Mexican forces capture cartel leader's son

AP: The son and alleged second-in-command of the leader of Mexico's most violent drug cartel was captured in the western state of Jalisco, National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said Tuesday.

The suspect, Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, 25, was born in California and holds dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship, Rubido said. Read more. 

Gunfight in blood-soaked western Mexican state kills at least eight

Reuters: At least eight people died in a shootout between Mexican federal police and suspected gang members in the troubled western state of Jalisco, a government official said on Tuesday.

The gunfight took place on Monday in the municipality of Villa Purificacion, where members of the Jalisco New Generation (JNG) cartel shot down an army helicopter on May 1, killing six military personnel on a day of clashes that claimed 15 lives. Read more. 

Gunmen hit army chopper in Mexico, three troops dead

AFP: Gunmen forced down a military helicopter in western Mexico, killing three troops as violence escalated across Jalisco state during a new operation against a powerful drug cartel.

Seven people were killed across Jalisco, including the three soldiers and a state police officer, while 19 people were wounded, officials said. Three gang suspects were killed in the fighting, authorities said. Read more. 

Forgotten victims of Mexico drug war's stray bullets

AFP: The mechanic was working under a car when he turned his head and saw a dozen pick-up trucks creeping down the street in Mexico's western state of Jalisco.

"The devil is on the loose," Jorge Gerardo Herrera said ominously to his colleagues as he turned back to the car he was fixing in the town of Ocotlan. Read more. 

Jalisco Cartel Promises Mexico Govt it will Take Down Rival Gang

InSight Crime: "The Jalisco Cartel - New Generation has released a video asking the government not to hinder their efforts to drive a rival drug gang out of south Mexico, in order to bring "peace" to local people.

The video, featured on Blog del Narco, features purported members of the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (CJNG) promising to attack the Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan." read more

Drug War: Mexican army: Captured drug gang leader responsible for massacre of 35 in port city

The Washington Post: "The recently captured leader of the Jalisco New Generation drug gang had been locked in a fight with the brutal Zetas drug cartel and other gangs since 2010, authorities said Monday.

Army spokesman Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Erick Valencia Salazar tried to expand his gang’s control by sending cells to states near his home base of Jalisco in western Mexico."

Valencia’s gunmen dumped 35 bodies of alleged Zetas members last year in a busy avenue in the city of Veracruz during rush hour, Trevilla said.

Valencia was a lieutenant for drug capo Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, who was killed in a clash with soldiers in 2010 in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara. After the death of Coronel, an ally of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, Valencia formed the Jalisco New Generation drug gang and began a fight with the Zetas and other gangs for control of western Mexico, Trevilla said." read more

Mexico Drug War: Increased Violence Likely in Guanajuato State

STRATFOR: "Unknown assailants thought to be part of the Knights Templar killed eight people and injured another eight Feb. 16 in attacks in six municipalities of Guanajuato state (in central Mexico). The attacks followed the Knights Templar's placement of 18 narcomantas around Guanajuato warning the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (GJNG), which has ties to the Sinaloa Federation, to stay out of the state. The narcomantas appeared to be in response to the archbishop of Leon's request on Jan. 22 that organized criminal groups in Guanajuato come to a truce during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the state, scheduled for March 23.

The incidents also follow the January release of a video depicting the interrogation of Los Zetas leader Hector Daniel Reyes Reyes in which he states he was in Jalisco to prepare for a possible incursion into Leon, Guanajuato's largest city and a regional transportation hub. The attacks, combined with the indications that CJNG and Los Zetas may be attempting a move into Guanajuato, could portend increased violence in the region." read more

Mexico Drug War: Veracruz: More than a Temporary Calm?

InSight Cime: "Mexico's authorities have claimed a recent drop in violence in crime-ridden Veracruz as the fruit of military operations, but given the preceding months of spiralling violence, it remains unclear if this more than a blip." read more

Mexico Drug War Cartels: No Need to Worry About Mexico's Elusive Paramilitary Groups

InSight Crime: "For anyone looking to explain why paramilitarism is on the rise in Mexico, the case of the Mata Zetas, or "Zeta Killers" is a terrible example. The group, which first appeared in late July, has spoken of their desire to rid Veracruz of the Zetas drug gang, describing themselves as a "paramilitary arm of the people."

The group does not appear to be a collection of citizens who have mobilized against drug violence and crime. The most accepted version of their origins is that they are a faction of a Jalisco-based drug gang looking to displace the Zetas from the Veracruz plaza. To describe them as "paramilitary" implies a certain level of grassroots, citizen-led organization, spurred by funding from influential families, or else sources in the private sector or politics. However, in the case of the Mata Zetas, it's unclear whether are backed by anyone other than a criminal group, the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion - CJNG)."

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