A MEXICAN drug cartel is launching violent drone attacks on helpless communities while local cops are distracted by the World Cup.
Settlements have faced bombing campaigns and shooting rampages as thugs from the Nueva Familia Michoacana gang try to seize their land.
Mexico police have been accused of turning a blind eye to areas not linked to the World Cup Credit: Reuters
Members of the vigilante group in Guajes de Ayala, Mexico, March 10 Credit: AP
Marilu Solorio, 24, said his community, Guajes de Ayala, came under attack on Wednesday despite trying to warn authorities of an impending assault for weeks.
Local police officers are said to be tied up with World Cup commitments in major hubs like Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
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Marilu and 70 women, children and elderly had to hide in an abandoned building while waiting for drone explosions and gunfire to stop.
The terrifying land battle was fought between the Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel yobs and a vigilante group protecting the community.
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Smoke seen billowing after an apparent drone attack Credit: Facebook/Ejido.Ayala
The region has come under attack in recent weeks Credit: Facebook/Ejido.ayala
Despite locals reporting the recent attacks to news outlets and on social media, Mexican authorities have denied any violence took place.
Marilu said: “While some are celebrating goals, others are getting massacred by drones carrying bombs.
“Instead of protecting people in the places where they’ve been playing the World Cup, [Mexico’s government] should be protecting people like us, who have never done anything wrong.”
Residents also said their communities had an “extreme vulnerability” which was causing them to “live in fear”.
Police officers deploy outside the hotel where the England team will stay in Mexico City ahead of England’s World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Mexico, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Credit: AP
Police outside the England squads hotel in Santa Fe, Mexico City. Ahead of their game against Mexico in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Picture date: Saturday July 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Manning/PA Wire. Credit: PA
Social media clips showed plumes of smoke billowing from the sites of various blasts in Guerrero amid the renewed attacks.
The state is just one of several Mexican regions undergoing a surge in violence as local authorities turn their attention to the World Cup.
Mexican security analyst David Saucedo said the recent uptick in violence was a result of the government’s World Cup security strategy.
He said: “There was heavy security in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey. Lots of military and National Guard officers from other states were transferred to fortify World Cup hosts.
“But in doing that, they also left a number of regions that weren’t host cities unprotected.”
In northern Sinaloa, weekend fights between rival gangs left a navy officer and 10 suspected criminals dead.
The week before, authorities in southern Veracruz found the body of a kidnapped journalist, who they believe was killed by gang members.
On Wednesday, eight bodies were found piled up with cartel notes in the southern state of Chiapas.
That region has seen heavy cartel turf wars in recent years.
Locals in the Guajes de Ayala community claimed they warned cops the cartel was edging closer for weeks.
They reportedly shared videos of cartel drones buzzing over their homes and highlighted the locations of some fighters.
Despite fearing a looming attack, Marilu said no one came to help.
On X, Mexican Security Services said the “events described in news articles have been ruled out”.
The post added that state security forces were “heading to the area to verify the situation, strengthen institutional presence, and provide security to the population”.
For years, the ruthless Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel has been violently invading the Mexican state of Guerrero.
The gang was declared a foreign terrorist organisation by the Trump administration last year.
Terrified locals say the police abandoned them, forcing hundreds to flee their homes.
The men left behind formed a vigilante group to fight back.
To survive, the vigilantes armed themselves by making deals with rival cartels.
They are now using military-grade US weapons smuggled across the border, grenades, and spy drones to watch the encroaching gang.
But in war-torn Guerrero, locals are still fearing another impending attack.
