Mexico:  Two Killed in Restaurant Hit

Armed assailants at 1600 yesterday murdered two people as they dined in the Mr. Barbas seafood restaurant in Celaya, in the volatile central state of Guanajuato.
 
The attack appeared to be a gang-on-gang hit.  The gunmen arrived and departed by motorcycle.
 
There were no reports of injuries to bystanders.
 
Once an oasis of calm that attracted major multinational investment, Guanajuato has evolved into one of the most dangerous states in Mexico, with Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Spanish abbr: CJNG), the Sinaloa Cartel and Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (Spanish abbr: CSRL) engage in a three-cornered struggle for control of drug trafficking and other illegal activity.
 
There were 1,885 homicides reported from January to June, the highest total of any state.
 
Cartel violence is especially intense in the cities of Celaya, Leon and Irapuato, all of which host multinationals, but no part of Guanajuato is inviolate.
 
Foreigners rarely are targeted by the gangs.  They are at risk, however, if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
Attacks against bars, restaurants and resorts are common.  Some are staged as reprisals against rivals, others to extort owners or enforce demands for narcotics distribution rights.
 
On 27 June, gunmen killed five people in Bar Life in Celaya.
 
Only the most essential travel should be undertaken to Guanajuato.
 
Companies operating in the state should constantly review and, if necessary, upgrade physical-security measures.  Personnel should be trained in procedural security.
 
Visitors to the state should patronize only bars and restaurants at business-class hotels.