Templarios

The Calderon government made an error in judgment, at least, in declaring El Chayo dead after a shootout without recovering the body but all indications are it was not a deliberate lie. Published reports are that he had had reconstructive surgery of gunshot wounds including transplants of the jaw, chin and nose, and the face looked like Frankenstein's monster from healed scars.

As predicted, the cracks are widening between the leaders of the autodefensas movement. This Mireles character returned to Michoacan following recuperation from injuries received in an airplane crash. Mireles immediately re-assumed his role as spokesman for the AUS, kicking Estanislao Beltran to the curb. Then two autodefensas members were found dead by a roadside. A rival autodefensas leader, who is loyal to Mireles and known as "El Americano," accused Mora of ordering their assassination. Led by El Americano, some 400 autodefensas and townsfolk descended on Mora's ranch in La Ruana and demanded he and his men either disarm or get out of town. Federal and state police moved in to separate the two groups and whisked Mora away to Mexico City in a helicopter. Here's a more detailed account.

Spanish:
http://noticias.terra.com/internacional/narcoviolencia/lider-de-autodefensas-trasladado-a-la-capital-por-tension-con-grupo-rival,784bbcfb96da4410VgnCLD2000000ec6eb0aRCRD.html

Google translation:
http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=es-419&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnoticias.terra.com%2Finternacional%2Fnarcoviolencia%2Flider-de-autodefensas-trasladado-a-la-capital-por-tension-con-grupo-rival%2C784bbcfb96da4410VgnCLD2000000ec6eb0aRCRD.html

Smartalex wrote:I see El Chayo gets little respect around here.

On the radio this morning I heard the results of a poll taken in Guadalajara asking listeners which group posed the greatest threat to public safety in Jalisco;the results;bus drivers were the hands down winner with a whopping 80 percent of the votes followed by the ISSSTE with 15 percent while organized crime/cartels only got 5 percent.
Obviously this wasn't a scientific poll but it does give some perspective.

Interestig peerspective, I do not know about ISSTE but I do fear the Guadalajara buses a whole lot than the catels.

If they were to shackle the bus drivers so they couldn't run away after an accident, they might drive a bit more carefully? Then again, there have been numerous reports as of late about the faulty maintenance of the buses.

CheenaGringo wrote:If they were to shackle the bus drivers so they couldn't run away after an accident, they might drive a bit more carefully?  Then again, there have been numerous reports as of late about the faulty maintenance of the buses.

The last tragedy happened a few days ago,one bus driver racing another driver to get more fares,which how most bus related accidents here occur, lost control and ran over 19 students,killing one,he tried to flee as is the CUSTOM here but was dragged out of his bus a block later and almost lynched by the crowd.In response to the public outrage the governor lowered the bus fare in Guadalajara from 7 pesos to 6,WTF.
On average one person a week is run over and killed by busses in Guadalajara,my question is why aren't the owners of the bus lines ever held accountable???

Seems to me there was a recent article about "counterfeit" buses with absolutely no licensing?

I have always been amazed at the reports of not only bus drivers running but also truck drivers in rigs clearly marked with a company name. Don't these companies keep logs of just who the driver was of a given piece of equipment on a given day?

From CNN Mexico:

Hipolito Mora, Autodefensas Leader, Is Arrested in Michoacan

Mora was arrested for his alleged responsibility for the murder of José Luis Torres and Rafael Sánchez

(CNNMéxico ) - The leader of the self-defense of La Ruana , Michoacán , Hipolito Mora , was arrested Tuesday for his alleged role in the death of two people, upheld the Attorney General ( PGJ ) of Michoacán.

The state agency reported that the arrest of the founder of the Michoacan paramilitary is part of the investigation 019/2014-UT .

Mora was arrested for his alleged responsibility in degree of sharing for the murder of José Luis Torres and Rafael Sanchez, also members of the AUC , whose charred bodies were found on Saturday .

The PGJ mentioned that his action was derived from " various testimonies raised in the town of Buenavista " , through various people who made the accusations against Mora.

On Monday, tense moments were lived in La Ruana , Buenavista , the division between armed civilians who support Hipolito Mora, and those who support Luis Antonio González Torres , "El Americano ."

In an interview with TV Efekto , Mora who preferred to reserve his comments on the case and said that the relevant authorities should investigate whether he had anything to do with the death of the two people.

