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The level of cartel violence in Chiapas is very low and has been low for several
years. The Los Zetas cartel organization is in firm control of the territory in
northern areas of Chiapas, while the Sinaloa Federation controls a small area in
the southern areas of the state. Because the two cartels have been able to divide
the territory without harming either operation, there is currently no dispute
over the use of the territory. Also, the Mexican military has not entered the area.
These two factors have led to a low level of cartel violence in the state.
Despite the low level of cartel-related violence in Chiapas, the Zetas are very
active in other criminal enterprises in the state, most notably including human
trafficking. Typically, the Zetas are transporting individuals from Central
America north into Mexico across the border with Guatemala and into Chiapas
state.
Additionally, the Zetas use the northern and eastern Chiapas area to move drugs
from Central America through the state into northern Mexico. Typically, the
group uses more rural routes to move its drug loads, making areas “off the
beaten path” extremely dangerous throughout the state, due to the danger of
unearthing covert Zetas operations.
The Zetas are also heavily involved in the street-level distribution of drugs inside
the state of Chiapas, which can sometimes lead to violence as the group needs to
enforce non-payment for drugs or other offenses against the cartel. However,
these offenses frequently go unreported due to law enforcement corruption and
collusion with the Zetas.
STRATFOR has not uncovered any derogatory information regarding either the
Universidad de la Tierra in San Cristobal, or the Mexico Solidarity Network.
A review of Mexico Solidarity Network literature indicates that the group is
generally anti-capitalism and anti-globalization. It is difficult to pin down exact
views and beliefs of the group as it represents at least 80 other organizations
with their own views and creeds. The organization is largely focused on the
political and human rights of indigenous peoples, especially in Chiapas, though it
has also made statements in support of labor unions and other similar leftist
organizations. There are also some anti-corporate statements in their literature,
though we did not see any indication that the group has made a specific stand
related to Dell or other technology companies.
The Mexico Solidarity Network program appears to have many connections with
the Zapatistas in Chiapas. Similar to the Mexico Solidarity Network, the
Zapatistas seek the recognition of indigenous peoples in Chiapas state and
organize activities around that goal. While the Zapatistas have been known for
their violent activities in the past, the group has not engaged in armed conflict in
the last several years. Despite this fact, there is still some potential for violence
and other problems associated with the group. As part of their activities, the
group engages in large-scale protest activities within the state, which often
disrupt normal activities, including tourist ventures.
While the Zapatistas are typically supportive of the tourist industry in San
Cristobal, the group’s confrontations with law enforcement authorities
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sometimes involve tourists. For example, in February 2011, a group of 17
tourists was kidnapped by the Zapatistas near the Agua Azul waterfall area in
Chiapas, a popular tourist attraction. The kidnappers had been involved in a
violent confrontation with police that left at least one farmer dead at the time
the kidnapping occurred. The 17 tourists were held for a day and then released
after negotiations with the police. While it is not entirely clear what happened to
the victims after their kidnap, it is likely that someone discovered to be a highnet worth individual would experience significant problems in a situation of this
sort.
Kidnapping has long been a serious criminal problem in Chiapas. Reliable
statistics about the problem do not exist. However, some incidents are reported,
including a February 2010 abduction of a young Mexican woman who was held
in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez. Police learned the location where the woman was
being held and engaged the kidnappers, leaving two police officers and four
criminals dead in the crossfire. The woman was eventually freed without harm.
It is also important to remember that even though the Zapatistas are not waging
an outright conflict with the Mexican government at most times, more localized
leaders in Chiapas are still very wary of any outside government involvement
and enforce their own system of law and order in various cities and towns
through the state, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to predict what
how the security environment could evolve. This is especially important to
remember when traveling outside of the major tourist areas in San Cristobal.
By the same token, rival political leaders among the indigenous peoples
frequently clash, sometimes leading to physical violence. During election season
in June 2010, at least two people were killed and 50 others arrested when
members of one political party opened fire on a political rally being held by a
rival party in the town of Zinacantan. Several homes were later burned down in
retaliation for the murders. Later in July 2010, a local party official in the Chiapas
town of Tenejapa was found murdered the day after the elections as he ended
his shift counting ballots at a polling station.
Rivalries among Zapatista leaders, sometimes leading to murder, have also
occurred historically in Chiapas. This was most evident in the 2004 murder of
Zapatista leader Eduardo Vaizquez Alvaro in the Chiapas city of Zona Norte.
Vaizquez was shot at least five times by several unidentified gunmen who then
attacked him using a machete. The murder occurred during daylight hours in
the city center.
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Though the situation in Chiapas is fairly stable, nearby areas that are also
controlled by the Zetas are experiencing significant levels of violence. The
southern state of Veracruz has recently become a serious fighting ground as the
Zetas have come under attack by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) that
dumped more than 35 dead bodies out of a truck during rush hour in September
2011. Many of the bodies were stripped nude, while some were dismembered
and others showed signs of torture. In the following days, several additional
body dumps occurred, leaving numerous members of the Zetas organization
dead and dismembered in the following weeks.