The Defense Department announced on Thursday that since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office on October 1, 300 soldiers and 360 Guard officers have been sent to various lime-growing areas.
In August, over half of the lime packing warehouses in Michoacan’s lowlands temporarily closed after growers and distributors reported extortion demands from the Los Viagras and other cartels.
The troops are now visiting packing houses, escorting trucks transporting limes, and providing security at wholesale markets in key areas like Apatzingan, Aguililla, and Buenavista. Within just over a week, they have seized 10 guns and two grenades.
Limes are a crucial part of Mexican cuisine. The Michoacan state government acknowledged the shutdowns in August but attributed them mainly to growers’ dissatisfaction with prices.
Although it might seem unusual for drug cartels to target limes, they have been a significant source of income for these gangs for much of this century.
In 2013, lime growers led Mexico’s largest vigilante movement. At that time, cartels controlled distribution, manipulated domestic prices for crops like avocados and limes, and dictated harvest times and prices.
It’s not just limes; there is increasing evidence that drug cartels are distorting parts of Mexico’s economy, deciding who can sell products and at what price, and demanding a percentage of sales revenue in return.
In July, Femsa, which operates Oxxo, Mexico’s largest convenience store chain, announced the closure of all 191 stores and seven gas stations in Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, due to gang issues. The company had long faced cartel demands to buy fuel from specific distributors.
Source: AP News
