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M60) as well as buying equipment from the black market sponsored by the wealth of the region and other drug cartels fighting their common enemy cartel. They have even been seen with Barret .50 caliber anti-material rifles. The
Autodefensas were recognized as a fairly organized armed force with military small arms capability, while not being under federal government command, thus unconstitutional according to Mexican law. For this reason the
36:
382:. Dr Mireles was critically injured in a plane crash in 2014 which made him unable to continue his previous role as leader of the Autodefensas. After a few months, Mireles returned to the Autodefensas. At this time the Mexican government ordered the Autodefensas to disarm. Many other leaders of the Autodefensas groups complied and Mireles tried to flee the country but was arrested by the Mexican government in late June 2014.
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438:) and is led by one of the former leaders of the Autodefensas, Nicolás Sierra Santana, who is also known as "El Gordo". Los Viagras has been criticized by the government as well as other cartels for their brutal killings and general violence. The infamy of Los Viagras cartel has made their leader, Nicolás Sierra Santana, one of the most wanted men in Mexico.
321:. At first this new criminal group had the support of civil society, believing their promises of protection from Los Zetas, but soon began to commit the same atrocities committed by La Familia Michoacana and Los Zetas: they began to extort, kidnap, murder and rape civilians, leading to a situation of semi slavery.
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resources, specifically guns. Originally the weapons that
Autodefensas managed to recover from skirmishes with cartels were sufficient to arm the vigilantes, as these groups got bigger this did not suffice. In order to arm themselves, many Autodefensas groups began to sell drugs in order to buy weapons.
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was
Estanislao Beltrán-Torres who was nicknamed "Papa Smurf", who took the main leadership in the time Mireles was injured. While Beltrán-Torres was charismatic, he did not have the same aptitude for leadership that Dr. Mireles had and he began to lose control of the Autodefensas. When the government
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At first the original groups started with their legal small arms, and hunting club rifles, muskets, and .22 caliber rifles (weapons statutorily permitted by the
Ministry of Defense ), but as the groups started to defeat criminals, they also were gradually seizing military weapons (M4, AK47, MP5, G3,
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In a demonstration by the
Autodefensas, a branch of the Mexican army was surrounded and threatened by a crowd of protesters. The army shot several rounds at the unarmed crowd; the incident left 2 dead and 2 injured; the casualties have been identified by both the government and the Autodefensas as
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As
Autodefensas groups grew, it was hard to maintain a centralized group of leaders. Because of the lack of oversight of Autodefensas groups, these organizations began to be joined by former cartel members and people who felt above the law. One problem that Autodefensas groups faced was a lack of
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In late 2012 and early 2013, Self-Defense Groups in
Michoacán took control of several towns to displace criminal groups such as the Caballeros Templarios, who charged a flat fee of citizens and businesses. In each of the clashes the Autodefensas have used high caliber weapons, which have led to
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ordered the disarmament of the
Autodefensas, many autodefensas complied. They were ordered to register their weapons (those within the legal parameters of not being military grade weapons) to the Ministry of Defense and keep those weapons for their individual home protection (as mandated by the
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The government leader of the Rural
Defense police, Alfredo Castillo Cervantes, was removed after rumors that a cartel bribed him to allow cartel members to join the organization and to spy on the Rural Police's members who were former Autodefensas. By late 2015, it was believed that all cartel
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Autodefensas have been known to communicate by telephone with radios and shortwave radios. The "gabacha" is a radio transmitter and receiver they use to communicate among themselves and, as they also pick up signals from enemy groups, to spy on the imposters that also use this device. The most
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Other members did not join, arguing fear of disarmament and distrust in the government that left them alone for so long. The groups are currently divided into registered (Rurales) and non-registered groups (Autodefensas), some of the last are being persecuted by the authorities for failing to
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but quickly joined the
Autodefensas when he saw the Knights Templar begin to lose power. When the Mexican government ordered the Autodefensas to disarm and Mireles was arrested, Nicolás Sierra Santana, joined by many former Autodefensas, created a drug cartel called
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killings by criminal and military power declined significantly, the campaign against organized crime has caused violent response, increasing the vulnerability of the civilian population due to skirmishes between these organizations and the federal forces.
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of weapons is restricted in Mexico and military grade weapons are illegal, federal forces could not legally distinguish between armed-civilian convoys and drug-cartel convoys, they started a hard process of regularization of these militias.
