• ATTACKS: At least seven people were killed in the central state of Guanajuato after unknown gunmen launched parallel attacks against two local businesses in the industrial city of Celaya (pop. 494,000) and later set up roadblocks burning at least three vehicles.
• CONFRONTATION: Leading the country as the state with the largest number of homicides in 2020 (at least 1,341), Guanajuato is witnessing infighting between two criminal gangs -the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel- vying for control of illicit markets.
• REACTION: “Derived from (our) intervention, criminals blocked roads around the municipality of Celaya in response to state public security forces”, said Alvar Cabeza de Vaca, Guanajuato’s top security official, who said one of the dead included a gunman chased by police.
• CELAYA: Seat of a Honda auto plant at the heart of the State’s industrial corridor, Celaya has seen a series of violent episodes in the past few weeks. The US Embassy in Mexico had already warned US citizens several weeks ago to not travel to the Celaya area.
