Honestly, those pics look like typical narco executions to me - low caliber head shots. It doesn't make a huge mess. This was not a shoot out. I suspect that someone on the inside set these guys up - that's why it doesn't appear to have been a struggle. These types of executions are not uncommon in Mexico. I also think it is a message to others that no one is untouchable - typical turf war stuff. If they did not want those pics out there circulating, they would not be.

There is not one single criminal organization in operation in Mexico and Central America. There are constant turf wars that take place because the stakes are so high - billions of dollars involving all manner of contraband. They fight with each other over control and the citizens are always caught in the middle. Life is cheap. The cartels are imbedded at all levels of government and law enforcement. You can't trust anyone. They struggle for power to be part of the contraband supply chain with the apex predator being the Western intelligence agencies. This is a huge part of how intelligence funds their operations. It is all one big grift.

Mexico is a narco state and has been for a long time. They are very efficient at what they do and law enforcement is often in on the grift. They eliminate those that cause them any difficulties or know too much. This is nothing new and has been taking place for decades. Anyone that even tries to bypass or restrict the cartels' operations is taken out - often along with their family. These guys don't mess around. I have seen their work first hand. Although, IMO, they don't hold a candle to Ukrainian and Russian operators. They take sadistic cruelty to a whole new level.

When I was in El Paso, it was not uncommon to have people executed on the streets of Juarez in broad daylight. It takes care of what ever issues the cartels have and keeps the population in fear at the same time. No one steps out of line. Juarez had a van that drove around the city every day picking up the bodies - they called it the meat wagon. Those vans were kept busy. It was an daily occurrence to see a body or two thrown onto the street from some vehicle and left there. In fact, there was a huge 3 story market place that had been there for years burnt to the ground over some internal turf struggle. I don't remember how many people died in that fire. These people don't give a shit. Some of the violence occasionally spills over into El Paso. That's usually when American interests apply some pressure to have them scale back - because the American interests don't like the attention. As long as all the BS stays South of the border, its all good. Out of sight, out of mind.

Sorry, but I don't buy into the WH operation stuff. Things are not that simple as good guys versus bad guys - everything is more a shade of gray with varying degrees on a continuum between good and evil. The lines are not that clear. It is a nice thought because people want to believe in heroes - but the reality is much different. There are several entities behind the scenes all struggling for power and control, often with the same financial backing fueling the entire structure. Puppet masters and their puppets. That is not to say that occasionally there isn't a well placed monkey wrench thrown into the machine. But large scale operations conducted in well entrenched enterprises are too hard for me to believe. I just don't see any evidence for it. Thanks for the link.