Shocking video shows rival bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartels in shooting that left 11 dead in violence in Baja California
- Violence erupted on Saturday at a local car race in Ensenada, Mexico, which left 11 dead and seven injured, according to local reports.
- The violence was said to be the result of a confrontation between gangs resulting from the control of local trafficking routes to the United States
- Baja California, which sits directly south of the US border, is a hotbed for cartel violence as groups fight to control major trafficking routes
In a video posted to Twitter by Mexican journalist Alfredo Alvarez, an armed commando gunned down participants in a local car race in Ensenada, Baja California.
The video shows several men brandishing guns and shooting at cars.
Automatic weapon fire can be heard non-stop in the footage. The carnage reportedly left 11 dead and seven injured.
Witnesses to the violence can be seen running down the street trying to hide from danger.
MASSACRE IN BAJA CALIFORNIA: Commando armado acribilla attended carrera de autos todo terreno. Testigos hablan de 9 muertos y 10 heridos. The violent attack occurred al sur de Ensenada. pic.twitter.com/UUJ8dxWrEo
— Alfredo Alvarez (@AlfredoAlvarezz) May 20, 2023
A confrontation at a gas station in Ensenada on Saturday reportedly left 10 dead and nine injured
According to the Alvarez news site, the Ensenada massacre stemmed from a confrontation between members of the Arellano Felix Cartel (CAF) and the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to the Alvarez news sitethe Ensenada massacre stems from a confrontation between members of the Arellano Felix Cartel (CAF) and the Sinaloa Cartel.
The massacre happened at the San Vicente gas station, near where race participants were filling up their cars.
Alvarez’s site reported that the state attorney general’s office was sending a special team to the crime scene to investigate.
The Mexican Army, National Guard, and State and National Police were also dispatched to the scene.
Crime in Baja California is generally grouped into one of two categories: common theft and cartel activity.
Cartels in Baja California, which sits just below the border with the United States, are vying for territory in an effort to control major drug and human trafficking routes.
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, North America – where cartels fight to control major drug and human trafficking routes to the United States
A map highlighting the six of Mexico’s 32 states that the US State Department currently has listed in its toughest ‘do not travel’ category, due to local cartels that may rob and/or kidnap US tourists
Earlier this week, the Secretary of the Navy of Mexico reported the seizure of more than 39 tons of cocaine in the port of Ensenada.
The naval unit reported that “Second Naval Region personnel, in coordination with customs and maritime authorities at the port of Ensenada, secured three containers, which were on board a container ship and stored approximately 39,820 kilograms inside” of material determined to be cocaine.
Security analyst David Saucedo said 2022 was a shift in Mexico’s drug policy from last year, when soldiers at highway bases simply watched cartels fight for control of the western state of Michoacan with bomb-dropping drones, IEDs and landmines.
Saucedo said the change may have angered the cartels. Government officials have also stepped up attempts to capture drug lords.
Seizures in Mexico from labs of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, have risen sharply in recent months.
“There has been a change in the strategy to fight drug cartels. Andrés Manuel (President Andrés Manuel López Obrador) has come under heavy criticism recently for his “hugs, not bullets” strategy, Saucedo said.
“I think due to pressure from Joe Biden, he’s changing that and agreeing to capture high profile drug dealers.”