" I do not know what purpose have to accuse me ," he said , considering that El Americano is wrong to " threaten people , scare and do what he wants , he needs to be returned to Buenavista and look there, not in La Ruana " .

Here's the original story in Spanish:
http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2014/03/11/hipolito-mora-lider-de-autodefensas-es-detenido-en-michoacan

Smartalex,
here's the same story but with a different slant. One story says he was arrested while the other says he went for a helicopter ride.


Vigilante Leader Flown to Mexico City Amid Tensions with Rival Group

MORELIA, Mexico – Hipolito Mora, a vigilante leader from the western Mexican state of Michoacan, told Efe he was flown to Mexico City on a government helicopter amid tensions between his group and a rival self-defense organization.

Mora is the leader of a vigilante group formed more than a year ago in the town of La Ruana to fight the Caballeros Templarios drug cartel, which has a strong presence in the state.

The situation was tense on Monday in La Ruana because Luis Antonio Torres Gonzalez, the leader of the vigilante group in the neighboring town of Buenavista, tried to occupy the community.

The towns are in the Tierra Caliente region, which takes its name from the high temperatures in the area and straddles Michoacan, Guerrero and Mexico states.

The Caballeros Templarios cartel controlled the region until the federal government deployed the security forces to fight crime in the area.

The 58-year-old Mora, a lemon grower in La Ruana, said he was flown out of the Tierra Caliente on a government helicopter and planned to meet with federal officials to discuss the situation in his town.

Dozens of followers of Torres Gonzalez tried to occupy La Ruana, but “the people resisted” and held the checkpoints, keeping out the rival vigilantes, Mora said.

This was the worst standoff between vigilante groups since the first community self-defense organizations were formed on Feb. 24, 2013.

Vigilante groups have spread across Michoacan, which has been plagued by drug-related violence blamed on the Caballeros Templarios.

The conflicts between rival vigilante groups are rooted in fears that some of the organizations may have been infiltrated by cartel members or people loyal to the criminal organization.

Mora, one of the leaders not suspected by officials of being allied with the cartel, told Efe in an interview on Feb. 21 that infiltration by criminals was the biggest challenge facing the vigilante movement.

Over the weekend, soldiers killed Caballeros Templarios boss Nazario Moreno Gonzalez.

Moreno, known as “El Chayo” and reported killed in 2010, died in a shootout with soldiers on Sunday near Tumbiscatio, a city in Michoacan.

The 2006-2012 administration of President Felipe Calderon announced that Moreno died in a shootout with the Federal Police on Dec. 9, 2010, but officials said the body was not recovered because members of the cartel the drug trafficker led at the time, La Familia Michoacana, took it away.

La Familia Michoacana was formed in 2006 to push the rival Los Zetas gang out of Michoacan.

Moreno and other Familia Michoacana members formed the Caballeros Templarios organization after he was reported killed by the government.

Los Caballeros Templarios, which deals in both synthetic and natural drugs, commits murders, stages kidnappings and runs extortion rackets that target business owners and transport companies in Michoacan.

The cartel uses Michoacan’s 270 kilometers (168 miles) of coastline to smuggle chemical drug precursors for the production of synthetic drugs into Mexico.

The federal government deployed soldiers and police in Michoacan on Jan. 13 in an effort to end the wave of violence in the state.

Dionisio Loya Plancarte, one of the cartel’s top leaders, was arrested by federal forces in late January.

http://laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=1749263&CategoryId=14091

Although I haven't checked this site for a day or 2, Mattoleriver's report is more like what I'm seeing here:
https://www.facebook.com/MichoacanosUnidosPorLaPaz?ref=stream

This is a good site with many posts, comments, and pictures. All Spanish, however.

Check your news sources again. You'll find out Mora was arrested following his rescue by helicopter from the angry townsfolk. Here's the Borderland Beat story:

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/03/state-of-michoacan-detains-autodefensas.html#more

And here's the Excelsior story:

Hipólito Mora es detenido en Michoacán; lo acusan de homicidio
El fundador de autodefensas en Tierra Caliente es acusado por la Procuraduría local de participar en el asesinato de Rafael Sánchez Moreno, El Pollo, y José Luis Torres, Nino

Spanish:
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2014/03/12/948191#imagen-2

Google translation:
http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=es-419&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.excelsior.com.mx%2Fnacional%2F2014%2F03%2F12%2F948191%23imagen-2

Here's an updated analysis of Michoacan from Insight Crime. It's a must-read article for anybody following this story.

