All About La Familia Michoacana

NEWS

Deadly Ambush of 13 Police Meets Little Government Response in Mexico

HOMICIDES / 24 MAR 2021

A bloody ambush on a police unit in the state of Mexico, in which thirteen officials were shot dead, is exposing the Mexican government’s failure to control escalating violence outside…

Mexico Cartels Hand Out Food Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

COVID AND CRIME / 28 APR 2020

Recent cases of criminal groups distributing supplies in Mexico suggest that the coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity to cultivate popular support and consolidate territorial control in areas where people…

Morelos, Mexico’s Latest Hotspot for Fragmented Criminal Showdowns

JALISCO CARTEL / 5 JUN 2019

Mexico's controversial National Guard has been deployed to some of the country’s most violent states, but the southern state of Morelos is becoming the focal point of an ongoing battle…

The Life and Death of a Mexican Hitman

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 18 FEB 2019

It’s 7 pm on a Sunday, and night is falling in this Michoacán town. The heat of the day is past, and there’s a pleasant breeze. The first visitors to…

Praying for Death: Blood Sacrifice and Organized Crime in Latin America

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 17 JAN 2017

A new collection of essays tackles patterns of cultish behavior and ritualized violence among illegal groups across the globe, from the Zetas and the Familia Michoacana to Al Qaeda and…

Mexico Vigilantes Seize Mother of Crime Boss in Hostage Showdown

BELTRAN LEYVA ORG / 16 DEC 2016

A vigilante militia has become involved in a hostage standoff with an organized crime network in southwest Mexico, as the competition for booming criminal profits in a fragmented underworld continues…

How the MS13 Got Its Foothold in Transnational Drug Trafficking

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 30 NOV 2016

Throughout the continent, the debate on whether or not the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang is working with or for drug traffickers continues. In this investigation, journalist Carlos García tells the…

Mexico Pursues Top Drug Lords Amid Fragmented Criminal Landscape

BELTRAN LEYVA ORG / 27 JUL 2016

Authorities in Mexico continue to focus on hunting down the heads of the country's most prominent cartels, pursuing a kingpin strategy that will probably do little to cure a dire…

‘Nueva Familia’ Announces Arrival amid Michoacán Turmoil

JALISCO CARTEL / 8 FEB 2016

"Narco-banners" hung around Michoacán have announced the arrival of a new criminal organization in a sign the underworld in the troubled central Mexican state is reorganizing yet again after several…

The New Criminal Players in Mexico’s Embattled Michoacan State

JALISCO CARTEL / 16 MAR 2015

It would be easy to think that given all that has happened in Mexico's Michoacan state over the last few months, everything has changed. Knights Templar leader Servando Gomez, alias "La…

Mexico Captures ‘La Tuta’ but Michoacan Struggles On

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 27 FEB 2015

The capture of yet another high-level target -- this time Servando Gomez, alias "La Tuta," the leader of the Knights Templar -- should be cause for celebration in Mexico, but…

Mexico Mayors’ Narco Ties Go Far Beyond Iguala

ELITES AND CRIME / 17 NOV 2014

Government information indicates that 12 mayors across Guerrero, Mexico may have criminal ties -- suggesting that a dynamic pushed into the public eye by the case of 43 missing student…

Coca-Cola Arson in Mexico Demonstrates Confidence of Criminals

EXTORTION / 6 AUG 2014

The Familia Michoacana burned four Coca-Cola vehicles in the Pacific state of Guerrero after their bottling company refused to make extortion payments, according to reports, underscoring the power of criminal…

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4 FEB 2021

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THE ORGANIZATION

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…

ANALYSIS

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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