Tomorrow ends an extraordinarily bloody month in Puerto de Veracruz. While Calderon’s army and the US media were focusing their attentions (and resources) this past month on Ciudad Juarez and the state of Michoacan, chaos was taking over this major Gulf port city.
This morning–June 30– El Universal ran a lengthy recap of the month’s hyper-violence in Veracruz–
“Organized crime has gotten to everyone and everywhere in Veracruz.”
Twenty murders, four missing officials including the Customs Administrator for the port of Veracruz and a grenade attack on Boca del Rio, the city’s shopping and tourist area.
Last Saturday the sister-in-law of Jorge Wade Gonzalez, leader of Veracruz National Union of Petroleum Workers (Pemex), and her 3 year-old child were killed in a hail of AK-47 rounds south of the capital city. Was it random or mistaken identity with the intention to strike Gonzalez and his family more directly?
Despite all this bloody chaos, Patrick Corcoran at MexiData oddly cited the situtation in Veracruz as a signpost in his hopeful op-ed Might Mexico’s Drug War Strategy Finally be Succeeding?
Contra-Zetas?
On Monday two bodies were found in Veracruz –one a branch leader of the PRI–with a narcomensaje that stated: “We’re here to clean the streets of Zetas.”
Another two bodies wrapped in black plastic were later discovered near the Veracruz port with another note. This one read: “The war is just beginning.”
On June 28, Rick Grabman picked up on another anti-Zetas story unfolding in Cancun at The Mex Files . The bad boys down there are identifying as “Mata Zetas”
Veracruz is Zetas territory. In fact, the entire eastern coast of Mexico is under their hands. Who would be pushing on them?
It’s uncertain right now if such a group formally exists. But something is afoot.
Homegrown rivals leftover from the old Gulf cartel?
Sicarios from La Familia Michoacana?
A black op out of GAFE (maybe with some “outside” help)?
Or a Zetas PSYOP, something learned back at Bragg?
Too little is known at this point to answer.
Quote of the Week:
“The narcos are local businessmen investing in the community creating local jobs.”
–A Sinaloa business woman speaking to Mex Files’ Grabman.
Statistic of the Week:
In June operations against drug traffickers left more police arrested than members of organized crime. During this period the Army, Navy and federal forces captured 159 public servants, in contrast to the 128 sicarios apprehended.–Milenio June 30 2009
[Header photo from Cancun with Mata Zetas narcomensaje]
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July 1, 2009 at 6:29 am
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