The man, who fought for two years for the Familia Michoacana cartel, initially claimed he was kidnapped and forced into battle. He said if he left here he would be killed. This claim once again points to the forced recruitment of armed groups by various drug cartels that operate with impunity in different regions of Mexico.
This week, local residents of rural Guerrero held a press conference to help reunite 22-year-old Fernando with his family after more than two years working for the cartel. He claimed to have retreated during a retreat after a gunfight. He wandered through the forest until locals rescued him. Guerrero state, home to the popular beach destination of Acapulco, has a long history of cartel violence, with various criminal organizations competing for control of drug trafficking routes into Mexico and various drug production areas.
In a video shared by local residents on social media, Fernando shared his side of the story, claiming that those who asked for leave or asked to leave were killed on the spot by cartel leaders.
The man claimed he was taken by force, given a rifle and forced to work at La Familia Michoacana. He was paid a monthly salary of about $700 and was given little food, he claimed. A former cartel foot soldier claimed that the cartel had kidnapped several teenagers and children who were in the same situation. His boss forced them to take drugs as a way to maintain discipline.
During the press conference, Mr. Fernando asked for his extradition to federal authorities rather than state police, claiming that they were working with the La Familia cartel and that the police would hand him over. He said his former bosses would kill him.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Breitbart, Texas Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Breitbart’s senior management team.you can follow him twitter And even more Facebook. He can be contacted at: iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Breitbart Texas Cartel His Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Breitbart’s senior management team.please follow him twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at: bdarby@breitbart.com.
