Sunday, April 20, 2025

Residents lynch suspected extortionist in Morelos

A lynch mob in Tetela del Volcán, Morelos, hanged a Colombian citizen yesterday based on rumors of his alleged involvement with a gang of extortionists.

Residents of Tlacotepec in the neighboring municipality of Zacualpan de Amilpas accused Ricardo Alonso Lozano Rivas and two companions of collecting extortion payments from local store owners.

Lozano fled town but his pursuers caught up with him in Tetela del Volcán. His companions escaped but Lozano was not so fortunate.

He was beaten and dragged to the town’s zócalo where he was tied to a flagpole and later hanged, said the state Attorney General.

Participants in the lynching prevented state police from intervening and stopped reporters from recording the incident.

The mob also burned the vehicle in which Lozano had been traveling.

[wpgmza id=”43″]

Two signs were placed on Lozano’s body with a message directed at Governor Graco Ramírez.

“Graco, these are the results of your government,” and “This is what’s going to happen to all extortionists.” The message was signed by the “United peoples of Morelos.”

Four people claiming to be Lozano’s relatives attempted to retrieve the body, explaining that he was not an extortionist but a money-lender, but they were deterred from doing so by the mob.

The body was recovered later by state police.

Increased violence in the region has triggered the formation of self-defense forces in several municipalities, where residents have complained of inaction by the state.

Said one resident of Tetela and a participant in the lynching: “The government does nothing. They left us no other way out . . . . The government does not care what happens to us, as long as they are fine . . . We’re fed up,” he said between expletives.

The state Attorney General’s office condemned the lynching and said it was working on dismantling the criminal organizations.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Sur (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
the harpy eagle

Mystical eagle thought to be extinct in Mexico reappears in Chiapas

4
The discovery of the elusive eagle, announced this month at the Chiapas Birding and Photo Festival, follows nearly a decade of community-led monitoring of the species in the region.
Defense Minister General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo in a video call with General Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the United States Northern Command, on Wednesday.

Fact check: Border crossings and drug seizures are down, but Mexico and US can’t agree on how much

0
Both the United States and Mexico have cited high percentages when discussing border data, but what are the numbers behind the recent reductions in border crossings and fentanyl seizures?
A firefighting helicopter flies over Tepoztlán national park

Conafor: Tepozteco wildfire completely contained after 9 days

0
The El Tepozteco wildfire, which scorched more than 1,200 hectares near Tepoztlán, has been contained after nine days of coordinated firefighting efforts.