A bloody turf war is unfolding in the heart of Mexico City, as two rival criminal groups fight for control of the local drug trade. According to a report by the newspaper Reforma, the conflict between La Unión Tepito and a splinter faction known as the Anti-Unión has claimed 11 lives over the past month and a half.
Both organizations trace their roots to Tepito, a historically working-class neighborhood near the city’s colonial-era downtown that has long been associated with black-market commerce and, more recently, organized crime. The Anti-Unión reportedly emerged as a breakaway faction, setting the stage for an increasingly violent rivalry with its parent group.
The fighting is centered on the Centro Histórico, Mexico City’s downtown core, a UNESCO World Heritage site packed with colonial architecture, government buildings, and heavy foot traffic from both tourists and residents. The area’s dense population and constant flow of pedestrians make it a lucrative — and highly visible — market for street-level drug sales, which appears to be fueling the dispute over territory.
Local authorities have not yet detailed a comprehensive strategy to contain the violence, and the death toll underscores growing concerns about security in one of the capital’s most iconic and heavily visited districts. For the full report and additional details on the case, read the original story from Reforma.
Source: Disputan cárteles el Centro de CDMX (Reforma). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: mrbill78636, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).