13 Alleged CJNG Members Arrested in Cordoba, Veracruz After Shootout

Thirteen alleged members of the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG) were arrested in Cordoba, Veracruz after a chase and shootout with police. 

On the night of May 22 2021, a citizen warned authorities that they had seen three vehicles filled with heavily armed persons in the area of Cordoba, Veracruz. This sighting activated a “Code Red” protocol for state police and civil forces in the Cordoba area. When authorities arrived on a dirt road that connects the San Francisco neighborhood to the San José de Tapia neighborhood, they spotted the vehicles the citizen had described. 

According to Milenio, when the armed individuals noticed the arrival of police, they tried to flee the area. A chase ensued however their escape was blocked. Backed into a corner, the group reportedly opened fire on the authorities, which officers were able to repel. After a tense shootout, security forces arrived to reinforce the responding officers. The armed individuals, seeing they were outnumbered, chose to surrender. Thirteen cartel members were arrested. Milenio and El Economista allege their cartel affiliation is Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG).

Of the 13 arrested, 11 were male and 2 were female. One of the 13 was a minor. The detainees are: Aizlet ‘N’, Felipe ‘N’, Petronilo ‘N’, Luis Fernando ‘N’, José Manuel ‘N’, Julio Antonio ‘N’, Moisés ‘N’, Abimael Guadalupe ‘N’, Erick Isaac ‘N’, Roberto ‘N’, Ada ‘N’, Jobany de Paz ‘N’ and an unnamed minor. 

The Security Secretariat of Veracruz said of the apprehended individuals “Based on intelligence work, this criminal cell is identified as a generator of violence in the central region of the state and is linked to high-impact crimes such as homicides, kidnapping, extortion, collection of ‘derecho de piso’, drug dealing, gasoline theft, among others.” Derecho de piso, or “user rights”, is a regular payment demanded by organized crime groups from local businesses for the right to continue doing business. Authorities seized from their possession weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Details on the CJNG cell active in Cordoba are limited. However on February 3 of this year, three cartel members alleged to be a part of CJNG were arrested in Cordoba. The SSP was able to apprehend them after a witness reported a kidnapping they had just seen on the street. The witness described a white car with license plates from the state of Puebla, seen near the Los Cerezos neighborhood. When the SSP tried to stop the vehicle, a car chase ensued, and when the car was intercepted, the vehicle’s driver began firing at the officers however he was able to be subdued. Inside the vehicle they found a blindfolded person with their hands and feet bound. The person explained that he had just been kidnapped from his motorcycle while on the road that leads to the municipality of Ixhuatlán del Café.