Years active 2010−Disband Ethnicity Mexican | Territory Michoacán and Jalisco | |
Founded by Ignacio Coronel Villarreal Criminal activities Drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, arms trafficking, robbery, assault Allies Los Zetas Cartel, Milenio Cartel | ||
La Resistencia (English: The Resistance), also known as Cárteles Unidos (English: United Cartels) is a Mexican criminal enforcer squad composed of well trained gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel and Knights Templar Cartel dedicated to killing or expelling the Los Zetas Cartel operatives from the states of Michoacán and Jalisco.
Contents
History
La Resistencia gang was created by the Sinaloa drug cartel leader Ignacio Coronel Villarreal in 2010 soon after the encroachment of Los Zetas in Michoacán. Originally, La Resistencia was composed of gunmen from the Milenio Cartel loyal to the Sinaloa Cartel federation with support of La Familia Michoacana to fight against Los Zetas and the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. Then, the Milenio Cartel was incorporated into the Sinaloa Cartel, while La Familia and Beltran-Leyva cartels were disbanded by federal security forces. In 2011, La Resistencia continued its violent campaign against Los Zetas by joining forces between the Sinaloa, Gulf and Knights Templar Cartels (splintered from la Familia).
Switch of alliances
With the capture of Óscar Nava Valencia, leader of the Milenio cartel, and the death of Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, of the Sinaloa cartel, a power vacuum emerged and the Milenio broke in to smaller factions, being the most notable La Resistencia, headed by Ramiro Pozos El Molca and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) headed by Nemesio Oseguera El Mencho, and started a turf war for the control of the region.
On March 1, 2011, Mexican federal police arrested a man they claimed to be the leader of "La Resistencia" Cartel, Víctor Manuel Torres García, alias "El Papirrín". On August 1, 2011, La Resistencia commander, Neri Salgado Harrison, was arrested in Michoacán by the Mexican Federal Police. Salgado was also the head of the Apatzingan plaza, and directed the production of methamphetamine in clandestine drug labs.
On September 11, 2012, Federal Police forces arrested Ramiro Pozos González a.k.a. "El Molca". Mexican federal authorities identified him as the supreme leader of La Resistencia. He is blamed for the massacre of 26 people in Guadalajara on November 2011.