The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) clashed with self-defense forces on two separate occasions in Michoacán on Wednesday, but there were no reports of casualties.

According to a report by the newspaper El Universal, the CJNG went on the offensive in the neighboring municipalities of Tocumbo, Tingüidín and Los Reyes.

Residents reported the presence of armed men in a convoy of at least 20 vehicles emblazoned with the CJNG initials.

In Santa Inés, a community in Tocumbo, the cartel members forced motorists out of their vehicles and stole them. At least two people took to social media to warn others to avoid the town.

After stealing several vehicles, the CJNG members were intercepted by self-defense force groups and a confrontation ensued.

The gangsters subsequently directed their convoy to Tingüidín, located about 15 kilometers east. There, the CJNG clashed with more self-defense force members and federal forces, El Universal said.

“We’re screwed. These assholes are well-armed, … let’s get out of here,” said one Tingüidín resident. The man fled his home with his family in his pickup truck and a short time later they began to hear gunfire. Fearful that they would get caught in the crossfire, the family took shelter in a warehouse.

The gunfight lasted for almost an hour but authorities said there were no injuries or deaths, only material damage. Michoacán police, accompanied by municipal officers from Los Reyes and Peribán, deployed to Tingüidín but there were no reports of any arrests. The cartel members reportedly fled to Cotija, a Michoacán municipality that borders Jalisco.

The CJNG has previously carried out numerous attacks in the same area of Michoacán. Eleven people were killed during clashes between the CJNG, the Cárteles Unidos and security forces in Los Reyes, Cotija, Tocumbo and Tingüindín last December.

The Jalisco cartel, generally considered Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organization, is seeking to increase its influence in many states, including Michoacán. It is engaged in a bloody turf war with the Cárteles Unidos in Aguililla, Michoacán, which has forced many residents to flee the Tierra Caliente municipality.

Source: El Universal (sp)