Citizens assail a dangerous drug cartel, resulting in the demise of 10 hired assassins.

 

A clash between civilians and one of Mexico's lethal drug cartels resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals, including 10 members of the cartel's hit squad, according to a Univision Noticias report.

 The incident occurred in the State of Mexico, leaving four others injured from gunshot wounds, and two individuals missing. The conflict erupted after members of La Familia Michoacana, a prominent drug trafficking organization, declared an increase in the extortion tax imposed on farmers in Texcaltitlán. This tax, prevalent across Mexico, involves businesses paying cartels to operate without interference.

Farmers from Texcaltitlán reportedly met with La Familia Michoacana members at a football pitch on December 8. When negotiations over the tax failed, violence ensued. Videos from the scene depict people fleeing as gunshots ring out, and graphic images reveal burnt vehicles and casualties.

Local media sources state that four of the deceased were local farmers, while 10 were affiliated with the cartel, some of whom were brutally attacked with machetes.

Rigoberto de la Sancha Santillan, also known as El Payaso and the local La Familia Michoacana leader, was killed in the confrontation. José Luis Cervantes Martínez, the head of the Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico, disclosed that El Payaso's criminal cell was responsible for the deaths of 13 members of Mexico's security forces in 2021. He confirmed that El Payaso, along with "a couple of high and medium-level hitmen," was killed by civilians last Friday.

Governor Delfina Gómez of the State of Mexico strongly condemned the violence, asserting that these events reinforce their determination to enhance security conditions in the state, ensuring such incidents do not recur.