By The opinion
May 4, 2024, 10:59 AM EDT
At the end of 2022, residents of Mexico City reported the presence of The Michoacan Familyand although at first the authorities denied it, that criminal group has resonated again in recent years and its presence in the country’s capital is becoming more and more evident. A letter recently began to circulate on social networks with which they extort property owners. of business.
It has been a year and a half since the emergence of the group led by the Olascoaga Hurtado brothers was reported. They began in a somewhat unpopulated area far from the center of Mexico City, where they extort local businesses.
But little by little the extortions spread to other areas and, to achieve their goal, they began to distribute notes in which they request a single payment of 3,000 pesos so that they do not have to “visit” the businesses.
The letter was released by the journalist Antonio Nieto, known as “Siete Letras”, it reads that La Familia Michoacana announces that it has arrived, but They assure that they do not want to harm people, their businesses, or their clients.so they ask for a single “cooperation”, which they describe as “support to continue with the movement”, followed by a warning.
They give instructions to avoid future extortion
In the note, the hitmen included an email to which merchants must send a cardless withdrawal number, and the bank where they must go to withdraw the money. Additionally, they must include the name of the business and address “to remove them from the list.”
They added that they should print the email they issue for this purpose and have it for “any visit” and verify their support, in this way they will ensure that no one bothers them again.
With the payment deadline a threat was added, in which it says that if they do not comply with the extortion by that day, Businesses will be visited and “it will not be pleasant for their customers”they also warn that it will no longer be a single fee and will increase.
“I hope you understand the importance of this message and don’t risk it if it is true or not, don’t risk it. Oh, we have eyes everywherethen not discussing with other tenants if they also received the statement, that will also have consequences,” the letter adds.
The warning is signed with a logo that says: “La Familia, la vida loca”, and also includes an email whose username is lafamiliam2000@hotmail.com.
The extortions of La Familia Michoacana
Although the authorities of Mexico City recognized the presence of the criminal group at the beginning of 2024 – more than a year after its presence was reported – there were no signs of its operation as is the case in other Mexican states, until the end of February.
The Michoacana Family is characterized, in addition to the violence with which they operate, by the collection of extortions and floor rights from merchantsin some places they have been operating for years, suffocating the population.
An example of the fatigue occurred in December 2023, when residents of Texcaltitlán, State of Mexico, rebelled against a new tax and clashed with hitmen, leaving 14 dead, 10 of them criminals.
Keep reading:
– They capture the leader of La Familia Michoacana having fun at a musical event.
– They broadcast a video of a confrontation between La Familia Michoacana and another criminal group in broad daylight.