Mexico 'cartel ties' mayor detained

29 April 2014 Last updated at 12:37 Police last month confiscated an iron ore mining operation belonging to the cartel near Lazaro Cardenas The mayor of the Mexican port city of Lazaro Cardenas has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in kidnappings and extortion.

Arquimedes Oseguera is also accused of having ties to the Knights Templar drugs cartel, all of which he denies.

Lazaro Cardenas is one of the main port cities on the Pacific coast and a stronghold of the cartel.

The city's treasurer has also been arrested on suspicion of having links to the Knights Templar.

Smuggling hotspot

Lazaro Cardenas has a deepwater seaport, and police say the Knights Templar ship illegally mined iron ore from the city to China.

Tonnes of precursor chemicals used to manufacture illegal synthetic drugs have also been seized in the port over the past years.

The Knights Templar are one of the main suppliers of methamphetamines to the United States.

Their leader is believed to he hiding in or around Lazaro Cardenas.

Federal police officers have been combing the area in their search for the Knights Templar leader

Three of the cartel's top bosses have been killed or captured since the beginning of the year in a crackdown by the security forces.

Two weeks ago, the mayor of Apatzingan, another Knights Templar stronghold, was arrested on suspicion of extorting money on behalf of the cartel.

Farmers in western Michoacan state have long complained about the power of the Knights Templar and the corrupt nature of local officials.

Many have joined "self-defence" groups which have taken control of a number of small towns in the state.

On Monday, Mexican security forces started registering the weapons of the vigilante groups as part of a deal with the government to incorporate them into the official security forces.

The vigilantes have until 10 May to register their guns. Anyone found carrying weapons illegally after the disarmament would be detained, officials warned.

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Mexico 'cartel ties' mayor detained

29 April 2014 Last updated at 12:37 Police last month confiscated an iron ore mining operation belonging to the cartel near Lazaro Cardenas The mayor of the Mexican port city of Lazaro Cardenas has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in kidnappings and extortion.

Arquimedes Oseguera is also accused of having ties to the Knights Templar drugs cartel, all of which he denies.

Lazaro Cardenas is one of the main port cities on the Pacific coast and a stronghold of the cartel.

The city's treasurer has also been arrested on suspicion of having links to the Knights Templar.

Smuggling hotspot

Lazaro Cardenas has a deepwater seaport, and police say the Knights Templar ship illegally mined iron ore from the city to China.

Tonnes of precursor chemicals used to manufacture illegal synthetic drugs have also been seized in the port over the past years.

The Knights Templar are one of the main suppliers of methamphetamines to the United States.

Their leader is believed to he hiding in or around Lazaro Cardenas.

Federal police officers have been combing the area in their search for the Knights Templar leader

Three of the cartel's top bosses have been killed or captured since the beginning of the year in a crackdown by the security forces.

Two weeks ago, the mayor of Apatzingan, another Knights Templar stronghold, was arrested on suspicion of extorting money on behalf of the cartel.

Farmers in western Michoacan state have long complained about the power of the Knights Templar and the corrupt nature of local officials.

Many have joined "self-defence" groups which have taken control of a number of small towns in the state.

On Monday, Mexican security forces started registering the weapons of the vigilante groups as part of a deal with the government to incorporate them into the official security forces.

The vigilantes have until 10 May to register their guns. Anyone found carrying weapons illegally after the disarmament would be detained, officials warned.

View the original article here

Mexico 'cartel city' mayor arrested

16 April 2014 Last updated at 13:29 Vigilante groups moved into Apatzingan in February saying they would clear the city of the Knights Templar The mayor of the Mexican city of Apatzingan, a stronghold of the Knights Templar drug cartel, has been arrested on suspicion of extorting money on behalf of the cartel.

Prosecutors say Uriel Chavez pressured city councillors to hand over $1,500 (£900) of their salaries to the Knights Templar.

Mr Chavez denies the allegations.

In February, armed vigilante groups marched into the city in an attempt to "clear" it of the cartel.

Extortion

The prosecutor's office said they had received a number of complaints against Mr Chavez by local councillors alleging he had taken them to a rural area.

The self-defence groups celebrated the first anniversary since their foundation with a parade

There, armed men claiming to belong to the Knights Templar demanded money for weapons, the councillors said.

Last year, farmers tired of being extorted by cartel members joined "self-defence" groups in the western state of Michoacan.

They took control of a number of towns earlier this year, promising to rid them of the influence of the Knights Templar, a criminal organisation engaged in extortion, kidnapping for ransom, and the illegal methamphetamine trade.

The government originally tolerated the groups, inviting them to join a Rural Defence Corps under the command of the security forces.

Few took up the offer, so on Tuesday the interior minister set the vigilantes a deadline of 10 May to register their guns and to decide whether to join the rural corps or face arrest for illegally carrying weapons.

The government argues that the vigilante groups are no longer needed because the security forces have captured or killed three of the four main leaders of the Knights Templar.

However, their top leader, former school teacher Servando "La Tuta" Gomez, remains at large.

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