At least 2 killed, 7 wounded in explosion in western Mexican state of Michoacan
MEXICO CITY (AP) — At least two people were killed and seven injured Saturday in an explosion outside a local police station in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, local and federal security officials said.
The explosion occurred after the federal government intervened. stepped up security activities in the statethen sending additional troops two recent high-profile assassinations.
Coahuayana riot police commander Hector Zepeda said Saturday that two police officers were killed in the explosion and civilians were among the injured. He said some of the victims were located far from the explosion site and that nearby buildings were also damaged.
“A lot of marines came (from the federal government) with this operation,” Zepeda said. “We stopped patrolling because the operation was ongoing.”
The riot police who patrol various rural communities are a remnant of vigilante civilian forces that took up arms more than a decade ago to protect communities from drug cartels and were later formalized by the state.
Coahuayana is located in western Michoacan, near the Pacific coast and bordering the state of Colima, a stronghold of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Saturday’s explosion occurred while Michoacan Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla was in Mexico City to celebrate with President Claudia Sheinbaum the anniversary of the Morena party’s rise to power seven years ago.
Ramírez Bedolla and Sheinbaum have been criticized for the deteriorating security situation in Michoacan, where multiple drug cartels are fighting for control of the region and terrorizing local residents.
At least three of the six drug cartels established by the Trump administration Defined as terrorist organizations – Jalisco New Generation, United Cartels, and New Michoacan Family – operate here, as well as a number of indigenous armed splinter groups, some backed by the Sinaloa Cartel.
Explosives dropped from drones, buried as mines or placed along roadsides are increasingly used by criminal groups operating in the state. While nearly 3,000 explosives were seized in the state last year, this number was 160 in 2022. So far this year, the number is more than 2,000, according to the state security agency.
Michoacan is a major importer of chemical precursors for synthetic drugs. 17 drug laboratories have been dismantled by Mexican authorities in the last two months. The state also produces avocados exported to the United States and is a major producer of lemons that cartels have usurped for years.
The state government said in a statement on Saturday that an “explosive device” was responsible for the incident, but did not provide details. Images circulating on the internet showed a completely burned vehicle.
Last month, Sheinbaum sent 2,000 troops to Michoacan, along with 4,300 permanent troops and 4,000 in neighboring states, following the killing of an outspoken man. representative of lime growers and a popular mayor who stands up to the cartels.
