Biggest Cartels Have Turned One of Mexico's Smallest States Into a Battleground Christopher Woody - Business Insider
go to original May 26, 2016

A marine stands guard near packs of cocaine at a naval base in Manzanillo, Colima state. (Reuters/Daniel Aguilar)

Nestled between Jalisco and Michoacan states on the southwest Pacific coast, the state of Colima is one of the smallest in Mexico in both size and population. But Colima's location is strategically significant to Mexico's criminal organizations, and a rising body count in recent months indicates that two of the largest cartels - Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) - are battling for control.

The conflict seems to have kicked off in September, when, according to local news site Colima Noticias, a Facebook page purportedly belonging to the CDS, or Cartel de Sinaloa, announced that the cartel was starting a "cleaning" in Colima to rid the state of enemies.

On September 11, the Facebook page - since taken down - said that a Sinaloa cartel official and an alleged member of the Familia Michoacana criminal group had met and "reinforced alliances and arrived at an agreement to continue to secure the citizens ... Extortionists, rapists, kidnappers, bandits, and members of CJNG will be exterminated. Sinaloa is already in Colima."

The announcement was signed "CDS" and referred to "the Sweeper," purportedly the name of the anti-CJNG operation. In October, the state's governor confirmed the Sinaloa cartel's presence.

"The fight is the CJNG against all others, especially group from Sinaloa and what remains there of Los Zetas ... The cartels are fighting principally in [Manzanillo]," a national security official told Jornada in late April. And since last year's announcement, homicides in the state have spiked.



Colima is tucked between Jalisco and Michoacan states on Mexico's Pacific coast, and has seen a significant spike in violence in recent months.

Read the rest at Business Insider

Related: Why a 900% Spike in Murders in State of Colima? (Insight Crime)

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