Results against extortion in Michoacán
Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), stated that extortion is a central objective of Claudia Sheinbaum’s government. In a conference from Morelia, Michoacán, he detailed the actions of the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice.
In the last month, 16 operations were carried out. The authorities seized 246 explosive devices, machine guns, 39 long weapons and more than 17 thousand cartridges. García Harfuch stressed that these results do not mean that the task is completed, but rather that the efforts are reinforced.
“The instruction of the president of Mexico is clear: maintain the presence of the Security Cabinet in Michoacán; strengthen the units of local authorities with greater intelligence and investigation capabilities to combat, among other crimes, mainly the crime of extortion; sustain focused operations with cabinet and field work; attention to complaints, and the strengthening of 089 to continue promoting complaints.”
Since the beginning of the current government, 1,300 people have been arrested for high-impact crimes. They have also seized 1,400 firearms, 35 tons of drugs and dismantled 30 clandestine laboratories for the production of methamphetamines. The secretary assured that these actions affect the logistical capacity of criminal groups that operate in the entity to extort.
The official reiterated the presidential instruction to redouble efforts. “Fighting extortion in Michoacán is a priority for the president of Mexico, therefore, the institutions of the federal Security Cabinet maintain close and permanent coordination with the government of Michoacán with the aim of stopping those who generate violence, protect citizens and guarantee that there is no impunity,” he concluded.
