Tensions are increasing in the drug war in Mexico. According to the Associated Press, the Jalisco cartel has viciously responded to the Mexican government’s “hugs, not bullets” policy with absolute defiance. Members of the cartel have reportedly kidnapped several members of a major police force in the state of Guanajuato and tortured them until they received the personal information of other members of the force, including their names and home addresses.
ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images
The Jalisco cartel’s attack of law enforcement is a direct response to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s laws and policies to dodge any sort of conflict with the cartels. However, it’s the use of the Tactical Group task force which has angered leaders of the cartel who say they are being unfairly targeted.
The recent kidnappings of law enforcement officials have resulted in cartel members going to the homes of officers and murdering them in front of their families.
A banner that hangs in front of a building in Guanajuato since May issued a warning to the government in the ongoing conflict. “If you want war, you’ll get a war. We have already shown that we know where you are. We are coming for all of you,” the banner reads. “For each member of our firm (CJNG) that you arrest, we are going to kill two of your Tacticals, wherever they are, at their homes, in their patrol vehicles.”
A news outlet in Guaranjuato said that at least seven police officers have been murdered since the beginning of the year on their days off. However, an exact number of victims has yet to be confirmed.