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This had led to armed clashes between factions, both factions state that they are being betrayed by their former colleagues, or that some member of the opposite faction has ties with the cartels, in an attempt to legitimize their actions.
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Currently there are many complaints that special treatment is given to certain groups. These people argue that the Mexican bureaucracy only allows some groups to register and only offers government protection to some groups.
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306:. The indigenous people assumed control over the town, expelled the police force and blocked roads leading to oak timber on a nearby mountain. The vigilante activity spread to the nearby community of
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and Alberto Gutiérrez, took up arms against the Templar Cartel and all criminal groups that wanted to impose dominance in the area, entering a new phase in the war against drug trafficking.
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The government has declared that there are some fake-Autodefensas, not affiliated with the federal government (Castillo's; see above), that are actually working for the recently created
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Groups of "La Ruana" Rural force became upset because most of their weapons have not been returned by the government, they claim to have few weapons to fight the heavily armed criminals.
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When some Autodefensas groups began to sell drugs, a new cartel emerged from the Autodefensas. Today, this new cartel is called "Los Viagras" (known to have ties with the
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Autodefensas have different types of vehicles of different brands, mostly pickup trucks and SUVs confiscated from the Cartels. They also have homemade armored vehicles.
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members had been removed from the Rural Police groups. Castillo was reassigned to a position that gave him a kind of sports authority, and was not investigated further.
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Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas. “AsĂ surgieron los grupos de autodefensa conocidos como 'policĂa comunitaria' en MĂ©xico”. YouTube video, 3:51. Posted 13 Jan. 2014.
688:, the first under the command of the SEDENA and the second under the command of the State Police, although several groups remain without registering their weapons.
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who was a doctor from Michoacán. Doctor Mireles was charismatic and well equipped to lead the Autodefensas groups because of his political experience with the
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HipĂłlito Mora, a Self-Defense leader was arrested in early 2015 and charged for an alleged vigilante/revenge murder. He was released almost two months later.
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A group called “Pañuelo Negro” (English: Black Bandana) made itself known in January 2021 in Michoacan, making a total of 27 such groups in the state.
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municipality (which has an indigenous-community based structure, very different to the rest of autodefensas) as well as in Chapala. In
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Parish Flannery, Nathaniel. "Calderón’s War." Journal of international affairs, 17 Apr. 2013, jia.sipa.columbia.edu/calderons-war.
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When newly emerged, they retained a group of SEDENA commanders, in an attempt to force dialogue and avoid being disarmed.
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When power vacuum occurred La Familia Michoacana fell into infighting and disintegrated, its former members created the
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In recent times the first notable self-defense event occurred on April 15, 2011 when a group of indigenous people in
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took over the streets of Michoacán from the previously dominant criminal groups in this state, a local criminal gang
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were allowed to open carry (as any police force does), keep their weapons and were issued a standard M4 rifle.
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Kryt, Jeremy. "Meet the Warlord of the Viagras, Mexico's Hardest Cartel Yet". The Daily Beast, 3, Dec. 2017.
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Heineman, Matthew. Cartel Land. Netflix video. Directed by Matthew Heineman. 2015. A&E Indie Films
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There were clashes between soldiers and paramilitaries when first trying to disarm the Autodefensas.
350:(SEDENA) and also registered their weapons; some were issued new legal-weapons by the government.
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as an autonomous indigenous community, but criminals continued to murder residents in the forest.
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was Nicolás Sierra Santana or "El Gordo". Santana was originally a member of a subset of the
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some self-defense groups have appeared, but it is suspected that they are members of the
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Michoacán cartel members who had infiltrated the protest to spy on the real Autodefensas.
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https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-warlord-of-the-viagras-mexicos-hardest-cartel-yet
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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Some defense groups and their members were absorbed into a faction that answers to the
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has attempted to monitor and absorb these groups into the federal government to act as
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Most self-defense groups have been converted into bodies of village guards or
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http://biblioteca.diputados.gob.mx/janium/bv/cesop/lxii/rebciud_juscom_gu.pdf
945:"La Jornada: El cártel Jalisco Nueva generación entregó armas a Los Viagras"
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A third important leader of the community self-defense forces in
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Another important leader of the community self-defense forces in
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was created to oust them and to take back control of the area.
839:""Mexico is 10 times worse than when I was locked up:" Mireles"
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808:"In Mexico, Reclaiming the Forests and the Right to Feel Safe"
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The principal founder of the community self-defense forces in
310:. They established self-defence groups. Mexico has recognized
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The Community Police have several formations in the state of
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in order to avoid clashes between the paramilitaries and the
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C.V, DEMOS, Desarrollo de Medios, S. A. de (17 April 2016).
