Mexico: 2 Agents Wounded by Gang-related Booby Trap in Guanajuato

An improvised explosive device detonated in the city of Irapuato in Guanajuato state. The device was an apparent booby trap, and its explosion wounded a detective and a forensic examiner while they were investigating a crime scene.

A local website, TVConsequencias, was filming when the two state agents were doing their investigations. The video showed police agents walking around the house when the detective and a forensic examiner were about to enter, and then the explosion occurred.

According to Guanajuato-based security analyst David Saucedo, the booby trap may have come from a grenade connected to a door, and the device was designed to go off whenever that door was opened.

Police Discovered Plastic Bags Covered With Blood Inside Booby-trapped Building

The police were called into the house located in José Zapata Street in the El Comunal neighborhood last Thursday. They were investigating the area when one of their agents opened the booby-trapped door. Two agents were caught in the blast and got injured. They were immediately given medical treatment and are now in stable condition, according to the Guanajuato State Prosecutor's Office.

TVConsequencias reported that following the device's explosion, police said that they found several plastic bags covered in blood. Inside those bloody plastic bags are dismembered body parts, which have now become a common occurrence in Mexico's bloody war against drugs, as cartels and local gangs often dispose of their enemies by cutting them up and placing them in plastic bags.

Meanwhile, local media also reported that the police also found a severed head inside the house as well. It is still unclear whether it was found after the explosion or before or whether it was also inside one of the bloody plastic bags.

An Ongoing Turf War Between the Jalisco Cartel and a Local Gang

According to the Associated Press, violence had been a common occurrence in the city of Irapuato because of an ongoing turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a local gang called the Santa Rosa de Lima gang.

Mexican gangs and drug cartels have adopted tactics used by insurgents in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. These include the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). According to CBS News, gangs in the neighboring state of Michoacan have begun using them on roads to disable army vehicles. However, reports also say that the use of booby traps, like the one used in Irapuato, is still quite rare.

One of the most infamous and violent factions in the state is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, led by Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, one of the FBI's Most Wanted men. He currently has a $10 million bounty on his head. The cartel is noted for its often-violent executions, including ISIS-inspired beheading videos and mass graves.

However, it is still unclear whether the booby trap came from the cartel or their local rival, or another gang.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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