Sam Wilson (taken with Sony RX100 mk.V), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
On October 6, 2024, an elected Mexican mayor was murdered only a week after taking office.
Alejandro Arcos Catalan, the new mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of the Guerrero state, was killed while en route to visit local communities affected by Hurricane John. His head was found decapitated and atop his pick up truck, with his body inside the vehicle. While there has been no confession to the crime, authorities have identified the murder as drug cartel-related violence, with Arcos Catalan being one of 41 political murders following the recent Mexican elections.
Of those murders, two were colleagues of Arcos Catalan within his administration, including the Chilpancingo secretary Francisco Tapia and former special forces police commander Ulises Hernandez Martinez. Politicians across parties remain shocked and saddened by the murder of Arcos Catalan, including opposition senator Ricardo Anaya, who cited his death as “spine-chilling.” Following the loss of Arcos Catalan, four other mayors across Guerrero and the state of Guanajuato have appealed for protections such as bulletproof vehicles, bodyguards and alert systems.
The murder comes just a week after the violent inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, during which soldiers fatally shot six migrants mistaken for cartel members. Sheinbaum has since seen 1,247 homicides within the first two weeks of her administration. Yet, she remains committed to her “hugs, not bullets” approach to combat cartel violence. The president, much like her political mentor and former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, advocates for systemic change and a restrained use of force. Her statement reflects a desire to distance the Mexican government from past unnecessary violence and collaboration with drug cartels.
Despite promoting a peace-driven agenda, Mexico experienced upwards of 30,000 murders last year under the Obrador administration. During the same period, Chilpancingo was ranked as among the world’s 50 most murderous cities with 1,270 murders, alongside Guanajuanto.
The Guerrerro region is known for its cultivation of opium poppy–the crop used to produce heroin–as well as cocoa, the crop used in cocaine production. The state is also an influential transit point for drugs moving to the United States, specifically through the Port of Acapulco. Violence often ensues from gang fragmentation and criminal groups battling for control of drug-related territories, targeting political figures for control. While there are an estimated 40 criminal groups operating within Guerrero, notably there are particularly intense among armed groups such as Los Tlacos, Los Ardillos and the United Cartels over drug trafficking zones.
These cartels embed themselves within the political structure, often without repercussions, due to systemic governmental corruption. The recent murders in Chilpancingo have been linked to German Reyes, a high-ranking security chief and former military justice captain. Reyes was served an arrest warrant and brought before a judge, where he denied any involvement and awareness in the murder of Catalan. In addition, crime groups such as Ardillos and Tlacos overrun Guerrero and impose socioeconomic barriers through the placement of extortion rackets on Mexican citizens. Cartels will threaten groups of laborers with violence, influencing shortages and surpluses of certain goods within the market. Those who resist or cannot pay extortion fees risk harm to themselves or their loved ones.
President Sheinbaum aims to target areas of intense conflict and crisis by strengthening the national intelligence agency. She also plans to prevent younger citizens from being corroded into gang culture, supporting initiatives to improve the living conditions of affected areas. If necessary, Sheinbaum may seek support from the United States for assistance in reducing Mexican homicide rates, in exchange for collaboration on the U.S. fentanyl crisis. Sheinbaum has articulated multiple ideas for U.S. government partnerships such as binational working groups and expanding the National Guard. However, Congress still has to consider restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico and additional measures against the smuggling of fentanyl from Mexico.
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