nayarit, in many ways, the beat goes on. He used his power to amass enormous landholdings and expand his own personal ranching operations. Videos posted to social media show multiple gunmen shooting down major thoroughfares. Veytias arrest led the Mexican Federal prosecutors office and lawmakers in Nayarit to open a joint investigation into Sandoval in mid-2017. The larger currents of the international drug trade engulfing these Zacatecan communities may not be clear to their residents, but the impact is inescapable. According to Mexicos naval secretariat, Juan Francisco Patrn, also known as H2, was a key figure in the Beltrn Leyva cartels operations in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco. With 239 murders per 100,000 residents, Fresnillo has the highest perception of insecurity in Mexico: more than 96% of its population lives in fear, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. 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, In October 2013, Veytia even provided security at a wedding at Santa Mara del Oro lake, where Juan Francisco Patrn Snchez and Hctor Beltrn Leyva, were entertained by famous, Both sides gained from this partnership: Sandoval grew extremely rich, as did Veytia, who earned money from embezzlement, kidnapping, murder-for-hire, extorsion, and the seizure of peasants lands. The dramatic shooting attack sent tourists scrambling for cover at the resort of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. All the businesses locked their doors, Garcia says. Rather, it was an organization that not only controlled drug trafficking in Nayarit between 2011 and 2017, but also established close ties with much of the states political elite. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. Alleged drug dealers of the Sinaloa cartel are escorted by policemen in Mexico City following their arrests earlier this year. Durazo did not initially specify whether authorities arrested Guzmn or let him go. With the death of H2, 107 have now been arrested or killed. Cienfuegos surprise detention, and even more unexpected release, is emblematic of the deeply intertwined nature of military power, political influence and economic opportunity both licit and illicitin Mexico. Nayarit and the Making of a Narco State - Mexico Violence 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. It is inevitable to end this without some kind of force, but importantly, an intelligent and unified manner.Thanks for reporting Gerardo. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Mexicos two strongest cartels Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation are locked in a battle for control. Yet the fact of General Cienfuegos recent release is testament to the difficulties of obtaining real justice for the people of Nayarit. Nayarits hugely important agricultural sector has made the state a natural stronghold of the PRI, and in particular of PRI strongmen of a particularly brash and populist bent; only two non-PRI governors have ever run the state (once between 1999-2005, while in 2017 the state flipped to current president Lpez Obradors insurgent MORENA party), while the PRIs stranglehold on municipal-level politics has been even more complete. Valparasos mayor could not confirm or deny figures given by some residents that were double that. Puerto Vallarta Safe? Crime Rate & Travel Warnings Gunmen stop residents and demand their cell phones to look for information that could tie them to the other cartel. 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. Comments are moderated, refer to policy for more information.Enva fotos, vdeos, notas, enlaces o informacin Todo 100% Annimo;borderlandbeat@gmail.com. For many, Cienfuegos arrest and subsequent release is a conspicuous symbol of the intrinsic corruption that plagues the militarized drug war strategy. An employee who answered the phone at the hotel said the shooting occurred on the beach near the facility. Dramatic videos of the two-hour battle were widely shared online and broadcast on national television, including footage of a naval helicopter gunship raining fluorescent red fire down on a safehouse. Zacatecas sits between the drugs production and its consumers. 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. Outbursts of gunfire are common. 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. After 30 people were gunned down last weekend, the governor seized control of the local police, called on Calderon to send in more federal police and shut public schools statewide. Sam Quinones has revealed that the traffickers who dominate the heroin trade in the US Midwest are all predominantly from Nayarit. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madre, Valparaso sits on one of those critical highways. Montes de Oca said one of the men targeted in the attack fled into one of the hotels before dying. Lpez Obradors party just won the governorship in Zacatecas, but it remains to be seen if coordination with federal authorities will improve. They were members of the police force of the neighboring state of San Luis Potosi who had been reported missing hours earlier. Nayarits transformation to an estado narco was tied up with the long history of PRI control in the state, and, more specifically, with the nature of Roberto Sandoval Castaedas tenure as state governor between 2011 and 2017which not coincidentally overlapped with General Cienfuegos term as Secretary of Defense during the PRIista administration of President Pea Nieto, from 2012 to 2018. Hector Parra/AP 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. To the east sits San Luis Potosi, a logistics hub filled with shipping companies that can move the tiny pills north. hide caption. After the brutal murder of his family ordered by his boss Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo, Palma engaged in a string of vicious crimes to The heavily indigenous highlands that were the backbone of 19th-century rebellion, are today one of Mexicos primary opium-growing zones, thanks to a combination of widespread and severe poverty, rugged, mountainous topography, and the limited, ineffective and often corrupt presence of state and federal authorities. The story of the Narco-Nayarit connection therefore illustrates both the deadly consequences of official corruption in the context of the modern Mexican drug war, and also the dangers of assuming that, in the same context, a pax mafiosa can ever be truly peaceful.. A 2014 photo of Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn being escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture. For the past month, a shot up pick-up truck has rested here. Montes de Oca said they fled in a boat after the attack. "With the goal of safeguarding the well-being and tranquility of Culiacn society, officials in the security Cabinet decided to suspend the actions," he said. But there is more to the story. Bernandino Hernandez/AP 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. Republication or distribution of this content is But this fall, the arrest of Mexicos former secretary of defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, dragged this small and unassuming state into the spotlight. The heavily indigenous highlands that were the backbone of 19th-century rebellion, are today one of Mexicos primary opium-growing zones, thanks to a combination of widespread and severe poverty, rugged, mountainous topography, and the limited, ineffective and often corrupt presence of state and federal authorities. #Ms: El enfrentamiento inici en el Sector Tres Ros, pero se ha extendido a otros puntos de #Culiacn. Opium Crisis,' Journal of Illicit Economies and Development 1, No.3 (2019) '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. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about "It's worthwhile in order to build a free and safe country." [47] WebThe killings in Zacatecas came one day after prosecutors in Mexicos most violent state, Guanajuato, reported seven men were shot to death at a mechanics shop. Hctor was arrested in 2014. The legacy of this political history and the facts of geography together define Nayarits place in the modern Mexican drug trade. If we dont manage to pacify Mexico, regardless of what has been done, we are not going to be able to historically prove our administration, the president said earlier this month. Nuevo curso 'online', Maestra en Ciencias Ambientales presencial en Benito Jurez, Licenciatura en Administracin de Empresas presencial en Benito Jurez, Maestra a distancia en Lingstica Aplicada a la Enseanza del Espaol como Lengua Extranjera, Licenciatura Ejecutiva en Psicologa Semipresencial. The next morning, a joint force of marines and Veytias officers killed the Beltrn Leyva organizations second-in-command, Daniel Isaac Silva Grate (codenamed H-9), in an ambush in another part of Tepic. Residents abandoning cars and burning vehicles are seen on multiple roads. [4] But violence related to the drug trade only began to surge in Nayarit after President Calderns 2006 declaration of war on the nations cartels.