Mexico: arrest of 164 members of a self-defense group in the state of Michoacan

Mexican soldiers patrolling on March 28, 2022 in Zinapecuaro in the state of Michoacan in Mexico.

© Armando Solis/AP

Text by: RFI Follow

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In Mexico, security forces, aided by the army, arrested more than 150 members of a self-defense group in the western state of Michoacan.

Those arrested were blocking roads and demanding the release of other members of their group.

No violence was seen during their arrest, but other members of this group are now said to be holding National Guard officers.

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164 members of this self-defense group which would be linked to Pueblos Unidos, an armed group considered illegal by the authorities and which the governor of the region describes as delinquents, were arrested this Saturday, August 13 on roads during a operation carried out jointly by 300 agents of the Mexican National Guard, local authorities and the army.

#DeÚltimaHora |

🎥 Los 164 detainees arrive at the facilities of the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) in Morelia, in a fuerte operativo de las fuerzas armadas.

pic.twitter.com/qgyHGSmoXQ

— CuartoPoder Michoacán (@cuartopodermich) August 14, 2022

180 weapons seized

The police recovered on this occasion more than 180 weapons, including 142 rifles and about twenty vehicles, including an armored car.

Those arrested were blocking main roads and threatening drivers of vehicles wishing to cross, without however showing any violence.

They demanded the release of several members of this vigilante group.

According to the local press, following this operation, other members of this self-defense group would retain National Guard agents, now demanding the release of the 164 people arrested on Saturday.

Roadblocks are still said to be in progress in this state of Michoacan, which has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months.

In this Mexican state, the cartels literally hold entire villages.

In July, a mass grave containing the remains of more than 25 people was discovered in the municipality of Zamora, now considered the most dangerous city in the world.

►Also listen: 7 Billion Neighbors - Populations facing the violence of Mexican drug trafficking

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