Relentless Hunt against Autodefensa Leaders: Jesús Bucio Assassinated

Jesús Bucio Cortés

By: César Vázquez | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat 

 

Another founding member of the autodefensas of Michoacán was assassinated today.  Jesús Bucio Cortés was the founder and leader of the autodefensa group of Tancítaro.

The incident occurred Sunday when an armed group was stalking the road in which the autodefensa leader was also on.  He was ambushed towards the area known as Púcuaro, located in the municipality of Tancítaro.

Along with the leader of the autodefensas was his brother, who was also killed, who accompanied him on their way to the community of El Zapote when they were hunted down from the mountains.

Jesús Bucio Cortés was being pointed out in recent days because of his constant denunciations of recent attempts by the Caballeros Templarios in trying to return to the region.  He also denounced that avocado farmers were being extorted again by the criminal group.

The autodefensa leader of the region had also arrested José Manuel Montero Nambo, who had kidnapped his son.  He personally took him to the Mil Cumbres CERESO (Social Rehabilitation Center), but three months later, the capo was out on the streets.

He even claimed that this man was the main enemy in the region and that he constantly stalked the communities as well as threatening them in taking revenge.

The perpetrators of this crime are unknown.  At this moment, security forces, other autodefensa groups, and the Fuerza Rural are combing the area in order to find those responsible.

So far there are no arrests, although a strong operation is taking place in the avocado growing area.

Hunted Autodefensa Leaders

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Former Autodefensa Member and Family Murdered

Borderland Beat

A former autodefensa member who integrated with the Rural State Force from Tepalcatepec was murdered early Thursday morning along with his wife and three children on the border between Michoacán and Jalisco.

According to information from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), the victims showed signs of torture and injuries that were caused by firearms; so far the reasons for the murder are unknown.

The murder victims were: former autodefensa member Santiago Moreno Valencia, his wife, Blanca Godínez Chávez, and their three children, Santiago, 16, Bernabé 14, and Bianca, 11.

The incident was confirmed by members of the Fuerza Rural de Tepalcatepec (Rural Forces of Tepalcatepec), who also reported that after the incident, they tried to locate those responsible but without any success.

The investigation was initiated by authorities of the neighboring state of Jalisco, since the incident occurred within their jurisdiction.

According to Valor Por Michoacán SDR's Facebook page, the family was ambushed by members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Source: Michoacán 3.0

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From Self-Defense Members To Unjust Prisoners

By: Heriberto Paredes

(March 30, 2014) On March 26, an incident that unveiled the true vocation of the federal and state governments passed by unnoticed by most of the press and of course, no spotlight was placed on this event.  A group of 11 people were suddenly arrested by members of the Ministerial Police of the municipality of Ziracuaretiro and later taken to the Social Rehabilitation Center in La Piedad, another municipality of Michoacán.  

Within this group, three are members of the self-defense groups of Taretan and the rest are people who supported the idea of organizing to clear the area of organized crime. These three members are Santiago Duarte Sanabria, Jesús Fernández Alcázar and Victor Manuel Duarte Hernández, leader of the self-defense groups in Taretan.

The incident occurred after a meeting between self-defense members of Taretan and citizens of Ziracuaretiro, as well as members of the state government; there was an invitation to officially register the arms of the self-defense members and to voluntarily access it, they had to go to Uruapan to proceed.  Or at least that was the agreement made; however, halfway through the trip, the vehicle convoy changed course and headed straight to La Piedad, where they apprehended the 11 people.

It should be noted that the situation in Michoacán is complex; the presence of the Caballeros Templarios is still constant and has led to murders and kidnappings.  A resident of Ziracuaretiro, in a telephone interview for SubVersiones, says that “Since last week, the atmosphere has been very tense; we can’t live like this, that’s why we agree that the self-defense groups should organize and clean the villages of Templarios.  

The people arrested last Wednesday are honest people who until now have only worked with the federal police and the army in order to locate criminals, it isn’t right that they are now imprisoned and accused of things they didn’t do.  We can’t allow this approach from the government that decides when you are an ally and when you are a criminal.”

Several witnesses claim that everything was going peaceful, the self-defense group of Taretan along with residents of Ziracuaretiro agreed to organize in order to rise up.  Even the regional attorney of justice, Iván Martínez Gutiérrez, as well as various elements of the ministerial police attended the meeting.  At the request to officially register their weapons in order to not violate the agreement made with the Commissioner Alfredo Castillo on January 27, members of the self-defense groups got on official vehicles (including the attorney) and headed towards Uruapan. 

