Just 6 Days into Office, Mexico City Mayor Beheaded and Killed
According to a Reuters report, the mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state in Mexico, Alejandro Arcos, was assassinated on the 6th. His body was found decapitated, with his head placed on top of a truck. Arcos had only been in office for six days as mayor.
Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed the news, stating that Arcos was killed on the 6th, and that the case is currently under investigation by authorities. Disturbingly, a photo of a severed head placed on a truck, believed to be Arcos' head, went viral on social media. This is the latest in a series of attacks on political figures. Just three days before Arcos' murder, Francisco Tapia, the newly appointed city secretary, was shot and killed, having only served for four days. Violence is rampant in Mexico, and before the June 2 elections, six public office candidates were murdered in Guerrero alone.
In southwestern Mexico’s Guerrero state, violence has been rampant for years. The city of Chilpancingo has long been a battleground for two major drug cartels, Ardillos and Tlacos, engaged in a bloody turf war. These cartel clashes have resulted in numerous horrific murders and scandals. The cartels' influence in the area is so strong that they have even organized protests demanding the release of their imprisoned leaders.
In July 2023, hundreds of members of the Ardillos cartel protested, calling on the government to release two cartel leaders who had been arrested for drug and weapons possession. The protest blocked the highway between Mexico City and the popular tourist destination of Acapulco for two days. Demonstrators clashed with security forces, seizing government armored vehicles to ram into buildings, and even kidnapping 10 police officers and officials as hostages. Since the government deployed troops to combat drug trafficking in 2006, over 450,000 people have been murdered across Mexico, with tens of thousands still missing.
- 20 reads
