More Drug-Related Violence in Acapulco
(Acapulco, JG 18 October) Yesterday morning residents of Colosio, a suburb on the “Diamond Zone” side of Acapulco, were awakened by the sound of automatic weapons. At 6:30 in the morning, gunmen lined up three men and one woman against the base of the Donaldo Colosio monument in the community's center. Their feet were bound and their hands were tied behind them. The assassins then fired 130 rounds from AK-47 and AR-15 automatic rifles into the four victims. Then they left two “narco-messages” containing threats against competing drug gangs, and disappeared.
In response, acting mayor of Acapulco, José Luis Ávila Sánchez, called upon law abiding locals to avoid nocturnal activities because of the crime wave. He also called upon the drug gangs to go look for another place to conduct their conflicts, “because in Acapulco, we´ll just keep on working.” In an interview, the mayor said that of the 25 murders by drug warriors, only one seems to have involved an innocent bystander. “The message is that we should keep on working, not stopping our activities, but to avoid going out at night when possible. We should not lose sight of the fact that it is our work that enriches our city.”
The state governor, Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo, also commented to reporters in Chilpancingo that the spate of recent violence in Acapulco is the result of a “disintegration in the organized crime groups because of the lack of leadership, and for that reason, a loss of power in their usual turf.” The group, “La Barbie,” has been considered strong in southern Guerrero, but with the capture of the group’s leader last month, competing drug gangs have come to town to try to fill the leadership vacuum. When questioned about possible police involvement in the disappearance of the “Michoacán 20” on September 30, the governor replied, “That corruption exists, is certain. I admit that not all the members of the police force are clean. We need to continue the cleansing process to eradicate that situation.” However, he would not say anything further about the incident: “We can’t find them. They have disappeared, but we cannot say they have been kidnapped or killed, because we do not know. This case is not closed, and soon we will have an answer. But until then, neither the governor nor the legal authorities can talk publicly about their ongoing investigations. Their status is 'disappeared.' Their families say they were in Acapulco for innocent purposes, and for now the government cannot arrive at any different conclusion."
