This afternoon, the Oaxaca State Attorney General’s Office and the State Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection detained several homeless individuals and drug addicts under the operation dubbed “Operation Fisherman.”
Members of the National Guard and the Auxiliary Police also participated in the operation; however, according to reports from the State Police, arrests were made, while the State Investigation Agency denied this.
“We have found homeless people and provided them with medical assistance… and depending on the doctors’ assessment, we determine where they go,” said Jaciel Vásquez Castro, coordinator of the State Investigation Agency.
Vásquez Castro emphasized that none of the arrests were for committing any crime, “we are simply assisting them,” although some of those detained were handcuffed by the officers.
The coordinator was questioned about the arrests, to which he replied, “We are simply conducting a physical check to determine what kind of support they will receive.”
He added that, during the operation, drugs such as crystal meth and marijuana were found, along with pipes and syringes, presumably used for drug use.
Meanwhile, the State Police Commissioner, Francisco Santiago García, stated that these arrests were made to ensure the safety of tourists, both foreign and Mexican, as well as those who shop daily at the central market.
He added that the operation resulted in the apprehension of homeless individuals and suspected criminals.
In other words, the information provided by the coordinator of the Investigations Agency and the State Police Commissioner contradicts each other, as one claims the arrest of suspected criminals, while the other maintains that no arrests were made.
It is worth noting that this activity took place four days after the start of July, “the month of the Guelaguetza,” in which the number of national and foreign tourists has the highest influx of the year to Oaxacan lands.
Source: jornada
