More cartel activity

There was apparently someone in a car randomly firing a gun on the caraterra in Ajijic.

Earlier this morning I witnessed about 20 State Police on motorcycles running down what appeared to be the young drug runners who also ride motorcycles. Probably in retaliation for knocking down the cameras. I suspect this may be the counter attack (although I have no prove).......hopefully the government does not back down.

This is the story in the local news.....


https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/charquitoinformativo

After leaving El Torito at about 10 AM or a few minutes later I headed West toward the Pemex gas station for a refill. At the same time some twenty black police trucks raced by heading West. Soon thereafter I too tried to go West, but the traffic was blocked off with all kinds of Police trucks with lights blinking, on the Carretera, at about the point where Colon crosses the street, you know, near the intersection.

Wanting to get home, I turned north few blocks and worked my way past Colon and to the top of Juarez where I live. I have no idea what was happening. I just know that I cannot ever remember that many police vehicles heading past me with sirens screeching on the way to a perhaps crime scene in my life.

From Laguna Weekly, google translation.

A truck ended up crashed and with bullet holes after being chased by the State Police in the streets of Ajijic. The red unit crossed a checkpoint, starting the chase and firing shots at the police elements, who repelled the attack.

The incident occurred around 9:45 in the morning on Saturday, December 16. Civilians who were crossing the area witnessed what happened, while the occupants ran away, which led to a strong operation and generated panic among the inhabitants.

The red truck was being chased through the streets of Ajijic, and in the upper area of Colón Street where the gunshots began to ring out. Upon reaching the intersection with the Chapala Jocotepec highway, the truck suffered a crash, destroying the front part of the unit, while the crew abandoned the vehicle and ran away, with no arrests reported for now.

Officers checked the unit, realizing that no one was there, so a search for the people began. More elements of the State Police arrived in the area to protect them, as well as elements of the National Guard.

There were several civilians who were in the area, who witnessed what happened. Some businesses closed their curtains, while a couple of motorcyclists left their unit lying on the road to take shelter in the surrounding businesses. Minors who were crossing the point ran away crying, leaving some toys lying around.

Before the chase, the presence of State Police had been seen at the intersection of the Chapala-Jocotepec highway and the Ajijic bypass. The incident occurred a few days after 9 Jalisco Government surveillance camera posts were demolished and one more was intentionally damaged.

No matter what exactly is going on here, it's managed to turn Ajijic Centro into a ghost town.  Usually on a sunny winter Saturday afternoon the sidewalks of Colón are too crowded to even walk on.  

A few minutes ago I was almost the only pedestrian from the malecón to the Plaza and back again.  Same on the malecón itself.  There were a lot of cars parked in the Lake lots, but maybe everyone was inside Tango??  

No one else in Lilifer Deli, Lopez' frutería, Savta's bakery front or even Oxxo.

Pity for the Michoacan vendors on the plaza....they outnumbered any shoppers by far.  btw, they had a great mariachi band playing.  But the benches weren't crowded, just a few young women with their toddlers.  Same story on the malecón where there are vendors set up.

Sad Xmas for local businesses...try to get out for a meal, or order from Traitte to help them out.

The latest from Seminario Laguna,
http://semanariolaguna.com/77593/?fbclid=IwAR02p-LoYOqmvbGiggiDw1xls4yWkPJoiOvxcbaxZuUntuIW_pFvC12Y1SU

Google translation, and yes, this is the car that had fired on the cops this morning and ended up crashing on Colón.

Part of what was confiscated by authorities. Photo: Jalisco Prosecutor's Office.

Editorial.- There were 1,500 bags of synthetic drugs, 36 wrappers of marijuana and cash, found inside the truck that was shot and crashed in Ajijic, reported the Jalisco Prosecutor's Office.

The red unit was followed on the morning of Saturday, December 16, when it did not stop after a state checkpoint requested it.

The incident did not cause any injuries or arrests, as they fled on foot.

On the Chapala Jocotepec highway, state and National Guard elements set up a checkpoint to check suspicious vehicles.

Wow, so they took out the cameras because they had a planned drug shipment, sounds like. Or one group of bad guys knew about the shipment and were planning to steal it from the other group of bad guys. Well, maybe Lakeside will not be attracting the hoards of retirees and snowbirds anymore, that's one bright side. But hopefully there will be an all-clear soon and it won't affect the local vendors' Christmas sales.

My neighbor was walking his dog on sidewalk mid-morning  in front of the Hotel San Francisco in Chapala when suddenly 30 national guard & estatal police truck(s) descending upon a car-washer guy, right in front of him.. As a Vet, he enjoyed seeing all the machine guns up close & personal.. said they really grilled the guy.. We were talking tonight - lots of businesses seemed to close early this afternoon too & Chapala is amazingly quiet tonight..

That puny shipment wouldn't be worth tearing down cameras or shooting it out with the police. I am now suspecting that this was a diversion for something else.

1500 bags of "synthetic drugs", whatever that may mean, doesn't sound that puny, guess it depends on what they are, and the articles don't say how much cash there was. Also maybe that one vehicle is just the one the cops caught- there may have been more. But a diversion also sounds plausible. Kidnappings of some rich Mexicans coming to spend the holidays Lakeside?

First they blew through a "checkpoint" to ensure all the cops were chasing them, then when they crash they fire off a few shots to ensure everyone shows up......etc, etc. Just my speculation..............

When they describe drugs in the number of "package and not in "kilos" I can be pretty sure it is puny.

Mexico National Guard confiscated half a ton of pot at GDL airport yesterday.

https://www.nmas.com.mx/nacional/seguridad/aseguran-media-tonelada-de-marihuana-en-aeropuerto-de-guadalajara/

That's bizarre. They didn't even try to hide it inside something else, just packed boxes full of visible weed in clear plastic bags? That's either incredibly stupid, or they thought they had paid off the right people.

The pot dump at the airport would add to Bob's diversion theory for sure. All events appear incredibly stupid. Would the Michoacan traffic for the arts/crafts feria have provided some kind of cover, bad guys blending in..?