Mexico City mayor denounces ‘frivolity and corruption’ of her predecessors

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December 9, 2021

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum on stage at the Palace of Mining on Wednesday.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum launched a broadside at past government officials on Wednesday, accusing them of corruption and betraying residents of the capital.

Delivering her third annual “accountability” report, the Morena party mayor railed against “the rulers of the city” in the “last period.”

It was unclear whether she was only referring to previous mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera and officials in his government or if her criticism extended to current Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who held office in the capital between 2006 and 2012.

Sheinbaum and Ebrard are considered the frontrunners to win the Morena party nomination and succeed President López Obrador, who was Mexico City mayor between 2000 and 2005. An attack on her political rival wouldn’t be unthinkable.

“In the last period the rulers of the city forgot where they came from and betrayed the people,” Sheinbaum said.

“Frivolity and corruption as a form of supreme power increased. Bribes, nepotism, personal business and vote-buying … [was a] maxim. Real estate developments were authorized in exchange for apartments for the family. [There were] illegal authorizations in exchange for money, billions of pesos of public resources destined for [earthquake] reconstruction were stolen,” she said.

Sheinbaum, a protégé of the president who served as environment minister in his Mexico City government, said her victory at the 2018 mayoral election resulted in more than a “simple change of administration” in the capital because her government is “part of a national movement” born out of “decades of struggle.”

“Because of the decision of the Mexican people, it arrived to change the direction and destiny of the country,” she said, referring to the Morena party, which López Obrador led to federal power in 2018.

“We’re Mexican women and men who are proud of our history and conscious that there is no turning back, that the transformation is moving forward along the path of democracy and freedoms,” Sheinbaum said.

Speaking to more than 450 guests including federal cabinet ministers at an event at Mexico City’s Palace of Mining, the mayor also outlined achievements of her three-year-old government.

Homicides, theft on the Metrobús, burglaries and muggings are all down compared to 2019 and numerous projects to benefit citizens, including many public transit initiatives, are underway or have been completed, Sheinbaum said.

Repairs to Line 12 of the Metro system, a section of which collapsed in May causing an accident that claimed the lives of 26 passengers, will be completed next year, she pledged.

Sheinbaum also said her government is working to improve the Mexico City water supply system and noted that a mega solar plant, to be operated by the Federal Electricity Commission, will be installed in the capital next year.

“Today more than ever we are dedicated to consolidating the transformation of the city within the framework of democracy and respect,” she said.

“[We are] strengthening institutional coordination … [and] defending our principles and commitments that brought us to … government.”

With reports from Milenio

Malfunctioning sewer systems create emergency in Sonora beach towns

By

MND Staff

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December 9, 2021

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Water quality testing in San Carlos, a popular tourist destination, showed bacterial levels up to 350 times the legal limit. Flickr

The port city of Guaymas, Sonora, and the nearby beach town of San Carlos are plagued by a sewage crisis that is affecting people’s health.

The situation is so bad that Governor Alfonso Durazo declared a sanitary emergency last month, allocated almost US $500,000 to deal with the immediate crisis and promised to invest in a long-term solution.

The sewage system in Guaymas, a city of some 120,000 residents, is obsolete, neglected and riddled with leaks, clogs and broken pumps and pipes, according to a report by Phoenix radio station KJZZ and the Arizona Daily Star.

The situation during this year’s rainy season reached a “crisis point,” the report said.

Major roads in Guaymas were flooded with raw sewage and wastewater inundated arroyos near people’s homes after flowing out of manhole covers.

Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo declared a state of emergency in November due to the sewage crisis the municipality of Guaymas. — Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo declared a state of emergency in November due to the sewage crisis in the municipality of Guaymas.

Much of the overflowing sewage ended up in the Gulf of California, located between the Baja California peninsula and the Mexican mainland. Sewage flowed constantly from a manhole cover into the sea for almost two weeks in San Carlos last month. Water quality testing has showed fecal bacterial levels as high as 350 times the legal limit.

The absence of wastewater treatment plants in both Guaymas and San Carlos only exacerbates the problem. Wastewater is only treated by oxidation lagoons that make use of the natural interactions between sunlight, algae, oxygen and bacteria. But the runoff from the lagoons remains highly contaminated.

