A three-day gun battle left several gunmen dead and resulted in a gruesome beheading as members of the terrorist group Jalisco New Generation continued their campaign to take control of the western state of Michoacán. The escalation in violence comes a day after Mexican government officials spoke about how crime has fallen in recent weeks.
A Knights Templar cartel gunman was killed by the CJNG in Michoacan state. (Credit: Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles)
On Friday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and top security officials held a press conference. During the presentation, they presented a series of statistics that they claim have reduced violence in states such as Sinaloa and Guerrero. They also claimed to have made numerous arrests and seized various weapons, resulting in a marked reduction in crime.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her staff are discussing major arrests to show a drop in crime. (Credit: President of Mexico)
Hours before the press conference, gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation cartel were photographed beheading a rival in Michoacan state.
CJNG gunmen behead a rival in Michoacan state. (Credit Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles)
The killings came after three days of constant gunfire as the CJNG marched into the town of Apatzingan to capture an area controlled by a small cartel called the Knights Templar. The latter cartel is affiliated with a “self-defense” group run by narco-terrorist Juan Jose “El Abuelo” Farias.
As Breitbart Texas first reported last year, several smaller cartels in Michoacán, including factions such as Los Biagras, El Fresa, and El Boto, have partnered with the CJNG to fight their rivals. . Earlier this year, the CJNG and its allies announced that they would promote Apatzingan and the surrounding area and try to eliminate the Templars. Since then, violence has escalated across the state.
A cartel gunman is killed by a rival in Michoacán. (Credit Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles).
As Breitbart Texas reported, El Abuelo Farias has a long criminal history in Michoacán and other parts of the country, with past arrests on charges of organized crime and drug trafficking. But in 2018 and other previous cases, Mexican judges ordered his release under questionable circumstances.
The state of Michoacán has been the center of fierce turf wars in recent years, with various groups vying for control of lucrative drug production and drug-trafficking routes into Mexico.
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 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.
Jose Luis Lara of Breitbart Texas' Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.
