Navy Special Forces to Hunt Down Drug Lords in Michoacán by Sol Prendido
A total of five units from the Special Forces (FES) of the Mexican Navy will be tasked with hunting down the leaders of criminal organizations operating in Michoacán.
According to federal sources, these teams will only arrive in the state once the whereabouts of the leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, Los Viagras, and Los Blancos de Troya, among others, have been located.
How will the units operate to apprehend the leaders?
These marines, who will be deployed under the Michoacán Plan, have specialized training as snipers, explosives experts, and medics, and will also have the support of five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by the Navy for intelligence gathering.
Once the operations have located the priority targets, the elite units will depart from various parts of the country for Michoacán.
Their mission, sources specified, is very clear: to “arrest and extract” each of these dangerous criminals so that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) can request federal judges to formally charge them and order their imprisonment in maximum-security prisons.
Among the priority targets in Michoacán are William Edwin Rivera Padilla, alias El Barbas, a regional leader of the CJNG cartel, who answers to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, and for whom the state Attorney General’s Office is offering a reward of half a million pesos.
Also identified are Nicolás Sierra Santana, alias El Gordo Viagra and/or El Coruco, and his brother Gabino, alias El Ingeniero, both leaders of the Los Viagra criminal group, and who are believed to be behind the murder of Hipólito Mora Chávez, the former founder of the self-defense groups, who was ambushed in La Ruana, in the municipality of Buenavista, on June 29, 2023.
Dismantling Drug Labs and Protecting Against Extortion
According to the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice, the Navy will deploy 1,781 personnel from various units, including those from these five elite units.
The marines will also be responsible for destroying and neutralizing clandestine training camps and laboratories. These elite units specialize in maritime special operations, counterterrorism, and combating organized crime.
The Special Forces Force (FES) is integrated into the Special Operations Unit (UNOPES), which currently has a permanent operational deployment of 34 Special Forces Tactical Teams.
In addition, seven Marine Infantry companies will also conduct operations against organized crime, while two more groups will be dedicated to providing security in the region’s mining area to prevent extortion and the theft of explosives.
Mining companies are located in regions such as La Huacana, Coalcomán, Tzitzio, Angangueo, Tuzantla, Villa Madero, Tlalpujahua, Arteaga, and Huetamo, among others.
Another mission of the Navy will be to deactivate explosive devices in the Tierra Caliente region, particularly improvised mines that have caused the deaths of civilians and members of the Army.
Marines arrive in Michoacán to combat drug trafficking.
The sailors will also be responsible for dismantling laboratories.
In recent months, the Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) has destroyed nearly 100 explosive devices, which are believed to have been planted by the Jalisco Cartel.
Now, the task will fall to five Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams.
The Navy’s bomb disposal team has specialists who use cutting-edge technology to search for explosives.
Naval personnel will also conduct aerial reconnaissance to locate criminal group training camps, as well as clandestine laboratories and homemade tactical vehicles modified by the cartels. For this purpose, they have five Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones).
Meanwhile, six ships and patrol boats will be deployed off the coast of Michoacán to intercept vessels linked to organized crime.
Which are the “hot spots”?
According to intelligence reports, the areas with the greatest impact on crime are Tierra Caliente and the Pacific coast, although the violence extends to urban centers and intermediate valleys.
In Tierra Caliente, the municipalities of Apatzingán, Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista, and Coalcomán stand out, where most of the cartel conflict is concentrated, with frequent shootouts and roadblocks. In this area, control is disputed by the CJNG and its allied local factions.
The coastal zone—Lázaro Cárdenas, Arteaga, and Aquila—is strategic due to its port and agricultural areas: La Familia Michoacana operates there, especially the faction known as Nueva Familia Michoacana, and is vying with the CJNG for control of drug and precursor routes—a “maritime” corridor that runs from Maruata to Jalisco.
In western and Bajío Michoacán—where Morelia, Zamora, Jacona, and Uruapan are located—crime rates are lower than in Tierra Caliente.
In the mountainous northeast—Zitácuaro and Maravatío—new groups have emerged, such as the Los Reyes faction of the Correa brothers, linked to extortion and rural crimes.
Cartels with a Presence in the State
The CJNG originated in Tepalcatepec and maintains control over large areas of Tierra Caliente. In that region, it fights an alliance of local groups called Cárteles Unidos or Resistencia, allegedly led by Juan José Álvarez Farías, alias El Abuelo, a former self-defense leader and former community police officer.
Cárteles Unidos comprises remnants of La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, Los Viagras, and the Gulf Cartel, and operates primarily in Apatzingán, Buenavista, and Coalcomán.
