El Ruso of Los Caballeros Templarios Falls

Today the Ministry of Public Security issued an official statement reporting that members of the Federal Police had captured Victor Chavez Gomez, aka El Ruso or The Russian who was part of the criminal organization of the Knights Templar or Los Caballeros Templarios.

El Ruso, 31, was captured last August 10, 2011 in a raid in the city of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. Authorities said El Ruso had been traveling on the street of Canal Secundario when he tried to flee from police after they had attempted to stop him. He was eventually captured the Federal Police.

El Ruso admitted to having participated in the July 7, 2011 assault of several Federal Police officers in the town of Apatzingan, Michoacan.

Police seized a revolver, 11 cartridges, three mobile phone chips, 3 kilos of marijuana, 422 grams of Crystal, and a vehicle that had been previously reported as stolen.


Three more captured Thursday

On another event, officials from the Ministry of National Defense presented several members of the Los Caballeros Templarios or Knights Templar who were captured last Thursday when they confronted the Mexican military.

The event began on Thursday when the military carried out reconnaissance in the municipality of Tancítaro, Michoacán, and just at the point known as La Tinaja were attacked by gunmen.

During the shootout one of the gunmen was wounded and captured along with two of his colleagues. The rest of the armed group known as the Los Caballeros Templarios escaped.

The men captured were identified as Antonio Sanchez Espinoza, 38, Roberto Cardenas Baez, aka La Momia or The Mummy, 21, Misael Villegas Nambo, 29.

During the action military authorities managed to secure four assault rifles, six handguns, 180 rounds of ammunition for AR-15, 1,010 rounds for AK-47, 26 magazines, three ballistic vests, four late-model trucks, and drugs.