Ocosingo, Chiapas: Paramilitary Gang Los Petules Displaces Families Who Won Presidential Plane Lottery

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Many families have had to leave their homes in the El Nacimiento community, in Ocosingo, Chiapas, because an armed group from the area expelled them to take their money.

* The residents denounce that it is the paramilitary gang Los Petules.

On October 18, displaced families left their homes and took refuge in San Cristóbal de las Casas. 

In Ocosingo, Chiapas, in a community called El Nacimiento, in 2020 a kindergarten won one of the presidential plane Lottery awards: 20 million pesos, to fix the school.

A year and a half after receiving the award, many families have had to leave their homes because an armed group from the area expelled them to take their money.

"We are 28 parents who were displaced by the paramilitary gang Los Petules. They want to take over the land, wherever they want, where we won a National Lottery of the presidential plane that we were winners of 20 million pesos and force us to buy weapons," said Marcelo Santiz López, auxiliary agent of the El Carrizal community.

Residents of the El Nacimiento community of the municipality of Ocosingo, Chiapas, denounce that the paramilitary group of "Los Petules" expelled 60 citizens from the place to keep part of the prize of 20 million pesos, of the draw for the "presidential plane", intended to rebuild a school, and that they would use to buy weapons.

What happened to the 20 million pesos?

"They want to take over to buy weapons, but we don't want that, that's why they assaulted us with gunfire; they forced us to give them the card and an amount of money and the authorities allowed them, they kept the bank's cards, the sum of money," Marcelo Santiz López said.

With the number 4344899 box of the National Lottery, the kindergarten "José María Morelos y Pavón", was one of the seven educational schools in the country that were winners of the 235th draw for the "presidential plane", on September 15, 2020.

They say that the problems began last March, when the Parents Committee began the construction of the school dome. With the excess money, approximately 14 million pesos, they intended to do works for the benefit of the people. 

From that date, they say, the armed group began to pressure them to deliver the money and although they filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office and government secretariat, the problem was not addressed.

"On March 16, I was assaulted with gunfire, I was injured by bullets, by the aggressor Samuel Santiz López, and he hasn’t been arrested. 

He was supported by that paramilitary gang of "Los Petules", they supported him because they want to seize that money; we want to improve our towns but they sent us Los Petules and forced us to buy weapons but we don’t want that," said Marcelo Santiz López, auxiliary agent of the El Carrizal community.

On October 18, displaced families left their homes and took refuge in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

"The Los Petules gang have their weapons and we 28 don't want to grab weapons, that's why we went left," said Emilia Gómez Santiz, displaced.

"The Los Petules gang, we want the government to take them out once and for all, we can't leave and right now that we’re currently displaced we want to leave, but we can’t  because they can attack us on the road," Evasilia Santiz López said.

They say that "Los Petules" were forcing them to be part of the armed group that has its center of operation in the community of El Nacimiento and San Marcos Carrizal II and that they also seeking to keep territory with an area of 515 hectares.

"We were brought here by the gang 'Los Petules'. They took us out of there from the El Carrizal community, 515 hectares is the land they want seize, that's why we want the government, so that they can find us a place to live," said Marcelo Santiz López, auxiliary agent of El Carrizal, in Ocosingo, Chiapas.

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