Mexican President Sends Thousands of Troops to Michoacán to Restore Peace

Infobaei.com reported on May 22, 2013 that Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto sent at least 4,000 soldiers and 1,000 police to the Mexican state of Michoacán to restore peace to the troubled state. The fight against drug traffickers in Michoacán began in 2006 under President Felipe Calderón. The Minister of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said that Nieto’s strategy will make a big difference compared to the previous strategy of Calderón. The operation is working to ensure the movement of people and goods in the troubled Tierra Caliente sub region of Michoacán. The main cartel that controls the region is the Knights Templar who have been producing marijuana, poppy, and synthetic drugs for decades. However, fighting in Michoacán is not limited to government forces and the Knights Templar. Self-defense forces have been mobilizing in the rural state since the fighting started in 2006 and have sustained local fighting against the Knights Templar. Read Article