Anyone know anything about activity today?

A friend just cancelled lunch with me for the following reason. Does anyone know of anything going on?

Friends email:
Our gardener just arrived and told us that the Zetas are on the Caraterra stopping cars and demanding money. Their counter gang is at the other end in Chapala doing the same.

Sounds like a good day to stay home.....

[quote="simpsca"]A friend just cancelled lunch with me for the following reason. Does anyone know of anything going on?

Friends email:
Our gardener just arrived and told us that the Zetas are on the Caraterra stopping cars and demanding money. Their counter gang is at the other end in Chapala doing the same.[/quote]

Just for clarification, simpsca, can you perhaps ask your friend to indicate where, more or less, this extortionate activity is taking place on the Lakefront carretera which covers a lot of territory? Also, please explain whet your friend means by "Their counter gang....". Just who would that be?

Since we live part of the year in Chiapas, often taking road trips down there to many rural areas from the Lacandon to isolated Pacific Coast fishing villages, we are used to seeing barricades obstructing traffic on back-country roads whether set up by the Zapatistas or their sympathizers or villagers demanding "toll" payments to pass through their domains in order to raise money for everything from political movements to civic infrastructural projects. Normally, these temporary "toll" plazas are dismantled once the sponsors have collected sufficient funds to fund the project(s) or political goals at hand and they remain non-violent as long as the motorist complies with requests and donates a modest sum to the cause - but you do not want to trifle with them and refuse to donate as this does not work - ever. We have yet to see the Zetas, who have recently moved into Chiapas and neighboring Guatemala in large numbers, try this revenue-raising technique; perhaps because they don´t need the money. If you do run across them on the carretera, however, comply and move on because they are probably serious and not easily amused.

By the way, in Chiapas, we have seen Zapatista "toll plaza" checkpoints within sight and shouting distance of army checkpoints along major highways and, typically, the army and Zapatista personnel simply ignore each other. You have no dog in that fight so make yourself scarce.

I just spoke to a friend in El Chante - her personal trainer just came from Chapala to El Chante and saw nothing on the carraterra. She called the person with the gardener who made this report and he said he heard there were road blocks from Chapala to Jocotopec.

So it looks like this is an unfounded rumor. The bilingual friend in El Chante also said the Zetas are not here that she knows of - the the current activity is between the Milenio and La Familia.

Probably the Cruz Roja cartel..........LOL.

Yes, the Cruz Roja cartel have been know to stop cars and ask for money - and I give to them. And then there are the two people with the fake medical outfits at the fish restaurants in San Juan Cosala - don't give to them since I don't know what they are about.

CanuckBob wrote:Probably the Cruz Roja cartel..........LOL.

Far more likely. The Cruz Roja needs the money, the Zetas, La Familia and Knights Templar don´t need the money. They are the ones donating to Cruz Roja and other local charities/service organizations.

To think that the only cartels disputing the territory are Milenio and La Familia may be a bit shortsighted? The Guadalajara area and Jalisco as a whole are currently defined as "disputed territories". Following the demise of the Guadalajara Cartel in the late 80's, the area as a whole was fairly quiet up until a few years ago, when other cartels started reaching out for new territories. Certainly Milenio and La Familia do exist in the area but one must also consider members of the Sinaloa, Los Zetas, Los Matazetas and possibly Knights Templar as they all reach out for new territory. These groups are all striving for "control of the plazas" and any village, town or city without a strong presence is considered to be prime for control.