Quick Mexico Update

I’ve been following my English language Mexican newspaper, and I also watched today’s press conference, so here’s an update:

• The Mexican government believes that one of El Mencho’s deputies was behind some of yesterday’s mayhem. He was killed yesterday and $975,000 in cash, along with over 7 million pesos (roughly $500K) was found with him.

• There was a lot of AI imagery designed to panic the population on social media yesterday. The government is still investigating whether the cartels were behind it.

• There were 25 members of the Guardia Nacional killed yesterday. The Guardia is a paramilitary force which is similar to state troopers except at the national level. They’re a big presence in Mexico with a bunch of different jobs, including guarding cathedrals. The ones I’ve seen are young and squared away.

• In Jalisco alone, there were something like 80 Oxxo stores damaged. An Oxxo is like a 7/11 (which also exist in Mexico), but they’re far more ubiquitous. They serve a number of social roles, including a place where people can pay bills and send money to family. In some states, they’re also designated refuge centers for women who feel threatened. If the cartel was trying to pretend that they care about the poor, wrecking Oxxos is a shitty way to do it.

• Mexican media drilled in on the role of the US in this operation. The US apparently shared intelligence with Mexico. (El Mencho was found because one of his girlfriends, or a girlfriend of one of his lieutenants, had her phone tracked.)

Today seemed pretty calm in Mexico. As of this morning, roads were clear and the government was encouraging Mexicans to go about their business. Most flights were landing at Puerto Vallarta, which had been closed for some time yesterday.

The press conference had a poignant moment when the Secretary of Defense, General Ricardo Trevilla, briefly lost his composure when extending condolences to the families of the soldiers lost in the operation.

One of the interesting things about the way that the government speaks about cartels, especially Omar Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection (a.k.a. “Batman”). Harfuch doesn’t describe them as cartel members — he just calls them “cowards”. A lot of cowards died yesterday. Trevilla believes fewer young people are being recruited into the cartels. I hope he’s right.