Morelia, Mich: 13 Dead in Confrontations including One Police Officer

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Debate y Quadratin

According to the FGE, crossfire originated after ministers discovered an alleged CJNG "safe house".  

A total of 13 people were shot dead, including a police officer, in several violent events related to drug cartels, in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, authorities said on Saturday.

The State Attorney General's Office (FGE) explained that one of the cases occurred in the historic center of Morelia, capital of Michoacán, where a group of Ministerial Police discovered a "safe house" of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) .

The police officers managed to obtain a search warrant and set out early on Saturday to enter the house, located in the Gertrudis Bocanegra neighborhood, where a dozen hit men opened fire on them.

The confrontation lasted for more than an hour and the end result was one policeman and four suspected criminals killed, as well as five detainees.

The investigative policeman that was killed is identified as Officer Jesús Irepan Rojas Villanueva.

Vehicles, assault rifles, guns, drug doses, bulletproof vests and other evidence that was seized there  makes the FGE assume that the detained and dead are members of CJNG.

The FGE reported that, prior to that confrontation, in Morelia four other people were tortured and shot to death in the  Colonias of Constituent, Querétaro, Presa Los Reyes and Villas del Real, as well as on the Morelia-Pátzcuaro state highway.

In two of the cases, the CJNG left "calling cards" ( narco- mantas ) taking responsibility the crimes.

The Michoacán Police also revealed that in the municipality of Uruapan, the second most important city in Michoacán, four other people were shot dead in three different events.

Two of the victims were dismembered and their bodies abandoned in plastic bags, in the Valle de Las Delicias neighborhood.

The third body was abandoned in a residential area known as La Charanda, while the fourth victim was killed in the Río Volta neighborhood.

According to the FGE, all these cases are related to the wave of violence generated by CJNG, ie Jalisco Nueva Generación and Nueva Familia Michoacana cartels, the latter operating through its arm of self-styled hitmen known as "Los Viagras."

Today the Attorney General of the State of Michoacán paid tribute to the officer Jesús Irepan Rojas Villanueva, who was killed early today during the operation in the Gertrudis Bocanegra neighborhood of Morelia, who was with the Department for almost 15 years.