Salvatierra massacre | |
---|---|
Location | Salvatierra, Guanajuato, Mexico |
Date | December 17, 2023 3:30 a.m |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
Deaths | 11 |
Injured | 24 |
Perpetrators | Local Drug Cartel (Alleged) [ citation needed ] |
The 2023 Salvatierra massacre was a mass shooting at a Christmas Party on December 17, 2023, [1] that left approximately 11 people dead and 24 people injured in the outskirts of the city of Salvatierra, Guanajuato, Mexico.
The town of Salvatierra is located in the southern portion of the state of Guanajuato. This area has seen an increase in drug-related violence due in part to its proximity with the neighboring state of Michoacán which is controlled by the CJNG and actively seeks to expand for territory against local drug cartels in the area which are backed by the Sinaloa Cartel. [2]
The Guanajuato Attorney General's Office condemned the attack and said that a “multidisciplinary” team would carry out an investigation aimed at detaining the culprits. No arrests were immediately reported. [3]
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for the resignation of the Attorney General of Guanajuato, stating that "For that reason too, my respectful insistence in that they change the state prosecutor, who has been there 13 years and has colossal political power." [2]
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 34,000 people, and was considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison.
Crime is one of the most urgent concerns facing Mexico, as Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and marijuana transiting between Latin America and the United States. Drug trafficking has led to corruption, which has had a deleterious effect on Mexico's Federal Representative Republic. Drug trafficking and organized crime have been a major source of violent crime. Drug cartels and gangs have also branched out to conduct alternative illegal activities for profit, including sex trafficking in Mexico. Some of the most increasingly violent states in Mexico in 2020 included Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Michoacán, Jalisco, and Querétaro. Some of the world's most violent cities are reportedly within the state of Guanajuato with extortion from criminal groups now being commonplace. The state of Zacatecas is said to be valuable to multiple organized crime groups for drug trafficking, specifically methamphetamine to the United States. As of 2021, Michoacán is experiencing increased instances of extortion and kidnapping due to a growing presence and escalation in the armed conflicts between CJNG and Cárteles Unidos on regions bordering the neighboring state of Jalisco. CJNG is also currently battling the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in the North Mexican region of Sonora.
Salvatierra is a Mexican city located in the valley of Huatzindeo in the lowlands of the state of Guanajuato. It is rich in civil and religious architecture; haciendas, bridges, convents and large houses surrounded in tradition and history. With an area of 507.70 square kilometres, Salvatierra accounts for 1.66% the total area of the state. It is bordered to the north by Tarimoro and Cortazar, to the south by Acámbaro and the state of Michoacán, to the west by Yuriria and Santiago Maravatío, and to the northeast by Jaral del Progreso. The municipality had a total of 94,558 inhabitants of which 34,066 lived in the city of Salvatierra, according to the 2005 census. As of 2020 the municipality had a total of 94,126 inhabitants, compared to 2010, the population in Salvatierra decreased by -3.02%
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Marcos Arturo Beltrán Leyva was a Mexican drug lord who, alongside his brothers, founded and led the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. Prior to founding his own organization, Beltran-Leyva was a longtime high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel. His organization was responsible for cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine production, transportation and wholesaling. It controlled numerous drug trafficking corridors into the United States and was responsible for money laundering, gun-running, and other acts of violence against men, women, and children in Mexico. The organization was connected with the assassinations of numerous Mexican law enforcement officials.
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