'El Chayo' Dead but Knights Templar War with Vigilantes Rages On

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/el-chayo-dead-but-knights-templars-war-with-vigilante-militias-rages-on

Hipolito Mora is now officially charged in the murder of two autodefensas members in Michoacan. The state attorney general's office had until 10 p.m. this evening (Thursday) to either charge him with a crime or cut him loose. He has been charged with a bunch of other stuff too. I guess an arraignment will follow.

Mora's lawyer says his client has been falsely accused by autodefensas rival "El Americano" due to a land dispute between the two families. Meanwhile, this Mireles character says he agrees that it's a family dispute, but claims Mora is angry at El Americano because he's been dating Mora's niece. Of course, none of the denials explain the two dead guys out on the carretera.

Interestingly...one of the dead guys was involved in the political campaign of Senadora Iris Vianey Mendoza. Hmmm....

Did it say who was in control of La Ruana, Hipólito's stronhold, or at least was?

The feds have been in La Ruana for a few days in order to keep the peace between the rival factions of autodefensas. The feds even convinced some 50-70 Mora loyalists to disarm, telling them the weapons will be tested in a search for the murder weapons. The rival group of El Americano is centered in a nearby town. They have not been requested to disarm. The feds will probably stay for a while. However, they have pointed out that this local dispute between the two rival AUS groups is diverting men and resources that could be used in the search for La Tuta and Kike Plancarte.

"Dr Mireles: "Autodefensas are not dedicated to resolving personal issues"

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/03/dr-mireles-autodefensas-are-not.html

This guy Mireles is good at blowing smoke and obfuscating. He does not want you to know that the attorney general of Michoacan has requested arrest warrants for nine more members of Mora's AUS unit in connection with the double murders or that the dispute that led to the killings has something to do with fund raising for the autodefensas.

It's been a bad day for Hipolito Mora and the entire AUS movement. A judge in Michoacan issued nine more arrest warrants for members of Mora's autodefensas unit in the double murder case for which Mora has already been arrested. And the cover story about this being a "personal dispute" between Mora and El Americano fell apart when the Mexican press revealed that there was a disagreement between Mora and one of the murdered men, who was known as "El Pollo." Mora felt El Pollo wasn't paying enough money to support the autodefensas and El Pollo complained that Mora was keeping properties confiscated from the Templarios for his own personal gain rather than returning the properties to their rightful owners. It was also revealed that Mora had been arrested twice for drug trafficking while living in the U.S. In 1995, when Mora was released from his second stint in a U.S. prison, he was deported back to Mexico. In Mexico, Mora first hooked up with La Familia, then joined the Templarios and then became a founder of the current AUS movement.

Here's a more detailed account of the criminal backgrounds of the leaders of the autodefensas, from Sinembargo:

Five leaders of paramilitary groups in Michoacán are accused of crimes in Mexico and the United States

Mexico City , March 15 (SINEMBARGO) - Various heads of paramilitary groups in Michoacán have criminal records in Mexico and the United States, according to various investigations, ranging from illegal marijuana trafficking to murder and kidnapping.

This week, Hipolito Mora, leader of the self-defense of La Ruana, in Buenavista Tomatlán, was arrested following revelations that he was involved in the murder of two people. In addition, it was revealed that Mora was imprisoned in the United States between 1989 and 1995 for possession and trafficking in drugs. The newspaper Reforma reported that FBI files reveal that Mora was arrested on June 22, 1989 for drug possession. After serving a sentence of four years he was again arrested for drug trafficking in 1993. In 1995 U.S. authorities deported him to Mexico. On 11 March, the spokesman of the AUC was arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of Rafael Sánchez Moreno, alias " El Pollo," and his driver José Luis Torres Castaneda .

The newspaper Reforma also reported that several other leaders of these groups operating in Tierra Caliente also have criminal history in both countries. One of them is Dr. José Manuel Mireles, one of the most visible leaders of the autodefensas movement, who has previous convictions for marijuana trafficking.

The Reforma story also mentions Luis Antonio Torres, "The American." Residents of Tierra Caliente have accused him of leading a group known as H3 in Buenavista. Officials claim that Torres is also under investigation by the state attorney general for murder and kidnapping, based upon confessions from other members of organized crime.

