By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat
A new communication video, allegedly from the Cártel Santa Rosa Lima (CSRL), accuses rivals the CJNG of being behind a recent theft of Guardia Nacional uniforms last week, and alleges that they have an alliance with Guanajuato’s governor and security chief.
Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima, we reject the robbery of Guardia Nacional uniforms which happened on the Salamanca – Guadalajara highway in recent days. This message is for the authorities who wish to recover their uniforms. Our people have different instructions. That robbery was committed by the dirty Jaliscan dogs who wanted to heat up the plaza, as is their custom. They did it in a place where they could flee like cockroaches to their motherland. That is how they operate with the support of the government of the state. We know that they (unclear) suck off the Governor Sinhue and Alvar Cabeza de Vaca. Stop heating up territory that does not belong to you. Remember that all of Guanajuato continues to belong to Señor Marro.
The message blames the CJNG for stealing Guardia Nacional uniforms in order to heat up the plaza (covered below) as well as having an alliance with Governor Diego Sinhué Rodríguez Vallejo and Secretary of Public Security Alvar Cabeza de Vaca.
The recording ends with “Remember that all of Guanajuato continues to belong to Señor Marro”. This rhetorical reclamation of territory is an inversion and rebuttal of CJNG Grupo Elite’s stock phrase “Remember that all of Guanajuato has an owner, and it is Señor Mencho”. This stock phrase appears in 80% of CJNG Grupo Elite’s messaging in the state. By appropriating the CJNG’s stock phrase, the CSRL engage in direct counter messaging against the CJNG’s narrative of having already won the fight for control of the state.
As with most narco communications, it is difficult to discern whether it is a real communication from the criminal group, a fake made by rivals to discredit them, or simply a hoax. These concerns are exacerbated with a low effort communication such as this, which is a simple audio recording with an image. However, the content of the message is similar to other CSRL communications which blame CJNG for violence in the region. Further, it would not make sense for CJNG to create a “false flag” video accusing themselves of an action against the government.
There is also the issue of whether the information in the video is correct. The CSRL claims the CJNG was behind the attack, but there is no way to actually verify this, unless one of the thieves is captured and identified as a CJNG member.
The video references a high profile theft of Guardia Nacional uniforms by armed men which occurred early August 17 on the Villagrán-Salamanca highway in Guanajuato.
In that event, armed men stopped a truck carrying a shipment of Guardia Nacional uniforms and boots by blocking the Carretera 45 with a vehicle. They held up the driver at gunpoint and unloaded some of the uniforms into their vehicle before fleeing the scene.
After receiving the reported theft, Salamanca police undertook a search for the uniforms, some of which were found abandoned outside Salamanca that night. Later, General Enrique Garcia Jaramillo stated at a security press event that not all of the uniforms were recovered, and asked the criminals to return them, reported Noroeste. Authorities have not specified how many were stolen in the first place. Online news site Meganoticias reported that “hundreds” of uniforms were stolen, but did not say how they discovered this number.
This highway is a hot spot of trucking theft and assaults on travelers by local gangs. These groups stop vehicles to steal their merchandise, often using violence to coerce drivers into submission. Some of these gangs are well equipped, which could suggest a link to larger organized crime groups in the region, rather than just being small street gangs. For example, in May, a driver was stopped and kidnapped by a group of armed men dressed in military style uniforms traveling in a Ford F-350.
This March, local truck drivers protested the insecurity they face while traveling the route. Back in May 2022, the United States Department of State even issued an alert for the highway, advising US citizens to avoid the route.
It is possible then that the thieves did not even intend to steal Guardia Nacional uniforms, but were looking for any merchandise they could easily steal and sell, as they discarded the boxes shortly after, evidently uninterested in them.
This message is part of the CSRL – CJNG war for control of the state of Guanajuato, a conflict which has ripped the state apart for the last several years. Since 2018, the state has been the most violent in Mexico by homicide. So far this year, the state has seen 1,930 homicides, by far the most of any state in Mexico, according to an August government security report.
Sources: El Financiero 8/17/2023, Meganoticias 8/17/2023, El Financiero 4/14/2022, Periodico Correro 4/28/23, Noroeste 8/23/23, La Silla Rota 5/30/23, Informe de seguridad 8/22/23, Borderland Beat Archives 10/18/22.