Mexico: Eighth Priest Killed in the Country; Sinaloa Band Concert Canceled Due to Jalisco Cartel Threats

By Mary Webber Feb 13 2023, 23:15 PM EST

A priest in Mexico, identified as Rev. Juan Angulo Fonseca, has been shot to death. He was the eighth priest killed in the country under the administration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The church's Catholic Multimedia Center made the announcement, with prosecutors in the western state of Jalisco saying that the 53-year-old parish priest was killed by two shotgun blasts in the town of Atotonilco El Alto on Friday, according to CBS News.

Prosecutors believe that the motive behind the priest's killing was possible "family disputes."

Meanwhile, the suspect in the priest's killing fled on a motorcycle after shooting Angulo Fonseca.

The church center said in a statement that the causes are always unknown, as is the usual case. It added that some of the probable causes of conflicts are presumably over land titles.

The church added that the parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Guadalupe Valley were "indignant" over Angulo Fonseca's killing.

In 2016, three priests were killed in Mexico in just a week.

Jalisco Cartel's Threats Forced Concert Cancellation

In the Mexico border city of Tijuana, a planned concert by the norteño band Grupo Arriesgado was canceled after threats were issued by Jalisco Cartel.

The band is from Sinaloa, and Jalisco Cartel is notoriously known to have a turf war with another Mexican drug group, Sinaloa Cartel.

The band wrote in a statement that after the events of the last days, they would be following the wishes of the authorities to cancel the show, according to The Washington Post.

They did not mention any threats of violence but wrote in a statement that the safety of their fans is their first priority.

The band is known to sing "narco corridos" or "war corridos" about drug traffickers,

The Jalisco Cartel signed "CJNG" on a hand-lettered sign hung on an overpass before the concert, warning the band's lead singer that he was not welcome in Tijuana.

A local media also posted a video of an autograph session held by members of the band at a shopping center before the scheduled concert, wherein gunshots can be heard.

Jalisco Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel

Nemesio Oseguera Ramon, known as "El Mencho," still leads the cartel and is considered to be the founder of the cartel.

The Jalisco Cartel has been connected to the use of extreme violence, with homicides, forced disappearances, and discoveries of mass graves increased in Jalisco.

Aside from its rival Sinaloa Cartel, it also fights the Zetas drug trafficking organization in Veracruz state.

Meanwhile, the Sinaloa Cartel is still considered to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking group.

Its leadership has notorious names on the list, with El Chapo on top of it. He headed the crime group before being imprisoned and extradited to the United States.

El Mayo and his four sons, known as Los Chapitos, are also known to be leading the cartel in his absence.

Recently, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested by Mexican authorities.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: The Origin of the Guadalajara Cartel | Narco Wars - from National Geographic