Mexico: Street Shooting Leaves 5 Students, Woman Dead in Guanajuato State Plagued by Mexican Drug Cartels

A street shooting left five high school students and a woman dead in Mexico's Guanajuato state plagued by Mexican drug cartels.

According to Borderland Beat, local authorities said the gunmen opened fire on a group of students on Monday night, killing three males and two females aged between 16 and 18. The 65-year-old woman, who was just in the same area, was also killed.

Cesar Prieto, mayor of Salamanca city in Guanajuato state, confirmed that six people in the Barron community lost their lives in an armed attack. Police are still investigating the incident.

Mexican Drug Cartels Violence in Mexico's Guanajuato State

The street shooting occurred just two weeks after two bodies of men with signs of torture were found in separate locations in the Mexico's state of Guanajuato.

One of the bodies was discovered near the entrance of Otates community in the city of León, lying face down in the dirt. Police believed the man was killed at the scene since some shell casings were found there.

The other body was found in the Coecillo neighborhood, also in León city. According to witnesses, two men went out of a vehicle and dropped the man's lifeless body before fleeing the scene.

A day before the discovery of these bodies, eight women and three men were killed in an apparent gangland revenge attack in two bars and a hotel in Celaya, another city in Guanajuato.

Reports said a group of 15 armed men arrived in two trucks and attacked a bar in Azalea Street on the corner of Fresno.

The gunmen then entered the "Gala" hotel and the bar next to it, where they also fired multiple times. Before fleeing the scene, the suspects reportedly set the venues on fire using Molotov cocktails.

Guanajuato was the second most violent state in the first four months of the year, with 993 murders. Michoacan was the first with 1,000 homicides.

México state came third with 830 homicides, followed by Baja California with 805, Jalisco with 642, and Sonora with 580.

Mexican Drug Cartels in Guanajuato, Mexico

Guanajuato has become one of the most violent states in Mexico due to disputes between the Jalisco cartel and the home-grown Santa Rosa de Lima gang.

CBS News reported that the Mexican drug cartels fight for control of trafficking routes for drugs and stolen fuel.

The bloodbath in the state reportedly started in 2018 when the Jalisco New Generation Cartel or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) moved into Guanajuato. The Jalisco cartel is infamous for its public displays of violence and military power.

According to the U.S. State Department, the Jalisco cartel is considered "to be the most violent drug trafficking organization currently operating in Mexico, with the highest cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking capacity."

Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera is currently leading the Jalisco cartel. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest as he continues to evade capture.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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