A deadly shooting broke out at a horse race near Parral in southern Chihuahua, Mexico, over the weekend, killing seven men and raising concerns about organized crime’s growing presence in local racing events.
Deadly Clash Outside Racetrack Highlights Intensifying Turf Battle Between Criminal Rivals
The attack happened Saturday night at a racetrack outside the city, prompting a quick response from state police, army forces, and National Guard troops. According to authorities, the violence stems from an ongoing feud between two criminal groups vying for control of the region.
Law enforcement has not named the groups involved, but police familiar with the investigation told local news outlets that gunmen thought to have ties to La Línea showed up at the location and started shooting with various rifles and handguns. The people killed included some connected to a Sinaloa-linked group known in the area as Los Salgueiro. Chihuahua’s public safety head, Gilberto Loya later said that a few of the dead men were already under scrutiny for their role in regional violence, reported news outlet Border Report.
The violence did not stop at the racetrack. On Sunday morning, people saw a chopped-up body left at La Puerta del Tiempo, the stone arch marking Parral’s main entrance. A note next to the remains hinted that the killing was payback for the ambush the day before.
Repeated Bloodshed at Parral-Area Deepens Concerns Over Criminal Control of Racing Venues
This is not the first time a race track near Parral has turned into a crime scene. Last year, someone shot and killed a track operator and a local music group leader in nearby Maturana. Later, detectives looked into whether the attack had a link to fights over horse business interests instead of the victims’ music careers. Before that, kidnappers took and killed a man thought to have connections to the Sinaloa Cartel at another race track close by. These events made people more suspicious that some tracks might also serve as channels for illegal financial activities.
These concerns match wider trends across Mexico. In the past few months, the country’s officials working with US authorities have stepped up their watch on how crime groups might be using places like casinos and racetracks to clean their dirty money. A team effort to crack down on this earlier this month led to punishments for people and businesses accused of moving large amounts of cash through gambling spots, pretending it was just normal winnings.
Saturday’s violence happened during El Buen Fin, a big shopping weekend. This sparked a lot of anger online from locals who wondered how gunmen could act so openly when there were so many cops around. With Chihuahua having one of the highest murder rates in the country this year, officials say they will keep extra checkpoints and military deployments in place as they look for the people behind both sets of killings.