La Familia Michoacana

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NEWS

Displacements in Mexico Increase With Ongoing Violence

DISPLACEMENT / 2 JUN 2021

The number of displaced people within Mexico has increased for the first time in three years, indicating that the country's powerful criminal groups have stepped up the type of public…

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…

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About InSight Crime

ABOUT US

THE ORGANIZATION

Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime

27 JUL 2021

InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border

20 JUL 2021

InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.

THE ORGANIZATION

Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations

8 JUL 2021

With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.

THE ORGANIZATION

Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence

30 JUN 2021

InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.