Michoacán

The vast lemon industry of the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, where the alleged extortionist had his fiefdom, puts any preconceived notions about violence and power to shame

Los Choneros, the reigning criminal organization in Manabí, Ecuador, is linked to shark hunting and finning, complimentary activities to its primary trade of drug and fuel trafficking

The former Canadian athlete, accused of drug trafficking and murder north of the Rio Grande, has surrendered to US authorities

A top government target whose currency was violence, César Sepúlveda had become a key supplier and intermediary for much of the productive activity in Tierra Caliente

Daniel Arizmendi, who is believed to have kidnapped 200 people, used the modus operandi of cutting off a piece of his victims’ ears, in order to demand ransom from their families. Last week, a judge acquitted Arizmendi in one of the cases against him

The Treasury Department notes that the boss of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel manages the group’s operations from prison and even forged an alliance with the Gulf Cartel while behind bars

Security experts detect a greater reach in the arms war of organized crime groups with the use of kamikaze-type drones and signal jammers against attacks from rivals

The confrontation between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and self-defense groups for control of the territory has intensified and shows the difficulties in rebuilding the social fabric in Michoacán

Extremist commentators and Donald Trump himself are spreading misinformation and exaggerations about the protests to bolster justifications for a direct attack on the cartels

In the Mexican state of Sonora, in 2019, three mothers and six children were gunned down. The trail leads to two semi-automatic rifles, which were sold in U.S. gun shops. No authority on either side of the border has thoroughly investigated the origin of the weapons, nor how they ended up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels

State prosecutors confirm the teen’s family has claimed the body of the man who shot the mayor, and forensic tests confirm he fired the weapon

The ‘war on drugs’ was declared in the state, where cartels have been entrenched in politics and the economy for decades

A hitman linked to the CJNG shot dead the mayor of Uruapan, who had arrested the group’s leader in August

The murders of the Uruapan mayor and the leader of the lemon growers’ guild in Michoacán reveal a paradigm shift in organized crime, where complex extortion schemes have taken over entire regions

The turf war between organized crime factions keeps producers in Tierra Caliente held hostage with quotas. The murder of Bernardo Bravo is a message about the price of seeking justice

A security operation discovered a site in Michoacán where a group of men from the megachurch were being trained in military tactics

The testimonies of 38 people forcibly recruited in January by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel depict the deceptions and threats employed by the criminal organization

Washington accuses the Michoacán group of manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and smuggling them into the country

The criminal group targeted farms and transport companies, intercepted packages, and imposed quotas under a regime of terror

EL PAÍS reconstructs, on the ground and using exclusive documents, the presence of former military personnel hired by the cartels, a lethal alliance of organized crime

Religious leaders are inclined to share successful experiences for peace without interfering in the ‘responsibilities of the state’

The arrest of nine former military personnel in Michoacán sheds light on a growing phenomenon in the region, which is experiencing high rates of violence

The municipality, adjacent to Mexico City and surrounded by concrete, suffers from the heat island effect. The community came to the rescue with this accelerated tree planting method

Congress is moving forward with a proposal to tax money sent abroad. Analysts estimate the decision could cost Mexico at least $3.25 billion annually

El Mencho ordered trailers to be set alight and highways blocked in Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato. Two police officers were killed, but no arrests were made: ‘We’ve never seen blockades of this scale’

For over 10 years, the Olascoagas have controlled the lives and economies of dozens of municipalities in Guerrero and the State of Mexico. The US now accuses them of being large-scale drug traffickers