Gunmen set up at least 26 roadblocks by lighting hijacked vehicles on fire in the roadway Aug. 25-26 in various areas of Jalisco state, including Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Guzman. The roadblocks apparently came in response to government operations targeting cartel members in Guadalajara and Ciudad Guzman at the time. Federal officials said that during the operations they detained four lieutenants who worked directly with the leader of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion in Ciudad Guzman. The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion has rapidly increased its area of operations over the past year. It has served as a key ally of the Sinaloa Federation in Jalisco state, an important transportation hub for drug smuggling. The state capital of Guadalajara is an especially important strategic location, and Los Zetas are ready to expand their operations there, despite its distance from their home turf on Mexico's east coast. Los Zetas already operate in several areas of Jalisco state including Guadalajara and nearby areas such as Magdalena, where on Aug. 22 Zetas gunmen engaged in a firefight with law enforcement, resulting in the death of five individuals including Magdalena's municipal police chief. If the reported arrests took place, this would temporarily reduce the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion's ability to coordinate its operations in Jalisco. It would also provide Los Zetas, the group's principal rivals in Guadalajara, the opportunity to expand their efforts to seize control of territory, leading to increased conflict in those areas.
