Mexican army occupies village of drug lord El Mencho and encounters dozens of mines | Abroad

Military vehicles patrol Naranjo de Chila (Aguilila), a hamlet in western Michoacán state. Michoacán is a coveted place for drug cartels, thanks to its seaside port and the state’s smuggling routes. Growers of avocados and limes are also being squeezed.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – better known as ‘El Mencho’ – was born in the village. The drug lord is wanted by both Mexico and the United States and has been on the run for years. Reports appeared in local media last week that he had died.

‘El Mencho’ leads the powerful drug cartel Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which operates almost all over Mexico. The cartel is said to be responsible for deadly attacks on Mexican security forces and an attempted murder of the chief of police in Mexico City.

‘El Mencho’ fights a bloody battle with the Los Viagras cartel for control of the area. Heavy fighting takes place around the hamlet of Naranjo de Chila. The cartels use trenches, bunkers, homemade armored cars and drones that drop small bombs.

The rival gangs have also placed dozens of roadside bombs along roads and in fields. As a result, a farmer has been killed and ten soldiers injured in recent weeks when their army truck hit a roadside bomb. The cartels sometimes detonate the explosives remotely.

Special units of the Mexican army, equipped with metal detectors and bomb suits, have subsequently entered the city.