Seven out of nine family members kidnapped after a deadly shootout last month in México state have been found alive the state Attorney General’s Office (FGJEM) announced Tuesday night An anonymous call tipped the prosecutor’s office to the location of the three women and four minors — in the village of Raíces about 20 km outside of the state capital of Toluca on the slope of the volcano Nevado de Toluca All seven underwent preliminary medical evaluations and were in good health 23 and 36) are members of the Trinidad Huicochea family 8 violent clash between residents in the small community of Texcapilla and alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana cartel in the surrounding municipality of Texcaltitlán Reportedly, the residents and farmers were fed up with paying extortion money, so they confronted a group of criminals. The ensuing clash on a soccer field left 14 people dead and seven others injured The deceased reportedly included 10 members of the cartel and four members of the community One media source opined that their release would be contingent on the handing over those responsible for killing the criminals The nine members of the Trinidad Huicochea family were kidnapped at a cartel roadblock they were reportedly found at the back of a chapel in the municipality of Zinacantepec I only ask that you continue to protect my dad and my brother,” an overjoyed relative wrote on social media The rescue operation was a joint effort handled by the National Defense Ministry (Sedena) and the municipal police of Zinacantepec Media reports made no mention of any arrests The search for the seven people still reported as missing will continue with a reward of up to 500,000 pesos (US $29,000) for information leading to their location 8 clash has left an emotional scar in the village of Texcapilla where people remain on edge over possible retaliation Schools in the area resumed classes last week after being closed following the incident and students were being offered psychological and emotional support School directors have set up direct communications with Sedena the National Guard and other agencies in hopes of preventing any incident in area schools With reports from El Universal and Latinus ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC chased down gang members and killed 10 earlier this month A drug cartel in central Mexico has kidnapped 14 local residents in apparent retaliation for an uprising by angry farmers earlier this month that killed 10 cartel gunmen Farmers in the village of Texcaltitlán and a neighboring hamlet had apparently grown tired of cartel extortions. Armed only with sickles and hunting rifles, they chased down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire on 8 December Prosecutors said late on Wednesday that the cartel then abducted 14 people including four children between the ages of one and a half and 14 The abducted adults include three policemen who were seized at a cartel roadblock and a wounded villager the gang snatched from a hospital soon after the clash the head prosecutor for the state of Mexico state officials had denied anyone was kidnapped But residents of the village and a nearby hamlet said the Familia Michoacana drug cartel was demanding they hand over the leaders of the uprising, in exchange for releasing the kidnapped children and adults. Read moreCervantes said none of the villagers would face charges for the 8 December clash because the confrontation had been classified as “legitimate self-defense” because the farmers were defending their properties demanding local farmers pay an extortion fee The bloodshed occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlán about 80 miles (130km) south-west of the capital A video of the clash that emerged appears to show the gunmen wore military-style uniforms Villagers apparently set their bodies and vehicles on fire Drug cartels in Mexico have been known to extort money from almost any legal or illegal business that they can The Familia Michoacana is known for its brazen ambushes of police, as well as the the 2022 massacre of 20 townspeople in the town of Totolapan in the neighboring state of Guerrero Fourteen people remain missing after they were kidnapped in the wake of a deadly confrontation in México state earlier this month according to the local Attorney General’s Office A clash on Dec. 8 between farmers and alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana criminal organization in the municipality of Texcaltitlán left 14 people dead and seven others injured Ten of those killed were presumed cartel members The bodies of the alleged criminals were set on fire The confrontation reportedly occurred after members of La Familia Michoacana — a notoriously violent cartel — attempted to raise the payments they were demanding from farmers and business owners in exchange for allowing them to operate unimpeded México state Attorney General José Luis Cervantes told a press conference on Wednesday that none of the farmers involved in the clash would face charges as it was determined they acted in “legitimate self-defense.” which occurred on a soccer field in Texcapilla the local residents came under attack first and consequently retaliated with their own gunfire The attorney general also said that residents and their families had faced constant threats from extortioners Cervantes said that authorities are searching for 14 people who were abducted shortly after the confrontation It appears that the abductions were retaliation for the deaths of the cartel members in the clash although authorities didn’t confirm that was the case including four children aged between 18 months and 14 while two people were abducted by armed men from the Coatepec General Hospital where they were receiving treatment for injuries they sustained in the Dec Three men including a Texcaltitlán municipal policeman were also abducted at a cartel roadblock Cervantes noted that the missing are two girls He said that no ransom requests had been received and noted that authorities have conducted searches in Texcaltitlán and several other municipalities in the area The México state Attorney General’s Office is offering a reward of up to 500,000 pesos (about US $29,500) for information that leads to the location of those missing Cervantes called on citizens to provide any information that could help authorities locate the missing persons Texcaltitlán residents said that the Familia Michoacana was demanding they hand over the leaders of the Dec in exchange for releasing the kidnapped children and adults Security Minister Andrés Andrade Téllez told the press conference on Wednesday that eight alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana cartel had been arrested since the Dec vehicles and other assets were seized from those detained Andrade said that state police and federal security forces are maintaining a presence in Texcaltitlán to prevent extortion Governor Delfina Gómez said that a number of government ministries would contribute to a plan to improve security and “strengthen the social fabric” in Texcaltitlán and other parts of southern México state La Familia Michoacana has a strong presence in México state and the neighboring states of Michoacán and Guerrero De la Sancha, who was known as “El Payaso” (The Clown), allegedly participated in a 2021 ambush that killed 13 police officers in Coatepec Harinas a México state municipality that borders Texcaltitlán He was the target of a 2022 police operation during which at least 10 presumed Familia Michoacana members were killed in Texcaltitlán Dec 9 (EFE).