Violence-hit Guadalajara to host games

The city of Guadalajara erupted with cartel violence this past weekend, alongside other parts of Mexico, after an army raid left a notorious drug lord dead.

- 

Now, Guadalajara is looking ahead nervously to the World Cup this summer, in which it will host four games.

Authorities are turning to technology to keep its slice of the planet's premier sporting event safe, as Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada.

Drones, anti-drone equipment and Al-driven video surveillance systems are some of the tools the state government of Jalisco — of which Guadalajara is the capital — will deploy to provide security.

The preparations come as Jalisco endures an epidemic of disappearances and the discoveries of clandestine graves, with Guadalajara having more ofits residents go missing due to brutal drug-related violence than any other city in Mexico.

On Sunday, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and one of the most wanted men in Mexico and the United States, was killed in a military operation some 130km from Guadalajara.

The cartel reacted with fury, triggering gunfire with security forces that left at least 57 people dead across Mexico — both soldiers and cartel members — as well as highway blockades in 20 states.