Tapachula, Chis. Alleged members of organized crime blocked the Huixtla-Motozintla road, in the mountains of Chiapas, a new part that until now has not been affected by the presence of criminal groups that dispute the routes of drug trafficking, weapons and migrants.
Armed men in pickup trucks disrupted traffic on the road that connects the coast of Chiapas to the mountains for four or five hours to extort motorists and transport near Ejido Belisario Domínguez, said a transporter who requested anonymity.
“These are criminals, they’re moving down, that’s what we’re afraid of,” he said in a phone interview.
The inhabitants were forced to walk and ferry to continue their journey to the mountains and the coast, respectively. Public transport service is operating in 50 percent of the area now, they said.
The sources consulted did not specify whether the alleged criminals belong to the Sinaloa Cartel or Jalisco Nueva Generación, the two organized crime groups that have been fighting a bloody battle on the Guatemalan border territory for months.
Security sources consulted indicated that the blockade was lifted following Mexican Army patrols on the highway, although no clashes or arrests were reported.
“It’s open, the military arrived and the criminals left early, there is a way,” added another source in the area.
A resident of Motozintla indicated that commercial activities are gradually resuming, bank ATMs are already working and there are reports that banks will open on Monday.
Last week the Bodega Arrurea store reported the temporary closure of its operations. In addition, many businesses have suspended their services due to a lack of security and road blockades have affected the supply chain, causing a shortage of supplies.
He added that next week the festival of the patron of the town will be celebrated but it is possible that it will not happen because there are no conditions yet.
Another source said that in the Motozintla-Frontera Comalapa stretch the blockades also continue intermittently.
“But there is a lot of secrecy, there is fear from all sectors,” said the source who asked not to be identified.
Just this week the authorities reported the dispatch of more than 800 elements of the Mexican Army, National Guard, Police and State Prosecutor’s Office.
