Mexican Navy Rear Admiral Killed by Cartels, Raising Concerns About Government Powerlessness
A rear admiral in the Mexican navy was shot and killed in Manzanillo, a key port city on the Pacific coast. This marks one of the highest-ranking military officers slain in Mexico in a decade, with the last such incident occurring in 2013 when a vice admiral was killed in Michoacan. While attacks on high-ranking officers are relatively rare, the Mexican government has increasingly entrusted the navy, army, and National Guard with law enforcement duties, placing them at the forefront of the fight against drug cartels. Manzanillo’s strategic location for drug smuggling, with direct shipments from Asia, makes it a highly valuable target for cartels seeking to import precursor chemicals for fentanyl production.
John Q. Hosedrinker