Local authorities have been promising a treatment plant since at least 2008, but one has never been built.

“This [sewage crisis] never should have happened. It never should have happened because there should have been a program earlier to attend to the issue so we didn’t get to this situation,” said Sonora Infrastructure and Urban Development Minister Heriberto Aguilar.

“The problem is that there was no maintenance of the system, and now we’re in a serious situation, very serious,” the minister, part of a government that took office in September, told reporters.

“… It’s a crime against nature, and having sewage flowing through the center of the city is unworthy of the people. We never should have reached this point. It means we’ve failed,” Aguilar said.

Silvia Montero, a doctor who works in the public health system in Guaymas, told the Arizona news outlets that exposure to sewage can cause Hepatitis A, diarrhea, eye and skin irritation or infections and even cholera.

“It’s a huge problem. A lot of people are getting sick because of the sewage,” she said, adding that dried wastewater that becomes bacteria-laden dust can also cause illness.

Exposure to sea and fresh water contaminated with sewage can also cause health problems. In addition, fecal contamination in sea water can cause harmful algal blooms and kill marine life.

One Guaymas woman who lives near an arroyo that often fills with sewage that overflows from a clogged pipe said it was stressful and infuriating to be in close proximity to the untreated wastewater “because it smells horrible.”

Teresa Cortez lives with her four young grandchildren and all of them suffer from headaches due to the stench.

“And if I, an adult, a grown-up, can’t sleep because of the stink, just imagine! I have a three-year-old grandson, and another who’s four,” she told KJZZ and the Star.

The state water commission stepped in to help fix sewer leaks in Guaymas this past November. Twitter

“The smell gets in the house, even with everything closed up. We can’t sleep. They complain about headaches. Their eyes and noses sting because of the smell that gets inside.”

Tomás Thomas, co-owner of the Marvida brewery in San Carlos, said he’s worried about the impact the sewage problem will have on tourism as well as the public health risks.

“You get very sad when you see the sewage that’s going toward the ocean,” he said. “… It could definitely hurt business, you know, and the image of our brewery on the marina.”

Solving the sewage crisis, as the new Sonora government has pledged to do, will not be easy, the former chief of the state water commission said.

“We’ve always seen Guaymas as a very complicated, very complex system with a lot of challenges. A lot, a lot of challenges,” Ivan Cruz said. “All the challenges … there are in every other water operating system in Sonora, Guaymas has all of them,” he said.

Among the challenges, the report said, are “obsolete and poorly maintained infrastructure; shallow pipes due to the city’s rocky soil; and a hilly landscape that makes it difficult and costly to pump sewage to oxidation lagoons.”

Cruz said that more money is needed to improve the Guaymas sewage system, but the system’s rates are seen as too low and large numbers of residents don’t pay their bills in any case.

“The reality is that, even when the department brings in 100% of what it charges, even then it’s not enough to cover operating costs,” he said.

“That’s one of the biggest challenges for Guaymas, to update its water rates so that … [they] reflects the real costs and can break this vicious cycle and start investing in the system.”

While the new state government has pledged to address the immediate problems, modernize the Guaymas sewage system and build a wastewater treatment plant, some locals are skeptical it will deliver on its promise given the failure of previous officials to keep their word.

Claudia Fourcade, a 24-year-old resident said she hoped the authorities would do what they said they would but added, “the truth is, we don’t even know who to believe anymore.”

With reports from KJZZ and the Arizona Daily Star

CJNG launches drone attack on Michoacán town

By

Rose Egelhoff

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December 9, 2021

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Cartel hitmen in the streets of Villa Victoria Tuesday night.

A cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel attacked a Michoacán town with drones carrying explosives, spreading terror through the community before the National Guard responded and drove the attackers out of town.

The incident occurred Tuesday night in Villa Victoria, the municipal seat of Chinicuila, west of Coalcomán and east of the state border with Colima.

Villa Victoria residents were awoken by gunshots and explosions as cartel hitmen moved into the town. The newspaper El Universal reported that some families fled while others hid in bedrooms and bathrooms.

