All articles tagged with #criminal groups
Six severed heads were discovered on a road in central Mexico, an area not typically associated with cartel violence, with no clear motive or responsible group identified, amid ongoing cartel conflicts and law enforcement crackdowns.
Ecuador is facing a deteriorating security situation as the country experiences a series of car bombings and the hostage-taking of over 50 law enforcement officers in various prisons. The explosions in Quito and a province near Peru resulted in no injuries, while the hostages have also been reported as unharmed. These incidents are believed to be the response of criminal groups to measures taken by the corrections system, which has struggled to control large prisons and has been transferring inmates to manage gang-related disputes. The violence comes just weeks after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and authorities attribute the spike in violence to a power vacuum caused by the killing of a local gang leader in 2020.
Six security officials have been killed and 12 people injured in a series of roadside bombings in the western state of Jalisco, Mexico. Governor Enrique Alfaro blamed drug-trafficking groups for the attacks, calling them an "act of terror" and an open challenge to the Mexican government. The bombings were set up as a trap for police officers, with eight improvised explosive devices detonating as a police convoy passed. The incident highlights the ongoing struggle with security and powerful criminal groups in Mexico, where both state forces and criminal organizations have a history of enforced disappearances and rights abuses.
At least 10 people were killed and nine others injured after an armed group opened fire on drivers participating in a rally in Baja California, Mexico. The attack took place in Ensenada and the surrounding areas of the city. Baja California has one of the highest rates of violence in Mexico, with Tijuana being the state's most violent city, due to warring criminal groups vying for control. The motive for the attack is unknown.