Citrus businessman Javier Vargas Arias was shot dead this Thursday in Veracruz, a crime that occurs three days after the murder of a lemon producer in Michoacán.
According to the first reports, Vargas Arias was shot by armed individuals in the Jardín Nuevo community, in the municipality of Álamo Temapache.
The 43-year-old businessman was walking down a street when the attackers shot him and fled in a van.
Vargas Arias was transferred to the Álamo Temapache General Hospital, where his death was later confirmed.
The Veracruz prosecutor’s office is investigating the events, but has not yet reported suspects or those responsible for the crime.
Álamo Temapache, considered the “world capital of oranges” for being the main producer of this critical product in Mexico, is one of the municipalities most affected by the catastrophic rains that hit the country at the beginning of October, with extensive damage to crops.
Local media identified Vargas Arias as a citrus businessman dedicated to the purchase and sale of oranges, tangerines and lemons.
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This crime occurs three days after the president of the Association of Citrus Growers of the Apatzingán Valley, Bernardo Bravo, was found dead, after having reported threats by criminal groups.
On Monday, Bravo’s body was found with signs of violence inside the vehicle, on the road that leads to the Los Tepetates community.
Bernardo Bravo was known for leading demonstrations in recent months due to organized crime extortions against the lemon sector. Last February, he had reported through social networks that he had received threats from criminal groups.
This Thursday, the arrest of a woman identified as the romantic partner of the alleged drug trafficker César Sepúlveda Arellano, alias El Botox, leader of the Los Blancos de Troya cartel, one of the criminal organizations investigated for the murder of Bravo, was reported.
Authorities have identified that Michoacán’s citrus sector is currently facing extortion charges from drug trafficking cartels.
With information from EFE.
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