A week after General Víctor Hugo Chávez Martínez assumed ownership of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) replacing Hernán Bermúdez Requena, and a few hours after the dismissal of José del Carmen Castillo as commissioner of the State Preventive Police , a new outbreak of violence occurred in Tabasco, leaving at least 10 dead in 24 hours.
Tabasco society saw its tranquility shaken on the morning of this Sunday, February 11, 2024, after the shooting that occurred inside the Hope 52 bar, located in the Tabasco 2000 area, was reported, where after a fight, the subjects They brought out their weapons, but one of them was the one who shot at their opponents at point-blank range, killing three and wounding at least one more.
But this was not the only violent event that occurred during the weekend, since in Cunduacán, in the community of Huimango second section, armed individuals traveling aboard a motorcycle executed a State Police Officer, who was surprised when he was leaving a field. soccer field near the church of the Lord of Esquipulas.
While in the municipality of Macuspana, a policewoman was shot dead when she was on duty at the Basic Rehabilitation Unit of the DIF of said municipality; The young woman was stripped of her weapon by her attackers.
Also at dawn, in Huimanguillo, a human head was abandoned inside a refrigerator at a bus stop on Walter Herrera Boulevard; It was allegedly in response to an operation carried out the day before, where five pipes with alleged huachicol were seized. A threatening message against the municipal security authorities was left under the container.
Similarly, in the Reyes Hernández ranch in Comalcalco, the lifeless body of a male person was located, who was tied up and also had the so-called coup de grace. And to top off the wave of violence, this Monday, February 12, 2024, three men were shot inside their home on Escultores Street, corner of Las Torres in the Explanada sector of the Gaviotas Sur neighborhood; Drugs were allegedly distributed there.
Authorities say ‘nothing is happening’
Despite the events that occurred not only over the weekend, but also since previous months, the state authorities have insisted in their speech that nothing is happening in Tabasco, there are no red flags due to insecurity, and they have repeatedly ruled out that the Violent events have been due to clashes between local gangs.
On February 5, the head of the Government Secretariat of Tabasco (Segotab), José Antonio de la Vega Asmitia, dismissed the message of a video spread in recent days on social networks by alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). , reiterating that these are local criminal gangs.
“We do not yet have that information in detail, what we have is that they are local organized crime gangs,” reiterated the state official, stating that they are working head-on and without tolerance against crime. On that same date, the recently assumed head of the SSPC, Hugo Chávez Martínez, assured that Tabasco is not a focus on criminal matters.
He said that, on the contrary, the state’s crime incidence has been decreasing: “Definitely not; if we look at the national comparison, the state of Tabasco is a municipality that has a decrease in crime incidence” (sic). For his part, Governor Carlos Manuel Merino Campos, who usually does not show his face when violent events occur, has been reiterative in his speech that Tabasco is not a hostage to crime, there are no criminal gangs, and that everything that is disseminated in networks it is rumor mill.
Entrepreneurs, affected by insecurity
As a result of the events that occurred early Sunday morning in Villahermosa, restaurant businessmen reported that their sales were reduced by up to 50 percent, since the influx of diners decreased due to the broadcast of the Superbowl 2024. For this reason, the president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac) requested greater police surveillance and presence of uniformed personnel in key areas where there are several restaurants.
While the president of the National Chamber of Commerce – Services and Tourism (Canaco-Servytur) of Villahermosa, Marco Antonio Gómez Figueroa, called for regulation and for greater review of entry to bars and nightclubs, as well as in the parking lots.
On the other hand, the local deputy of Morena, Jesús Selván García considered that security has been relaxed in Tabasco, which has allowed events such as the murder of three people to be recorded at the Hope 52 Night Center in Tabasco 2000. He considered that it does There is a lack of greater control from both the municipalities and the municipal authorities in this type of places. “This forces all types of establishments to have greater control over customer access and capacity.”
Crime is empowered: Julia Arrivillaga
In this regard, the director of Analysis and Statistics of the Tabasco Citizen Observatory (OCT), Julia Arrivillaga Hernández, considered it worrying that murders are the order of the day and everywhere despite the Safe Tabasco Operation, which shows that crime is empowered. “It is worrying for all Tabasco residents because it is already becoming a common situation, waking up to news as unpleasant as what happened today,” she said.
He stated that crime is becoming more empowered every day, since the incident occurred in the economic heart of Villahermosa. So – he said – this speaks to the fact that they are daring more and more, they are becoming more and more empowered and it even seems that they are challenging the authorities of Tabasco.
And the Tabasco Seguro operation?
As a result of the wave of violence and insecurity that has been experienced in Tabasco since last December, the federal government headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent members of various military corporations to the entity in order to inhibit crime. and the safety of all citizens will be guaranteed.
However, despite the cheerful figures from the authorities, where they boasted the seizure of long weapons, drugs, vehicles and the arrest of several criminals, the truth is that the situation prevails. For the Human Rights Committee of Tabasco (Codehutab), this operation has turned out to be a simulation, since during the time since its implementation, it has not achieved the expected results.