Increasing violence levels in Iguala and other municipalities located i n northern Guerrero could have been sparked by members of the Guerreros Unidos Cartel , whose members are linked to the enforced disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa , Guerrero. The criminals were released in September 2019 , after judges ruled their detentions were irregular and many of them were tortured .
The Guerreros Unidos Cartel is part of the larger Beltrán Leyva Cartel . It has an important participation in the heroin trade and was involved in the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa students .
In recent weeks, violence and homicides increased in Iguala , Tepecoacuilco , Cocula , Huitzuco , and Taxco .
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One of the most recent and outrageous incidents took place on February 9 , when a 13-year-old girl and her brother, a 16-year-old boy , were shot dead in Cocula , Guerrero . Both children sold food on a road in order to help their parents.
That same day, two men were found dead near the location.
On February 8 , gunmen killed a businessman in the Luis Donaldo Colosio neighborhood. Also on that date, gunmen attacked a police station in Tepecoacuilco .
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A few days ago, gunmen broke into a party in Zacacoyuca , Iguala .
The local Security Minister , David Portillo Menchaca , said authorities have identified those responsible for the violence wave in Guerrero and that investigations “suggest they are people who had been released from prison and who want to position themselves in Iguala , [above] another criminal group that is also trying to take over the area.”
In September 2019 , a judge ordered the release of Gallardo Astudillo López , aka “Cabo Gil , ” accused of leading the violent attacks in the Guerrero municipalities and who is also involved in the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students .
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