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CNN en Español, México: "Comunitarios bloquean carretera"
418:" (which is now known to have ties and rivalry with the
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armed with rocks and fireworks attacked a bus carrying
707:, in the region of Tierra-Caliente, and also in the
899:"Reclaiming the Forests and the Right to Feel Safe"
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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1049:"Surge nuevo grupo armado en Morelia, Michoacán"
772:Página Web de la PolicĂa Comunitaria de Guerrero
394:ordered the Autodefensas to disarm and join the
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1025:New armed group appears in Mexico (in Spanish)
211:self-defense groups that arose in the Gulf of
1047:Castellanos J., Francisco (January 9, 2021).
973:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
929:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ifvI6fFgkQ
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787:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC9-s2H_ZXs
528:Learn how and when to remove these messages
642:different conflicts with the Mexican army.
299:armed with rifles and associated with the
1010:Mexican Vigilantes Stand Up Against Crime
628:Learn how and when to remove this message
263:. However, even though in states such as
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
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806:Zabludovsky, Karla (2 August 2012).
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
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470:Mexican law). Those who joined the
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219:regions between 2012 and 2013. The
69:"Grupos de autodefensa comunitaria"
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1086:Law enforcement agencies of Mexico
280:When the criminal groups known as
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509:This section has multiple issues.
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380:Institutional Revolutionary Party
18:Grupos de Autodefensa Comunitaria
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673:Jalisco's New-Generation Cartel
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837:GarcĂa, Jacobo (26 May 2017).
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354:register their heavy weapons.
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1081:2012 establishments in Mexico
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725:Jalisco New Generation Cartel
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436:Jalisco New Generation Cartel
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755:José Manuel Mireles Valverde
703:There are several groups in
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376:José Manuel Mireles Valverde
333:José Manuel Mireles Valverde
27:Self defense group in Mexico
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1034:September 26, 2022, at the
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199:(self-defenders groups) or
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249:Felipe CalderĂłn Hinojosa
853:– via elpais.com.
599:converting this section
760:Knights Templar Cartel
745:Gun politics in Mexico
411:Knights Templar Cartel
319:Knights Templar Cartel
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207:(People's Police) are
203:(Community Police) or
196:Grupos de autodefensas
144:Grupos de autodefensas
1055:(in Spanish). Proceso
304:La Familia Michoacana
286:La Familia Michoacana
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663:Dr. Mireles Valverde
251:(2006–2012) began a
229:Mexican Armed Forces
54:improve this article
1030:. December 3, 2013
301:Mexican drug cartel
261:Operation Michoacán
201:PolicĂa Comunitaria
1015:. April 29, 2013.
997:2017-09-23 at the
949:www.jornada.com.mx
903:The New York Times
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721:Gulf Cartel
686:rural force
611:August 2022
416:Los Viagras
1075:Categories
1059:January 9,
793:References
717:Tamaulipas
680:Regulation
514:improve it
454:el escaner
426:Corruption
362:Leadership
340:open-carry
265:Tamaulipas
243:Background
215:and South
149:Foundation
80:newspapers
1013:Vice News
959:6 January
913:August 3,
849:6 January
822:6 January
705:Michoacán
520:talk page
442:Equipment
403:Michoacán
387:Michoacán
368:Michoacán
282:Los Zetas
257:Michoacán
209:vigilante
110:July 2022
1032:Archived
995:Archived
969:cite web
953:Archived
907:Archived
843:Archived
816:Archived
734:See also
723:and the
698:Guerrero
482:Vehicles
460:Armament
407:Guerrero
391:Guerrero
372:Guerrero
269:Veracruz
231:itself.
750:Rurales
713:Jalisco
550:updated
396:Rurales
276:History
167:Motives
157:Country
94:scholar
709:Cheran
586:is in
467:SEDENA
312:Cherán
308:Opopeo
293:Cherán
217:Mexico
213:Mexico
178:Active
175:Status
161:Mexico
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592:prose
101:JSTOR
87:books
1061:2021
975:link
961:2019
915:2012
851:2019
824:2019
715:and
588:list
405:and
389:and
374:was
370:and
152:2013
73:news
456:".
422:).
267:or
56:by
1077::
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983:^
971:}}
967:{{
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935:^
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