Mexico: Guanajuato Bar Attack Kills 12; Mexican State Recorded Second Mass Shooting in Less Than a Month

A Guanajuato bar attack in Mexico left 12 people dead when unidentified gunmen opened fire in a bar in the Mexican city of Irapuato.

Local authorities noted in an Aljazeera News report that the people killed in the incident included six women. It was also determined as the second mass shooting in the Mexican state in less than a month.

The city government said in a statement that security officials were trying to track down the assailants, with three people injured in the attack on Saturday.

The search for the attackers is supported by Guanajuato's Secretary for Public Safety, the state prosecutor general's office, the Secretary of National Defense, and the National Guard.

It is still unclear who the victims are and how many gunmen were involved in the shooting, CNN reported.

The state of Guanajuato has been plagued by brutal turf wars between rival Mexican drug cartels, prompting a rise in violent attacks in the area.

On September 21, gunmen shot dead 10 people in an attack at a bar in Guanajuato in the town of Tarimoro.

Guanajuato Violence

In August, hundreds of Mexican troops were deployed to the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez to improve security after a series of random gang attacks across the town, leaving at least 11 dead.

Los Angeles Times reported that the dead included a popular radio personality and three of his co-workers. In a separate incident, two inmates were shot in a prison riot.

Officials noted that the bloody prison riot in Juarez sparked the rampage in acts of retaliation, while authorities pinned the blame in Jalisco and Guanajuato on cartel leaders on plans to arrest them.

Insecurity in Guanajuato state has intensified, with one resident running a fruit and vegetable stand saying that "there's no government here," adding that the narcos are the government.

Rogelio Cornejo Diaz said the president should come to the state with his wife and children if he thinks all is fine and tranquil.

Mexico's homicide rate has dipped only slightly since Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018.

Lopez Obrador has promised to take a more holistic approach to fight crime while vowing to reject the militarized strategy of his predecessors and boost social programs for those vulnerable to joining gangs.

Mexican Drug Cartels

Mexican drug cartels dominate the import and distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in the United States.

The largest Mexican drug cartels include Sinaloa Cartel, formerly led by El Chapo. It is considered to be one of Mexico's oldest and most influential drug trafficking groups, according to a Council on Foreign Relations report.

Jalisco Cartel is also considered Mexico's fastest-growing cartel, with operations in more than two-thirds of the country.

U.S. officials estimated that Jalisco Cartel supplies more than one-third of the U.S. drug market.

Meanwhile, the Beltran-Leyva Organization was formed when the Beltran-Leyva brothers split from Sinaloa in 2008.

All four brothers have been arrested or killed, but supporters and loyalists continue to operate throughout Mexico.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel Continues to Thrive Despite the Drug Lord's Absence: Report

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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