Narco News Weekly: Mexican Drug Cartel Update

Our weekly Mexican Drug Cartel update has become very popular, so we at the DIB are going to keep giving you up to date cartel info while renaming this column the Narco News Weekly.

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This week in the Narco News Weekly

1. Gruesome Crime Scene: Severed Heads and Narco-Banner Found Outside Military Base in Cancun

2. AMLO's Administration Records Highest Homicide Rate in Mexican History

3. Woman Accused of Working With Cartels Expelled From Mexico, Returned to SC

4. Mencho Oseguera Video Message To Citizens of Michoacán

5. Grupo Escorpión Hitman Is Carrying An AT4

6. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel Capture and Interrogate Two Cartel de Sinaloa Members

7. US Sanctions Chinese & Mexican Pill Press Suppliers Tied to Sinaloa Cartel

8. President López Obrador States He is in Favor of a Pact Between Cartels and Missing Persons Search Collectives

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Gruesome Crime Scene: Severed Heads and Narco-Banner Found Outside Military Base in Cancun

A group of cartel gunmen left three severed human heads and a narco-banner outside a Mexican Army base in Cancun, signaling the ongoing turf war between rival cartels for control of drug distribution, trafficking, and money laundering in the region. Authorities discovered the crime scene when they responded to a call regarding a banner hanging outside the base, only to find the severed heads next to it. The violence in Cancun and other parts of Quintana Roo is a result of clashes between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco New Generation, vying for dominance in illegal enterprises including drug distribution and trafficking routes. Some of the violence has occurred in tourist areas, posing a threat to public safety.

AMLO's Administration Records Highest Homicide Rate in Mexican History

Under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico has witnessed the highest number of homicides in its history. Since taking office in December 2018, the country has recorded 156,136 murders, surpassing the total for the previous six-year term. The figures, provided by various agencies including the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, highlight the failure of the "Hugs, not Bullets" strategy. Despite acknowledging the grim record, President López Obrador attributes the violence to the "bad inheritance" from previous administrations, pointing out their role in fostering criminal groups and the subsequent rise in homicides. While there has been a slight decrease in homicides in recent years, the overall figures remain alarming.

Sources El Pais, El Universal