Cartel Turf War Rages in Mexican State with 120 Murders in 12 Days

A once peaceful state in central Mexico has become the country’s most violent with more than 120 murders since the start of 2021. The region is under dispute by two organizations known for extreme violence and explosives.

Since the start of the new year, Guanajuato has seen more than 120 murders–averaging 10 per day. Some of the cases were political assassinations, targeted hits, gun battles, and even mass shootings at a funeral wake. According to Periodico Correo, as of January 12, Guanajuato recorded 122 murders.

This week, gunmen chased down and killed Guanajuato State Congressman Juan Antonio Acosta Cano during his morning jog. The attackers managed to escape. Soon after, the governor took to social media to express his condolences and call for a thorough investigation.

Lamento profundamente el asesinato del diputado local Juan Antonio Acosta Cano y condeno enérgicamente estos hechos, hago un llamado a la @FGEGUANAJUATO para que esclarezca este caso y lleve a la justicia a los responsables.

— Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo (@diegosinhue) January 12, 2021

On Monday, state and federal authorities tried to capture a cell of gunmen from Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) which was linked to murders in the region. The operation turned into a shootout with eight gunmen and one police officer dead as a result.

One of the most violent incidents took place last week when gunmen stormed funeral wake. The shooters fired into a crowd, killing nine and critically injuring one.

The violence in Guanajuato is tied to a turf war between CJNG and the remnants of Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima. In a span of two years, the once peaceful state is now Mexico’s most violent.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

Jose Luis Lara and “J.C. Sanchez” from the Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.