Drones armed with C-4 explosives targeted homes, causing substantial damage to buildings in the area.

Security footage shows gunmen shooting at homes and kicking down doors. Residents said gang members entered homes and beat the inhabitants, but no deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

Watch this video on YouTube

“All those houses belonged to innocent people … they kicked down all the doors, but so far it’s all right, just people [who were] beaten,” one witness said.

The National Guard responded and drove gang members out of town but were unable to detain any of the aggressors, who fled into the nearby hills.

The gunmen reappeared and attacked the National Guard forces in the morning, and the ensuing conflict lasted at least two hours, El Universal reported.

With reports from El Universal and UnoTV

Tourism roars back but violence threatens to shatter Cancún’s tourist bubble

By

Christine Murray

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December 9, 2021

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A National Guardsman on patrol on a Quintana Roo beach.

Fifty years ago, the Mexican island of Cancún was home to a small fishing village and deserted beaches. Now it is one of the most visited holiday destinations in Latin America, its shores packed with hundreds of sunbathers, kids playing in the white sand and young tourists looking to party.

After being pummelled during the most intense periods of the pandemic, tourism has roared back. Almost 20 million passengers have passed through Cancún airport so far this year. Unlike most rival destinations, in September, October and November it had more visitors than in the same months in 2019, and hotel occupancy of 57% is better than the Caribbean, Hawaii or Bali, according to STR, a hospitality data and analytics company.

On top of year-round sun and a cheap trip for those with dollars, it has been helped by its proximity to the U.S. — whose citizens have driven the recent boom — and the fact that Mexico never closed its borders during the pandemic. It is still one of the few countries that does not require a COVID test for entry.

“It’s completely atypical in the context of the pandemic,” said Francisco Madrid, director of the Center of Research and Tourism Competitiveness at Anáhuac University in Mexico City. “Any country, any tourist destination would love to have the results that . . . Mexico’s beaches have.”

But the resort town and its surrounding area have also made headlines recently for the wrong reasons, as several violent incidents have burst the tourist bubble.

Last month gunmen stormed the beach of the Hyatt Ziva just east of Cancún, in the heart of the hotel zone, and opened fire and killed alleged rival drug dealers, sending tourists fleeing for shelter. Just weeks earlier two tourists were killed at a restaurant in Tulum, about 130 kilometers south of Cancún, in the crossfire of a shootout between alleged rival gangs.

On Tuesday morning men on jet skis opened fire at a beach outside a Cancún hotel. No one was hurt, authorities said.

Even amid Mexico’s high homicide rate, Quintana Roo, where Cancún is located, stands out. Homicide rates are at 28 people per 100,000 so far this year in the southeastern Mexican state, versus the national average of 18.5 per 100,000.

The Quintana Roo governor has said that two of the country’s largest drug groups, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, operate in the state, attracted by the large market.

Hotel leaders in the region issued a blistering statement last month, blaming the recent violent incidents on ferocious, ruthless fighting between gangs seeking to sell and distribute drugs in the area.

“With enormous astonishment, sadness and absolute dismay, we see violence continues to escalate,” the HotelAssociation of Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres said. “Tourism and the economic recovery are hanging by a thread.”

VIDEO | Elementos del Batallón de Guardia Nacional, especializado en funciones de Seguridad Turística en Quintana Roo, recorrieron esta mañana las principales playas de la zona hotelera de Cancún y algunos puntos estratégicos, con el supuesto objetivo de inhibir la delincuencia pic.twitter.com/8uiNQeudQG

— Noticaribe (@Noticaribe) December 2, 2021

In response, the federal government started a new tourist security battalion in the state last week with more than 1,400 National Guard troops.

“We’re going to beef up security, the presence of national security in the municipalities of Quintana Roo . . . People have died, Mexican and foreign, and that can’t happen again,” President López Obrador said in November.

“My mum was the one who made me conscious about it,” said Sharif LaPalma, a dual Argentine-U.S. citizen, on vacation with high school friends on the beach in Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancún. “The fact of seeing . . . army people in the streets makes you realize ‘OK something is going on here’, but we haven’t experienced anything.”

