Templarios Monthly Payouts in Michoacán Bribes, Mayors in 10 States Contolled by Cartels

Chivis Martínez for Borderland Beat

Caballeros Templarios  spends about 325 million pesos per year ($ 25 million) in bribes to various officials in the Mexican state of Michoacán, revealed by the newspaper Milenio  today.

The paper added that in other states in which they have the least influence, Templarios  will spend 65 million pesos a year ($ 5 million) and 5.4 million Mexican pesos per month ($ 415,385).

Payouts in major cities of Michoacán per month;

A commander of the Police Federal  collects up to 350,000 pesos per month ($ 26,923),

A senior official in the attorney general's office, 250,000 pesos ($ 19,230)

State police, up to 240,000 pesos per month ($ 18,460).

A deputy of the municipal police the Templarios are paid 30,000 pesos ($ 2,307)

A municipal Public Safety Director, 25,000 pesos ($ 1,923)

An  ministerial officer 20,000 pesos ($ 1,540)

The press is also listed as a beneficiary of  payments, at 40,000 pesos a month  ($ 3,075)

25,000 for reporter at a news station ($ 1,923)

The same sum for an executive of a national television network ($1,923).

Among those  bribed is a general, who receives  2 million pesos a month (about $ 154,000)

The information published today by the Millennium Group comes from an intelligence report, that its journalists had access to for several hours.

The Templarios emerged in the state of Michoacán as a splinter group of La Familia criminal and currently have attained a rapid spread of operations into other states including;

• Michoacán
• Guanajuato
• Guerrero
• The State of Mexico
• Colima
• Chiapas
• Jalisco
• Tabasco
• Morelos
• Baja California
• and Tamaulipas.

In related news, at least 250 Mexican mayors in 10 states are under the control of one cartel or another as reported by the AALMAC association, the states named are:

• Michoacán
• Tamaulipas
• Coahuila
• Chihuahua
• San Luis Potosi
• Zacatecas
• Guerrero
• State of Mexico
• Durango
• Veracruz

Click to enlarge

Typically cartels bribe municipal governments in order to control cities, along with intimidation tactics.  Templarios have adapted a different strategy; they use intimidation, threats, and extortion (in place of bribes) to control mayors and city hall.

According to a new report by La Jornada, most of the municipalities of Michoacán are subject to extortion from the Templarios and that of the 113 municipalities in the state, at least a 100 municipalities  pay money to the criminal organization in exchange for permission by the cartel to conduct normal business. 

   

Threats, pressure and terror of organized crime in regions of Michoacán  by capos and operators, mostly from the Templarios,  has pushed many mayors to consider the possibility of resigning, however, aware of the intentions of the mayors, the regional heads of the criminal group have issued warnings: If you back out, you will be killed.  

Templarios method of operation has included tapping into every facet of the economy, every worker, public facilities such as highways, utilities, politics, produce production, livestock, merchandise, is “taxed”, (extorted).  In every segment of economic action Templarios receive a slice, everything and everyone is extorted. 

The stories are told quietly that drug traffickers in Michoacán have destroyed everything and control the state. 

Mayors were elected in January this year.  The Knights Templar sent armed cells to invite them for interviews by capos. Those who refused, confirmed one state government official, were kidnapped by the Knights Templars.

 

In all cases, the leaders demanded payment of municipal finance fees.  If the councils did not have sufficient resources, then the payment would be through the allocation of public works and part of the money deposited by state authorities.

 

For the meetings, they demand municipalities bring their  treasurer, to construct a business and payment plan,  confided one of the sources consulted by La Jornada.  It is estimated that at least a hundred of the 113 councilors pay the  fee.

In a violent drug war that has provided one stunning event after another, when one is thinking we have seen it all, along comes Caballeros Templarios. A cartel  that has no boundaries ,that steals, kills, tortures and  rapes children, of which their leader, a former school teacher, attempts to excuse away by “my boys are uneducated, they lack manners”.

 A cartel who target and attack all people; wealthy, impoverished,  the elderly the infantile, whatever value is there to attain they squeeze and take.  Leaving destruction, death and hopelessness in their path of terror.

And they are spreading fast, faster than any cartel before.  Like an aggressive cancer, metastasizing in short time to a third of the country. 

And few are taking notice.

Note from Chivis:  I relied heavily on a face book page “Por Michoacán con Libertad”, a big supporter of Dr. José Mierles.  I checked it Saturday night midnight before turning in for the night.  It was up.  Then Sunday it was completely gone.  Vanished. 

If any of you have information about the FB page and its Twitter page please