Guerrero state authorities took into custody 16 cartel members linked to the “Los Ardillos” crime gang as part of an operation deployed after the dismembered body of a vacationing National Guard member was identified along the Mexico City-Acapulco highway.
The Guerrero Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reported the arrest of the 16 people, the result of a coordinated response carried out on Sept. 5 along with the Army, the National Guard and state police.
On Sunday afternoon, the Defense Ministry (Defensa) confirmed the FGE report about the arrest of the alleged cartel members in the towns of Pablo Galeana, Río Verde and Xaltianguis, all within the municipality of Acapulco.
Among those apprehended was a person identified as Los Ardillos’ “financial operator.”
Among four mangled bodies discovered was that of National Guardsman Eduardo Bustos, who was off-duty. Prior to being murdered, Bustos was apparently forced to film a video in which he stated that state security agents — identifying two by name — receive payments of up to 600,000 pesos per month (US $35,500) from the “Los Tlacos” crime gang to harass their rivals in Guerrero, Los Ardillos.
Defensa issued a statement confirming the death of the guardsman, condemning the violence in Guerrero and “reaffirming its commitment to collaborate closely with civilian authorities in the investigations to clarify the facts, including the circumstances surrounding the statements” made by Bustos in the video.
Also in Guerrero, feds raid and dismantle 3 meth labs
Federal forces deployed in the state of Guerrero located and dismantled three clandestine laboratories used to produce methamphetamine, officials announced over the weekend.
In a statement on social media, federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said the three drug labs were situated in remote areas in the mountainous state. He praised the Army for the successful operations in “inaccessible, high-risk places.”
Two of the labs were in Zirándaro de los Chávez and one in Coahuayutla de José María Izazaga. García Harfuch did not specify when the operations took place.
A trove of drug-producing chemicals and equipment was seized, including more than 260 200-liter drums, 11 500-liter containers, nine reactors, more than 60 gas tanks, 150 sacks of caustic soda, 663 kg of ammonium chloride, approximately 2,400 kg of chemical substances, reactors, condensers, distillers and approximately 1,000 kg of chemical precursors.
Besides ingredients and equipment used for drug production, the operation seized 12 firearms, more than 36,700 cartridges, 17 doses of methamphetamine, 10 slot machines, two motorcycles and a vehicle.
With reports from Milenio, El Financiero, Proceso and Infobae
