Mexican authorities close in on Knights Templar drug cartel
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 07 December, 2014, 6:14am
UPDATED : Sunday, 07 December, 2014, 6:14am
Agence France-Presse in Morelia
Farmers in Michoacan, fed up with years of violence, formed vigilante forces against the Knights Templar cartel last year. Photo: AP
Mexican authorities arrested the uncle of one of the country's most notorious and most wanted drug lords, the head of the Knights Templar cartel, officials said on Friday.
Gerardo Martinez, 53, the uncle of Servando "La Tuta" Gomez, was arrested as he left a building believed to be owned by his drug kingpin nephew and used for illegal activities, said Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in the southwestern state of Michoacan. She said authorities seized a mobile phone from Martinez which they suspect he used to inform cartel members of police movements.
His nephew Gomez, one of Mexico's most wanted men, is believed to be in hiding in violence-wracked Michoacan, which is known for marijuana and poppy production that has fuelled gang activity as cartels vie for their share.
The Knights Templar cartel is active in the region, though it began to weaken last year when farmers, fed up with years of violence, formed vigilante forces.
The federal government has deployed thousands of troops to the region and killed or captured most of the cartel's leadership, leaving Gomez as the sole remaining chief. In September, Gomez's brother apparently shot himself dead when police surrounded him in an apartment.
