Mexican soldiers escort Oscar Pozos Jimenez (L) and Jose Serna Padilla, an alleged member of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, in Guadalajara on March 18, 2012. If the CJNG fractures after its leader is killed or captured, it could spark a new round of violence.
The attack was almost cinematic: Just over a week ago, gunmen dressed as mariachi musicians shot dead five people at a restaurant in Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, a place of attraction for locals and tourists alike. The latest violence to grab the headlines illustrates how cartel figures are now dragging violence with them into the tourist areas and upscale neighborhoods they frequent and inhabit. In fact, an American tourist on her honeymoon was killed by a bullet meant for someone else outside a palatial Mexico City restaurant on July 7. In Plaza Garibaldi, La Union Tepito — a "narcomenudinsta" (local drug gang) supported by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) — was attempting to assassinate Jorge Flores Concha "El Tortas," the leader of a rival gang, following a successful hit on his predecessor in May.
