Mexican Farmers Kill 11 Cartel Members with Machetes Over Crop Extortion
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3wkzx/farmers-killed-10-cartel-members-with-machetes-over-extortion-feesAt least 14 people were killed in a fight between members of a drug cartel and local villagers last week after residents fought back against extortion demands, according to Mexican authorities.
Amongst the dead was a cartel leader known as “Comandante Payaso” (Commander Clown), the alleged leader of La Familia in the region behind the rise in the extortion fee.
The clash happened on the afternoon of December 8 after members of La Familia Michoacana announced a rise in the extortion tax to the group of farmers in the small rural town of Texcaltitlán. The farmers were already each paying a Mexican peso per square meter (around $.060) to the criminal group. The cartel now wanted double, according to news reports.
“We told the Mexican army that this was going to happen because we were not going to pay anymore. We asked for their back up and no-one showed up,”
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