No 'war On Drugs,' Mexican President Vows, But Crackdown On Narcos Signals Turnaround

MEXICO CITY — In nan past year, Mexican troops person been deployed crossed nan state to quell narco-violence, arresting legions of cartel operatives, seizing tons of illicit narcotics and busting hundreds of clandestine laboratories.

Skipping nan accustomed extradition process, Mexico shipped scores of cartel suspects to nan United States to look justice, an unprecedented step.

And, successful nan astir sensational caller rustle to organized crime, Mexican typical forces past period tracked down and killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known arsenic “El Mencho,” nan long-elusive leader of nan notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel.

A return to nan warfare connected drugs?

No way, insists President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“We want peace, not war,” she said past week. “The strategy has not changed.”

Many request to differ.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is shown pinch nan caput of nan Mexican navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles.

(Cristopher Rogel Blanquet / Getty Images)

Opposition lawmakers and others are celebrating what they telephone Sheinbaum’s de facto break pinch nan arguable “hugs not bullets” attack of erstwhile President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor.

López Obrador ditched nan militarized “war connected drugs” of erstwhile administrations, which he said only inflamed unit and turned Mexico “into a graveyard.” He focused alternatively connected attacking nan guidelines causes of crime, including poorness and scant opportunities for nan young.

Many mocked his research arsenic a failure: During López Obrador’s six-year term, homicides and disappearances reached grounds levels and cartels expanded their turf.

The autumn of Oseguera is wide seen arsenic an exclamation constituent marking nan demise of what critics viewed arsenic López Obrador’s passive approach.

“The extremity of nan hugs,” publication a header successful Mexico’s Excélsior newspaper.

“The thought that organized crime would retreat successful nan look of charismatic inaction aliases benevolence only permitted an exponential maturation of criminal groups, endowing them pinch a consciousness of impunity,” wrote Excélsior columnist Pascal Beltrán del Río.

For Sheinbaum, nan takedown of Oseguera whitethorn person had different effect: Fending disconnected President Trump’s oft-stated desire to intervene successful Mexico’s cartel wars — a reddish statement for nan president. She calls nonstop U.S. engagement a usurpation of Mexico’s sovereignty.

The cognition targeting Oseguera progressive nan usage of intelligence from Washington, but nary U.S. troops participated successful nan raid, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.

“Sheinbaum has demonstrated that practice and intelligence-sharing tin nutrient nan results that Trump desires, and that Mexican troops are equipped to return down high-value targets,” said David Mora of nan International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based nonprofit focused connected conflict resolution.

Even arsenic her hard-line strategies person shown immoderate success, Sheinbaum has not renounced nan precepts of López Obrador, who, while retired, remains a revered and influential figure.

“President Sheinbaum doesn’t want to contradict Andrés Manuel,” said Victor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, a information analyst, referring to López Obrador, who founded nan now-dominant Morena statement that Sheinbaum represents. “But astatine nan extremity of nan day, it’s clear that ‘hugs not bullets’ didn’t nutrient nan desired results.”

Despite nan slaying of Oseguera, Sheinbaum has a agelong measurement to spell successful taming profoundly entrenched cartels. Police, judges, prosecutors and different elements of Mexico’s criminal justness servants of nan state stay ill-equipped to face nan well-armed, billion-dollar mobs that predominate immense swaths of nan nation.

Sheinbaum, detractors say, has fallen particularly short successful confronting 1 cardinal challenge: Purging corrupt politicians, rule enforcement officials and different authorities, including those linked to her ruling party. Hand-written ledgers found astatine Oseguera’s upland hideout point to an institutionalized strategy of bribes regularly paid to officials successful cahoots pinch nan cartel.

“The authorities continues to protect actors who person a batch of governmental clout,” said Sánchez Valdés. “There is simply a continued tolerance for corruption.”

Pressure from Trump is not nan only facet pushing Sheinbaum to move decisively against nan criminal syndicates. While nan president boasts 70%-plus support ratings, galore successful Mexico are fed up pinch nan rampant lawlessness.

A important number of group favour further U.S. engagement successful Mexico’s conflict against organized crime, surveys show. Some Mexicans moreover opportunity they wouldn’t entity to U.S. boots connected nan ground.

It’s nary astonishment then, that nan undisputed prima of Sheinbaum’s Cabinet is nan tough-talking information minister, Omar García Harfuch, nan look of nan government’s anti-cartel offensive. García Harfuch has sizeable thoroughfare cred: He survived 3 slug wounds successful a 2020 cartel assassination effort that costs nan lives of 2 bodyguards and a bystander. His predominant rollouts of cartel-busting exploits person go a hallmark of her administration.

García Harfuch besides served arsenic Sheinbaum’s information adjutant during her erstwhile stint arsenic politician of Mexico City. Her management succeeded successful bringing down crime successful nan capital, which now sees less killings per capita than galore U.S. cities. But galore questioned whether her favored techniques — relying heavy connected intelligence gathering and practice among rule enforcement agencies — would activity connected a nationalist scale. The onslaught connected Oseguera’s hideout dramatized Sheinbaum’s willingness to judge a much kinetic approach, contempt nan risks.

A cadet trains astatine Mexico City’s constabulary academy. Crime successful Mexico’s superior plummeted to grounds lows nether Sheinbaum, pinch less killings per capita than successful galore U.S. cities.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Sheinbaum remains a staunch protagonist of educational, sports and taste activities to supply younker alternatives to joining cartels — which rank among nan nation’s largest employers and are lionized successful ballads, TV programs and films.

“Our thought is that young group ne'er position crime arsenic a life option,” Sheinbaum said. “Crime is an action of death.”

Mexico has mostly returned to normal since Oseguera’s decease and nan tense of lawlessness that followed.

But, arsenic nan state prepares to big World Cup matches successful Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, galore interest astir caller outbreaks of violence. Past cartel activity voids person resulted successful protracted battles for power, arsenic would-be successors of departed capos vie for control.

“Claiming a apical criminal scalp will not spare nan authorities from a messy aftermath,” said Mora of nan International Crisis Group.

Mexicans are good alert of nan risks.

“History shows america that nan autumn of an important narco does not trim unit — connected nan contrary, unit multiplies, for illustration an evil weed,” said Rodolfo Soto, 54, a minivan driver successful Puerto Vallarta.

A storied tourer destination successful Jalisco state, Puerto Vallarta was among nan hardest-hit areas during retaliatory attacks pursuing Oseguera’s killing. The metropolis mostly unopen down arsenic residents and visitors ran for screen and plumes of fume from fires darkened nan Pacific vista.

“We are each acrophobic that this could get worse and we will beryllium caught successful nan middle,” Soto said. “Tourism is our lifeblood here.”

One point is clear: Few Mexicans look to beryllium mourning nan seeming passing of nan “hugs not bullets” era.

“I ne'er supported nan full ‘hugs not bullets’ policy,” said Marisol Morales, 41, an adjunct simple schoolhouse main successful nan Pacific larboard metropolis of Manzanillo. “How tin you hug group who are committing crimes?”

Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal successful Mexico City and Times unit writer Karen Mariana Cárdenas Ceballos successful Los Angeles contributed to this report.