Dr. Mireles Arrested

Update:

Semeí Verdía, leader of the coastal autodefensas has stated that autodefensas have blocked Highway 200, located in the Michoacán coast, at various points, including Caleta de Campos and Huahua.

Update 2:
The Arrest of Mireles Was a Trap Set Up By the H3 Cartel

Autodefensas Besiege Caleta De Campos; Nobody Leaves If They Enter the Village

Update 3:

Armed Group Attacks Autodefensas of Caleta de Campos

During the afternoon, Dr. José Manuel Mireles Valverde was arrested in the town of Acalpican.  Those detained by Federal Forces include more than 100 armed men, who were also autodefensas.

Entre los detenidos, José Manuel Mireles Valverde, a quien le fueron aseguradas armas de uso exclusivo del Ejército. (2/3)
— Michoacán PGJ (@MichoacanPGJ) June 27, 2014

It has been made known by military sources and Michoacán's PGJ Twitter page, that Mireles was arrested during an operation by the Mexican Army, Navy (SEMAR), and federal police who enforced the Law of Firearms and Explosives on them, since the autodefensas were carrying high-powered rifles and also apparently grenades.

This event occurs within 24 hours of the reappearance of José Manuel Mireles in the main square of Tenencia de La Mira, accompanied by over 600 armed autodefensas, with the objective of tackling organized crime and to provide security for the population; and also announcing that he and his men would search houses of criminals and would also carry out inspections in the sierra searching for narcofosas.  He also announced that they would soon liberate the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and Morelia.

The fate of those detained is still undetermined.   There were allegedly over 600 elements of State Police, Federal Police, SEMAR, and SEDENA that took part in the operation.  Other news agencies have reported up to 150 autodefensas among those detained.

The Arrest of Mireles Was a Trap Set Up By the H3 Cartel

During an exclusive interview with Colima 3.0, one of the family members of Dr. Mireles reported that the arrest in La Mira, a town near Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, was a trap set up by the new “H3” cartel.

During the afternoon on Friday, June 27, Mireles was detained while he was eating in the town of La Mira, Michoacán, while being with 600 people who were his autodefensas and people from the community who were looking to start a community organization for the defense of their territory.

Relatives reported that the detention by the commissioner Alfredo Castillo, better known as “El Virrey”, was because the new H3 Cartel announced that they would travel to the city of Morelia in order to organize self-defense groups under the name of Dr. Mireles, which prompted Castillo to order the arrest in order to prevent the group (Mireles’s autodefensas) from seeking entry to the Michoacán capital.

The relatives say that Mireles has never done this type of action, “to him, the same inhabitants of the town contact him and he only helps the people to organize, but the people must already want to rise up”; they also assured that Mireles personally never carries any type of firearm, therefore, it is a crime of which he cannot be charged with, they said.

The relatives ended the interview by saying that Mireles’s lawyer will travel to the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, where the doctor is currently at.

Autodefensas Besiege Caleta De Campos; Nobody Leaves If They Enter the Village

Armed autodefensas who operate in this area, practically besieged the tenure Caleta de Campos, where the majority of supporters of José Manuel Mireles live.  The autodefensas from neighboring communities, Huahua and Pichilinguillo, along with those from Caleta, maintain a stretch of road along the coast blocked; they have dozens of trucks blocking the road, carrying out their activism in the region.  There are no security forces in the area.

Armed Group Attacks Autodefensas of Caleta de Campos

During the early hours of Saturday, a large convoy of armed men fired at the autodefensas from the community of Caleta de Campos, who maintain a roadblock at kilometer 50 of the highway Lázaro-Manzanillo, in order to demand the release of Dr. Mireles.

According to early reports, it is known that heavily armed individuals with high powered rifles, shot at least 20 vehicles against the guards who are guarding the blockade, located at the entrance of the community.

Although authorities of the coastal region of the state have confirmed the violent event, they said they are unaware of the outcome of the attack.

So far there is no police mobilization; the confrontation occurred around 2:40 hours on Saturday.

 

Additional Photos:

Sources:Mi Morelia,  1aplana, Colima 3.0, Agencia Esquema