Jalisco: the weight of a cartel
“I can assure you that our visitors to the World Cup and, on any other date, will greatly enjoy Jalisco in a climate of peace, in a climate of security,” promised the governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, in an interview with Bloomberg.
The four games in Jalisco will be played at the Akron Stadium, in whose vicinity 456 bags with human remains were found between 2022 and 2025, reported José Raúl Servín García, of the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective. during an interview in Aristegui Noticias published in November .
For Armando Rodríguez, the ‘pearl of Guadalajara’ has the most complicated situation in terms of security due to the dominance of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the disputes between criminal groups.
“The problem of confrontations can be relevant, putting the safety of visitors at risk, as well as kidnapping in modalities such as express or even virtual kidnapping,” he says.
This criminal organization handles part of the human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Puerto Vallarta, which can expand during the World Cup due to the arrival of tourists.
However, David Saucedo believes that a “World Cup truce” can be agreed between the authorities and the CJNG.
“The authorities in Mexico asked the United States Government to stop operations against the Jalisco Cartel in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area at least, by virtue of the fact that they are the World Cup headquarters, to avoid any act of narcoterrorism,” says the security analyst.
