The Foreign Office has issued a travel warning in relation to Mexico. The Government body is advising against “all but essential travel” to certain parts of the country.
The warning, which was updated yesterday (September 24), covers the city of Tijuana as well as the state of Zacatecas. Parts of the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Tamaulipa are also affected.
Other states that are impacted by the Foreign Office warning include areas of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero and Chiapas. The advice reads: “Drug-related violence affects the northern states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa and Durango.
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“Many fatalities are suspected gang members killed in violent clashes between the different organisations competing for control of trafficking routes into the USA.
“Armed clashes between security forces and drug groups can happen at any time without warning. Take extreme care outside tourist areas in all these states.
It also has this to say about the city of Tijuana: “Tijuana is an extremely violent city. Criminals could target you or you could get caught up in conflicts between rival groups.
“Many businesses, including shops, follow an unofficial curfew, only opening during daylight hours due to the security threat. Organised crime groups are fighting for control over the city’s drug trade and trafficking routes.
“There are high rates of kidnapping, murder and organised crime activity, particularly drug, human and arms trafficking. Armed attacks and targeted killings happen across the state.”
The Foreign Office also goes into more detail about the potential serious problems travellers could experience elsewhere. For example, it says the states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa have illegal drug cultivation in rural areas, with associated criminal activity.
In relation to the state of Zacatecas, which travellers are being advised to entirely avoid except for essential reasons, it says: “The state is extremely dangerous due to battles between organised crime groups for control of drug trafficking routes and rural areas of the state.
“There are high levels of drug-related violence due to the strong presence of organised crime. Gun battles between state security forces and organised crime groups are frequent, leading to deaths and the destruction of security infrastructure.”
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