Other than a brief delay in the arrival of tourists coming in the for the extended holiday weekend, the Chapala-Jocotepec corridor was not directly impacted by the May 1 narco-blockades.
Chapala police department commander Moises Torres acknowledged that he put his staff on high alert, ordering officers to suit up in bullet-proof vests and helmets while out on routine patrols and providing backup to police from Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos dispatched to clear a tanker and a cargo truck that were blocking highway traffic in the vicinity of Santa Rosa and Atequiza.
Several phone calls placed to Chapala police headquarters reporting sightings of armed men and shooting incidents in the community turned out to be false alarms, Torres said.
Bus service by the Autotransportes Chapala-Guadalajara line was suspended around 11 a.m., leaving dozens of passengers stranded until an all-clear was announced by Jalisco authorities. Access to Jocotepec and south shore communities was also temporarily obstructed by a passenger bus that was commandeered and set afire on Highway 15 just outside of El Molino.
The flow of weekend visitors picked up considerably by late Friday afternoon.