Although tourist areas are usually very safe, almost 85% of residents in Cancún report feeling unsafe in the city, much higher than most cities in the country, according to a survey by the government statistics body INEGI.

Extortion is also a big problem for local businesses, though it is not discussed openly. One shopkeeper near the beach said criminals had called for extortion payments a few times but they had just hung up and managed to keep them at bay for now.

“When they come and extort me, I’ll close,” said the person, who declined to give a name for fear of reprisals.

Despite the deteriorating security environment, tourists know that if they stick to the hotel zone, they will most likely be fine.

“Where we come from it’s worse . . . there’s no comparison,” said Héctor, a tourist from Monterrey. “All the tourists I’ve met don’t leave the hotel zone . . . They know it’s dangerous.”

Former anti-corruption czar to be investigated — for corruption

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MND Staff

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December 8, 2021

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nieto and amlo — Nieto should be investigated, President López Obrador said Wednesday morning.

Times have changed for Santiago Nieto, the former head of the federal government’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF).

Until he resigned early last month in the wake of controversy surrounding his lavish wedding celebrations in Guatemala, Nieto was one of the federal government’s leading anti-corruption crusaders.

On Wednesday, President López Obrador asked for his former anti-corruption czar to be investigated for — you guessed it, corruption.

The president’s request came after the newspaper Reforma reported that Nieto bought or acquired four properties and an Audi car worth a combined 40 million pesos (US $1.9 million) while UIF chief, a role for which he was paid a net monthly salary of just over 107,000 pesos (US $5,100).

The Reforma report was based on an anonymous illicit enrichment complaint sent to the federal Attorney General’s Office.

Asked about Nieto’s assets at his morning press conference, López Obrador said that an investigation must be conducted.

“He’s been saying that [he bought the properties] with loans, … but the Ministry of Public Administration can do the investigation, I don’t believe there’ll be any problem [with that],” he said.

“What must be clear is that we don’t cover up for anyone … because that was the mandate the people gave us – to put an end to corruption and impunity, whoever it is, even my sons, … there’s no tolerance [of corruption] for anyone,” López Obrador said.

While he requested a probe into Nieto’s property purchases, the president expressed skepticism about the report published by Reforma, which he derides as the epitome of the prensa fifí, or elitist press.

He expressed confidence in the honorability of the former UIF chief and charged that everything the newspaper publishes arouses his suspicion because it’s a bastion of conservatism with an axe to grind against his government.

With reports from Animal Político and Reforma

Jalisco governor eyes presidential run: ‘I’m more than prepared to be candidate’

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MND Staff

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December 8, 2021

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Governors Enrique Alfaro and Samuel Garcia — Alfaro, left, with Nuevo León Governor Samuel García. Alfaro said they are both conferring on building an alternative to the Morena ruling party. Government of Jalisco

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro has declared that he is “more than prepared” to be a candidate in Mexico’s 2024 presidential election but denied being on a personal quest to take the reins of the country.

In an interview with the newspaper El País, the 48-year-old Citizens Movement (MC) party governor said he could contribute to the creation of an opposition bloc to challenge the ruling Morena party at the 2024 election.

Such a bloc should not be a “simple alliance of party bureaucracies” as occurred at the 2018 election but rather “a movement of another nature,” he said.

“… I believe that the first months of the [new] year will be the time to discuss this issue,” he said, adding that an opposition movement doesn’t necessarily have to be created by political parties or business people.

Asked whether he saw himself as a presidential candidate, Alfaro responded:

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro — “I know I will have a role to play,” Alfaro, left, said, adding that he would run as a candidate if asked. Enrique Alfaro/Twitter

“Building a leadership of the opposition cannot start from mere personal ambition. You have to generate conditions to be able to fulfill your responsibility. What I can say is that I’m completely certain that I won’t shirk my political responsibility with this country. I know I will have a role to play. And if that role is to be a candidate, I believe I’m more than prepared to do it. But I’m not on a quest for a personal project.”

Alfaro also said that he doesn’t have “delusions of grandeur.”

“I’ve seen a lot … of governors who think they’re contenders for the presidency [just] because they’re governors,” he said.

