Expert: “El Chapo” vacuum tied to rising Juarez violence

It’s been almost one year since Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Mexico’s most notorious cartel kingpin, was extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking and other charges. He was moved from a prison near Juarez to a prison in New York.

The vacuum caused by the absence of the convicted Sinaloa cartel boss may be contributing to the rise in the number of murders in Juarez. That’s according to Victor Manjarrez Jr., the Associate
Director for the Center for Law and Human Behavior at UTEP.

546 people were killed in drug related violence in Juarez during 2016. Juarez media along with Chihuahua State police report 772 persons were killed in drug related violence in 2017. The month of December ended with 88 homicides, making December the deadliest month of 2017.

“The one (victim) that has been the most visible was about two weeks or a week and a half ago, the one that was hung by the bridge, shot in the chest with a note. Typically our experience would tell us that is cartel related. Does that mean the start of a drug war or cartel wars? It could be, but it is really too early to tell,” Manjarrez said. “I think right now these early stages are more of a flexing of muscles of that vacuum that is being filled. It’s more of here’s my jurisdiction.”

Manjarrez said the mayor of Juarez, Armando Cabada, has asked for 250 Federal officers to be sent to the city.

“A lot of those are replacements. They are rotating officers. They are not from the area. They are Federal police. They really don’t want them from the area. You want them with no ties to reduce corruption and things of that nature,” Manjarrez said.

Chief (retired) Manjarrez served for more than 20 years in the United States Border Patrol and filled key operational roles both in the field and at Headquarters over the course of his extensive homeland security career.

Manjarrez believes Juarez is not the same city it was ten years ago, when it was known as the most dangerous city in the world. He said the city’s police force is now better trained, vetted, educated and prepared to deal with an uptick in violence.

“I think that’s what is in favor of Juarez now. The potential is there that it will get worse, but again there is ten years worth of experience and lessons learned that they simply didn’t have a decade ago,” Manjarrez said. ” If anyone would ask me should I be fearful, I wouldn’t necessarily be so right now. I would look at the next steps for the mayor. What is he doing? Bringing in the Federal officers is a really good thing. What’s his message going to be in the next few weeks.”

Manjarrez expects Juarez Mayor Cabada to announce his bid for re-election soon.