ASSESSMENTS

Mexico: Cartels Drag Violence Into Tourist Zones With Latest Shooting

Sep 17, 2018 | 18:48 GMT

Plaza Garibaldi on Sept. 15, 2018, in Mexico City a day after a shooting there. The attack was well-planned and well-executed, which may be a result of the support Union Tepito has received from the CJNG and its experienced enforcer groups.

(ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

An attack carried out by La Union Tepito against a splinter group illustrates the continuing danger posed by the balkanization of cartel groups in Mexico.
That the attack occurred in a tourist zone shows how cartel figures can drag violence into any part of Mexico.
The attack was well-orchestrated, which likely reflects the powerful CJNG's support for La Union Tepito.

The party atmosphere surrounding Mexico's Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City's Garibaldi Plaza was shattered Sept. 14 when a group of three gunmen dressed as mariachis opened fire on a group seated at a restaurant. The hail of pistol and rifle fire killed five people and injured another eight. The apparent target of the attack was Jorge Flores Concha "El Tortas," the leader of a criminal organization known as "La U," or "La Fuerza Antiunion," a group that split from the powerful Union Tepito crime network....

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