According to The Economist, during its heyday it also acted as a parallel governing body in the state, extorting taxes from businesses to fund community projects and its own kangaroo courts. [51] 20 municipal officials have been murdered in Michoacn, including two mayors. For other inquiries, Contact Us. However, its roots date back to the 1980s when it was formed as a group of vigilantes looking to bring order to the state of Michoacan. A message left with the heads declared: "La Familia doesn't kill for money, doesn't kill women, doesn't kill innocents. Published: Jul. He faces a statutory sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and up to a $4 million fine on the drug conspiracy count. [9] He also formed an alliance with Osiel Crdenas Guilln, then leader of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, and merged with his organization. It once was the fastest-growing cartel in the country's drug war and is a religious cult-like group that celebrates family values. The other reputed La Familia leader is former school teacher Servando Gomez. La Resistencia gang was originally created by Sinaloa Cartel leader Ignacio Coronel Villarreal in 2010 soon after the rival gang Los Zetas began encroaching in Michoacn.Originally, La Resistencia was composed of gunmen from the Milenio Cartel which was loyal to the Sinaloa Cartel. Warning: Graphic content. [10] The cartel gives loans to farmers, businesses, schools and churches,[40] and it advertises its benevolence in local newspapers in order to gain social support. "[14] However, President Felipe Caldern's government refused to strike a deal with the cartel and rejected their calls for dialogue. Only one of the officials a former mayor remains in prison. Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, known as "La Minsa" in the La Familia Michoacana cartel, was sentenced by a federal judge in Dallas on Wednesday. It will undergo a necropsy under the charge of specialist vets from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), according to the paper. A locked padlock Spokesman Alejandro Poire called Mendez the "principal head" of La Familia Michoacana cartel and said his capture was the federal government's "most overwhelming blow" to the group. (CNN) -- An alleged drug cartel boss killed in clashes with Mexican authorities was also a "spiritual leader" who used religion to recruit criminals and strengthen his stronghold, according to a Mexican government report. 12 Mexican federal officers were tortured and killed in retaliation for La Minsa's capture DALLAS The leader of "La Familia Michoacn" (LFM) Mexican drug cartel was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to serve more than 43 years in federal prison and fined $5 million for offenses related to his leadership role within LFM. In 2017, a former leader of the gang, Marciano Chano Millan Vasquez, was jailed in San Antonio for 29 killings in Mexico while working for the group. Members of La Familia Michoacana in a screenshot of a video with which they announced their arrival in Milpa Alta, in Mexico City, on December 4. . : El Ms Loco or The Craziest One) published his own 'bible,'[27][34] and a copy seized by Mexican federal agents reveals an ideology that mixes evangelical-style self-help with insurgent peasant slogans. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Dallas Police Department and the Garland Police Department; the U.S. DALLAS - La Familia Michoacn (LFM) Mexican drug cartel leader, Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, aka La Minsa, 48, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to serve a total of 520 months in federal prison and a $5 million fine for offenses related to his leadership role within LFM. The announcement was made by Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas. Authorities seized various weapons including 20 assault rifles,handguns, ammunition and vehicles in the operation, and also took the body of the monkey away. They are known to produce large amounts of methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories in Michoacan. After the death of Nazario Moreno Gonzlez, Jos de Jess Mndez Vargas (El Chango Mndez) took control of the cartel. Among those arrested was the presumed leader of the cartel, Jaime Luis 'El Pozolero' - who is accussed of kidnapping a woman in Tenancingo last year. He said police recovered the bodies of three other suspected La Familia members and detained three others. After his arrest, members of LFM attempted to free him, and although unsuccessful, a shootout ensued through the streets of Morelia, Michoacan. This shows how trafficking groups are becoming more cunning in hiding from federal authorities. Poire said Moreno emerged as the leader of La Familia in 2006, when the gang then known as "The Business" broke off from the Gulf cartel and declared its independence by rolling the severed heads into a disco in the mountain town of Uruapan. La Familia Cartel Targeted, Police Arrest More Than 300 Across U.S. "El inmenso poder de la "La Familia Michoacana", "Mexican gang leader offers drug war truce", "Mexican police arrest 44 in baptism raid on drugs cartel", "Un bautizo termina con 44 presuntos "narcos" detenidos en el oeste de Mxico", "Violence the result of fractured arrangement between Zetas and Gulf Cartel, authorities say", "Surgen cuatro grupos del narco en 2011; El Chapo es el capo ms poderoso", "Cocaine cartel uses religion to control its killers", "Families Fear Phone Call From Mexico's Cartels", "La Familia cobra impuestos en Michoacn", "Mexico drug traffickers corrupt politics", "Mexican police, Soldiers killed in multi-city attacks by drug gang", "10 Mexican police officers held in killings of 12 federal agents", "Mexico's drug war: Cartel kills 12 federal officers", "2 Mexican politicians sought; drug cartel link alleged", "US strikes at Mexican cartel's drug-and-gun trade", "Crackdown on La Familia cartel leads to more than 300 arrests across US", "Project Delirium Results in Nearly 2,000 Arrests During 20-Month Operation, Seizures of More Than 12 Tons of Drugs and $62 Million in U.S. Currency", "Authorities