More than a dozen gunmen shot dead 11 people including eight women at a Mexican hotel and its two bars in a massacre being linked to cartel warfare, according to authorities and reports. State prosecutors said both crime scenes were being processed. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. Crime; First published on October 4, 2022 / 5:15 PM . This summer, the nation was stunned when gunmen executed two priests in northern Mexico after a person they pursued took sanctuary in their church. The plight of this city is part of the worsening security situation across the country. The bodies of 16 people were found in two different cities in Mexico's Zacatecas state on Saturday amid a turf war between two powerful drug cartels. Jackson said he was not sure why the officer drove him to the airport instead of a hospital. But Calderns policies largely survived, with authorities targeting prominent cartel leaders such as Sinaloas Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn. No other incident have been reported since this confrontation. increasingly relied on the armed forces to tackle the violence. Quintana Roo, which includes tourist hotspots like Cancun, Tulum, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen, is far from Mexicos most dangerous area, statistically speaking. Be extra cautious if visiting bars, nightclubs, or local casinos. Violence has gotten out of control, just three years ago, the murder rate was half what it is today. Others who joined soon left because former military officials leading the National Guard did not treat them as equals, according to police officers interviewed. According to the advisory, "U.S.citizens are advised to adhere to restrictions on U.S. government employee travel." You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Navy sailors patrol as people sunbathe on the beach during spring break in Cancun, Mexico. And these security forces are responsible for many fatalities. Forensic investigators inspect the scene where the remains of a body was found in a water channel in Celaya last week. In October, the neighbouring statesagreed to overhaultheir approach, which Mexican officials have long portrayed as a relic of the past, and to instead step up efforts to address the root causes of crime and curb cross-border arms smuggling. According to homicide figures from Mexicos Interior Ministry, as of March 12, an average of 112 people have been killed every day. On January 6, 10 bodies were found in a sports utility vehicle in the main square in the city of Zacatecas. Celaya, a city of 500,000, has seen an massive rise in homicides in recent years. Meanwhile in Zacatecas, which is seeing record-high homicide rates, every week there is news of a new killing. Business is going strong and has diversified. According to the latest survey by Mexico's National Institute of Statistics, 97% of respondents replied that living in the state was a risk. 2 minutes read. Mexico Ablaze as Jalisco Cartel Seeks Criminal Hegemony. Its a dream we have, but how possible is it?. (Elizabeth Ruiz / AFP via Getty Images). The president denies that Mexico has gotten more violent during the first half of his six-year term, which ends in 2024. "Violent crimesuch as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robberyis widespread and common in Mexico," warns the State Department. It formed in 2015 as a splinter group from the Sinaloa cartel, and steadily grew as Mexicos security forces cracked down on larger, better-known groups during the so-called war on drugs. In 2015, after a failed operation to arrest El Mencho, CNGJ shot down a military helicopter with a rocket launcher. The . Jalisco statedue tocrimeandkidnapping. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images), MEXICO PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR URGES CALM AMID CARTEL VIOLENCE, US GOVERNMENT STAFF TOLD TO SHELTER IN PLACE. A bus, burned by Mexican gang members, blocks a highway in Zapopan, Jalisco State, Mexico on Aug 9, 2022 [Ulises Ruiz/AFP] Published On 11 Aug 2022 11 Aug 2022 facebook A vibrant auto industry drew Japanese families to live amid its beautiful colonial architecture, commuting to the factories of Honda and other international companies. Simultaneously Caldern also began pursuing the so-calledkingpin strategyby which authorities sought to decapitate the cartels by targeting their leaders. This weekend, there were these very unfortunate events: the loss of life, the murder of a judge, the president said during his morning news conference, before blaming the violence on the inaction of previous governments. The efforts to capture the top narco bosses and behead criminal organizations have led big cartels to splinter into more than a hundred cells that have taken over every corner of the country. Several bodies found in the municipality of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, in 2022. The Department of State advises visitors to carry all documents proving legal entry and stay in the country. According to preliminary data, trade between China and Mexico topped $100 billion in 2021,. Nuevo Leonstate due tocrimeandkidnapping. There is also updated information on the "kidnapping risk"for the states of Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Baja California, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Sonora, Nuevo Len, Puebla, Quintana Rooand San Luis Potosi. 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Now, he is expected to transfer that force to the defense ministry. The leftwing populist Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador took power in December, promising a dramatic change in tactics. With more than 26,000 murders this year, it is clear the presidents strategy of using the military to control the crime gangs has failed. Members of the National Guard providing security at a crime scene in Celaya, Mexico, last week. Hermosillo, Mexico, Feb 23 (EFE).- . Inland immigration control checkpoints are common in Mexico, even in popular tourist areas far from the border, the DOS advises. The business is no longer just drug trafficking, but any criminal activity: gasoline theft, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking or theft of goods from trucks and trains. Between 2015 and 2021, the number of murders in the state increased by a staggering 400%. On Sunday, as reports emerged of violence erupting in the city after the failed prison break, Pia sheltered at home with his son, listening to the sirens that have become a common soundtrack in this city. The wave of violence is being blamed on feuding drug gangs, say state officials. In Celaya, as in many of Mexicos cities and towns, the municipal police force is too small. The Federal Police had some 10,000 investigators; the National Guard has just a few hundred, the official said. A prison dispute between rival gangs spiraled out of control in Mexico on Thursday, leading to street violence in Ciudad Juarez and the deaths of 11 people, including civilians. This story has been shared 117,894 times. Zacatecas broke all records last year, with a rate of 90.4 murders per 100,000, according to government figures. All rights reserved. After the explosion of violence across Mexico in August, officials from one of Celayas largest high schools met with Mr. Rivera and his top security officials, begging for more protection from criminals who harass students on the road to school, robbing and selling them drugs. Some restrictions include not hailing taxis from the street but rather using a ride-share service like Uber or regulated taxi stands, and to not travel alone to remote locations. June 27, 2022 / 11:03 AM / CBS/AP Six police officers were killed and four others wounded Sunday in the northern Mexico border state of Nuevo Leon after they were ambushed by a presumed drug. IS IT SAFE FOR AMERICANS TO VACATION IN CANCUN? (Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg via Getty Images), Fox News Flash top headlines for August 19. The updated Travel Advisory includes new information on the Coahuila, Mexico, Nayarit, and Zacatecas states. Last year, violence caused massive displacement events that drove 44,905 Mexicans to flee their homes a nearly fivefold increase from the previous year, according to Mexicos Commission for Defense and Promotion of Human Rights. Zacatecasstate due tocrimeandkidnapping. There is no major problem, but they do want to grab that banner of violence.. The investigation in this case began on April 6, 2022, when special agents with HSI Tucson received a tip from an individual in New York. When Mr. Lpez Obrador dismantled the Federal Police in 2019 over documented corruption concerns, he created the new National Guard under the civilian-led Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection to address crime and enable the government to pull the military off the streets. Mexico's president plans to address the violence in parts of his country today. This is almost as high as in the Vietnam War, when four people were injured for every death. Gunfire broke out on a beach in Mexicos Caribbean coast resort of Cancun Tuesday, sending tourists scrambling for cover. Jess Padilla contributed reporting from Celaya, Mexico. There is not a corner of Mexico where drug traffickers are not present. In Celaya, as in many of Mexicos cities and towns, the size of the municipal police force is inadequate, according to police-per-capita ratios recommended by the United Nations. In the face of rampant drug violence, Lpez Obrador has said that using bullets to stop bullets is not the solution. 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