To the south, on the Michoacán coast, La Nueva Familia Michoacana—a faction of the old Familia—controls the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and surrounding territories.
There are also very active criminal cells: Los Viagras—a local family originally from Buenavista—operate strongly in Tierra Caliente; The Blancos de Troya—linked to Los Viagras—extort money in Apatzingán and the surrounding area.
Cárteles Unidos brings together remnants of La Familia Michoacana.
The Acahuato Cartel—an ally of Los Viagras—extorts money and kidnaps people in Michoacán; and the Knights Templar remain active, threatening local leaders in the region.
Outside of Tierra Caliente, the CJNG competes for routes: for example, it is trying to infiltrate the production of cocaine and synthetic drugs heading towards the Pacific, putting pressure on the corridor bordering Jalisco and Colima.
Reports indicate that the Sinaloa Cartel has only isolated cells in the state, but its influence is felt indirectly in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Who are the priority targets?
Among the identified criminal leaders, William Edwin Rivera Padilla, alias El Barbas, stands out as the regional leader of the CJNG.
Also identified are Nicolás Sierra Santana, alias El Gordo Viagra and/or El Coruco, and his brother Gabino, alias El Ingeniero, both leaders of the Los Viagra criminal group, and believed to be behind the murder of Hipólito Mora Chávez, former founder of the self-defense groups.
On the other hand, César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arellano, alias El Botox, and his cousin Andrés Alejandro Sepúlveda Álvarez, alias Jandos/El Fresa, head the Los Blancos de Troya criminal group, allied with Los Viagra.
El Barbas, leader of the CJNG in Zitácuaro, Michoacán
‘El Barbas’ has the CJNG initials tattooed on him, according to the authorities.
Another group associated with the CJNG is the Álvarez Ayala clan, led by brothers Ramón and Rafael, known as El R1 and El R2, respectively. They are considered the closest associates of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, the absolute leader of the Jalisco Cartel.
In Michoacán, the CJNG’s Grupo Delta also operates, headed by a man known as El Señor 03.
In the struggle for criminal control, Alan Martínez Durán, El Primo or El Comandante X, stands out. He is said to have been a member of La Familia Michoacana and is now one of the most bloodthirsty criminals, seeking control of various towns in the Zinapécuaro region, among others.
Source: Milenio
The post Navy Special Forces to Hunt Down Drug Lords in Michoacán appeared first on Cartel Insider.
A total of five units from the Special Forces (FES) of the Mexican Navy will be tasked with hunting down the leaders of criminal organizations operating in Michoacán.
According to federal sources, these teams will only arrive in the state once the whereabouts of the leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, Los Viagras, and Los Blancos de Troya, among others, have been located.
How will the units operate to apprehend the leaders?
These marines, who will be deployed under the Michoacán Plan, have specialized training as snipers, explosives experts, and medics, and will also have the support of five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by the Navy for intelligence gathering.
Once the operations have located the priority targets, the elite units will depart from various parts of the country for Michoacán.
Their mission, sources specified, is very clear: to “arrest and extract” each of these dangerous criminals so that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) can request federal judges to formally charge them and order their imprisonment in maximum-security prisons.
Among the priority targets in Michoacán are William Edwin Rivera Padilla, alias El Barbas, a regional leader of the CJNG cartel, who answers to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, and for whom the state Attorney General’s Office is offering a reward of half a million pesos.
Also identified are Nicolás Sierra Santana, alias El Gordo Viagra and/or El Coruco, and his brother Gabino, alias El Ingeniero, both leaders of the Los Viagra criminal group, and who are believed to be behind the murder of Hipólito Mora Chávez, the former founder of the self-defense groups, who was ambushed in La Ruana, in the municipality of Buenavista, on June 29, 2023.
Dismantling Drug Labs and Protecting Against Extortion
According to the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice, the Navy will deploy 1,781 personnel from various units, including those from these five elite units.
The marines will also be responsible for destroying and neutralizing clandestine training camps and laboratories. These elite units specialize in maritime special operations, counterterrorism, and combating organized crime.
The Special Forces Force (FES) is integrated into the Special Operations Unit (UNOPES), which currently has a permanent operational deployment of 34 Special Forces Tactical Teams.
In addition, seven Marine Infantry companies will also conduct operations against organized crime, while two more groups will be dedicated to providing security in the region’s mining area to prevent extortion and the theft of explosives.
Mining companies are located in regions such as La Huacana, Coalcomán, Tzitzio, Angangueo, Tuzantla, Villa Madero, Tlalpujahua, Arteaga, and Huetamo, among others.
Another mission of the Navy will be to deactivate explosive devices in the Tierra Caliente region, particularly improvised mines that have caused the deaths of civilians and members of the Army.
