Guerrero Investigates Alleged Cartel Drone And Gunmen Attack That Struck 30 People

An alleged drone and gunmen attack occurred in Guerrero, Mexico‘s Heliodoro Castillo community on Thursday, January 4.

Guerrero’s state prosecutors confirmed to AP News that a “violent act” took place in the town of Buenavista. Meanwhile, José Filiberto Velázquez, the director of nearby human rights organization Minerva Bello Center, told the outlet that the attack affected at least 30 people. Moreover, he said the attackers used drones and “explosive devices,” and “mowed down” community residents.

Ahead, find what we know so far about the harrowing attack, its still-pending death toll, and its connections to Mexico’s La Familia Michoacana and Los Tlacos cartels.

About the possible cartel-driven attacks, one person said that many nearby communities are “terrified”

As reported by Barron’s, Mexican authorities are still investigating the reported drone and gun strike. According to the outlet, it killed at least five people.

The prosecutor’s office in Guerrero stated that it is currently inquiring into the cartel-linked attack. The office explained that the strike “stemmed from the confrontation between the criminal groups La Familia Michoacana and Los Tlacos, who are in a dispute for control of the area.”

While the death toll is still unclear, authorities reported the “charred skeletal remains” of five people from an affected vehicle. Earlier, Velázquez corroborated these findings, explaining that there were “charred bodies” in a car.

“This is a conflict that has many communities terrified,” Velázquez stated on the scene.

The Minerva Bello Center director described to reporters, “It was a situation that had already been announced,” seemingly referring to possible cartel involvement. “At midday yesterday, they began to attack the community with drones, explosive devices.”

“Some people lost their lives,” he added, speaking about information allegedly received from officials. “They assassinated people from this community, Buenavista.”

“The [government’s] version of the events includes 30 people, who were killing a pig, which is when the armed men arrived to kill them,” he added.

As per AP News, the town of Buenavista in Guerrero is currently in the crossfire between two cartels: La Familia Michoacana and the Jalisco New Generation cartels. As per Velázquez, these cartel attacks on towns have been escalating as of late.

Meanwhile, as per a report by Milenio, the 30 people affected by the attack consisted of men, women, and children. While at “a party” on Thursday, drones allegedly appeared above their heads, shooting grenades at them. After this, as per the outlet, sicarios connected to the Nueva Familia Michoacana began shooting at them.

According to the report, the victims of the attack are still missing. And while authorities did find five skulls in the burned vehicle on the scene, it is unclear whether those deaths are related to this particular attack. Meanwhile, CBS reports the total death toll at six people.

Even more, Velázquez said that six of the injured people traveled to Guerrero city Tetela del Rio for medical treatment.

As per CBS, the Guerrero prosecutor’s office released a statement saying that the attack was related to the rivalry between La Familia Michoacana and the Los Tlacos cartel.

Moreover, a spokesperson for Guerrero, René Posselt, agreed about the cartel rivalry. However, he pushed back on whether the attack meant to strike the Buenavista community.

As per Velázquez, 80 Buenavista residents have now left town. Meanwhile, Posslet said that 170 soldiers and other authorities are now investigating the attack.

Speaking about authorities’ current investigation, Salvador Alanís Trujillo, a spokesperson for the Heliodoro Castillo police department, stated: “There is a total lack of communication.”

“We can’t know the exact number of deaths, but it is feared it could be all [30],” he added.