More than 15 families displaced by the criminal group Los Ardillos in Mexico have returned to their homes in Guerrero, according to an August 16 statement from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB).
In May, Los Ardillos launched an offensive against rival criminal groups and local police forces in the rural and mountainous region known as Guerrero’s Lower Mountain area. Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, said the attacks were part of an attempt by Los Ardillos to expand their territorial control and displace a rival group known as Los Tlacos. According to reports, Los Ardillos used high-caliber weapons and drones equipped with explosives during a wave of violence that lasted for more than a week.
More than 1,000 people from several Indigenous communities in Alcozacán, Tula and Xicotla were displaced during the conflict. Videos shared on social media showed residents fleeing their communities while gunshots could be heard in the background.
“We left in fear, running, because Los Ardillos could catch up with us and shoot at us,” one resident said in one of the videos.
Who are Los Ardillos?
Los Ardillos are a relatively small group compared with other criminal organizations in Mexico, but they have become one of the most influential groups in the state of Guerrero.
Their origins can be traced to factions associated with the Beltrán Leyva Organization and the Gulf Cartel, which previously benefited from the production and trafficking of heroin in the mountainous areas of Guerrero. However, following several arrests and deaths of their leaders during the 2010s, these organizations fragmented into various groups, including Los Ardillos and Los Tlacos.
Since then, Los Ardillos have consolidated their presence in several municipalities in the region, including Chilapa, Quechultenango, Mochitlán, Tixtla, Juan R. Escudero, Zitlala, Atlixtac, Ahuacotzingo and Acatepec. The group inherited part of the heroin business and later diversified into illegal mining and extortion of Indigenous communities.
Their ability to impose control over these territories is supported, in part, by their capacity for violence. Los Ardillos have access to sophisticated weaponry, including high-caliber firearms and explosives deployed using drones. This has generated fear among the population and caused several waves of violence over the past two decades. In 2020, for example, communities in the area attracted widespread public attention after images emerged of young children arming themselves to protect against incursions by Los Ardillos.
However, their power also relies on their connections within local political structures. For example, Bernardo Ortega Jiménez, brother of the alleged Los Ardillos leader Celso Ortega Jiménez, has held various political positions in Guerrero, including serving as mayor of Quechultenango from 2002 to 2005 and serving two terms as a state legislator. In addition, Mercedes Carballo Chino, Celso Ortega Jiménez’s sister-in-law, is currently the mayor of Chilapa.
Source: insightcrime
