Mexico: the security situation deteriorates in the western part of the country

Our  team has focused attention on the recent events happening in Mexico that we consider could pose a threat to those organisations with personnel, assets, and business interests in the region. We thought this update could come in handy for your awareness. Seven remotely detonated roadside bombs killed six security officers and two civilians in Tlajomulco, Jalisco state in Western Mexico, officials announced on Wednesday, 12 July. The explosions left craters in the road, destroyed four vehicles, and injured 14 civilians, including three children. Government officials accused an unspecified criminal group in Jalisco state of installing the devices as well as setting up an ambush through an anonymous call that lied about a discovered burial site. Local officials called the attack a challenge to the government on all levels. For years, the police have been unable to locate more than 110,000 missing people, but they accompany volunteers looking for such graves. In Jalisco state, two main rival gangs are active, the Jalisco New Generation and La Resistencia. On Monday and Tuesday of the past week, cartels in a minimum of two other Mexican states exchanged fire with the police. On another note concerning the local security situation, earlier this week the body of a renowned Mexican journalist was found in the western state of Nayarit after reportedly being abducted a few days before. This case is part of a growing negative trend Mexico has registered since early 2000 with an estimated 150 cases of journalists found dead in suspicious conditions. Notable Implications The attack in Jalisco state marked the first time one of Mexico’s drug cartels successfully targeted law enforcement with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a development marking an increasingly open military-style challenge to the government. Notably, IEDs are generally seen in countries facing civil wars or violent insurgencies, such as Mali and Iraq. However, IEDs were previously used by drug cartels against the Mexican military.