Marines arrive in Michoacán to combat drug trafficking.
The sailors will also be responsible for dismantling laboratories.
In recent months, the Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) has destroyed nearly 100 explosive devices, which are believed to have been planted by the Jalisco Cartel.
Now, the task will fall to five Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams.
The Navy’s bomb disposal team has specialists who use cutting-edge technology to search for explosives.
Naval personnel will also conduct aerial reconnaissance to locate criminal group training camps, as well as clandestine laboratories and homemade tactical vehicles modified by the cartels. For this purpose, they have five Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones).
Meanwhile, six ships and patrol boats will be deployed off the coast of Michoacán to intercept vessels linked to organized crime.
Which are the “hot spots”?
According to intelligence reports, the areas with the greatest impact on crime are Tierra Caliente and the Pacific coast, although the violence extends to urban centers and intermediate valleys.
In Tierra Caliente, the municipalities of Apatzingán, Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista, and Coalcomán stand out, where most of the cartel conflict is concentrated, with frequent shootouts and roadblocks. In this area, control is disputed by the CJNG and its allied local factions.
The coastal zone—Lázaro Cárdenas, Arteaga, and Aquila—is strategic due to its port and agricultural areas: La Familia Michoacana operates there, especially the faction known as Nueva Familia Michoacana, and is vying with the CJNG for control of drug and precursor routes—a “maritime” corridor that runs from Maruata to Jalisco.
In western and Bajío Michoacán—where Morelia, Zamora, Jacona, and Uruapan are located—crime rates are lower than in Tierra Caliente.
In the mountainous northeast—Zitácuaro and Maravatío—new groups have emerged, such as the Los Reyes faction of the Correa brothers, linked to extortion and rural crimes.
Cartels with a Presence in the State
The CJNG originated in Tepalcatepec and maintains control over large areas of Tierra Caliente. In that region, it fights an alliance of local groups called Cárteles Unidos or Resistencia, allegedly led by Juan José Álvarez Farías, alias El Abuelo, a former self-defense leader and former community police officer.
Cárteles Unidos comprises remnants of La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, Los Viagras, and the Gulf Cartel, and operates primarily in Apatzingán, Buenavista, and Coalcomán.
To the south, on the Michoacán coast, La Nueva Familia Michoacana—a faction of the old Familia—controls the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and surrounding territories.
There are also very active criminal cells: Los Viagras—a local family originally from Buenavista—operate strongly in Tierra Caliente; The Blancos de Troya—linked to Los Viagras—extort money in Apatzingán and the surrounding area.
Cárteles Unidos brings together remnants of La Familia Michoacana.
The Acahuato Cartel—an ally of Los Viagras—extorts money and kidnaps people in Michoacán; and the Knights Templar remain active, threatening local leaders in the region.
Outside of Tierra Caliente, the CJNG competes for routes: for example, it is trying to infiltrate the production of cocaine and synthetic drugs heading towards the Pacific, putting pressure on the corridor bordering Jalisco and Colima.
Reports indicate that the Sinaloa Cartel has only isolated cells in the state, but its influence is felt indirectly in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Who are the priority targets?
Among the identified criminal leaders, William Edwin Rivera Padilla, alias El Barbas, stands out as the regional leader of the CJNG.
Also identified are Nicolás Sierra Santana, alias El Gordo Viagra and/or El Coruco, and his brother Gabino, alias El Ingeniero, both leaders of the Los Viagra criminal group, and believed to be behind the murder of Hipólito Mora Chávez, former founder of the self-defense groups.
On the other hand, César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arellano, alias El Botox, and his cousin Andrés Alejandro Sepúlveda Álvarez, alias Jandos/El Fresa, head the Los Blancos de Troya criminal group, allied with Los Viagra.
El Barbas, leader of the CJNG in Zitácuaro, Michoacán
‘El Barbas’ has the CJNG initials tattooed on him, according to the authorities.
Another group associated with the CJNG is the Álvarez Ayala clan, led by brothers Ramón and Rafael, known as El R1 and El R2, respectively. They are considered the closest associates of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, the absolute leader of the Jalisco Cartel.
In Michoacán, the CJNG’s Grupo Delta also operates, headed by a man known as El Señor 03.
In the struggle for criminal control, Alan Martínez Durán, El Primo or El Comandante X, stands out. He is said to have been a member of La Familia Michoacana and is now one of the most bloodthirsty criminals, seeking control of various towns in the Zinapécuaro region, among others.
Source: Milenio
The post Navy Special Forces to Hunt Down Drug Lords in Michoacán appeared first on Cartel Insider.
