Mexican federal police dealt a heavy blow to the drug cartel known as ‘The Family’ which operates in western and southern Mexico. The arrests of the criminal syndicate’s 44 members happened during a christening celebration. The police operation, planned for six months, took place in a social center along the main street in the east side of the city of Morelia. It involved the deployment of 400 special police, logistical support from a Boeing 727, two Blackhawk helicopters, and two special purpose vehicles.

The presence of children and women in the party forced police to take extreme security measures. There were 120 guests at the christening organized by Rafael Cedeño Hernández alias ‘El Cede,’ one of the regional leaders of the ‘La Familia Michoacana,’ a criminal organization that has been active in recent months. ‘La Familia Michoacana’ is one of three Mexican organizations that the US put on its list of suspected international drug traffickers last April 15.

Michoacán is the sixteenth largest state in Mexico, taking up 3 percent of the national territory. It is also one of the states most hit by violence attributed to organized crime.

‘The Family’ is known to decapitate their rivals, several of them from the Zetas group. It is largely involved in the movement of cocaine shipments from Central America, as well as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine coming from Asia and Europe. The group also maintains seedy bars, extorts money from shopkeepers and owners of the area, and promotes prostitution of high school students.

Besides ‘El Cede,’ the 44 arrested included the syndicate’s top brass.

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Via Fausta’s Blog