Raiding Tepito, Mexico City's most dangerous neighborhood

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Yesterday, local authorities carried out a raid in one of the most famous and dangerous neighborhoods in Mexico City , Tepito , where the were no shootings and which was implemented with surgical precision . During the raid, 31 alleged members of the so-called La Unión Tepito cartel were arrested.

At the heart of one of the neighborhoods that resist the entrance of authorities, it's even called the “fierce neighborhood,” where several raids have been executed to seize counterfeit products and which usually got out of control and result in altercations and riots but in contrast, the collaboration between authorities from different levels and the different corporations resulted in a successful operation, where the navy played an essential role.

Besides the cocaine and marijuana seized, authorities also found a weapon arsenal that included grenades and rocket launchers , stolen vehicles , a drug lab , a sophisticated video surveillance , and a tunnel that connected several homes, which was alleged used by “El Lunares , ” the leader of the Unión Tepito cartel , to scape.

It became clear that in Mexico City , drug trafficking is not an external problem not can it be ignored and labeled as drug dealing , since yesterday's operation and the homes raided , as well as the amount of drugs and weapons that were seized, talk about the existence and operation of a drug cartel , which shares many characteristics with drug cartels in the north, west, and in the gulf area.

Nevertheless, it should be recognized that the police-military operation and the intelligence and collaboration behind it, are an example of a well-executed operation, whose positive results are evident because of its reach, the preservation of human lives, and because it didn't affect third parties. Even when the cartel leader escaped, the results were successful.

Unfortunately, the Tepito raid contrasts with the failed operation in Culiacán to arrest Ovidio Guzmán , and which exposed a series of mistakes, failures, and lack of collaboration among police and military corps to execute the operation, where the navy didn't participate. These two cases are worth analysis.