Michoacán.- José Antonio Maldonado Mejía, alias ‘El Michoacano’, was arrested along with his brother José Artemio, both leaders of the Pueblos Unidos cartel yesterday, April 18, in an operation in a joint operation of the Specialized Unit to Combat Kidnapping of Michoacán and the National Anti-Kidnapping Coordination.
The Pueblos Unidos Cartel, of which the Mejías are leaders, is known to operate in various municipalities of Michoacán, such as Ario de Rosales, Ziracuaretiro, Uruapan Peribán, Tancítaro and Salvador Escalante, as well as some other municipalities of Hidalgo and emerged from the groups of the so-called self-defense groups.
The Pueblos Unidos cartel actually began as a self-defense group that arrived in Michoacán with the slogan of presenting strategies against organized crime in the region, and assured that “until Michoacán is pacified, we will not keep our weapons.”
However, authorities pointed out that the leaders of the now called United Peoples Cartel (including ‘El Michoacano and his brother), came from other cartels such as los Caballeros Templarios, La Familia Michoacana and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and that they were colluding with organized crime groups and that control was disputed against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Currently it is also known that they offer “protection” to avocado, lemon guava and mango producers who have suffered extortion by opposing cartels.
Read more: “El Michoacano” falls in CDMX leader of the Pueblos Unidos cartel
Previously José Antonio had been apprehended, however, El Michoacano escaped from the Tula Prison on December 1, 2021 along with 8 other inmates, which evidenced the security failures of the authorities and the fact that the “armed group” as the secretary of Public Security of the state had called it, Mauricio Delmar Saavedra, was something much more serious and powerful, actually.
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