Morelia (Mexico) Aug 16 (EFE).- Lemon producers in two municipalities in the Mexican state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, have agreed to pay extortion to organized crime in order to continue operating, while the town of Apatzingán has been on strike for five days.
Members of the National Committee of the Mexican Lemon Product System, an association made up of lemon growers from the eight main citrus producing municipalities in Michoacán, informed EFE on Friday that “external agents are seeking extraordinary resources for their financing,” in clear reference to extortion by organized crime.
In the case of the municipality of Apatzingán, the main municipality in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, the Association confirmed that 32 packing companies remain closed due to low lemon production and pressure from “external agents.”
Meanwhile, in the municipality of Buenavista Tomatlán, bordering Apatzingán and the main producer of Mexican lemon, there are 24 packing plants that have agreed to “pay fees” (extortion) to “external agents” to continue with their operations and supply lemon to the national market.
The National Committee of the Mexican Lemon Product System also revealed that in the municipality of Múgica, 20 kilometers from Apatzingán, there are 13 packing plants that, as in the case of Buenavista, pay extortion to organized crime.
However, in the municipality of Parácuaro, located between Apatzingán and Múgica, five packing companies are carrying out their operations normally, although so far they have not reported any extortions.
According to a report from the State Security Board, to which EFE had access, the criminal groups fighting for control of extortion in Apatzingán are the Caballeros Templarios Cartel, the Acahuato Cartel and the United Cartels (made up of their armed wings, Los Viagras and Blancos de Troya).
In Buenavista, the report places Cárteles Unidos as the main organization that controls the collection of fees, although in the case of the town of La Ruana – the birthplace of the civilian self-defense groups that took up arms in February 2013 against drug trafficking – the territory is controlled by the Tepalcatepec Cartel.
In Múgica, security information establishes that extortion payments are made by the Zicuirán Cartel, while in Parácuaro – where strangely no extortion payments are reported – the Caballeros Templarios Cartel operates.
It is worth mentioning that citrus producers in Apatzingán and Buenavista stopped their activities last Monday, due to low lemon production and alleged extortion by organized crime.
Michoacán is a leader in Mexican lemon production, with an annual harvest of around 700,000 tons of the citrus fruit, from 67,000 hectares of 3,504 producers.
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2024-08-18 11:30:16
