A car bomb explosion leaves two dead and seven injured in western Mexico

Morelia (Mexico),.- A car bomb attack on the facilities of the Community Police of the municipality of Coahuayana, in the Mexican state of Michoacán (west), left a preliminary balance of two dead and at least seven injured, the Security Cabinet reported this Saturday.

The agency reported that the authorities are investigating the events to determine the causes of the explosion recorded this morning in front of the Community Police facilities, which, “so far, left two people dead and 7 injured.”

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For its part, the Government of Michoacán confirmed that the explosion occurred around 12:00 local time (16:00 GMT) this Saturday, on Allende Street, less than one hundred meters from the City Hall of Coahuayana, a municipality dedicated primarily to fishing and the production of bananas and papaya. The Attorney General’s Office (FGE) initiated an investigation to determine whether the people who died or were injured are residents or members of the Community Police, which performs public safety functions but does not have official recognition from the Government of Michoacán. The explosion caused severe damage to at least ten properties, several with commercial premises, as well as to a dozen vehicles that were parked in the area. The Community Police is headed by Héctor Zepeda Navarrete, alias El Comandante Teto, identified as a former member of the civilian self-defense groups that emerged in 2014 to combat the Los Caballeros Templarios cartel. The Government of Michoacán has Civil Guard groups (State Police) in Coahuayana, which operate in coordination with the National Guard, Mexican Army and Navy. Michoacán has 270 kilometers of coastline on the Mexican Pacific, distributed in the municipalities of Lázaro Cárdenas, Aquila and Coahuayana, where the Secretariat of the Navy maintains constant operations at sea as it is a route for the trafficking of cocaine from South America. Authorities have identified that residents of the Michoacán coast work for drug traffickers, collecting cocaine packages at sea, which they subsequently transport by land or in small planes to different points in Mexico or the border with the United States. The Secretariat of the Navy also determined that on the coast of Michoacán there is a strong confrontation between the Community Police of Aquila and Coahuayana with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Since last November 10, Mexico has reinforced security in Michoacán following the assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, who was attacked during a public event on the Day of the Dead. Since then, 165 people have been arrested in the state and 68 firearms, 7,409 cartridges, 375 magazines, 145 vehicles, 90 explosive devices, 53 kilos of explosive material, 28 kilos of marijuana, 426 kilos of methamphetamine, 28,000 liters and 7,300 kilos of chemicals for the production of synthetic drugs, and 10 camps have been disabled.