Seizures and the arrest of some high-priority targets were part of what the federal government announced as results of its attack on organized crime in Baja California—figures and actions that some believe are not reflected on the streets and were merely intended to send a message to the United States.
“It is undeniable that the United States has been exerting a lot of pressure on Mexico regarding violence, particularly on the border. Of course, this is about sending a message to the United States, to the federal administration, that something is being done in Baja California. However, in the United States, they sometimes have even more accurate information than we do, and they will surely be able to compare that information,” stated Roberto Quijano, president of the Baja California Citizens’ Council for Public Security (CCSPBC).
Quijano believes that the announcement of more than 4,600 arrests, 1,500 weapons seized, and 7 drug labs dismantled in Baja California, among other things, are part of the Mexican government’s message to ease tensions about a possible U.S. intervention.
According to experts, this data is not reflected in the public’s perception of a decrease in insecurity. They believe the war for control continues on the city’s streets.
“Because the perception remains different, drug seizures haven’t been very effective because drugs are proliferating in the city; the number of street-level dealers is growing exponentially. We, the public, see something different from the rhetoric, which is sometimes even demagogic and outright lies,” explained anthropologist Víctor Clark.
From Baja California, there is regret that the president of Mexico has not listened to certain groups that are demanding justice and improvements in the region.
“It seems the mayor and her team had more time to go out and buy bread, to address the very serious problems. We would have loved for her to meet with the families searching for missing persons—there are more than 10 cases in Mexicali alone—and we would have liked for her to continue meeting with medical personnel and the sick, especially those lacking medicine,” added Roberto Quijano.
Furthermore, they suggest that the homicide and high-impact crime statistics may have been manipulated to simulate a decrease.
Source: telemundo20
