Mexico detains more than 3,600 people in a single weekend for the violence of ‘narco’ cartels but denies that there is terrorism

Mexican authorities reported this Monday the arrest of 3,630 people in a weekend marked by violent public acts of organized crime in various entities of the country, although they denied that there is terrorism in the country. there were 3,630 detainees, a figure that occurs throughout the country,” said Ricardo Mejía, undersecretary of federal Public Security. However, he explained that due to the acts of violence in Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco and Guanajuato there were only 36 detainees, of of which 12 “are already before the Attorney General’s Office,” although the leaders of high-profile criminal organizations were not apprehended. In addition, he said, in Ciudad Juárez there were 11 deaths as a result of a dispute between criminal factions inside a prison of the entity. The official explained that in Jalisco five alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) were arrested, while in Guanajuato 11 people were arrested cleft, and in Baja California and Ciudad Juárez 12 respectively. Attacks on civilians The events recorded in these states have caused concern because criminals have set fire to businesses and burned vehicles to block the streets, which is why some experts speak of acts of “narcoterrorism”. “Likewise, he explained that despite how spectacular the violent acts were and the social and media impact they generated, this weekend was the third with the fewest intentional homicides so far in 2022. “With 196 (dead), since four months ago there had not been a weekend with less than 200 homicides,” he boasted. Mejía pointed out that this administration has managed to reduce the logistical and financial capacity of criminal groups. According to Luis Cresencio Sandoval, head of the Secretariat of the Defense (Sedena), the specific case of the events that occurred in Baja California was due to criminal groups “seeking to attract attention.” “These acts of vandalism occur, somehow, to get attention. They did not attack society, but it was an effect to seek that the authorities address the situation, to generate a condition where it could be identified that there is a lack of security, “he declared. And he said that the violent acts are due to the fact that “there is a weakening in criminal groups”. “Propagandistic” acts Questioned directly about whether the violent acts of recent days were acts of terrorism, Adán Augusto López, Secretary of the Interior, was emphatic in reiterating that they were only “propagandistic” acts by criminal groups. “They are not terrorist attacks, the facts should not be magnified, they should not be seen beyond propaganda,” he emphasized. He also asserted that the security strategy in Mexico “is giving results” and pointed out that on August 20 They will present the data that shows how the criminal incidence “is on the decline.” He stressed that this type of criminal acts are the result of “when violence is combated, we are not exe Before there are these reactions.” The authorities’ report comes after this morning the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, assured that his opponents are “exaggerating” regarding the acts of violence. “Our adversaries are exaggerating (…). It’s like set up, it’s propagandistic. There is no major problem, but they do want to grab that flag of violence,” said the president during his morning press conference at the National Palace.