Highlights
– La Familia is the fastest growing and most dangerous cartel in Mexico
– Group may control as many as 83 of 113 municipalities in Michoacán
– Top producer of synthetic drugs in Mexico and will continue efforts to expand its influence in Michoacán and surrounding territories
On May 26, 2009, federal forces detained 10 mayors and 20 other local officials for alleged ties to drug trafficking organizations, including the La Familia Cartel, in an unprecedented anti-corruption sweep in Michoacán state. The roundup took place just weeks prior to Mexico’s July 5, 2009 local and national elections.
Over the last several years, a number of officials and politicians have been killed or abducted in Michoacán, as La Familia attempts to extend its control over the area. We believe the recent sweeps in Michoacán display a renewed government effort to target the political networks that support prominent groups like La Familia. As we expect further political arrests in the near-term, violence will likely surge in Michoacán as traffickers attempt to retaliate and regain local controls. We do not believe smuggling operations will be significantly hindered from the sweeps in the near-term. However, continued federal targeting of the cartel’s base in Michoacán may ultimately leave the group more susceptible to military efforts in the long-term.
Origins of La Familia
La Familia emerged as a vigilante group in the 1990s, but only solidified a regional presence in 2004, when it merged efforts with the Gulf Cartel to muscle out the Sinaloa Cartel and Milenio Cartel, once leaders in methamphetamine production in Mexico. Los Zetas were responsible for training the now ruthless La Familia cartel, which has carried out hundreds of executions throughout its base-state of Michoacán.
La Familia’s operations are vastly different from other organized crime groups in Mexico. Unlike some drug syndicates, La Familia goes beyond the production and transport of narcotics and seeks political and social standing within Michoacán. Priding itself on community awareness and loyalty, La Familia only retains members who were born and raised within Michoacán. As of February 2007, Mexican officials believe the group maintained approximately 4,000 members.
La Familia recruitment resembles that of an evangelical doctrine. La Familia often recruits from drug rehabilitation centers, where “converts” are indoctrinated with a form of religious “fundamentalism.” However, failure by a recruit to adhere to La Familia doctrine is punishable by death. Mexican authorities also describe many La Familia founders as “religious zealots.”
• Current leader Nazario Moreno Gonzalez is known to carry a self-published collection of aphorisms, known as his “bible,” and insists group members lead lives free of drugs and alcohol.
La Familia illustrated its dominance in Michoacán in September 2006, when group members tossed five severed heads onto the floor of a dance hall in the city of Uruapan. The decapitated heads were accompanied with a message that read, “killing only those who deserve to die. Know that this is divine justice.”
We believe the incident was meant to signify the escalating feud between La Familia and other traffickers operating in the region. Shortly after, La Familia leaders placed advertisements in local newspapers claiming the group to be crime fighters. By December 31, 2008 the group had executed 233 people, most of them with ties to criminal organizations; a move that guaranteed La Familia regional control of drug corridors out of Michoacán.
Current Presence
La Familia is now the top producer of synthetic drugs in Mexico. In keeping with its ideological bent, its supplies remain for export only, mostly to markets in the US. Since 2008, La Familia has been able to expand its operations within Michoacán, Guerrero, Queretaro, and in Mexico City, indicating the group sustains the capabilities to battle and defend its interests even in rival territories. With similar success, La Familia also established a foothold in the United States, where it now controls drug-running operations in 20 to 30 cities, including Los Angeles.
La Familia’s principal strength remains its powerful political influence in Michoacán, where it often represents a parallel authority to the local government. Businesses increasingly pay bribes to the organization, at times in lieu of municipal tariffs. Each group member earns a salary of approximately US$1500 to US$2000 per month, while the organization allegedly pays out close to US$1.5 million per month in bribes to maintain close links with the state police forces.
• Michoacán officials reported that approximately 83 of the 113 municipalities in Michoacán are controlled to some degree by La Familia operatives. While many La Familia fighters wear uniforms and drive vehicles similar to that of the Mexican military.
Recent Activities
On March 23, 2009 the Mexican government published a list that included 24 of Mexico’s most wanted drug kingpins. La Familia was ranked as a separate cartel for the first time, suggesting growing police attention to the group’s recent activities and heightened prominence in Mexico’s drug cartel echelon. La Familia is known in Michoacán for its brutality and infiltration networks within the local government. La Familia has been linked to the following recent incidents:
• In early June 2009 the Mexican Navy seized 200 pounds of ready-to-ship “meth,” discovered 39 large-scale methamphetamine labs, and arrested 44 La Familia members in Michoacán.
• In May 2009 congressional candidate Gustavo Bucio Rodriguez was slain at a gasoline station. Authorities linked with La Familia went out of their way to convince political leaders that he was the victim of a common crime.
• In May 2009, Nicolas Leon, a two-time mayor of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán’s port city, was tortured and shot to death. His body was accompanied with a message signed by “FM” (Familia Michoacana) warning Los Zetas supporters would receive the same treatment.
• On September 18, 2008, Mexican Attorney General’s Office argued La Familia, was a lead suspect in the Morelia Independence Day grenade attacks. However, authorities also investigated a text message sent to media reporters incriminating Los Zetas. The tone of the messages suggested the two groups had a falling out.
• In September 2008 La Familia was tied to the murder of 24 people in La Marquesa Park.
Outlook
La Familia’s ability to blend into the local government and society in Michoacán will pose a challenge for federal efforts, more than existed in other cartel-controlled areas, such Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana. We expect there will be an increase in violence in Michoacán and its surrounding territories in the near-term, as La Familia will likely intensify attacks of retaliation and intimidation against officials in order to pressure the federal government to back down.
We further expect sustained federal targeting in Michoacán in the near-term, notably leading up to July 5, 2009 congressional elections. The current political targeting will likely not have an immediate impact on the amount of drugs transited out of Michoacán. However, continued attention to the sector may leave cartels more susceptible to military efforts in the long-term.