- A battle between suspected members of a criminal organization known as the Michoacán Family and residents of a town in the Mexican state of Mexico left 14 people dead secretary of security for the state of Mexico issued a statement Friday night saying that 11 of the dead were “possible members of a criminal group” and that the investigation into the facts would continue The incident occurred Friday in the community of Texcaltitlán after residents of the community clashed with members of the criminal group known as Familia Michoacana the confrontation occurred because residents were being extorted by individuals claiming to be members of the criminal group who had imposed a levy on crops planted by the locals Videos circulating on social networks show the moments leading up to the confrontation with dozens of villagers in a sports field verbally confronting the alleged criminals and although some people fall to the ground others pounce on the alleged gang members and begin a fistfight The Michoacán Family is one of a number of criminal groups in Mexico fighting over the control and trafficking of drugs such as marijuana and methamphetamine as well as illegal economies such as extortion a 7.1% annual decrease compared to the previous year when 33,308 murders were reported after a peak in violence in 2020 (34,554 murders) and 2019 (34,690) (TND) — Police in Mexico engaged in a shootout with drug cartel membersin Texcaltitlan resulting in the deaths of 11 drug gang members and Prosecutors in Mexico announced that police engaged with "a heavily armed group" and had to respond with"a legitimate use of force," which resulted in the death of 11 of the drug gang members Seven members of the drug gang were reportedly arrested following the incident Four of those detained gang members had been injured in the shootout adding three police officers were also wounded "We recognize and are proud of the actions carried out by our colleagues against criminal groups in the whole of Mexico State," the prosecutor's office says Mexican prosecutors reportedly acknowledged that a monkey had died during the shootout It was also reported that animal trafficking charges would be considered when dealing with those arrested after the shootout according to security analyst David Saucedo While some reports debated if the animal was killed in the shootout the Mexico Daily Post reports it was confirmed that the monkey was injured during the incident and was clutching onto a man Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A confrontation on Friday between residents of a municipality in southwestern México state and alleged members of a criminal group left 14 people dead and seven injured The extortion-related clash between farmers and suspected members of the La Familia Michoacana criminal organization occurred on a soccer field in Texcapilla a municipality around 130 kilometers southwest of Mexico City gunshots can be heard ringing out as farmers and other locals attack suspected criminals with weapons such as sickles and machetes The confrontation reportedly occurred after members of La Familia Michoacana – a notoriously violent cartel – attempted to raise the payments they were demanding from farmers and business owners in exchange for allowing them to operate unimpeded México state officials told a press conference on Saturday that 10 of the dead were presumed members of the criminal gang The bodies of the alleged criminals were apparently set on fire Five locals and two suspected gangsters were injured during the clash The state Security Ministry said in a statement on Friday that two people involved in the conflict were missing Attorney General José Luis Cervantes said that three “priority objectives” of law enforcement authorities were among the deceased One of those killed was Rigoberto de la Sancha Santillán, a La Familia Michoacana leader known as “El Payaso” (The Clown). De la Sancha allegedly participated in a 2021 ambush that killed 13 police officers in Coatepec Harinas He was the target of a 2022 police operation during which at least 10 presumed La Michoacan members were killed in Texcaltitlán México state Governor Delfina Gómez said that she “deeply” regretted the violence on Friday they reaffirm our commitment to improve the security conditions in our beloved state Rest assured that we will continue working so that episodes like this aren’t repeated To the [residents of the] south of México state I say Sandra Ley, a program coordinator for the think tank México Evalúa, told The New York Times that communities sometimes fight back against criminal organizations that are constantly harassing them out of “desperation.” “The communities do this from a place of feeling fed up from that position of ‘no more,'” she said Victims of extortion often say that authorities have done little to combat the problem Falko Ernst, senior Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group told The Times that extortion has become increasingly common here as crime groups “have been morphing away from drug trafficking towards a territorially based extraction model.” President López Obrador described the clash on Friday as “very regrettable” and noted that an investigation is underway He also said that federal security forces have been deployed to Texcaltitlán explaining that around 600 soldiers and National Guard Officers were sent to the municipality At least 10 presumed cartel members were killed in a clash with police in México state on Tuesday morning The confrontation occurred during an operation in southern México state to apprehend a leader of the Familia Michoacana crime group according to a report by the newspaper El Universal The state Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) said state police came under attack by a heavily armed group on the Toluca-Texcaltitlán highway in the municipality of Texcaltitlán located about 65 kilometers southwest of Toluca Officers responded with “legitimate force,” it said The FGJ said that 10 aggressors – presumably members of the Familia Michoacana – died at the scene of the clash and four others were injured The FGJ also said that police arrested seven people – four men and three women – and seized weapons marines and members of the National Guard provided support to the state police Three state police were wounded in the clash and two required medical treatment and were taken to hospital by helicopter The FGJ reported that they were out of danger the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and smaller local criminal groups operate in southern México state where police have been targeted on several previous occasions In Coatepec Harinas, which borders Texcaltitlán, 13 police were killed in March 2021 in a clash against the Familia Michoacana while four officers were wounded last month when armed men attacked a police station in the municipality of Sultepec With reports from El Universal