Mexican Government Reinforces Military Deployment in Michoacán Amidst Increased Criminal Activity

The Mexican government has deployed an additional 1,200 military personnel to the western state of Michoacán, a region known for high levels of organized crime activity. This reinforcement comes after a weekend marked by violence, including the burning of three convenience stores and five vehicles, a tactic commonly used by drug cartels to block roads and enforce extortion demands. The state prosecutor’s office reported the arrest of three men and three teenagers linked to these attacks.

The deployed troops, consisting of Army and National Guard members, were instructed to prevent further road blockades by criminal groups and ensure normal economic activities for the local population. Michoacán already had a significant military presence, although the exact number of personnel prior to the recent deployment was not disclosed in the Defense Ministry’s statement on Monday.

During a press conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador downplayed the situation, stating that “peace and tranquility” had been restored. He referred to the weekend incidents as “publicity stunts” that did not result in any loss of human life. However, life in the affected cities of Apatzingán, Buenavista, and Uruapan remains far from normal or peaceful.

In recent weeks, lemon growers and farmers in Buenavista have complained about widespread extortion by cartels, who have significantly increased the demanded quotas. In Apatzingán, the majority of basic goods have seen prices nearly double for months due to organized crime’s interference in commercial transactions. The state government of Michoacán initiated a criminal investigation into these extortion activities last Wednesday, recognizing the significant economic implications.

This situation threatens the supply of lemons, a staple in Mexican cuisine, and serves as a reminder of the darkest days of Mexico’s war on drugs between 2006 and 2012. During that time, the Michoacán Family Cartel and later the Knights Templar Cartel burned packing plants, imposed prices on crops, demanded protection money, and even dictated when farmers could harvest their crops. These actions led to an armed uprising in 2013 and 2014 by enraged farmers, resulting in the emergence of self-defense groups that largely expelled the previous cartels, only to be replaced by others that continue to intimidate a significant portion of the region’s population.