La Nueva Familia Michoacana is a criminal organization formed in 2011 after the original
La Familia Michoacana
La Familia Michoacana, (English: ''The Michoacán Family'') La Familia (English: ''The Family''), or LFM is a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Michoacán. They are known to produce large amounts o ...
lost power in 2010 with the formation of the
Knights Templar Cartel
The Knights Templar Cartel (Spanish: ''Los Caballeros Templarios'') was a Mexican criminal organization originally composed of the remnants of La Familia Michoacana drug cartel based in the Mexican State of Michoacán.
The Knights Templar Ca ...
and
Nazario Moreno's suspected death (he was not proven dead until 2014 with a
DNA test). It is dedicated to drug trafficking and battling the
CJNG criminal organization out of
Tierra Caliente
''Tierra caliente'' is an informal term used in Latin America to refer to places with a distinctly tropical climate. These are usually regions from sea level from 0–3,000 feet.Zech, W. and Hintermaier-Erhard, G. (2002); Böden der Welt – Ein Bi ...
in
Michoacán and
Guerrero
Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
. Many of its leaders have been arrested for threatening and blackmailing people on social media. La Nueva Familia Michoacana operates in the southern areas of Mexico.
Social media threats
In 2019, a leader from the cell called ''El Zarco'' threatened ''
El Mencho'' by telling him they were going to kill his
hitmen
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
by the
Balsas River
The Balsas River (Spanish Río Balsas, also locally known as the Mezcala River, or Atoyac River) is a major river of south-central Mexico.
The basin flows through the states of Guerrero, México, Morelos, and Puebla. Downstream of Ciudad Alta ...
. The threat went viral that a few weeks later CJNG members threatened to assassinate El Zarco.
Sanctions
In November 2022, the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
sanctioned La Nueva Familia Michoana and its alleged leaders Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga pursuant to . The Treasury alleges the group is implicated in a mix of criminal and drug trafficking activities, including the cultivation of
opium poppy and U.S. distribution of
heroin and, in an emerging trend, “rainbow”
fentanyl
Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocain ...
(pills and powders whose bright colors, shapes, and sizes are marketed to young users).
References
{{reflist
Organized crime groups in Mexico
Mexican drug war
La Familia Michoacana