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Authorities in the avocado-growing zone of western Mexico say five suspected drug cartel gunmen have been killed in a massive firefight between gangs
MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the avocado-growing zone of western Mexico said five suspected drug cartel gunmen have been killed in a massive firefight between gangs Thursday.
Police in Michoacan state said they had found five bodies in the town of Nuevo Parangaricutiro, and detained 32 suspects.
Video posted on social media showed what appeared to be a home-made armored truck with a machine gun firing from a turret in the town.
Dozens of army troops and state police officers were sent to the largely Purepecha Indigenous town to quell the violence.
The town has long been the scene of disputes between the Viagras gang, self-defense patrols and rival gangs. The criminal groups have long extorted protection payments from avocado growers.
The town was built after the old village of Parangaricutiro was partly buried by the eruption of the Paracutin volcano in the 1940s.
Michoacan has been the scene of a protracted turf battle between the Viagras, also known as the United Cartels, and the Jalisco cartel.
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