Through deception, organized crime in Michoacán recruits military personnel and security experts to join its ranks or serve as instructors in explosives handling and combat techniques.
Milenio interviewed a former member of the Colombian armed forces who was lured by the Tepalcatepec Cartel. Initially, they offered him a job as a bodyguard for government officials. However, upon arriving in Mexico, he realized it was a lie and that he would be protecting a shipment for a criminal leader.
The former soldier, who withheld his identity for security reasons, shared how he went from working for the Colombian government to guarding the airstrips and shipments of Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “El Abuelo” (The Grandfather), a former self-defense leader who took advantage of the power vacuum left by the Knights Templar to form his own organization.
Nestled in the Tierra Caliente region, bordering the state of Jalisco, El Abuelo, for whom the United States government is offering a $10 million reward, has amassed his fortune through methamphetamine trafficking.
It was to the hidden airstrips in the Tepeque mountains that the former soldier was sent, tasked with monitoring and alerting authorities to the approach of rival cartels…
Source: milenio