It was during the middle of the trip where the vehicles stopped and the trip changed direction towards La Piedad.  There were no preliminary investigations or complaints or arrest warrants to justify the actions of the authorities.

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Hipólito Mora Escorted By Federal Police

 Update

The armed group accuses Hipólito of having ordered the murder of one of the operators of the armed movement, identified as Rafael Sánchez Moreno, "El Pollo".

The spokesperson for the self-defense groups of Buenavista Tomatlán, Hipólito Mora, left the ranch Los Palmares via helicopter after at least 400 members of another self-defense group demanded him to be removed from his position this afternoon.

Led by “El Americano”, the group is located 300 meters away from the ranch where those close to the spokesperson of Buenavista Tomatlán barricaded themselves in.

The ultimatum is for them to leave the ranch or else be disarmed; although Hipólito Mora left the ranch in a helicopter bound for the Federal District.

Federal Police arrived at the scene trying to calm the crowd, which was gradually approaching the ranch.

“How are we going to disarm, assholes.  How are we going to disarm when they’re sending pure templarios, they’re going to kill us, go fuck you moms”, said a member of the self-defense groups of Hipólito Mora.

At the entrance of the ranch, there were women armed with sticks and machetes.

After about 20:00 hours, Mora was escorted from the municipality via a Federal Police helicopter.

Hipólito Mora said that he didn’t want to face Luis Antonio Torres González “El Americano” because there are still good people with him who have been manipulated.

He also noted that on March 8, 2014 Rafael Sánchez Moreno “El Pollo” was killed.  He had also infiltrated the self-defense groups, when everyone knew that he was the right hand man of Nazario Moreno, El Chayo.  “Those who besieged La Ruana are people of El Chayo, La Tuta, and El Chango Méndez.”

Source: Milenio

divide and conquer...

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Armed Group Trying To Overthrow Hipólito in La Ruana

Update: Additional Info

He received $1,500 pesos (~$113) from every templar of La Ruana in order
to let them roam freely in his group in Buenavista

A group of 400 people today laid siege to the municipality of La Ruana, Michoacán, allegedly demanding that the self-defense spokesperson, Hipólito Mora, be removed from his position.

Other versions indicate that they are members of the Knights Templar who are besieging the municipality.

According to press reports, the protesters are led by Luis Torres “El Americano”, one of the leading advocates of the armed movement in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, along with Hipólito Mora and Estanislao Beltrán.

This would mean that there is a movement of dissatisfaction within the self-defense movement.  A few other groups have enough weapons: with them they have faced against organized crime.

 

Hipólito Mora

In an interview with Denise Maerker, Mora said that “El Americano” has placed roadblocks at the entrance and in the center of La Ruana where he arrived with about 50-60 trucks.

He explained that when the movement started, that guy, “El Americano”, wanted his village, about 15 minutes from La Ruana, to rise up in arms, “then…I don’t know what happened to the Templarios, he came and was here behind us, he lasted for about two months, after one or two months we liberated Buenavista, and I told him, if you want to go over there then go, and he went, he stayed as the leader of Buenavista.”

He indicates that “the problem that’s occurring now is that he’s surrounded by pure Templarios”.

Hipólito Mora also mentioned that “El Americano” intends to disarm them but they won’t let him, “there are only a few of us right now, we won’t let him.  The reason for him to take over La Ruana is because he is supported by all his drug trafficking friends: “El Chayo” and “La Tuta”.

He said that those who made up the self-defense movement didn’t run them off, they went with the ‘Templarios’, “they cooperated in order to attack us, to kill us; they couldn’t, now they have time to get into the village but the village rejects them”.

He noted that some have joined with “El Americano”; they even have credentials of being self-defense members and are armed; they are the ones who want to kill us in order for it to be calm like it was before.

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The Autodefensas of Tierra Caliente and the Example of Cherán

A Member of the citizens’ council of the self-defense groups surrounding Apatzingán, Michoacán, January 2014.   

Photo By: Heriberto Paredes

By: Romeo LopCam

January 26, 2014- Given the voices who see the emergence and spreading of the armed Self-Defense Movement against organized crime and the government inaction against those in Michoacán, as a worsening of the problem of violence in the state, I would like to compare a series of arguments pointing in the opposite direction.

Everything indicates that the Self-Defense Groups or comunitarios (as they like to call themselves) of Tierra Caliente emerged on February 24, 2013, in an almost simultaneous movement carried out in two villages.  This is how it’s been stated in various interviews by two of the most famous people in the movement; Hipólito Mora of La Ruana and Dr. Juan José Mireles Valverde of Tepalcatepec.

