Templarios

Those two latest videos have left a lot of people scratching their heads. Mr. Americano, in a statement to prosecutors, denies that he is in the video with La Tuta. Mr. Pitufo says he welcomes an investigation and claims he is the victim of a smear campaign perpetrated by Mr. Tuta. And Chivis at Borderland Beat questions why Priscila at Grillonautas, who she identifies as "a close personal friend of Dr. Mireles," would even post a months-old video showing nothing.

My question is: Howcum the Sierra brothers aren't the ones being investigated here?

Mario Arce Moreno, a Las Zetas top dog, was captured in Tamalipaus.

Well, the international day of protest to demand the release of Mr. Mireles from prison was a real dud. One of the major demonstrations was planned for Morelia, where about 50 people actually turned out to express their displeasure with Mireles' continued incarceration. From Milenio...

Marchan por la liberación de Mireles en Morelia
http://www.milenio.com/policia/mireles-marchan-liberacion-morelia-50_personas_0_364163738.html

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.milenio.com%2Fpolicia%2Fmireles-marchan-liberacion-morelia-50_personas_0_364163738.html

Fifty people???  In his home state,what a joke..
I just checked BB to see how they were reporting on the results of the international protests they had been promoting...NADA...

Most of the people around Acuitzio, where I have been recently, don't trust Mireles or El Pitufo any more than they do the Templarios or the government.
But then they don't trust hardly anyone.
Acuitzio is halfway between Morelia and Patzcuaro.

edit to add....
I may be wrong, but from what I have seen and heard, I don't think Mireles has the overall support that some of his most ardent supporters thinks he has.
No one from this town that I know of went to Morelia to support him, and everybody seems to know everybody's business around here.  

Patrolling in style in Michoacán

http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/new-police-nice-wheels-courtesy-organized-crime-groups/

Another one bites the dust. Michoacan state authorities detained German Gonzalez (El Escorpion), who is presumed to be the Templarios' plaza jefe of Lazaro Cardenas. From Informador...

Detienen a presunto líder 'templario' en Lázaro Cárdenas
http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/546792/6/detienen-a-presunto-lider-templario-en-lazaro-cardenas.htm

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.informador.com.mx%2Fmexico%2F2014%2F546792%2F6%2Fdetienen-a-presunto-lider-templario-en-lazaro-cardenas.htm

Looks like that story about using the new Gendarmeria to protect fruits and vegetables was a cover. They were deployed last week to some of the hottest spots in the country, including Tamaulipas and Valle de Bravo. From El Universal...

Despliegan Agrupamientos de Gendarmería a 5 estados
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion-mexico/2014/gendarmeria-estados-1034743.html

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Fnacion-mexico%2F2014%2Fgendarmeria-estados-1034743.html

The Gendarmes have arrived in Michoacan. A 300-man (and woman) contingent of the new Gendarmeria was sent to La Ruana on Monday, much to the approval of Hipolito Mora. I guess they are going to hold down the fort while the Rurales are out scouring the hills, once again sniffing down the trail of La Tuta. From Informador...


La Ruana, más tranquila con Gendarmería: Hipólito Mora
http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/548059/6/la-ruana-mas-tranquila-con-gendarmeria-hipolito-mora.htm

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.informador.com.mx%2Fmexico%2F2014%2F548059%2F6%2Fla-ruana-mas-tranquila-con-gendarmeria-hipolito-mora.htm

Meanwhile, the Templarios claim, "We're going to really fuck up those fucking Rurales," From Borderland Beat...

Tuta message to the Michoacán: "We have suffered painful casualties, but we are still standing"
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/09/tuta-message-to-michoacan-we-have.html

Turns out that was not El Americano in the video with La Tuta. From El Universal.

'El Americano' no es quien parace con La Tuta: PGJ
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2014/tuta-americano-pgj-michoaca-1037692.html

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Festados%2F2014%2Ftuta-americano-pgj-michoaca-1037692.html

doctor mireles is expected to be released by september 17 according to borderland beat. he has a huge and prominent legal team and human rights organizations working on his behalf.
i addition a bunch of rurales leaders are being accused of ties to organized crime like smurf and americano. what a surprise!

With the conversion of the vigilantes to rural police force and the newly arrived gendarmes, what has been the affect on the agricultural sector in Michoacan? Have the shakedowns on the avocado or lime growers lessened or disappeared? SmartAlex, you seem to be the man on this topic, what say you? Anyone else have any idea?

kitchener wrote:With the conversion of the vigilantes to rural police force and the newly arrived gendarmes, what has been the affect on the agricultural sector in Michoacan? Have the shakedowns on the avocado or lime growers lessened or disappeared? SmartAlex, you seem to be the man on this topic, what say you? Anyone else have any idea?