Alfaro also spoke to El País about a range of other issues. The former Guadalajara mayor and a noted critic of President López Obrador said his relationship with Mexico’s leader has improved since the midterm elections in June but acknowledged that they still have their differences.

“… Putting two different visions into harmony continues to be complicated,” Alfaro said. “[But] I would say that the president [has now] understood … that our condition of [being the] opposition is not synonymous with being enemies.”

The governor said the Federalist Alliance, a group of 10 state governors established as a counterbalance to federal rule, was unlikely to survive (some of its members are no longer in office) but contended that non-Morena governors have a “moral obligation to build a space for discussion.”

AMLO and Enrique Alfaro at pres conerefere — Alfaro was a vocal critic of President López Obrador during the 2024 midterm election campaign. Government of Jalisco

“I will be driving the new coordination effort. [Citizens Movement Governor] Samuel García in Nuevo León and I are already speaking,” said Alfaro, who took office in December 2018.

Jalisco was the fifth most violent state in the first 10 months of 2021, with more than 2,000 homicides, but crime rates, including those for murder, have declined over the past three years, he said. A lot of progress has been made, but “enormous challenges” remain, the governor said.

Alfaro also said that he is the subject of “permanent threats” from organized crime but rejected a suggestion that the battle against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is being lost.

“Jalisco has the presence of an organized crime group with a lot of economic power and firepower. It’s a complex problem to deal with. But Jalisco is a lot more [than organized crime],” he said.

“In other words, [being affected by crime] is not the day-to-day [experience] of the citizens of this state. Diminishing [Jalisco’s] reality to issues of violence is an error, I think. And, of course, I believe it’s wrong to think that the [capacity of the] government [to confront the problem] has been exceeded.”

With reports from El País

Cabalgatas: an old Mexican horse riding custom holds fast in Zihuatanejo

By

Elisabeth Ashe

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December 8, 2021

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Cabalgata in Zihuatanejo — The annual Cabalgata parade is one way the horse riding community around Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo stays in touch. Photos by Margaret Reid and Karen Key

As an avid horsewoman who lives on a rescue horse farm in Canada and rides nearly daily, I always look for the same opportunities when living in Mexico for the winter. Thankfully there are a few stables around to satisfy my addiction to these beautiful four-legged creatures.

There is also an extensive community of other like-minded locals who live in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and the outlying areas of Pantla, Petatlán and Barrio Viejo, to name a few. Some of them are ranchers and farmers, but many are everyday people who share one thing in common: a love of horses.

This community comes together once a year — and sometimes more on special occasions — to showcase their horses in annual parades known as cabalgatas.

In its most basic form, the word cabalgata can mean a ride on horseback, whether for transportation or simply to enjoy nature. But in this case, it refers to parades on horseback that occur in Mexico, as well as other countries in Latin America.

The largest one in Guerrero occurs annually in Acapulco, but locals here formed an association about eight years ago to continue the tradition and create interest and excitement for tourists — Mexicans and foreigners alike.

From the moment I saw my first parade held in Petatlán a few years ago (and managed to hop a ride on the musician’s float so that I was actually in the procession), the pageantry of the event enthralled me.

Dressed to the nines in their cowboy finery, the women gorgeous in similar outfits or at times wearing beautiful flowing dresses, I knew I wanted nothing more than to ride alongside the other caballeros. Riding one of these well-cared-for horses was immediately a new bucket-list wish.

My dream finally came true when a friend named Liliana Huitrón, with whom I ride frequently, invited me to join her on the five-kilometer trek from Ixtapa to Zihuatanejo. (I knew then that there had been a reason I’d packed a fancy cowboy shirt in my Mexico suitcase this year!) So, I arranged the details with one of the organizers, José Manuel Guzmán Rosario, a tour guide and entrepreneur with Guzmán Tours of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

My requirement when riding is simple: safety is always a priority. I wanted a healthy and extremely calm horse accustomed to the fiesta-like atmosphere that a parade entails. Guzmán assured me that I would not be disappointed as his cousin’s horses were pros at these events and adept at handling any unforeseen situation that might arise when traveling along a busy highway.

