Suspect on "Most Wanted" arrested, accused of killing 12 federal agents on orders from Tuta

by Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

Attorney General of Michoacán (PGJE) announced the arrest of a suspect listed on Mexico’s most wanted,  a 3 Million Peso reward had been offered, for information leading to his capture.  The suspect Jesús Tapia Sánchez, El Zanate, is accused of being the author of in the killing of 12 federal police in the town Arteaga, 2009 .

In 2009 from July to December, there were a series of ambushes and killings of federal agents.  In one such attack 12 federal agents were killed.  La Tuta, at the time a leader for La Familia Michoacana, now premier leader of Caballeros Templarios, is attributed for ordering the attacks.

In the week in July, 2009, when the kidnappings occurred, there was dozens of attacks on police stations throughout Michoacán, and attacks on locations where federal elements were being housed.

Servando Gomez Martinez alias "La Tuta", ordered the offensive attacks in retaliation for a federal operation to capture him. 

Tuta was cornered by federal agents in the mountains of Apatzingán, he implemented simultaneous attacks in Morelia, Lázaro Cárdenas, Arteaga, Tumbiscatío and Patzcuaro, placing the pursuing elements of the Federal Police, on defense, and unable to complete the apprehension operation.

The federal police had accurate intelligence information on “Tuta” but when they arrived to capture him, federal agents were kidnapped by LFM waiting at strategic points. This makes it clear that Tuta was forewarned. "LFM" was in a bitter war against the federal police, the municipal police was the probable leak in warning the cartel of the operation

The cartel began a series of attacks against elements of the federal police that left 18 police officers dead and as many wounded. 

At the time federal police felt helpless, saying "if this happen just because we wanted to nab him, imagine when we actually capture him. We must be realistic, we do not know how it is here in Michoacán and we are not very familiar with the roads, we come to their territory and without help, because sometimes neither the Army nor the Ministerial, much less the city police will dare to come here, we are completely alone in this war."

This has been the historical impasse facing forces, that they have not been able to overcome, the sierras are impossible to navigate without familiarity. 

This was the supreme value that autodefensas groups brought to the feds, their ability to navigate and search the sierras, with government forces.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the PGR office  of Michoacán said that "at the time  of his arrest, the accused was traveling in a Jeep and was holding a rifle model G-3, 308 caliber with 52 rounds of ammunition."

Jesus Tapia is accused of the murder of the 12 agents five years ago in Arteaga. 

Tapia said he participated in the attack in which 12 federal police officers, including a woman were killed, on the orders of La Tuta, when he learned that the elements conducted  intelligence work in the operation to capture the leader.

There were 3000 elements sent to Michoacan for the operation, after the killings of the 15, Calderon sent an additional 2000 soldiers from the Navy, army and federal police.  5000 soldiers failed to capture their targets.

Earlier this month Commissioner Alfredo Castillo announced a formation of  "500 special elements" appointed in Michoacan to conduct a new search for the cartel leader.

In 2009 reports were that 15 were killed in the mass kidnapping, of that 12 bodies were piled and discarded on in the stretch-Las Cuatro Caminos Reeds Siglo XXI highway.

The bodies showed signs of severe torture and bullet wounds