When doing a reconstruction of the multiple crime in Saint Joseph of Grace, Michoacanthe undersecretary of federal Public Security, Ricardo Mejia Berdeja, ruled out —despite the videos— a shooting of people, although he acknowledged a shootout that left several dead. He attributed the crime to Abel, alias “El Toro” or “El Viejón”, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), against the regional leader of that group, Alejandro García, “El Pelón”.
“It cannot be appreciated that there was a single line, that is, that thesis of the alleged execution, but that when the assassins were there, when there was fire, they began to shoot, but there was not, let’s say, a synchronized action to commit this crime,” he said. Mejia.
“We want to mention that the mobile that we have located is a possible revenge between groups linked to organized crime that depend on the same criminal structure known as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. That is to say, a difference where there are also interests of a personal and family nature between the head of two cells: one, which we can locate as Alejandro, alias ‘El Pelón’, and another located as Abel, alias ‘El Toro’ or ‘El Viejón ‘, both natives of San José de Gracia with families rooted in that demarcation. Both first belonged to the group known as The Templars and then to Jalisco New Generation Cartel”, he explained.
During the President’s press conference Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador At the National Palace, the undersecretary reconstructed the events:
- At approximately 3:20 p.m. on February 27, the funeral of Mrs. Elisa, mother of Alejandro García “El Pelón,” was held.
- Alejandro García arrived at the funeral with approximately 15 gunmen guarding him. His own family questions him because of his presence, they already knew about the threats. Alejandro told them that he already had “permission” to be able to appear at the wake.
- A few minutes later, several vans with gunmen arrived at the front Abel “N”, alias “El Viejón”, and subdued the group of gunmen from “El Pelón”; They disarm them, check their vehicles and take them out of the tent where the wake was taking place and place them on the gate of a house.
- Alejandro García himself identified himself as “El Pelón” and was still able to make some calls to ask Abel “N”‘s group to leave the place.
- Alejandro “N” approached where the other group was, asking them not to attack third parties and trying to dissuade them. However, according to witnesses, it is Abel “N” himself who shoots Alejandro “N”, depriving him of his life.
- One of Abel’s elements, “El Viejón” approached the body of Alejandro García to verify his death.
- At that moment, when there are shots, a scuffle begins where, predictably, there are other people deprived of life and that is the video that appears on some social networks.
- A testimony referred that there were detonations of firearms and a confrontation between criminal groups. That they went out to take cover, to hide and that they cannot say exactly how many people had died, but that after the scuffle they could see that some vans arrived with machines to wash the events.
the undersecretary Ricardo Mejia Berdeja He recognized that in the houses of the place multiple impacts of weapons were found, remains of blood stains, which they tried to erase Abel’s assassins “El Viejón” with jets of water to try to erase evidence.
After the mayor of the municipality of Castilian MarcosMichoacan, Jorge Luis Anguianoacknowledged that the municipal police officers went to the scene but when they were overtaken by the assassins they withdrew, Undersecretary Mejía seconded the version, but also pointed out that the municipal corporation did not notify the state and federal authorities.
“Yes, we want to point out here, as something very important, that there was no alert from the municipal authority. From the criminal news, the local prosecutor’s office alerts the other security instances, they constitute themselves in the place and begin to collect the evidence, ”he said.
Mejía Berdeja said that the Michoacan Prosecutor’s Office made the knowledge at 6:00 p.m. on February 27. And as the prosecutor himself pointed out, there was no alert, neither from the municipal presidency, nor from the municipal public security force that should have acted as the first responder upon learning of the facts, securing the scene and alerting the authorities.” .
He indicated that it was after learning of the facts that the prosecution itself, the National Guardreinforced by the Secretary of National Defensethey moved to the community on the same Sunday, February 27, to constitute themselves and be able to have evidence, testimonies and begin to unburden the investigations.
He mentioned that the subject known as Abel, “is already charged as the probable material and intellectual author of the events,” and stated that there is still no certainty about the number of deceased people or where the bodies are, although they have already begun to be received. some anonymous calls to refer points of location of the same.
“Tell them that some anonymous complaints have already begun to arrive from possible places where the bodies could have been deposited,” he said.
“We want to point out and we underline this, that there is no complaint at the moment from residents of the community of San José de Gracia who are denouncing the disappearance of a resident of that community,” he added.
He pointed out the possibility that the group of assassins who arrived at the scene with Alejandro García “El Pelón” could have been the ones killed, “but they were not from the area and they were escorting him.”
A history of quarrels between “El Pelón” and “El Viejón”
Alejandro García “El Pelón” began his criminal history at the age of 18 as a member of The Zetasafter in The Michoacan Family and The Templars; later changed to Jalisco New Generation Cartel as head of plaza from Tizapán el Alto to Mazamitla, in Jalisco.
He met Abel “N”, who incorporated him into his criminal organization, but Alejandro “N” was arrested by the Mazamitla police and detained in the Cereso de Jalisco for crimes against health and is finally detained and subject to a criminal trial. penal.
In 2018, the brother of “El Pelón”, named Ricardo, was in a fight in a bar in San José de Gracia and was deprived of liberty on the orders of Abel “N”.
At that time Abel “N” began to take control of the San José de Gracia square and began to have differences with “El Pelón”, who was already free, for which he was prohibited from entering San José de Gracia. .
Alejandro García moved his illicit activities to the states of Jalisco and Colima, although he still had his family in San José de Gracia.
In December 2021, already consolidated again, Alejandro “N” as head of the CJNG plaza in Jalisco, took revenge against Abel and murdered his brother José “N”.
This caused Abel “N” to threaten to assassinate him and for no reason to appear in San José de Gracia.
