Aguililla, Mich.— The members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who withdrew after the entry of the Army to the community of Aguililla, moved to Colima where they fight Los Mezcales, a criminal group that broke its alliance with the CJNG, that generated a wave of violence in that entity.
According to Army commanders, the arrival of the military caused a “cockroach effect”, which is why the assassins of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, have not appeared in the municipal capitals and communities of Aguililla, Coalcomán, who until a few weeks ago had under its control as part of its expansion strategy in the region.
The elements deployed in Aguililla do not rule out that some of the members of the CJNG are refugees in the mountains of the border area with the states of Jalisco and Colima.
The town is surrounded by hills and wooded areas that are difficult to access, ideal for setting up laboratories to make synthetic drugs, and many of the military operations are carried out in helicopters to locate targets.
“Many of them are already in Colima because of the break with Los Mezcales, others are in the mountains, an area that is difficult to access for operations,” said a military officer.
The federal elements of the Special Forces and the Parachute Riflemen Brigade of the Army have seized weapons, useful cartridges, houses, warehouses, tactical equipment and vehicles with handmade armor called monsters in El Aguaje, Naranjo and San José de Chila.
Among the population there is fear of a major confrontation when the Army withdraws, since the CJNG and the United Cartels that dispute the region will seek to recover it.
“On that side are some of those who were here [en Aguililla] and that they had held. When the soldiers leave, those who were there could enter [el CJNG] and the opposites [Cárteles Unidos]which could lead to a strong confrontation.
“Those who were here are going to start almost from scratch because they have taken some cars, some weapons,” commented a resident of the municipality.
He related that when the criminal groups arrive in the communities they give away pantries, they say they are the good ones.
“They gave us pantries; sometimes they killed cows, they gave away the meat. The good ones are made, but they are all the same”.
And he added: “The changes that have taken place in these communities have been, unfortunately, to go from more to less, because before a lot of watermelon, melon, cotton was planted and it was productive, but it is not the same anymore.”
The Mexican Army continues with surveillance patrols in the municipality of Aguililla and its communities, which are gradually reactivating social and economic activities.
Grocery stores, stationery stores, pharmacies, food stalls are opening their curtains again in the communities of Aguililla, where people are still afraid to return to their homes.
In addition to its surveillance work, the Mexican Army seeks with social works, such as medical services, haircuts and mechanical support, to contribute to the reestablishment of activities in the municipalities of Tierra Caliente de Michoacán, where it has been for more than a week.