US halts avocado and mango inspections in Mexican state after two USDA employees are attacked and arrested

The United States has stopped inspections of avocados and mangoes in MexicoAccording to US authorities, there was an attack on the state of Michoacán and the arrest of two employees of the US Department of Agriculture.

Employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were recently attacked while inspecting avocados and have since been released, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said in a statement on Tuesday.

In his statement, he gave no further details about the incident. He said inspections would be suspended until the safety issues were resolved.

Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla told reporters on Monday that Mexican authorities were in contact with U.S. authorities and working to resolve the situation, according to The Associated Press. In the meantime, Mexican exports are not completely blocked and the disruption would not affect avocados and mangoes already in transit, according to Salazar.

The suspension follows a violent phase in Michoacánone of Mexico’s largest avocado exporters, handling the majority of Mexico’s avocado production. The state is plagued by cartel violence, as fighting breaks out between the Jalisco New Generation cartel and the Michoacan-based Viagras gang.

The State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Michoacán last week, advising Americans not to travel to the state due to the risk of crime and kidnapping.

Salazar will travel to Mexico next week to meet with Bedolla and address security concerns, among other things.

“I am closely monitoring the situation and am in direct contact with representatives of the Mexican state and federal governments,” Salazar said.

In May 18 bodies were found in Michoacán, nine of which contained messages to a criminal group. In March, a police officer Reportedly beheaded and two of her bodyguards were killed in an attack on a highway.

Two years ago, the United States briefly banned the import of avocados from Mexico after Threats to a USDA inspector.