MEXICO CITY, Sept 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Mexican authorities arrested 70 armed people in the southern state of Guerrero, the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection said.
The arrests took place on Friday afternoon after authorities spotted a convoy comprised of 15 vehicles in a highway near La Union city, in the region of Costa Grande, Guerrero, the Ministry said in a statement.
The armed suspects, who are “linked to a criminal group,” were heading to the coastal village of Petacalco, about 40 kilometers from La Union, to fight a rival criminal group over the control of the area.
Members from the Mexican Army, the Navy, the newly created National Guard and the Federal Police participated in the operation in coordination with Guerrero’s local police.
According to local press, some of the armed people wear T-shirts with an acronym that refers to a self-defence group that operates in various zones.
Various criminal groups in Guerrero fight over the control of drug production and trafficking in the state.
The drug-related violence has led to the creation of civilian armed groups that operate as a community police or self-defence groups.
But only one of those groups is legally recognized by Guerrero’s government. The rest operate outside the law and some of them are accused of having links with criminal organizations. — NNN-XINHUA
