Jalisco is now in the crosshairs of the federal government’s “Operación Limpieza” (Operation Cleanup) campaign against piracy, Economic Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has confirmed.
Police and military forces have recently targeted shopping centers known for selling large quantities of Chinese and other Asian merchandise in Mexico City, Sonora, Baja California, Coahuila and Durango. During these operations, authorities seized thousands of illegally imported goods worth millions of pesos.
“We cannot allow exponential economic activity that violates all the laws of Mexico,” Ebrard stated during a visit to Guadalajara this week.
Although he did not specify which locations in Jalisco might be targeted, Ebrard hinted that the raids could occur within “a few days.”
It is widely believed that a main target will be Guadalajara’s sprawling San Juan de Dios (Libertad) Market, which has been the site of regular raids in recent decades aimed at seizing contraband and pirated merchandise, often referred to as fayuca. Some reports suggest that the U.S. Office of the United States Trade Representative considers San Juan de Dios to be Mexico’s second-largest location for pirated goods, after the notorious Tepito neighborhood in Mexico City.
Ebrard emphasized that the operation is not connected to the criticisms made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding Mexico’s role as a gateway for Chinese products entering the United States.