By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat
Three men were killed by gunmen at a seafood restaurant in Salina Cruz, a coastal town in Oaxaca on Tuesday, April 4th. The attack may be linked to recent allegations of fraud by a mining company in the area.
The attack happened around 1:30 p.m. inside the La Piedrita restaurant in the San Juan Colonia. When local police arrived, they found two bodies on the floor, and one still seated. Local news did not report on the method of the attack.
Authorities established a perimeter, and shortly after, three armed suspects were arrested in the area, reported Primera Linea.
According to Proceso, the other three victims were Salvador “N”, his driver, Jesús F. A. R., and his unidentified bodyguard.
Edwin Meneses, a local reporter, posted on his Facebook that one of the men killed was Salvador “N” a representative of the mining company Infraestructura y Energías Renovables Layza S.A. De C.V.. The website of Layza shows that they are involved in construction, mining, and energy.
Accusations of Corruption
However, this is contradicted by NVI Noticias, who reported that Salvador is not the representative, but the wife of the representative, María Natividad Gordillo Espinoza. Other newspapers confirm that María Espinoza is in fact the company representative.
This firm, and María Espinoza in particular, have recently been the focus of intense controversy related to alleged fraud related to its contract for the extraction of stone for the construction of wave breakers in the nearby Santa Cruz Bamba harbor.
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| This firm is in charge of extracting stone to be used in nearby breakwaters |
In protest, these workers blocked access to the mine and the Costera 200 Highway between Salina Cruz-Huatulco for 12 days between late February and March 2023. Negotiations with the company and state government are ongoing. In late March 2023, Canal 13 Noticias reported that the workers have not been paid in six months.
Given the animosity towards María Espinoza, it is possible that this attack was intended to strike at her through killing her husband.
Sources: @nvinoticiasoax, NVI Noticias, Primera Linea, Edwin Meneses Facebook, Proceso, ADN Sureste, Imparcial Oaxaca, Canal 13 Noticias
You can follow me on Twitter @HuasoBB.
I tweet about organized crime in Latin America and security in Mexico.