Seven alleged members of a criminal group arrested in Tonalá, Chiapas

Elements of the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) managed to capture a criminal cell that operated in the municipality of Tonalá, Chiapas. Among those arrested, according to reports, is Rodolfo ‘N’, alias ‘La Fresa’, alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in the municipality.

According to the first reports, the events occurred around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 4, when members of the Armed Forces were deployed in the Hermanos Serdán, Evolución, Santa Cruz and Bahía de Paredón neighborhoods.

During the operation, soldiers identified a group of armed men aboard a vehicle. After their arrest and respective inspection, cartridges and magazines for the exclusive use of the Mexican Army were found on them, as well as various doses of drugs.

Local media reported that, in addition to this group of people, the authorities entered a building where they found other members of the same criminal cell, so they proceeded to arrest them.

The seven people arrested were placed at the disposal of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), so that the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO) can open the corresponding investigation file.

From the Sinaloa Cartel?

As of 07:00 hours on September 5, neither the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) nor any federal authority has reported on these events, so it is unknown if those now arrested are part of any of the criminal organizations that operate in the entity.

Little is known about ‘El Fresa’, the only alleged criminal identified. Information from the newspaper Milenio reports that he is being investigated for the crime of extortion of merchants in Tonalá. There are even videos in which the violence inflicted on this sector of the population can be seen.

Other reports indicated that another of the detainees was Andrés Gómez, ‘El Paleta’, former candidate for the municipal presidency of Tonalá for the Chiapas Unidos Party. However, the authorities have not confirmed this information.

During the last few months, “the gateway to the Mexican southeast”, as it is also known, has captured the spotlights of attention derived from the multiple violent events that it has been the scene of, the consequence of a war between the two most powerful criminal groups in Mexico.

And although drug cartels usually fight most of the time for control of states located in the north of the country, various strategic and geographic factors have turned Chiapas into a crucial point within drug trafficking.

One of the main reasons is that Chiapas borders Guatemala to the southeast, which facilitates direct access to international drug transit routes from South America. Cartels have taken advantage of this factor to bring cocaine and other drugs into Mexican territory through this border.

Another cause is the vast expanse of jungles and rural areas that are difficult to access, which provide cartels with an ideal area to operate with relative impunity. These remote areas with little government presence facilitate the cultivation of poppies and marijuana, as well as the installation of clandestine laboratories for the production of synthetic drugs.

Source: infobae