Gunmen stormed into a nightclub Feb. 6 in the Mexican beach resort of Mazatlán, Sinaloa [2], and opened fire on the crowded dance floor, leaving three dead—two waiters and a patron. They shot down three more at the door as they fled, killing a total of six. (Reuters [3], Feb. 6) That previous day in Apatzingán, Michoacán [4], police found the decapitated bodies of six men with their severed heads inside an SUV. (AP [5], Feb. 5)
Meanwhile, federal authorities have made two arrests in connection with last weekend's massacre at a house party in Ciudad Juárez [6] that killed 15 mainly young people. Suspect Israel Arzate Melendez reportedly confessed to being a hitman for "La Linea [7]" faction of the Juárez Cartel [8]. He said he acted as a lookout for protection while 14 gunmen entered the party and began shooting. "We were looking for a young guy...who was with the Artist Assassins," Arzate said, referring to a street gang affiliated with the rival Sinaloa Cartel [9]. "El Rama [the leader of the group] told us to kill everyone, including women." (CNN [10], Feb. 7)
See our last post on Mexico's narco wars [11].
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