After cartel-related violence across Guanajuato last weekend and a thwarted bomb attack on the Pemex oil refinery in Salamanca on Wednesday, federal Security Minister Alfonso Durazo announced that 150 federal police officers will be dispatched to Salamanca for the next six months to help maintain order. 

The municipal police force is composed of just 60 unarmed officers, who will now receive equipment and training from the army. The municipal force is a new one and its officers are all new and awaiting permission to carry arms.

They have been waiting since January.

In a security meeting between Durazo and mayors from around the state, an agreement was reached to increase funding and the use of technology to help combat crime. 

The move comes after an abandoned vehicle containing 12 explosive devices was found near the Salamanca oil refinery Wednesday evening, an act thought to have been provoked by the arrest of dozens of members of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel on Saturday in Celaya, including the mother, sister and cousin of cartel leader José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias El Marro.  

After the arrests, Yépez ordered vehicles to be set on fire on several roads in the area, creating fiery blockades to hinder efforts to arrest him. 

Blockades were established at 47 different points in 13 municipalities, Milenio reported, prompting the United States Embassy to issue a security alert warning its citizens to avoid highways in 10 Guanajuato municipalities.

President López Obrador called on the residents of Guanajuato who support the cartel to change their attitude toward the crime syndicate, which is involved in extortion and fuel theft, and separate themselves from illegal activities.

Source: Milenio (sp)