Contested by at least six criminal organizations, Jalisco ranks as the sixth most violent entity in the country. Between January and September of this year, it has been the scene of 1,565 of the 23,351 intentional homicides that have occurred in the country, that is, 7% of the total.
In recent years, violence has escalated in that state governed by the emecista Enrique Alfaro. Massacres have been perpetrated in some of its municipalities, such as the one that occurred in Tonalá in February 2021, when a commando murdered 11 people, or what happened in Guadalajara, where six people were murdered in a rehabilitation center.
Due to violent events such as these, the Secretary of the Interior, Adán Augusto López, affirmed that when he is talked about bloodbaths, the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato and Michoacán come to mind, which, he said, have become a paradise for organized crime.
His statements caused controversy and an exchange of remarks with Governor Enrique Alfaro, who reproached him for the fact that 10 states governed by Morena are more violent than Jalisco.
The governor showed a graph in which Jalisco ranks 19th out of 32 for the number of intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. It is below entities governed by Morena such as Colima, Baja California, Mexico City, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Guerrero, Michoacán, with an average of 1,009 events, while the national average stands at 1,102.
According to the platform, prepared by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), in Jalisco the criminal presence of six organized crime organizations has been identified: the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG), Los Cuinis, Sinaloa Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Los Guerreros and Cartel Nueva Plaza.
It is the CJNG that maintains dominance in that territory, it is present throughout the state, while the Sinaloa Cartel in four municipalities, and the Nueva Plaza only in three.
A report from the Secretary of National Defense, leaked through emails hacked by the Guacamaya group , reveals the structure of the CJNG, the cause of much of the violence that entity is going through.
According to the July 2022 document, the CJNG is led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”, and its structure is divided by region:
Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, which has among its leaders:
· Luis Enrique Sierra, alias “El Rayo”.
· Daniel Osvaldo Quintero.
· José López, alias “Cuco”.
· Julio Alberto Casitillo.
Ferdinand Castillo.
· Gerardo Peña, alias “El Cheto”.
· Juan Alberto Sánchez, alias “The Godfather”.
Western Sierra Coast and South Coast region, where they operate:
· Hugo Gonzalo, alias “El Sapo”.
· Carlos Ramírez Rivera, alias “El Colombiano”.
· Julio César Moreno, alias “El Tarjeta”.
· Luis Manuel Pelayo.
Altos Norte and Sur Regions:
-Eduardo Pizano Jiménez, alias “El Loco”.
-David Jiménez Padilla, alias “El Orejón”.
-Arturo Alvarado, alias “El Greñas”.
Mario Contreras.
-José Alberto Ramírez, alias “La Tuza”.
-José Ruiz, alias “The Ball”.
South-Southeast region:
-Jorge Luis Mendoza, alias “Lupillo Rivera”.
-Oscar Ruiz, alias “El Negro”.
In this region, there are even some former self-defense groups from Michoacán such as Alberto Magaña and Alfonso Fernández.
– Ezekiel Martinez.
-Francisco Rivera.
– Roland Rivera.
North Region:
-Abel Sandoval, alias “El Cuervo”.
-Agustin Sandoval.
-Juan Javier Sandoval.
The report also includes the structure of “Los Cuinis”, the armed wing of the CJNG, which is led by Ulises Yovany Mora Tapia, alias “El Yiyo”, who is wanted by the DEA.
In addition, his family network is mentioned, among them, his wife Rosalinda González, who is deprived of her liberty in the Morelos Women’s Prison, accused of money laundering.
The violence in Jalisco
So far in 2022, Jalisco has remained in the top ten of the most violent states in the country. Although intentional homicides practically remain below 200 per month, in 2020 that crime reached 338 in 30 days (January).
Six of the most violent municipalities in the country are located in that entity:
- Guadalajara
- Tlaquepaque
- Tlajomulco
- Zapopan
- Tonala
- Lakes of Moreno
