The Mexican Federal Police have begun an operative to hunt down the top leaders of the terrorist drug cartel known as “La Familia” in Morelia, western Mexico.
5 people, including an 8-month-old baby, and the teenage daughter of a former Apatizangan mayor have died in the violent shootouts that actually begun Wednesday night, when police men came under fire from La Familia gunmen while investigating a call reporting the sight of armed men in Apatzingan in Michoacan state. The bandits fired on civilian cars and barricaded behind burning vehicles.
Federal police believe that at least one “La Familia” top leaders may have been among the several cartel members that have been gunned down so far. Alejandro Poire, government spokesman for security issues did not say who the leader may have been, but believes there might be more big honchos in the area.
“The way the criminals have tried to protect themselves as they fled from our operations yesterday and today suggests that we have located and are closely pursuing high-level leaders of La Familia Michoacana,” Poire said. “Similarly, preliminary unconfirmed information indicates that in their retreat, the organization has suffered significant causalities, including possibly the death of one of their leaders.”
Michoacan’s Attorney General’s Office said that by Thursday evening, three civilians and two federal police officers had died and three other officers were severely injured. The Public Safety Department reported that a third group of gunmen ambushed another group federal police elements sent as back-up; the gunmen arrived at every road leading into Morelia and fired several rounds into the air, forcing civilians out of vehicles.
The gunmen torched several vehicles, and used them to block a highway leading into Apatzingan to prevent the police from advancing.
These blockades have become a common strategy of the Mexican insurgency.
“El Blog del Narco” reports that though it hasn’t been officially confirmed,
Criminals captured in this operative have already led police to narco-graves, and provided them with intelligence which we will publish as soon as it becomes available.
