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In an exclusive military operation led by the Mexican Army, military elements stormed a rural residential complex in the municipality of Santiago, Nuevo Leon where they arrested four alleged members of the Michoacan Family (LFM) and seized weapons, communication equipment and vehicles.
This event has been marked as the first time members of the Michoacan Family cartel have been captured in the state of Nuevo Leon.
The detained gunmen were identified as Roberto Ramirez Florian, 24, Jose Dolores Ruiz Plancarte, 27, Victor Hugo Moreno Mendoza, 29, and Francisco Javier Valdez Oliva, 25. Presumably, they have been in the residence for at least a month.
In a press release, the Ministry of National Defense reported that the detainees identified themselves as members of La Familia Michoacana.
Among the weapons seized by the military were five AK-47, 3 R-15, one of which was fitted with a grenade launcher, and one rocket launcher, said to be capable of shooting down a helicopter.
Also seized was a 12 mm gauge shotgun, three 9mm weapons seven 40 mm grenades, a cache of ammunition of diverse calibers, clips, cell phones, and Nextel radios .
Soldiers also found two baseball bats, camouflage uniforms, maps and and discarded grey industrial tape, which lead investigators to believe a kidnapping may have also taken place.
The residence was unkept and in complete disarray, it is presumed it had been forced from it's rightful owners months prior. Blankets, clothing and food was found scattered under a thatched pavilion and in various rooms.
In the garden area the military seized four vehicles, a Sentra, a Toyota, a small cargo vehicle, and a Jetta, all of which had been reported as stolen.
The arrest was made in the Residential complex known as Campestre Rincon de la Boca, located west of mile 11 of the Los Cavazos-San Mateo highway.
A source revealed that based on intelligence reports, the soldiers were conducting a search of the area in efforts to locate various vehicles which were allegedly towards the back of the subdivision.
Around 8:00 pm, the informant said, when they closed in on the complex, they observed, from a distance, a man sitting on top of a tall concrete wall. It was at that moment the soldiers moved into position to storm the residence.
The man, who allegedly was positioned as a "look out", jumped from the wall and alerted the inhabitants which allowed an estimated 17 additional suspects to escape through people through a hole made in the rear property wall.
The informant said although the four detained were armed, there was no exchange of fire, as the suspects immediately threw their weapons to the ground once confronted by the soldiers.
At this time, there have been no official reports regarding a connection in the case of the recent kidnapping and execution of the mayor of Santiago, Edelmiro Cavazos Leal.
