A criminal organisation that controlled large parts of the economy in central Mexico has been dismantled after an operation described as ‘the biggest’ to date against extortion, the Mexican government announced on Wednesday.
The operation mobilised more than 2,800 law enforcement officers in 14 cities, where searches targeted 52 establishments, according to authorities. Eight people identified as leaders of the criminal group were arrested.
According to Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch, this is "the biggest (operation) ever carried out simultaneously in the country" against extortion, which is widespread in Mexico.
The mafia network, linked to the Michoacan drug cartel, operated in the State of Mexico, which surrounds most of the capital, Mexico City, and is the most populous state in the country. It had a highly structured organisation, controlling unions in various sectors of the economy such as construction, mining, agriculture and logistics.
"Fighting this criminal group was a matter of urgency to protect the local economy and the peace of thousands of families (...) and to put an end to these practices aimed at controlling economic sectors," the minister stressed at a press conference in Mexico City.
During the raids, law enforcement seized horses and exotic animals, meat, several tonnes of construction materials and numerous vehicles.
