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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
An undisclosed number of Mexican security forces have been retasked to southern Chihuahua state in the wake of the kidnapping of a political candidate, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news report in the online edition of Yanciuc.com, Chihuahua governor Cesar Duarte Jaquez reportedly said that an undisclosed number of Mexican Army and Naval Infantry troops have been moved into southern Chihuahua and parts of Durango and Sinaloa states with the mission of "attacking criminal groups" which operate in the area.
According to the article, Durate referred specifically to the Golden Triangle, which is an area of the Mexican sierras where drugs are cultivated and where security is at a premium.
According to a direct quote in the Yancuic article, federal security forces are tasked with eliminating drug cultivation, recovering stolen vehicles, especially offroad trucks used in rough terrain, and combating criminal acts.
Governor Duarte mentioned that the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) has been providing intelligence in the new operation, probably referring to SEMAR's access to electronic intercepts.
In a separate news report which appeared on the website of El Sol de Parral news daily, a large convoy of security forces vehicles -- two Mexican Army, three Policia Estatal Unica, two of the Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR), four Policia Ministerial and Policia Preventiva -- were spotted near Parral three days ago, near the villages of Villa Coronado, Villa Lopez, Pueblito de Allende and Valle de Allende. The news account said that the security forces had been conducting traffic stops searching for drug and guns. The group was also deployed to execute arrest warrants.
According to the report, the new deployments is an official response to the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Partido Revolucioanrio Institucional (PRI) candidate Jaime Orozco Madriga last week. Orozco Madriga was the PRI candidate for municipal president of Guadalupe y Calvo, which has been a focal point for drug and gang related violence in recent weeks.
A total of 14 political entities, including the states of Chihuahua, Durango and Zacatecas are in the midst of midterm elections for local deputies, municipal presidents and some town councils. At the moment news about official responses to criminal activities is at a premium as Article 41 of the Mexican Constitution forbids disseminating official government news while electioneering and voting is taking place.
The election is to take place July 7th, but the news blackout does not lift until after July 9th.
Every one of the states bordering the US is having their midterm elections except for Coahuila state, with Baja California going through an election for governor as well as for local deputies and municipal presidents.
Three years ago PRI won 11 of 14 state houses in a stunning defeat of its longtime rival Partido Accion Nacional (PAN), but a recent trend has emerged starting with the Michocacan election in November, 2011 in which PRI has failed to win majorities in local state legislatures, as well as in the national Chamber of Deputies.
PRI in that body is forced to rely on temporary alliances to advance its agenda.
According to a separate Yancuic article, seven candidates for political office in Chihuahua state have requested protection from the state electoral body, Instituto Estatal Electoral (IEE). The candidates have included PAN and PRI candidates as well as others, though none of the requests have come from candidates in southern Chihuahua state.
Meanwhile in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality three individuals, including one female were shot to death in a shootout Tuesday morning, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news account which appeared in the online edition of El Puente Libre, Arcelia Cardenas Villanueva, 28 and José Asael Calderon Escarcega, 25 and another unidentified man were shot to death near the remote village of San Julian de Piedra Larga in a gunfight in which AK-47 rifles were used. Authorities recovered five vehicles in the area including three which had been immolated.
Four unidentified individuals traveling in the area towards Meza de San Rafael at the same time as the shooting were forced to abandon their vehicle when it was hit by gunfire, and to seek refuge in an arroyo.
A total of 14 spent cartridge casings from an AK-47 rifle and one each spent cartridge casing from a .45 caliber and a .380 caliber weapon were recovered at the scene.
Much of the information had been relayed through the Mexican federal Ministerio Publico which is not bound by Article 41 restrictions.
A separate news report in El Tiempo de Mexico said that two individuals were hurt in the shooting.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com