Mexican Terrorist Cartel Kidnapped 100 Farmers in Land Grab

Activists in Mexico are calling out the kidnapping of more than 100 farmers in the cartel-controlled state of Guerrero. Activists claim that La Familia Michoacana is holding the victims as a way to pressure locals into letting them establish a base of operations in the region. In a streamed interview, Catholic Father Filiberto Velazquez — director of the Minerva Bello Center for the Rights of Victims of Violence — exposed the kidnapping and revealed that the terrorist cartel has managed to stay one step ahead of any security operations carried out by Mexico’s government. While details of the mass kidnappings remain unclear, the issue came to light in recent days when local farmers in Guerrero began holding protests asking for the release of seven farmers who had been taken and held captive for 23 days by cartel gunmen. The protests prompted Mexico’s government to act, sending out a series of search parties led by military forces. After several days of pressure, the criminal organization released six of the seven kidnapped victims. However, according to Velazquez, the victims revealed terrifying information about having been taken to a place that had over 100 kidnapping victims, all held by the cartel gunmen. The victims claimed that due to the search operations by military forces, cartel gunmen used several trucks to move all the victims to various locations, always staying one step ahead of authorities. According to Velzquez, during their captivity, the seven released farmers were subjected to physical and psychological torture, including severe beatings and threats of murder. The Catholic priest claimed that since their release, Guerrero government officials have turned a blind eye to the case and have failed to provide any care or support, leaving the farmers to cover their own medical expenses. The reason for the kidnappings is linked to a land grab by the terror group La Familia Michoacana, which is seeking to establish a base of operations in the rural community known as El Bajon de Ajuchitlan. The criminal organization has not been able to do so due to the resistance of the community, which has been outspoken about the cartel’s presence. The kidnapping appears to be an attempt to suppress the resistance, with attempts to force some farmers to join La Familia Michoacana. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.