CDMX gas tank truck (Photo: Cuartoscuro)

A week after gas companies have suspended their activities in different points of Guerrero, the LPG shortage continue. The closure of the facilities of companies trading and distributing gas was due to threats, attacks and extortion suffered by owners and workers in the region. The ravages of these events manifested themselves in daily activities, both domestic and commercial.

They are probably members of the organized crime that require floor fees and quotas to allow work. Although there is no specific report on those responsible, the groups that predominate in the region are the Michoacán family and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel it could therefore be members of these groups. Some of the communities where the problem has increased are Pantla, La Puerta, Río Viejo and Buenavista, all in the municipality of Zihuatanejo.

The authorities claimed to be aware of the situation and work in coordination with employers to ensure safety. “We are talking about the day we were informed of the closure of the companies Global Gas and Gas Mundial. We are about to meet the leaders of these gas companies to see the problem of extortion and how we can help you“, said Evelio MendezHead of the State Secretariat for Public Security.

CDMX gas tank truck (Photo: Cuartoscuro)
CDMX gas tank truck (Photo: Cuartoscuro)

Although it is a fact that the the closure of activities responds to the insecurity in the entitythere is no specific information on whether the suspension was granted as a precautionary measure or as a result of the alleged threats.

Finally, Evelio Méndez affirmed that the work to solve this problem extends to the whole state, mainly in tourist sites such as Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. In connection, the Security Secretary urged businessmen who have been victims of lodge the corresponding complaint at the Entity Attorney General’s Office.

“We have to mobilize with things that we do outside of our routine, disconnect our reservoirs, go to the gas station to queue for a few hours and refuel (tanks). The price of gas is exactly the same except that the roads no longer supply it. We have to go to the gas station. Plantón Antunez, trader from affected Zihuatanejo, for the microphones of Millennium.

Stock image.  An employee prepares dough to make corn tortillas at a tortilla stand in Ozumba de Alzate, State of Mexico, Mexico.  May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Stock image. An employee prepares dough to make corn tortillas at a tortilla stand in Ozumba de Alzate, State of Mexico, Mexico. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

There extortion and the threats They are recurrent in Guerrero, but not only in the fuel industry, much less it is a new situation. These crimes have been implemented by criminal groups on several occasions whose records are counted. Other sectors which have also been the protagonists of this type of situation are the tortilla makers/tortillerías and the trade of pollo.

Since mid-2022, the situation of insecurity has gained relevance due to crude oil attacks on merchants and businesses that they refused to pay the flat-rate fee requested of them or that they were simply forced to suspend their activities. In Chilpancingo, the violence suffered by small business owners over short periods (June-July) has been highlighted, as it has led to the mass closure of businesses.

The strongest hypothesis about the attacks on chicken meat workers suggests that “Los Ardillos”, a criminal group in the city, they hit said industry with the aim of forcing it to close its businesses and thus deprive its rivals “Los Tlacos” of precious income, the result of the extortion of which local vendors are victims.

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