Last week, farmers decided to fight back against members of a drug cartel after they increased their extortion fees at a small rural town in Mexico.
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During the confrontation, ten members of the La Familia Michoacan cartel were killed, along did four local farmers who used machetes and other weapons to fight back against the cartel members. According to Vice News, one of the victims was an accused leader known as “Comandante Payaso” or “Commander Clown” in English. On December 8, members of La Familia Michoacana announced an increase in the extortion charge forced on farmers in Texcaltitlán.
Before the increase, farmers paid a Mexican peso ($0.60) per square meter, and the members wanted the charge to be doubled. According to an unidentified farmer, the local economy was already suffering due to the poor harvesting season and could hardly afford the extortion charge.
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The farmer continued to say that residents issued a warning to the Mexican army that they were going to fight back against the cartel because they were not going to make the payments anymore. They also asked for protection, but no one showed up to help the residents. Several videos on social media show the violent fight as the cartel’s members were armed with AK-47s and military gear, and the farmers were armed with their weapons. Before the fight, the group talked for a few minutes before someone fired a gunshot.
” With this increase we basically had no choice but to die fighting or die from hunger,”
In 2022, eleven members of the same cartel were killed in the same town during a shootout among local police. Among those killed was a spider monkey who wore a green camouflage hoodie with a tactical vest and a diaper.
Extortion is a major source of income for cartels, providing them with the funds they need to operate and expand their criminal activities. By extorting businesses and individuals, cartels gain access to regular cash flow that can be used to purchase weapons, drugs, and other resources. Cartels often use extortion as a way to intimidate and silence potential informants or rivals. By targeting individuals who speak out against them or who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, cartels can send a message to others that they are not to be crossed. This can create a climate of fear and silence, making it difficult for authorities to investigate and prosecute cartel activity.