arrest dozens in 'surgical strike' against Mexican cartel", "La guerra cotidiana: Guerrero y los retos a la paz en Mxico", "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape", Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars, El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency, Manhunt of Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn (20012014), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Familia_Michoacana&oldid=1133844053, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, Jos Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga. One of those suspects, Sergio Moreno Godinez, said under police interrogation last month that the cartel is in decline. Alma Antonia Caldern Garca, dubbed "Cartel Queen," who is the wife of a high-ranking member of the group was arrested by authorities last week. LFM was responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine into the United . He was born in the municipality of La Unin, Guerrero in southern Mexico. [10][47] In one incident in Uruapan in 2006, the cartel members tossed five severed heads onto the dance floor of the Sol y Sombra night club along with a message that read: "The Family doesn't kill for money. Infobaereports that five of those detained are men and three are women, while another is a minor under 15 years of age. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Also known as Almilla, she is accused of kidnapping five people with her husband, Lucas Fierros Mora, or El Mataguaches, who is believed to be the cartel's leader in the city of Aguililla, Michoacn. Cartel gunmen have been fleeing with their causalities, and police believe that Moreno was among the dead, Poire said. In 2006, El Universal newspaper said it had interviewed two La Familia leaders, identifying one as "The Craziest One." Mexican authorities said Moreno's tenure as one of the cartel's leaders ended Thursday, when he was gunned down after two days of shootouts between authorities and suspected members of the organization he founded. He carried a "bible" of his own sayings and insisted that his army of traffickers and hitmen avoid using the narcotics they produce and sell. They were also supported by the local Michoacn cartel La Familia Michoacana to fight against Los . Line: 107 They have made several arrests but have never been able to locate Flores Camargo's heads. The drug proceeds that were collected were delivered to cartel members or associates in Mexico either by way of bulk cash smuggling in vehicles utilized by LFM couriers or through money remitters such as Western Union. According to plea documents, from September 2007 through October 21, 2009, Rueda-Medina held a leadership position within LFM, a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican State of Michoacn. [23] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.[24] Carlos Rosales Mendoza was listed in the DEA's "most wanted" list. Police were led to a number of different locations including the warehouse in Tenango del Valle. History. DALLAS - Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, aka "La Minsa," 47, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez today and pleaded guilty to federal offenses in connection with his leadership roles in the "La Familia Michoacn" Mexican drug cartel, announced DEA Dallas Division's Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. and U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. A MASS grave with 47 sacks containing human remains was discovered underneath the dancefloor of a nightclub in Mexico. High ranking cartel figures operating in the North Texas area will not be tolerated, said Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge, Clyde E. Shelley Jr. The DEA and the US Attorneys Office are working around the clock to combat the massive amount of drugs brought into the United States as a result of the direct actions of Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, aka La Minsa, and the continuing threat posed to our communities by the remnants of the LFM. Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of our United States law enforcement team and the critical assistance and sacrifice of our Mexican counterparts, a notorious drug cartel leader is where he should be --behind bars, said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. DALLAS - Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, aka La Minsa, 47, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez today and pleaded guilty to federal offenses in connection with his leadership roles in the La Familia Michoacn Mexican drug cartel, announced DEA Dallas Divisions Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. and U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. [4] He soon gained the trust of Crdenas Guilln and became one of the leading lieutenants for the Gulf Cartel in western Mexico, where he commanded a training camp and taught over 50 gunmen military tactics in order to carry out a prisons break to free Crdenas Guilln, who had been captured and imprisoned in 2003. [20] Mexican Attorney General (PGR) reported that La Familia Cartel was "exterminated" by 2011. [54], Three days later, on July 14, 2009, the cartel tortured and murdered twelve Mexican Federal Police agents and dumped their bodies along the side of a mountain highway along with a written message: "So that you come for another. [45] La Familia Michoacana became a rival of its splinter group Knights Templar. In 2016 his brother, said to be the financial brains behind the criminal empire, was captured. On February 25, 2010, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Rueda-Medina under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation (Kingpin Act) for his involvement in drug trafficking. Mexican authorities put a $2 million bounty on Moreno's head in March 2009. They immediately went to war with the Los Zetas and proudly claimed responsibility for a swath of mass killings, including the massacre of 15 Mexican cops in a single ambush. Mexican authorities believe La Familia operates "by means of an executive council" compromised of both drug traffickers and government