Mexican military forces killed a cartel boss in the western state of Michoacan after a shootout. The clash comes as Mexican authorities have been cracking down on cartel operations in that western state after intensified pressure from the United States government.
On Saturday night, Mexico’s Army carried out a raid at a ranch near the town of Tocumbo, Michoacan, in an attempt to capture Luis Enrique “El Guicho” Barragan Chavez, a man who had inherited control of the Cartel De Los Reyes faction of Carteles Unidos, one of the groups previously designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. Government.
During that raid, El Guicho’s gunmen clashed with Mexican military forces. In the shootout, the military killed El Guicho and one of his bodyguards. The U.S. Department of Justice had previously offered a $3 million reward for his capture.
According to authorities, El Guicho had taken control of the Cartel De Los Reyes following the August 1 arrest of his close ally Alfonso “Poncho La Quiringa” Fernandez Magallanes. In that raid, Mexican authorities successfully arrested Fernandez; however, his gunmen set up numerous blockades and set fire to buildings and vehicles in an attempt to pressure the government to release him, Breitbart Texas reported at the time.
The operations against Carteles Unidos come soon after the U.S. government pulled back all of its agents in Michoacan following a series of threats from the criminal organization, which had placed a bounty on Mexican and U.S. agents, Breitbart Texas reported.
The criminal organization known as Carteles Unidos is largely responsible for the widespread extortion of avocado and citrus growers in the region. The terrorist cartel has also been one of the main groups using drones and explosive devices as a way to spread terror in the region.
In another raid, Mexican military and federal police forces raided a drug production lab near the town of Zitacuaro. In that raid, authorities seized a large quantity of meth in liquid and also in solid form, as well as chemical precursors.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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