All About El Chayo

ANALYSIS

Seeking a Place in History – Nazario Moreno’s Narco Messiah

EL CHAYO / 12 MAR 2014

In a 2012 interview with leading members of Mexico's Knights Templar -- including Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias "El Chayo" --  the organization's territorial grasp had seemingly reached its…

‘El Chayo’ Dead but Knights Templar War with Vigilantes Rages On

EL CHAYO / 11 MAR 2014

The killing by Mexican navy commandos of bizarre Michoacan gangster Nazario "The Craziest One" Moreno will prove a short lived victory for both the government and the "self-defense" militias it…

‘La Tuta’ Likely New Leader of Knights Templar After ‘El Chayo’ Death

EL CHAYO / 11 MAR 2014

The death of Knights Templar leader "El Chayo" in Mexico has had little outward effect on the group's leadership structure, though the take down of the group's spiritual guide could…

Mythical Leader of Mexico Cartel Dead – For Sure This Time

EL CHAYO / 10 MAR 2014

Marines have killed the founder of the Familia Michoacana and leader of the Knights Templar, a mythical figure in the Mexico underworld, who disappeared in 2010 and was…

Capture of ‘El Chayo’ Brother Another Blow to Knights Templar

EL CHAYO / 19 FEB 2014

Two senior figures in Mexico's Knights Templar -- one of them the brother of the now semi-mythical figure of Michoacan drug lord El Chayo -- have been captured, dealing another blow…

Rumors Fuel The Legend of the “Narco-Saint”

EL CHAYO / 6 FEB 2014

The reported arrest of a financial operator for "The Craziest One," the former leader of Mexico's Familia Michoacana, has fueled rumors that the cartel boss, hailed by followers as a…

Mexico’s Drug Lords: Too Big to Fail?

COLOMBIA / 9 DEC 2011

On the anniversary of the death of one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords, analyst Alejandro Hope looks at the government's strategy of taking down high-value targets, which many…

Familia Michoacana Leader Tells Michoacan ‘God is With Us Until Victory’

EL CHAYO / 16 DEC 2010

In an audio recording attributed to a top leader of the Familia Michoacana, the group's self-serving ideology is heard in full force.

Peace Rallies in Michoacan Demand Police Withdrawal

EL CHAYO / 13 DEC 2010

Sunday peace rallies across Michoacan emphasized a deep distrust of government authority, with some demonstrators voicing support for the Familia Michoacana.

InSight: 5 Reasons Why the Familia Will Survive

EL CHAYO / 11 DEC 2010

After the death of its top leader, the Familia Michoacana is injured, but it is far from done. The government's attempt to clear President Felipe Calderon's home state of this…

Top Familia Commander Reportedly Killed in Michoacan

EL CHAYO / 10 DEC 2010

The leader of the Familia Michoacana, Nazario Moreno González, alias "El Chayo" or "El Más Loco," was killed Thursday in a police shootout, said a government spokesman.

City Paralyzed by Familia Blockade

EL CHAYO / 10 DEC 2010

In a record surge of violence, federal police clashed with Familia Michoacana members yesterday in fourteen different municipalities in Michoacán, including the capital city of Morelia.

Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias ‘El Chayo’

EL CHAYO / JULY 24, 2019

Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias "El Chayo" or "The Craziest One" (El Mas Loco) was a founding member of the Familia Michoacana and later a leader of the Knights Templar…

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InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area

ARGENTINA / 25 JAN 2021

Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…

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InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize

COLOMBIA / 20 NOV 2020

The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…

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InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works

COLOMBIA / 12 NOV 2020

This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …

ANALYSIS

InSight Crime – Ten Years of Investigating Organized Crime in the Americas

FEATURED / 2 NOV 2020

In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Following his interview inside…

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