Mexico Violence: Popular Tourist Town in Guerrero State Shut Down Due To Warring Drug Cartels

The violence gripping the state of Guerrero in Mexico continued as warring drug cartels have caused the popular tourist town of Taxco to basically shut itself down thanks to all the violence that is happening there.

Taxco used to be a colonial town famous for its silver workshops that drew a lot of tourists from all over the world. However, in recent months, the town has been known to be the site of warring drug cartels, with grisly killings becoming a norm.

The latest bout of violence in the once-popular tourist town involved the deaths of two detectives, whose bodies were found on the outskirts of Taxco. These two detectives worked for the state prosecutor's office and had been reported missing the day before.

According to the Associated Press, this happened as Taxco was in the middle of a days-long strike by private taxi and van drivers who were refusing to work after several drivers were killed after getting caught in the crossfire between warring drug cartels vying for control of Guerrero State.

The lack of transportation got so bad in the town that its government had to offer people rides in the back of police pickup trucks, with vehicles not daring to travel because of the rising violence there, with taxi and van drivers continuing their refusal to work.

The town has effectively been shut down due to the lack of transportation, as many drivers are too afraid to be targeted as one of the local drug gangs, the Tlacos drug gang, accused some taxi drivers of working as look-outs for their rival, Familia Michoacana, one of the largest drug cartels in Mexico. The local gang threatened to "eliminate" those drivers "one by one."

Mexico Journalists Previously Abducted and Almost Killed in Guerrero State

Just a few months before the deaths of the two detectives and the transportation strikes happening all over the violence-plagued Guerrero state, the area was also the scene of attacks on four journalists.

The incident happened in the city of Chilpanicgo, which is currently being plagued by gang violence as well. The victims all appeared to work for local newspapers or websites, and they were all returning from an evening event when the attack took place.

All four survived but were hospitalized, according to UPI. Prosecutors are considering the incident as attempted murder and abductions, with drug gangs becoming much bolder these days as the attack happened outside a local army barracks.

Violence and Insecurity Persist in Mexico's Guerrero State

The Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Justice in Mexico Project at the University of San Diego have released a paper that details the ongoing violence happening in Mexico, particularly the southern state of Guerrero.

The paper found that "Insecurity and violence associated with organized criminal activity are pervasive" in the state, which now has the highest homicide rate in Mexico. It also found that extortion and kidnapping are commonplace, with drug cartel members carrying out their crimes near complete impunity as several drug trafficking organizations vie for control.

READ MORE: Journalist in Mexico Tells Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador He's Afraid for His Life During Press Briefing

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Bringing Care to People Trapped by Violence in Guerrero, Mexico - Doctors Without Borders / MSF-USA