Federal and México state authorities have seized 52 properties and arrested eight people in a sweeping operation targeting an extortion network allegedly linked to the La Familia Michoacana cartel, officials said Tuesday.
Dubbed “Operation Liberation” — “Operación Liberación” in Spanish — the coordinated raid spanned 14 municipalities in the state, including Valle de Bravo, Malinalco, Ixtapan de la Sal and Texcaltitlán.
Federal and state forces deployed 2,866 personnel and 698 vehicles while executing simultaneous searches of businesses used for hoarding and selling construction materials, meat, animals and other goods at vastly inflated prices.
La Familia Michoacana, sometimes called La Nueva Familia Michoacana, is one of six cartels the United States government designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in February.
Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch — who survived a 2020 assassination attempt reportedly orchestrated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel when he served as police chief of Mexico City — said the crackdown was urgently needed “to protect the local economy and the peace of mind of thousands of families.”
In a press release from the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, García Harfuch added that it was essential “to halt these practices that sought to control economic sectors, from food supplies to construction materials … [to] dismantle their operations, seize assets linked to crime and regain control of the territory for the benefit of the public.”
Among those arrested was Yareli “N,” a councilwoman from Ixtapan de la Sal, about 60 kilometers south from Toluca, the state’s capital, and leaders of the cartel’s management structure.
The perpetrators allegedly forced merchants and residents to buy products exclusively from cartel-controlled stores or face violence. Anyone purchasing from outside sellers was subject to robbery and threats, authorities said.
“Residents are unable to turn to other establishments,” said State Prosecutor José Luis Cervantes Martínez.
Como resultado de los trabajos conjuntos con el @GobiernoMX, @SSPCMexico, @GN_Mexico_, @Defensamx, @SEMAR_mx, @SS_Edomex, @PJEdomex y @FiscaliaEdomex en el #Edomex, el pasado 21 de julio inició la #OperaciónLiberación. pic.twitter.com/vzUcXXiDQ4
— Gobierno del Estado de México (@Edomex) July 23, 2025
Investigators said the group manipulated prices through fake labor unions and front businesses, as well as through mines, butcher shops, egg stores, and chicken and pig farms.
In one case, according to authorities, a ton of rebar was sold for 23,950 pesos (US $1,292) — 33.5% above the market rate in Mexico — while a kilogram of whole chicken fetched 115 pesos, 53% more than normal.
In Texcaltitlán, for example, customers paid a mandatory five-peso fee per kilo to weigh cattle, while in Tejupilco, the group monopolized package delivery, charging “illegal fees” and sometimes confiscating goods.
Seized assets include 4,174 poultry, 17,657 kilograms of feed, 3.9 tons of meat, 5,000 bags of cement, 128 vehicles and 18 exotic animals — including pumas, peacocks, swans and raccoons.
The 52 properties seized included six mines, 24 warehouses, a slaughterhouse, a ranch, a hotel and an unnamed number of butcher shops, chicken farms and lumberyards.
Officials pledged many materials would be distributed to benefit affected communities, while also saying that the operation is ongoing and will continue until all responsible parties are brought to justice.
With reports from Animal Politico, Infobae and El Financiero
