After a week of cartel violence on the shores of Mexico, President André Manuel Lopez breaks silence and urges everyone to stay calm in the wake of violence. The leftist President said that there is still governability and stability in Mexico.
He addressed the situation on Monday at a press conference held at Mexico City’s National Palace.
Mexico has been experiencing a wave of unprecedented violent attacks over the weekend. The violent attacks were planned by the cartel leaders of Jalisco New Generation, who had demanded the release of Ricardo Rulz from the clutches of the government.
Jalisco New Generation is considered to be one of the most powerful cartels in the country.
Last Tuesday, the leader of the cartel’s armed wing, Rulz, was arrested in Guadalajara. His arrest followed the burning of a dozen vehicles and deliberate roadblocks. The chaos unfolded in Tijuana and the coastal state of Baja California.
Cities like Mexicali, Rosarito, Tecate, etc. also witnessed criminal activities by the cartel.
President Lopez also blamed the violence on his adversaries, particularly “the conservatives” who wanted to magnify things in the country and do sensational journalism.
Currently, the usually crowded public places of coastal states, such as restaurants and bars sit empty after the attacks.
According to the Tijuana Mayor, Military troops and special armed security arrived in Tijuana by Saturday afternoon. At least 300 troops, 50 national guard members, to support the 2000 Tijuana police force.
Around Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Consulate on Twitter had updated that the situation is under control.
At least 17 suspects have been detained till now. Seven of the detainees were from Tijuana and four each in Rosarito and Mexicali.
A series of attacks
Mexico is the link between Latin America and the U.S. drug trafficking business. Its convenient location has provided a vital point for transshipment between the two places.
The Mexican drug trafficking trade has existed for several decades but the trade shot up tremendously around the 1990s, after the demise of major Colombian cartels.
It had been reported that Mexico was responsible for 90% of cocaine trafficking in the USA in 2007.
After arrests of cartel leaders, prominently in the states of Tijuana and the gulf has led to even more violence and heightened drug trafficking activities.
President Lopez’s Oath
President Lopez, after being appointed as the president in 2018, had made an oath to lead his people off the path of drugs. He planned to give amnesty to Mexicans involved in drug production and not spare real strategists like cartel leaders or violent drug traffickers.
Despite the oath, drug violence and trafficking persist in several parts of Mexico. In January 2019, Obrador even declared that the government has shifted priorities from drug violence to capturing gasoline theft rings.
Cartel violence is nothing new to Mexican people. Just a few days earlier, 11 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez. The violence in Juarez was unleashed on convenience stores, gas stations, and food shops. The rampage was caused by a prison riot.
Previously, the states of Jalisco and Guanajuato also experienced violent attacks as drug cartels set fires to several vehicles and stores, and caused roadblocks on major highways.
The Jalisco cartel was the main preparator and attacked the cities after hearing plans about arresting the cartel members.
Mexican people are also aware of the violent attacks and illicit smuggling that happens throughout the country. President Lopez’s rise to power was a direct want of the public to reduce the cartel violence that occurred daily in their cities. So far, President Lopez has shown that he is trying to improve the conditions of his country. Cartel violence has reduced significantly in the last 10 years and that is a reason to celebrate the joint efforts put in by the government, police, and even the citizens.
