Missing Guerrero, Mexico Students Protests and Massacre: Coca-Cola Suspends Bottling Operations in Mexico Over 'Safety' Concerns
Coca-Cola's largest bottler in Mexico has suspended operations in the capital of the state of Guerrero after its workers and trucks were attacked.
According to The Associated Press, Alma Beltran, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Femsa SA, said the decision to stop supplying Chilpancingo was to "guarantee the safety of our personnel." They are currently evaluating the area to see if operations should continue there.
Mexico's 43 students went missing in Guerrero state last year. The state is home to many protests for the students where demonstrators have often blocked roads and taken over vehicles delivering anything. Protesters temporarily detained employees of Coca-Cola saying that they were responding to a theft report filed by the company.
Police say people tried to attack Coca-Cola's offices in Chilpancingo, and 10 people were injured in the attempt.
Protesters continue to attack other companies such as Comercial Mexicana department stores, Oxxo convenience stores and trucks for Bimbo.
Coca-Cola has many offices throughout the world and is continuing to grow. The company revealed a critical formula on Feb. 20 during a presentation to continue its growth, Food Business News reports.
"Broadly speaking, our revenue growth is led by three key drivers, one that is directly influenced by macro trends while the other two, we believe, are generally within our own control," said Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer. "To put it simply, we participate in a growth industry with leading positions."
The Employers' Confederation of Mexico in Guerrero state said the Coca-Cola division in its nation has lost 250 trucks to robberies or attacks since the 43 students went missing on Sept. 26.
Relatives of students continue to protest arguing that they do not believe that the students were killed and burned by a drug cartel.
Many say they believe the government was involved in kidnapping the students. They continue to demand the truth since they have received many changing accounts that the drug cartel is solely responsible for the students' disappearance.
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