As the latter has said, in a way, they took the example of the people of the P'urhépecha Plateau, particularly of Cherán, where the popular organization managed to expel not only drug traffickers, but also illegal loggers and political parties, who they say just divided the people.

Being a town where the indigenous people are the majority, Cherán is governed by a system of practices and customs (self-governance), therefore the city hall was replaced in 2011by a council of 12 members elected by an assembly and its Community Police has full legal recognition.  Today, although they are still harassed by criminal groups, the inhabitants of Cherán are living in one of the safest places in Michoacán.

If you would like to learn more about Cherán and how they operate watch the video below about the Guarda Bosques (Forest Keepers)

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Self-Defense Groups Advance towards Yurécuaro & Los Reyes

Self-Defense Movement Advances towards Yurécuaro

January 28, 2014—In the community of Yurécuaro, Michoacán, hundreds of people rose up in arms this Tuesday morning; they said that they were fed up with the injustices carried out against the citizens from organized crime.

It was approximately around 10:00 hours when the movement arose on the streets of the center of the town, which is also the county seat, where most of the economic activity is concentrated in.

Nearby communities have also taken up in arms: El Sabino, Santa Cecilia, Rancho Las Palomas, La Joya and San Antonio.  It is expected that during the next few hours, other villages and towns will hopefully join.

Yurécuaro lies between the boundaries of Michoacán and Jalisco.  It is in this area where multiple violent acts have been carried out such as kidnappings, the burning of vehicles, extortions, and various executions.  For these reasons it is seen as a red flag for security experts, who have not addressed these acts and now its inhabitants, have decided to rise up in arms in order to defend themselves.

Estanislao Beltrán “Papa Smurf”

Yesterday a leader of the Self-Defense Groups, Estanislao Beltrán, stated that they will not stop advancing and declared “We are going for the 113 municipalities of Michoacán because there is a problem in all of them.  It is clear that there are bigger problems in the Tierra Caliente region.”

Sources:  Aristegui Noticias, Cambio De Michoacán

Self-Defense Groups Enter Los Reyes

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Self-Defense Groups Will Become Institutionalized

Agreement for the Federal Security Assistance of Michoacán

January 27, 2014—The Self-Defense Groups that emerged in Michoacán signed an agreement today along with the federal and state government that will transform them into elements of the Rural Defense Corps, an existing organization under the control of the military.  Rurales, groups of armed volunteers who were once used to keep peace in rural areas when security forces were unavailable, once existed between 1861 and 1914, during Mexico’s turbulent 19^th century. 

 

Group of Rurarles in 1922

The signing achieved under the Agreement for the Federal Security Assistance of Michoacán (Acuerdo para el Apoyo Federal a la Seguridad de Michoacán), states that the government of the Republic and the state of Michoacán came to a “conviction of rebuilding peace and public order”.  The Self-Defense Groups also agreed to provide a list of all of its members.

Alfredo Castillo Cervantes

Alfredo Castillo Cervantes, commissioner for the security and integral development of Michoacán, said that the agreement, although it’s a first step, is critical in fulfilling the security strategy in the state.

Apart from Castillo Cervantes, Michoacán’s Governor Fausto Vallejo Figueroa and along with representatives from communities such as Churumuco de Morelos, Nueva Italia de Ruíz, La Huacana, Parácuaro, Tancítaro, Cualcomán de Vázquez Pallares, Aquila and Coahuayana de Hidalgo were present.

 

María Elena Morera de Galindo

Also, the signing was witnessed by the president of Causa en Común (Common Cause) María Elena Morera de Galindo and the General Commissioner of the Federal Police, Enrique Galindo Ceballos.

Enrique Galindo Ceballos

Here are the eight points of the agreement reached between the governments and the Self-Defense Groups:

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Fed Up With Abuses, Poblanos Create Their Own Self-Defense Group

Neighbors from Chilac gather around the leader Francisco Alfaro

By: Gabriela Hernández

Inhabitants of the town of San Gabriel Chilac, southeast of the poblano (inhabitant of Puebla) territory, announced the formation of a self-defense group to be mentored and trained by their counterparts from Michoacán and will also be funded by poblanos living abroad.

Francisco Alfaro Rodríguez, spokesperson for the citizens group that make up the Common Front For Peaceful Civil Resistance (Frente Común de Resistencia Civil Pacífica (FCRCP)), said that they have been determined in creating this group in order to defend themselves from organized crime that plagues the region and that are in collusion with municipal and state security authorities.

Even though the spokesperson announced that a group of people will be traveling to Michoacán to receive training, the state government issued a report denying the existence of this self-defense group and announced that he’ll be sending elements in order to strengthen the security in San Gabriel Chilac.

 

Luis Maldonado Venegas

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