John P. Sullivan and Robert J. Bunker
C/O Futures Cartel Research Note Series
14 July 2023
On Wednesday, 28 June 2023, between 2300 and 2400 hours, a car bomb exploded, injuring at least ten Guardia Nacional (GN – National Guard) agents in Celaya, Guanajuato (Gto.). One GN agent subsequently died as a result of the injuries sustained. It appears that the GN agents were specifically targeted in the attack. The region is contested by the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the beleaguered Cártel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL). Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and anti-personnel car bombs (AP-VBIEDs) have been a staple of this ongoing criminal competition for a number of years. While past IED use patterns are still holding, the recent shift in the conflict centered in Guanajuato with new belligerents appearing in support of CSRL suggests new forms of IED employment may begin to emerge.
