Hipólito Mora And His 26 Men Are Arrested

Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

Hipólito Mora Chávez, founder of the autodefensas of La Ruana, arrived in the city of Morelia after having been detained and was taken to the prison “David Franco Rodríguez”, also known as Mil Cumbres, where he will be made available before a judge, as well as the other 26 who were also apprehended for the shootout of La Ruana that left 11 dead.

Hipólito was transferred via a navy helicopter of La Ruana to Morelia, where he was received in a PGJE hanger by the head of the agency, Martin Godoy Castro.

The Commissioner for Security and Integral Development of Michoacán, Alfredo Castillo Cervantes, confirmed today (Saturday) in his Twitter account that Mora and the other 26 who were involved in the shootout came voluntarily before the agency.  He noted that the judge would resolve the legal situation in 72 or 144 hours.

“The judge will resolve their legal status in 72 or 144 hours at the request of those presented in order to offer any evidence,” he wrote.

The leader of the Michoacán autodefensas was transferred to the prison Mil Cumbres, along with six of his men.  Moments before, 20 others had arrived.

The former autodefensas leader earlier told local media that they would turn themselves in voluntarily because they trust the authorities and that they are acting within the framework of the law.

Mora attended the ninth and final Rosario of his son.  Moments earlier in his social network he wrote: “Good morning, I’m announcing that my men and I will be turning ourselves in today, we have nothing to hide because we are INNOCENT.  Thanks. (sic).”

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Knights Templar's Threats Delay Constuction of Cefereso Federal Prison

Borderland Beat

SEGOB confirmed to MILENIO the CEFERESO federal prison in Buenavista Tomatlán, Michoacan has been under construction, and it actually should have been finished 11 months ago but has faced so many delays due to narco violence that the government was forced to extend the project for another year until November 2014.

Organized crime has painted a grim picture in La Tierra Caliente area of Michoacan.  Los Caballeros Templarios have not only brought their usual bag-of-corruption-tricks to local fruit growers, with the terroristic by-products of extortion, arson, kidnapping, executions, decapitations, bombings of electric plants, but also including their bloody clashes against self-defense groups who abhor and vehemently oppose cartel branded corruption. Also noted is the ongoing chaos of displaced Michoacan residents, running from the grim turmoil of their corrupt government infiltrated by ruthless members of organized crime. Villages in some communities are becoming ghost villages, as once and for all, fleeing residents abandon them for good.

The criminal insolence of area organized crime has brought all these scenarios and even more that are exhibited sometimes daily, reinforcing "the Templarios"
catastrophic capabilities of affecting the most implausible of scenarios; case in point is the on again, off again construction of the federal incarceration projects. The construction of CEFERESO federal prisons periodically have been halted because of the onslaught of extortion threats from area criminals. The penal facility in Buenavista Tomatlán, contractually obligated with a constuction completion date of last December, which has noticeably come and gone, thanks to Los Caballeros Templarios.  Now it will finish nearly two years later than the expected completion date.....two years - in November 2014.

During the last six years, the federal government announced that It would build eight new federal jails to incarcerate criminals, and whose construction was be granted to investors. The investment was around 48 billion pesos. Each facility will have capacity to hold  25,000 prisoners. One of those prisons is to be built in the municipality of Buenavista Tomatlán next to the town of La Ruana.

The Mexican developer (Prodemex) is in charge of building the prison to be accomplished In an area known deeply mired in conflicts between groups of drug traffickers and self defense groups, in a Milenio article published last September, it was cited as perhaps not a good idea.

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He Denied Their Existence; Eight Months Later, Fausto Vallejo Wants Dialogue

By: Záyin Dáleth Villavicencio

After eight months with the emergence of the community guards in Michoacán, the governor, Fausto Vallejo Figueroa, anticipates that amid the critical situation that occurs throughout the state, he will finally talk with the leaders of the self-defense groups that maintain their presence in at least six municipalities in the state.

This occurs just after the violent weekend that the state suffered through, with the attempt to uprise a new self-defense group in the municipality of Apatzingán on Saturday October 26, when about 3,000 demonstrators were attacked in front of the town hall in the presence of the Mexican Army.

However, since the emergence of the first armed civil groups in the municipalities of Tepalcatepec and Buenavista on February 24, the state government not only denied the existence of the groups, but was also responsible for minimizing the situation in the region of Tierra Caliente.

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Commander of Elite Group Killed in Navolato, Culiacan Executed, 3 Community Guards killed in Michoacán

Borderland Beat

An armed group of about 10 men attacked and shot the commander of the preventive state police, José Leonel Aguiluz Camacho, about 7 a.m. Saturday, in Santa Rocío in Culiacán.

He was driving a black Nissan Murano SUV with VNF6005 plate when he was attacked by men who surrounded him in two three vehicles, one was identified as a white or light grey Tsuro. They repeatedly shot the chief with AK-47s at least 50 times, wounding him gravely.

Aguiluz Camacho repelled the aggression, but was shot six times in the body. The paramedics from the Red Cross and auxiliary police immediately worked trying to save him and transported him to a nearby private, local hospital but he died minutes later. 

According to some reports, at the edge of a canal near the community of San Manuel a Nissan Tsuru was found, with traces of blood, which is presumably is related to the to the murder of the well known police chief.

At least 50 AR-15 and AK-47 casings were found at the scene.


Aguiluz Camacho served as the head of the elite group in Navolato, a municipality located 29 kilometers from Culiacan, same locality known for their ability to fight abductions and other offenses related to organized crime.  Recently José Leonel Aguiluz Camacho and Navolato received a notable commendation as police of the year, from governor Mario López Valdez. In 2009, the police chief received recognition from the Rotary Club of Culiacan when they gave him a Distinguished  Citizen Award for "his conviction to duty to safeguard the lives and safety of the people." 

Also in Culiacan, a charred male body was found on the side of the international highway Mexico 15, at the ejido of Los Becos de Costa Rica.

Local authorities reported the discovery of a corpse half buried in  Bellavista, in the community of Culiacancito. Up to press time, the victim had not been identified.

Buenavista Tomatlán 3 presumably community guards killed

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