Agents from the Interinstitutional Operations Base (BOI) managed to capture Rafael O. G., also known as “The Lieutenant” or “El Guache,” a suspected member of the criminal group “Los Viagras,” in Buenavista Tomatlán, Michoacán.
The subject was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon with assault rifles and a drone allegedly used to launch explosives against the civilian population.
In the action, which had the participation of the Spanish Civil Guard and the Mexican Army, “El Guache” was surprised outside a house in the El Cerrito neighborhood in La Ruana.
At the time of being detained, he possessed two AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles, five magazines, and 110 live cartridges. In addition, the operation allowed for the recovery of three stolen motorcycles and securing a bulletproof vest.
The detainee, 47 years old and from Colima, is now at the disposal of the appropriate authorities while the corresponding investigations are carried out.
This arrest represents a significant blow to the operational infrastructure of “Los Viagras,” one of the most notorious criminal organizations in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, to whom the murder of the former leader of the self-defense forces, Hipólito Mora, is attributed.
The organization Los Viagras is an armed branch of Cárteles Unidos, a criminal coalition formed to confront the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) in the state of Michoacán.
Security reports from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) reveal that the group has evolved towards criminal activities such as contract killing, extortion of agricultural and livestock sectors, and trafficking of synthetic drugs.
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The origin of Los Viagras can be traced back to their split from criminal groups such as the Knights Templar and the Michoacana Family, according to research by the InSight Crime investigative entity.
Nevertheless, it was under the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto that they were identified as operating under the guise of a supposed self-defense group, changing over time to an openly criminal identity.
A revelation from the Milenio newspaper in 2015 indicated that behind the facade of a defense movement, “Los Viagras” had the approval of the Mexican Government, revealing their true nature as an organized criminal group.
The criminal actions that characterize “Los Viagras” include intimidation and coercion of local producers, particularly those from the livestock and lemon growing industries, critical economic sectors in the Michoacán region.
This group has drawn the attention of authorities due to its reach and the violence that it has unleashed in its territorial dispute against the CJNG, evidencing the complex struggle for control of critical routes for drug trafficking in Mexico.
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