The event started in Ixtapa in a large lot across from the Ixtapa Palace hotel. To say it was a party would be an understatement. Several people offered me mezcal shots to fortify me for the ride ahead, which I accepted, not wanting to appear rude. Unfortunately, the rest would have to wait until I arrived safe and sound at my destination; I am a lightweight with alcohol at the best of times.

Riders and their horses started to arrive around 11 a.m. Some had traveled a fair distance, from as far away as Guanajuato and Michoacán as well as various parts of Guerrero.

In addition, for the first time in this cabalgata’s history — probably due to an unfortunate incident where one horse collapsed and died on a similar ride less than a month ago — a vet was on hand to check the health of each horse.

Again, there was music and food and a definite festive air. Zihuatanejo Mayor Jorge Sánchez, his wife Lizette Tapia and this year’s pageant queen and princesses, welcomed the crowd along with other dignitaries. There were plenty of visitors from Canada and the United States who took photos while enjoying the show, including a heart-stopping gymnastic rope show by crowd favorite Bernardo López Muñoz, aka “The Cheese Man.”

Everyone was super friendly and welcoming, and Huitrón and others paved my way to being accepted as the only foreigner to ride.

My mount, Apache, a beautiful and docile gelding, was exactly the horse I had requested. Nothing seemed to faze him, a sentiment echoed by his owner, Orlando. He also loved to dance and surprised me by doing a cha-cha-like move as soon as the band struck up, which completely disarmed and delighted me.

I spent some time talking to other riders, whose pride of ownership in their horses was evident. The saddles alone on some of them cost a small fortune, made with the finest leather and adorned in silver.

After about two hours of merriment and making new friends, it was time for the nearly 230 horsemen and women to ride out. The streets from Ixtapa and the overpasses to Zihuatanejo are lined with people for nearly the whole route. People roared up and down the highway on ATVs providing refreshment to the riders, a welcome respite after the heat. In all, it took about 2 1/2 hours to reach our final destination in the neighborhood of Las Salinas.

At the end, weary but excited, I slid down off my saddle and bow-legged my way to the bar for a well-deserved beer.

Check another item off my bucket list!

The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.

‘It’s not cheese:’ Profeco pulls several brands of panela from market

By

Rose Egelhoff

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December 8, 2021

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A report on panela cheeses appeared in the December issue of Profeco's magazine for consumers.

Fresh, slighly salty panela cheese is a common ingredient in enchiladas, tacos, stuffed chiles and more. Now, investigators at the federal consumer protection agency Profeco have uncovered misleading labeling by some common panela brands and even an imitation mascarading as the real thing.

For the study, Profeco analyzed 30 products including standard, low-fat and lactose-free panela as well as several imitation brands. They analyzed fat and protein content and the origin of ingredients to make sure that “100% milk” cheeses were living up to their name, and checked that product labels were accurate.

They found that one cheese in particular was duping customers: Franja panela, a “panela-style cheese,” did not legally qualify as cheese due to artificial ingredients, including partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. While the Sam’s Club label of Franja indicated that it was an imitation, in Chedraui it was sold in bulk without appropriate labeling and could easily be mistaken for real cheese.

The imitation panela brand Los Pioneros de la V del Mu was dinged for a misleading label depicting a cow, though the product was not 100% dairy. Similarly, Alpino imitation panela was deceptively labeled, with the word “panela” printed larger than the word “imitation,” the study found.

The Zwan and Carranco brands were found to contain up to almost 10% less cheese than stated on their packaging. And perhaps most worryingly, Panela Aguascalientes, Great Value low-fat panela and Los Pioneros de la V del Mu imitation panela all contained elevated levels of microorganisms, indicating that they were not properly refrigerated during transport.

Several of the offending cheeses were ordered off the market until their labels are corrected.

In general, Profeco recommended that panela consumers read their cheese labels and check the expiration date, drain the water after opening (like mozarella) to prevent bacterial growth and keep the product refrigerated.

Mexico News Daily

Bloodbath predicted if 73-year-old Sinaloa Cartel boss detained or killed

By

MND Staff

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December 8, 2021

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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The arrest or death of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada will trigger a full-blown war for control of the powerful criminal organization, according to federal officials and a former high-ranking Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official.

