A recent outbreak of violence in the Mexican border city of Tijuana could have been taken from a television script: angry drug bosses pursuing dishonest law enforcement officials who stole a shipment of drugs.
According to prosecutors, two of the officers accused of the robbery have been murdered. However, the city’s ex-police chief claims that at least three other officers have also been killed, indicating that the drug cartel suspected of possessing the stolen drugs may have initiated a widespread act of revenge.
Tijuana, located in the border state of Baja California, has the highest number of homicides in Mexico. This is almost twice the number of homicides in Ciudad Juárez, the second-ranked city. With a population of over 2.1 million, Tijuana has consistently recorded around 2,000 murders each year. In contrast, Houston, Texas, with a similar population, had 435 killings in 2022.
As per the allegations of prosecutors, a group of six police officers from Tijuana conspired to steal a significant amount of drugs from a warehouse where drug dealers had stored them in mid-November.
Last week, a video was released showing the officers’ pickup truck exiting the building with large bundles of cocaine covered in plastic in the truck bed.
This week, Maria Elena Andrade, the state prosecutor, confirmed that three detectives from the state and a similar number of Tijuana municipal police are currently being investigated in the case.
According to Alberto Capella, a former leader of Tijuana’s police force, a large amount of drugs found recently likely belonged to the Sinaloa cartel. This particular shipment is believed to have been controlled by drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who is considered the strongest gang leader in the area.
It seems that the cartel quickly identified the perpetrators of the robbery.
In Tijuana, on 18 November, shortly after the robbery occurred, individuals armed with guns shot at the federal prosecutors’ office, leaving at least 30 bullet holes on the building’s exterior. Less than an hour later, one of the municipal police officers suspected to be part of the theft was killed on a street in Tijuana.
On November 24th, the state prosecutors’ office was attacked by armed individuals who fired multiple shots, fortunately no one was harmed.
A state detective, who was being investigated for theft, was fatally shot while refueling his car at a gas station in Tijuana on 27 November.
A source from the state prosecutors’ office, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that two officers involved in the scandal were fatally shot in public on the city’s streets.
The staff member stated that the second officer rejected an opportunity to join the state’s witness protection program in exchange for giving testimony in the case.
According to Capella, the ex-chief of police, there have been three additional police casualties following the heist. This implies that the cartel may be seeking revenge for the robbery on a larger scale.
Capella expressed deep concern, stating that Tijuana has never experienced such a significant event before, which is saying a lot.
Tijuana has a long history of violence and corruption, but the recent surge in violence can be traced back to 2017. During that year, the number of murders almost doubled from 919 in 2016 to 1,782. Experts believe that clashes between the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels, as well as other groups like the remaining members of the Arellano Felix gang, are responsible for the increase in violence.
In June, Montserrat Caballero, the mayor of the city, declared that she was relocating to an army base for her personal security due to receiving threatening messages.
Source: theguardian.com
