On Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Security and Civilian Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed the deaths of two law enforcement officers in central Mexico due to violent cartel clashes.
The violence was part of a larger conflict between rival criminal groups competing for territorial control. Authorities reported that drug cartels set up roadblocks and torched vehicles and businesses in 29 municipalities across Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato.
García Harfuch stated that the attacks stemmed from a territorial dispute between criminal organizations and that those responsible will face justice. “These acts will not go unpunished,” Mexico’s top security official said in a statement to X.
The majority of the attacks occurred in the state of Michoacán, with authorities reporting that the violent clashes affected at least 26 municipalities.
The incidents occurred after alleged members of the Cártel Michoacano Nueva Generación, a criminal cell within the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), attacked Mexican armed forces in southern Mexico.
Following the attack, Michoacán state authorities reported that 17 vehicles were set ablaze simultaneously on multiple highways near Apatzingán, La Piedad, Morelia, and Pátzcuaro, among other places. Cartel roadblocks were reported in Jalisco’s municipality of Ocotlán, which is about 20 miles from the Michoacán-Jalisco border.
Initial investigations have linked the attacks to the Cártel Michoacano Nueva Generación, which was founded by Jalisco Cartel members, and its feud with Los Viagras, a splinter group formed by the Familia Michoacana and Caballeros Templarios organizations.
Who are Los Viagras?
According to InSight Crime, the conflict between Los Viagras and the Jalisco Cartel in Michoacán has been one of the most intense in recent years, with the two groups frequently engaging in shootouts and erecting roadblocks to prevent the rival group or authorities from entering territories they control.
The group appears to have been founded in Huetamo, Michoacán, by seven Sierra Santana brothers. However, several of them have since been killed or arrested. According to the outlet, the organization’s current leader is Nicolás Sierra Santana, also known as “El Gordo.”
Authorities seize and destroy landmines
While informing about the attacks, Harfuch confirmed that authorities who responded to the roadblocks destroyed several mines planted by criminal groups and confiscated a number of cartel-used explosive devices.
As investigations continue, explosive devices seized by authorities have been linked to the Jalisco Cartel, a criminal organization known for manufacturing landmines.
Earlier this year, a former Colombian armed forces member told Animal Político that he was recruited by the CJNG in 2023 for explosives installation and production.
“Colombian soldiers are knowledgeable about a wide range of equipment, including explosives. We understand how to activate, deactivate, and produce them. That is why Mexican cartels seek us out,” he said.