Unnamed officials cited by the newspaper Milenio predicted that a bloodbath will occur in the absence of Zambada, 73, at the helm of the cartel.

The new generation of young Sinaloa Cartel drug traffickers, among whom are the sons of former supremo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, will wage a war for control, the officials said, noting that 24 plazas within Mexico as well as influence in the United States and other foreign countries would be at stake.

They also said that cartel members would fight over access to suppliers who ship cocaine and other narcotics, including precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl.

Two cells of the cartel – one affiliated with Zambada and another led by Guzmán’s sons – are already engaged in an internal power struggle. Their dispute is predicted to escalate significantly without El Mayo, a diabetic, leading the cartel.

“The fuse is already lit,” a federal official told Milenio. The officials also said that other criminal groups would seek to take advantage of the power vacuum that would be created by the arrest or death of Zambada, a former poppy field worker for whom the United States is offering a US $15 million reward.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) would attempt to seize control of territory where its fierce rival currently holds sway, they said.

Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations for the DEA, told Milenio that the conflict between competing Sinaloa Cartel cells will not escalate while Zambada remains leader because he is highly respected within the organization.

In contrast, the sons of El Chapo – Los Chapitos – do not command a lot of respect outside the cell they control, he said. The lack of respect is due to the fact that they obtained their positions of influence from their father, Vigil said, adding that “they haven’t gotten their hands dirty” like other capos.

Regardless of whether El Mayo is captured or dies a natural death, the Sinaloa Cartel will “fracture” and “fragment,” and “we’ll see a war between the different groups,” he said.

In Vigil’s assessment, there are only two major criminal organizations in Mexico: the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG.

“The Sinaloa Cartel is still the most powerful. The Jalisco cartel is also powerful, but more violent. If one group or the other sees a weakness … it will attack,” he said, noting that seizing new territory can increase drug trafficking profits by millions of dollars.

Like El Mayo, CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes is wanted by both Mexican and United States authorities.

The U.S. is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to Oseguera’s arrest. Like many cartel leaders, El Mencho has spent time behind bars, but El Mayo, perhaps Mexico’s most enduring narco figure, has never been imprisoned.

With reports from Milenio

Gunmen arrive by water at popular Cancún beach, fire their weapons and disappear

By

MND Staff

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December 8, 2021

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Police and members of the National Guard responded to reports of shots fired. Twitter

Gunmen fired shots after arriving at a popular Cancún beach by water on Tuesday, but no fatalities or injuries were reported.

Armed men traveled to Playa Langosta in the resort city’s hotel zone on three jet skis before opening fire. Some 20 shots were fired, according to witness accounts.

The gunmen escaped by water but their jet skis were later found and seized by authorities. According to a report by news website Expansión Política, the aggressors were targeting two people on the beach.

But a witness told the Associated Press they were shooting into the air rather than at the beach.

“There were two guys and maybe even a third, who came in on jet skis, and what I saw was them shooting up into the sky,” said Rick Lebassa, a tourist from Maine. “I did not see any shots coming in toward the shoreline.”

Quintana Roo police Chief Lucio Hernández said on Twitter that police, soldiers and members of the National Guard responded promptly to reports of the shooting.

“Thanks to their quick actions, there are no injured persons and the three jet skis on which the alleged perpetrators were traveling were seized. The search for said individuals is continuing,” he wrote.

The shooting occurred just a week after a new tourism security battalion of the National Guard began operating in the Riviera Maya, a coastal region of Quintana Roo that includes Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Members of the National Guard were patrolling Playa Langosta before the incident, according to beachgoers.

“The National Guard was here for 10 or 15 minutes. They left and 15 minutes later the shooting began,” one woman said.

A similar incident occurred early last month in Puerto Morelos, located south of Cancún. Gunmen arrived by boat on a beach in the destination, then proceeded to murder two presumed low-level drug dealers.

Among other recent incidents of violence in the Riviera Maya was an attack in a Tulum restaurant/bar in late October that claimed the lives of a German woman and an Indian woman.

With reports from El Universal, Expansión Política and AP