officials, according to the DEA. The other faction was made up of the Gulf Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, and La Familia Michoacana. [54][56] Based on these charges, on December 14, 2010, Godoy Toscano was impeached from the lower house of Congress and therefore lost his parliamentary immunity; he fled and remains a fugitive. We will be waiting for you here. He was first captured in 1993 and jailed for 20 years only to escape in 2001. This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Three of them remain under medical observation after being injured in the gunfight. In a brief statement, Calderon's office confirmed Moreno's death. [3] La Familia Michoacana. The Department of Justices Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in bringing the defendant to the United States to face charges. We are a necessary evil." According to federal and state sources, La Familia Michoacana has been increasingly involved in Michoacn's politics, impelling their favorite candidates, financing their campaigns, and forcing other parties to renounce their candidacies. "La Familia Michoacana also gives money to school and local official.". The Mexican government's dossier describes him as the brains behind a large number of killings. He is described as the operational chief of the cartel in an October 2009 Justice Department indictment for conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine to the United States. Also known as Almilla, she is accused of. However, according to DEA officials, it claims to oppose the sale of drugs to Mexicans. The money laundering conspiracy count has a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of not more than $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. Line: 478 However, police have now confirmed that the pictures are genuine. At this point Valencias cartel split into two factions, one of which eventually emerged around 2009 as the powerhouse cartel in Jalisco state. And in a particularly twisted initiation ritual, young members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel were forced to eat the hearts of murder victims. [26], La Familia cartel is sometimes described as quasi-religious since its leaders, Moreno Gonzlez and Mndez Vargas, refer to their assassinations and beheadings as "divine justice. "The indoctrination of this group consists of courses in self-improvement, values, ethical principles and morals in keeping with the purposes of the criminal organization. At this time it only operated as a wing of the Gulf Cartel but officially formed as a stand-alone rival group in 2010. Moment protesters were totally humiliated, Disturbing prediction as country explodes. At least three members of La Familia were killed and three others were captured during the operation, Mexican national security spokesman Alejandro Poire said Friday. The couple is acussed of kidnapping five people from the village of La Bocanda in December- all of whom remain missing. The Los Zetas is considered one of the most dangerous of the cartels and has dealt in drug trafficking since its inception in 1999. The La Familia Michoacana cartel emerged from the Los Zetas subgroup around 2006 following frustrations with the group's governance. [22] Since then, La Familia has capitalized on its reputation, building its myth, power and reach to transition into a criminal gang itself. It has been known that La Familia has certain connections with the Flores Camargo cartel, a small drug trafficking group that operates in Atlanta. Several leading La Familia traffickers have been arrested in recent months. [1] He was a close friend and associate of Osiel Crdenas Guilln, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel. "This is the moment to intensify the pressure on this organization in order to diminish crime in the region effectively and permanently," he said. It was reported on social media that the tiger had escaped from the house of its owner who is involved in organized crime. This article needs to be updated. [58][60], Since the start of "Project Coronado," the investigation has led to the arrest of more than 1,186 people and the seizure of approximately $33million. Like other cartels, La Familia used the port city of Lzaro Crdenas, Michoacn to import narcotics from Peru and Colombia. MND Staff. His men managed to free 25 inmates, but Rosales Mendoza was arrested on suspicion of masterminding the jailbreak and spent the next decade in prison. La Familia Michoacana, (English: The Michoacn Family) La Familia (English: The Family ), or LFM [3] [4] is a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Michoacn. Mexican authorities said Friday that they believe a top leader of the violent La Familia cartel was . It doesn't kill innocent people, only those who deserve to die. Meanwhile, the cartel has proclaimed in banners and even newspaper advertisements that it is trying to protect Michoacan from other cartels and common criminals. With the objective that their subordinates separate themselves from drugs and alcohol and they unite with their families," Mexico's public safety ministry said in a statement last year after capturing the alleged head of La Familia's training operations. Rueda-Medina was arrested in Michoacn, Mexico on July 11, 2009, and was extradited to the United States on January 27, 2017. Last week, the Federal Police (Polica Federal) captured Hilario Lpez Morales, alias "El Gato", identified as one of the principal operators of the drug cartel "La Familia Michoacana." Along with "El Gato," a presumed leader of the cartel organization "La Familia Michoacana," captured Read More Line: 192 "[27] The cartel may have direct or indirect ties with devotees of the New Jerusalem religious movement, which is noted for its concern for justice issues. Officials are now working to identify the victims. [13] However, his authority was disputed by the cartel co-founders Enrique Plancarte Sols and Servando Gmez Martnez (La Tuta),[19] who formed an offshoot of La Familia calling itself Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar). 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