HomeNewsBriefMexico Installs Federal Forces in Operation to Secure Veracruz
BRIEF

Mexico Installs Federal Forces in Operation to Secure Veracruz

GULF CARTEL / 6 OCT 2011 BY RONAN GRAHAM EN

The Mexican government has announced a plan to send additional federal police and military troops to the Gulf state of Veracruz under a unified command, in an attempt to combat escalating drug-related violence.

The government plan, given the name Operation Safe Veracruz (Operacion Veracruz Seguro) was announced Tuesday by Secretary of the Interior Francisco Blake, and state Governor Javier Duarte. Blake stated that federal forces deployed throughout the state will now operate “under a single federal command.”

Blake did not specify the number of police and military to be sent to Veracruz, but the deployment has drawn comparisons with a similar deployment of state forces in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas in late 2010, where some 4,000 soldiers and federal police were assigned to contain the Zetas gang and the rival Gulf Cartel.

Veracruz currently has approximately 23,000 state and local police but their effectiveness has been called into question, with a number of officers having been accused of being on the payroll of the Zetas.

In late September, 32 prisoners, believed to be members of the Zetas, escaped from three prisons in Veracruz, highlighting the fragile security situation in the state.

However, the emergence of a new gang which has declared war on the Zetas has raised further concern. The day following the prison escape 35 bodies were discovered dumped on a street of state capital. According to authorities all were Zeta members. A sign left with the bodies read, "This will happen to all those Zetas---- who remain in Veracruz."

After the appearance of the 35 bodies, a group of masked men calling themselves the "Mata Zetas," or Zeta Killers, released a video stating their intention to rid the country of the Zetas, and calling on Veracruz residents to stop paying extortion money to that group.

In response to the actions of the Mata Zetas, Secretary of the Interior Francisco Blake stated that only the state had the authority to act against criminal groups. "Those who seek justice by their own hand, or invade the state in its intransferable duties, become criminals, and the government will apply to them the full force of the law," said Blake.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

HUMAN RIGHTS / 17 JAN 2022

Reported kidnappings have decreased significantly in Mexico, but in recent years, at least one out of every 10 kidnapping victims…

FEATURED / 16 MAR 2023

The Northeast Cartel has established almost complete dominance of criminal economies in Mexico's border city of Nuevo Laredo.

EXTRADITION / 8 AUG 2022

A US request has led Guatemala to dismantle a prolific human smuggling ring that smuggled migrants to the United States.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.