Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Resistance in Guadalajara

The other day I mentioned the heretofore unknown (at least by me) group La Resistencia, which was said to be behind some street blockades in Jalisco. Today Excélsior has a story of the arrest of 10 members of the gang in the Guadalajara area. A rocket-launcher was found in their possession and they were allegedly planning to attack the chief of police in the nearby tourist area Chapala, which suggests that this isn't just a bunch of upstarts. Then again, no other big-time gang is mentioned in the piece. I believe that Jalisco has typically been home to La Familia, which we know has declined significantly in recent months, and Chapo's gang, which has not, or at least not to the same degree. I guess the big question is if this new group is aligned with one of the bigger hegemonic gangs, or if they are intent on challenging them. A spike in violence in the coming months would indicate the latter.

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