Cartel conflict shuts down highways in Michoacán

Cartel struggle wreaked havoc crossed the occidental authorities of Michoacán connected Wednesday, arsenic organized transgression gangs blockaded 10 highways by mounting vehicles connected fire. 

The chaos extended into the states of Jalisco to the northwest and Guanajuato to the northeast.

Order was restored successful Guanajuato aft six hours of mayhem, authorities and national officials declared connected Wednesday night. Michoacán authorities worked precocious into the nighttime removing the vehicles and different obstacles earlier reopening the highways, portion urging motorists to workout caution.

In a little connection issued Thursday morning, Federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said astatine slightest 2 constabulary officers died successful the violence, adding that national officials defused respective explosive artifacts and secured a fig of onshore mines.

”Yesterday, convulsive incidents occurred successful 26 municipalities successful Michoacán, 2 successful Guanajuato, and 1 successful Jalisco,” the curate tweeted connected X. “These incidents resulted successful the burning of respective vehicles, 3 attacks connected stores, respective roadblocks, and assaults connected authorities, resulting successful the decease of 2 constabulary officers.”

García Harfuch did not place the constabulary officers nor did helium accidental to which authorities unit they belonged.

Most of the unit took spot successful Michoacán, with 26 municipalities victimized, but immoderate of it spilled implicit into the neighboring states of Jalisco and Guanajuato. (@1aplanamx/X)

According to García Harfuch, the unit was strictly a cartel struggle betwixt rival gangs. “It is important to enactment that these attacks are the effect of conflicts betwixt 2 transgression groups warring implicit territories,” helium wrote. 

But the Michoacán Security Ministry attributed the violence to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) reacting to coordinated operations carried retired by national forces that sought to unopen down transgression enactment successful a wide swath of Michoacán.

In caller weeks, the Navy Ministry has conducted anti-crime operations successful the Bajío region, Tierra Caliente, the Chapala marsh area, the cardinal plateau and eastbound Michoacán. The CJNG absorption began astir 2 p.m. Wednesday, conscionable crossed the authorities borderline successful Jalisco.

Approximately 50 men erected a barricade by mounting occurrence to six cargo trucks successful the municipality of La Barca, Jalisco, shutting down national Highway 15 successful some directions. Highway 15 connects the authorities capitals of Morelia, Michoacán, and Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Shortly thereafter, equipped men appeared adjacent San Andrés Coru, astir 100 kilometers westbound of Morelia and 20 kilometers northeast of Uruapan, Michoacán’s second-largest city. The men unopen down national Highway 14 (the Patzcuaro-Uruapan highway) by mounting occurrence to a tractor-trailer.

Farther southbound successful the Tierra Caliente, the suspected cartel members acceptable occurrence to 2 vehicles and 2 Oxxo convenience stores adjacent Apatzingán.

#VIDEO:

Explota @GobMichoacan.

Narcobloqueos, incendios, balazos y operativos en este estado y en los límites con @GobiernoJalisco. pic.twitter.com/vzwhTtLsoj

— Antonio Nieto (@siete_letras) April 24, 2025

At the aforesaid time, Morelia came nether onslaught arsenic criminals blocked national Highway 43 — which connects the Michoacán superior with Salamanca, Guanajuato —  by mounting 2 motor blocks connected fire.

Similar tactics were utilized to unopen down the Uruapan-Chilchota, Vista Hermosa-Yurécuaro, La Piedad-Zamora and Quiroga-Zacapu highways. Automobiles were besides acceptable ablaze successful the municipalities of Churintzio (northwestern Michoacán), Huaniqueo (90 km northwest of Morelia) and Maravatío (northeastern Michoacán). An further 25 vehicles were damaged successful these 3 incidents.

The national authorities responded to the reports by deploying the subject and Security Ministry unit to suppress the blockades and patrol large cities affected by the cartel attacks.

On Thursday, the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office reported that 2 men perchance linked to the attacks had been arrested.

In abstracted incidents successful the bluish municipality of Álvaro Obregón bordering Guanajuato, officials apprehended 2 men — 1 successful a pick-up truck, different connected a motorcycle — each with a gallon of gasoline and a walkie-talkie.

With reports from Infobae, La Jornada and Periódico Correo