Another character is Juan José Farías Álvarez, "El Abuelo." Farias is identified by the PGR as a Milenio Cartel leader, who has previously served three years in prison. In a meeting with Federal Commissioner Alfredo Castillo Cervantes in Tepalcatepec February 5, Farias asked that his case, which is still active in the courts, be reviewed. "El Abuelo" is suspected by federal authorities of racketeering and money laundering. His brother Uriel was arrested for ties to drug trafficking during the "Michoacanazo." . Another brother, known as "El Manis," is accused of kidnapping.

Among the suspected autodefensas leaders is Alvarez Roldan Ayala , former mayor of Apatzingán, who is said to be leading a group of extortionists. On February 20, associates of Roldan were arrested by federal authorities while extorting money from a builder. They presented themselves as criminals of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel .

Another leader allegedly linked to criminal groups is Miguel Angel Gallegos Godoy, who belonged to the Knights Templar. After conflicts with Enrique "Kike" Plancarte, he joined the paramilitaries. His group is considered one of the wealthiest of the paramilitary units and dominates the region of La Huacana. Gallegos, known as "Migueladas," appears in various investigations of organized crime, say ministry sources.

Original article:
http://www.sinembargo.mx/15-03-2014/932886

Interesting article about real sources of income for the cartel:
"LAZARO CARDENAS, Mexico (AP) — Forget crystal meth. The pseudo-religious Knights Templar drug cartel in western Mexico has diversified to the point that drug trafficking doesn't even rank among its top sources of income.

The cartel counts illegal mining, logging and extortion as its biggest moneymakers, said Alfredo Castillo, the Mexican government's special envoy sent to restore the rule of law in Michoacan, the state controlled by the Knights Templar the last several years.........

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/17/cartel-dealing-iron-ore/6512167/

Manuel Plancarte Gaspar, the 34-year-old nephew of Templarios leader Enrique Plancarte, was detained by police yesterday in Michoacan. He is being investigated for kidnapping and killing children in order to sell their organs. Here are links to the Sinembargo story. Thankfully, the story is short on details.

Spanish:
http://www.sinembargo.mx/17-03-2014/934506

Google translation:
http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=es-419&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sinembargo.mx%2F17-03-2014%2F934506

The media frenzy over the story that the Templarios have been actively engaged in the business of human organ trafficking has died down...considerably. Government and medical officials have agreed that such a scenario would be impossible, considering the complexities of matching donors and recipients and preserving organs during transport. Prosecutors continue to investigate the possibility that Manuel Plancarte engaged in the harvesting of human organs for use in Templarios initiation ceremonies. Meanwhile, this Mireles character continues to fan the flames of mass hysteria, claiming that the autodefensas once discovered a refrigerated van full of kidnapped schoolchildren headed for the port of Lazaro Cardenas. He claims the children were rescued and returned to their families. Perhaps the implication is that they were going to be shipped to China.

We have watched the decline of business in Santa Clara del Cobre since we first visited there in 2008 and now news that the artesanos have seen another 50% drop in sales after the arrival of the auto defense forces:

Spanish: http://www.provincia.com.mx/por-violencia-caen-50-las-ventas-de-los-artesanos/

Google Translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.provincia.com.mx%2Fpor-violencia-caen-50-las-ventas-de-los-artesanos%2F&act=url

the hysterical rumors about children being kidnapped and their organs sold keeps coming up. It seems particularly alive amongst indigenous areas. I remember back in 94 when a German tourist was killed in Guatemala because he was seen in a cemetary and the villagers decided he was going to violate the graves.
I also heard a lot of rumors about children being kidnapped by foreigners and what I saw were a lot of dark skin babies being brought back on planes by happy new parents.
The same thing is happening right now in Chiapas and the papers have been publishing big ads saying the rumors are false. But the villages announced on the loud speakers the visit of any suspicious character especially if they are speaking to children.
In every village where I have been this  year, I have heard from people concerned about their children so the Michoacan story is not doing anything to reassure people.
The whole thing does not make any sense but ignorance  and fear are powerful factors in remote villages.

Yes the sales of artesania is down in my area too. Everyone is expecting a lot from the Semana Santa unfortunately I do not think it will help Santa Clara-Most people I know are postponing visiting Michoacan.

The bogus organ transplant scenario was started way back in the 80s in Latin America and was originally the USSR via its proxy in Cuba that started it. The original culprits were of course the gringos. Just another absurdity of the Cold War.