At the tianguis yesterday limones were eight pesos a kilo,aguacates twenty.

I think the story about using the Gendarmeria to protect the produce industry from the intrusion of organized crime was a hoax meant to distract attention from their true purpose. The Gendarmes are being used as planned. They are supposed to be a highly mobile and militarized police force capable of handling the hottest policing problems. So far, they have been deployed to about a dozen states in groups of 300. In Valle de Bravo they busted a kidnapping ring. In Chiapas they rescued a group of captive migrants. In Tamaulipas, they are reinforcing the army and local authorities in the hot war with various criminal cartels. In Guanajuato they are replacing federal police who were earlier transferred to Michoacan. Etc.... Not a whole lot of action for them when it comes to fruits and vegetables.

Forgot to include Jalisco in the previous post. Yes, we got a contingent of 300 Gendarmes too. I believe they have been assigned to the Guadalajara police department.

OK thanks for the reply but it really didn't touch on the situation for the growers. What about the rural police? Have they made a difference for the growers or even other small businesses that have had to pay the cartels to stay in business? Has the situation as a whole improved for the locals? Or is all of this just window dressing by the federal government?

Here are some pics of the Gendarmeria setting up shop in La Ruana. Again, the cover story is that they are going to protect the produce industry from organized crime. My guess is that the federal government does not want to openly admit that they are taking control of the town away from the Rurales, who assumed control following the disbanding of the Autodefensas, who took control in an armed coup against the elected municipal government in March of 2013. From El Informador...

Refuerza Gendarmería operativo en Michoacán
http://fotos.eluniversal.com.mx/coleccion/muestra_fotogaleria.html?idgal=18941

what coup? the autodefensas are residents protecting themselves when nobody else would.

Smartalex wrote:Here are some pics of the Gendarmeria setting up shop in La Ruana. Again, the cover story is that they are going to protect the produce industry from organized crime. My guess is that the federal government does not want to openly admit that they are taking control of the town away from the Rurales, who assumed control following the disbanding of the Autodefensas, who took control in an armed coup against the elected municipal government in March of 2013. From El Informador...

Refuerza Gendarmería operativo en Michoacán
http://fotos.eluniversal.com.mx/coleccion/muestra_fotogaleria.html?idgal=18941

What are you basing your guess on? And would this indicate that up until now, the rural force has been inadequate in stopping the extortion of the producers?

If according to past posts the government had taken control of the situation with the rural police being a big part of that strategy, doesn't that lead us to believe the government policies are not truly bringing about measurable change in the lives of the locals. Maybe even have worsened the situation?

Perhaps it would be more reasonable to assume that having to send the Gendarmeria to La Ruana is a pretty good indication of how inept these former vigilantes and their criminal cohorts turned out to be at providing public security.

Smartalex wrote:Perhaps it would be more reasonable to assume that having to send the Gendarmeria to La Ruana is a pretty good indication of how inept these former vigilantes and their criminal cohorts turned out to be at providing public security.

I think the cartels are far from inept. They didn't get to where they are by being disorganized buffoons. The rural force was concieved by the feds. The government has had nearly 5 months to organize and train the new rural police force. If they were inept, then where does the blame lie? Or were they just left to themselves to run things as they saw fit?

According to an article in La Jornada the Purepechas aren't very happy with the new Fuerzas Rurales.

Here's an English translation of the La Jornada article, courtesy of Borderland Beat...

Purépechas Warn They Will Take up Arms If Fuerza Rurales Don't Leave Their Communities
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/09/purepechas-warn-they-will-take-up-arms.html

Having passed through Cheran several times this year, I think the local guys are doing OK with their little town militia...always polite and respectful to outsiders that I know of.
I don't think locals (Purepechas, etc.) in that area, draw much distinction between fuerzas rurales or autodefensas (government or private designed) if they are not from the local communities.

I had hoped to become more informed on the current situation in Michoacan through this forum but I notice that most questions go unanswered. Maybe the answers can be found by visiting some of the links cited here. The problem is that I don't have a clue as to their credibility. But have to start somewhere.

Yup. You need to find sources you trust (good luck with that) and do your own research. And, then other people will question you about your credibility and punch holes in what you believe is the truth you have carefully sussed out. It is a favorite pass time around here.