Cartel gunmen ambushed and killed one of the founding members of a self-defense group made up of villagers who took up arms to fight cartel oppression. The slain figure was one of several freedom fighters that gained international fame in Michoacan for helping villagers fight against drug cartels in 2013.
On Thursday afternoon, several political figures and activists confirmed the murder of Hipolito Mora in the town of La Ruana — a rural area in the Mexcian state of Michoacan. Mora was riding his vehicle at the time of the attack. During the attack, the rival gunmen set the vehicle ablaze. Four bodyguards with Mora at the time of the attack are also believed to have been killed.
Me acaban de confirmar que en un atentado asesinaron a mi amigo #HipolitoMora, prendieron fuego a su camioneta blindada y asesinaron a todos sus escoltas, en este #Michoacán vivimos y las autoridades se empeñaron en negar la situación , ¿ahora que dirán?
— Guillermo Valencia (@MemoValenciaR) June 29, 2023
Mora gained fame after convincing locals to take up arms in 2013 against the Knights Templar and La Familia Michoacana due to the government’s inability to protect the public. Since then, several of the self-defense group leaders started their own criminal organizations and established alliances with either faction of the Sinaloa Cartel (Carteles Unidos) or Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that Mora’s murder came after he fell out with leaders of the Los Viagras cartel over a drug production lab that military forces raided last year. Since then, Mora fled La Ruana and survived prior assassination attempts.
Mora’s murder comes at a time when Michoacan remains one of the most deadly states in Mexico as various criminal organizations fight for control of drug production and drug trafficking routes into Mexico. In the ongoing fight to control those areas, cartel members used explosives, weaponized drones, and armored vehicles with complete impunity. Last year, Breitbart Texas exclusively published documents that showed that current Michoacan Governor Alfredo Bedolla has familial ties to some of the current cartel leaders in his state.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Jose Luis Lara from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.