By Theodore Shoebat
The violence in Mexico is getting so bad that now even FedEx is leaving various regions of the country, in order to escape cartel violence. As we read in one report:
The drug war is once again threatening to hamper the formal Mexican economy.
Citing concerns over rising insecurity, FedEx Mexico has announced plans to suspend operations in dozens of towns and municipalities across the southern states of Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán.
“FedEx Mexico sent a letter to customers regarding the temporary suspension of service areas of the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guerrero and Michoacán,” FedEx spokesperson Gretchen Mathis told Fusion in an email. “The suspension of service is limited to select zip codes within these states. The safety and integrity of our clients, employees and providers is our top priority.”
The FedEx letter, signed by a Mexico branch marketing director and published by Mexican media outlet Aristegui Noticias, lists 47 municipalities where services will be suspended starting in May.
Mathis told Fusion that FedEx will continue to operate “business as usual” in the rest of the country.
“FedEx remains committed to Mexico, and will resume service to the affected areas when conditions allow,” she added.
The embattled states of Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán have been experiencing a violent crime wave that has prompted other international companies to reconsider business operations in the area. Last year, Coca-Cola evaluated whether to suspend operations in a major city of Guerrero after two of its employees got kidnapped and several soda trucks were ransacked.
A study by the Institute for Economics & Peace think tank (IEP) estimates that in 2014 the cost of violence represented 17.3% of the country’s GDP. The cost of violence “represents almost $1,946 per person in Mexico,” claimed the report, which ranked Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán among the most violent states in the country.
This withdrawal on the part of FedEx is taking place not too long after Coca-Cola removed a build from the state of Guerrero after the cartel began burning down Coca-Cola trucks once the company refused to pay them tribute.
Coca Cola truck burned down in Arcelia, Guerreo, in Mexico
The drug cartel in the Mexican state of Guerrero demanded from Coca-Cola one million dollars to keep their distribution center in the region. Coca-Cola refused to pay the money. The cartel retaliated and began to burn down Coca-Cola trucks. The violence got so severe that Coca-Cola removed its distribution center. This story signifies just how powerful the narco state of Mexico is becoming, even to the point of driving out major American industries. To learn more about this story, and the political significance behind it, I spoke with Jorge Vazquez Valencia, the spokesperson for the Autodefensas, a self-defense group that has been fighting the cartel with arms and valor:
I am right now working on a documentary on the violence in Mexico. I have interviewed people from Mexico who are fighting the cartels, former law enforcement and those who have experienced gangsterism and its evils in the US. This documentary will be unlike anything ever done on the Mexican cartels. Be sure to stay tuned on Shoebat.com to watch it!