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Mexico confirms killing of ‘dead’ drug capo

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A Mexican drug lord said to have been killed more than three years ago was shot dead in a clash with authorities, officials said.

A man who died in a shootout in western Michoacan state "has been identified as Nazario Moreno," also known as "El Chayo," a government official said ahead of a press conference set to take place at 7:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday).

The previous Mexican government reported that Moreno, a leader of the La Familia cartel, was killed in December 2010. But his body was never located and reported sightings fueled speculation he was alive.

"All signs point to this being 'El Chayo,'" a government official had said earlier on condition of anonymity about the suspect killed Sunday.

Mexican soldiers search a quad bike at a checkpoint along the road in Ajuchitlan  Guerrero state  Me...
Mexican soldiers search a quad bike at a checkpoint along the road in Ajuchitlan, Guerrero state, Mexico on February 23, 2014
Pedro Pardo, AFP

Moreno, who is also known as "El Mas Loco" (The Craziest One), was one of the founders of La Familia Michoacana, which spawned the Knights Templar after his presumed death.

The Knights Templar's brutality prompted civilians in Michoacan to form vigilante forces and the government to deploy thousands of troops.

The government deployed more than 9,000 troops and federal police in Michoacan's Tierra Caliente ("hot land") region in January after new gunfights erupted between the cartel and vigilantes.

The state is known as Mexico's lime-and-avocado heartland, but it is also the country's top producer of iron ore.

The Knights Templar gang snatched the underground riches to diversify its business, which includes the production of crystal meth and extortion rackets against fruit growers, tortilla makers and municipal officials.

Servando "La Tuta" Gomez currently leads the cartel.

- Hiding in the mountains -

Mexican police stand guard next to two tons of seized marijuana in Ciudad Juarez  Chihuahua State  M...
Mexican police stand guard next to two tons of seized marijuana in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on February 6, 2014
Jesus Alcazar, AFP/File

Moreno was considered the cartel's spiritual leader, having penned a "bible" used to indoctrinate recruits.

After Moreno's alleged death in 2010, he was turned into a saintly figure in Michoacan, with shrines built in his honor.

Yet people in Michoacan were always convinced that Moreno had survived the 2010 shootout with federal police. Vigilante militias that formed last year pressed the government to arrest him.

A US security official had recently told AFP that Moreno was known to be alive, hiding in the mountains and leading the Knights Templar.

"If he showed his face, it would be so humiliating for the government that it would have to go after him," the official said in explaining why Moreno had kept out of the limelight.

He was believed to dress up in Knights Templar outfit with the Maltese cross and even a sword.

Mexican government sources call Moreno "one of the most important Knights Templar leaders."

Moreno began his criminal career selling marijuana in the United States, where he lived as an undocumented migrant.

He founded La Familia after returning to his native Michoacan and his cartel, which vowed to impose "divine justice," made its presence known in 2006, when it rolled five human heads down a bar's dance floor.

A Mexican drug lord said to have been killed more than three years ago was shot dead in a clash with authorities, officials said.

A man who died in a shootout in western Michoacan state “has been identified as Nazario Moreno,” also known as “El Chayo,” a government official said ahead of a press conference set to take place at 7:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday).

The previous Mexican government reported that Moreno, a leader of the La Familia cartel, was killed in December 2010. But his body was never located and reported sightings fueled speculation he was alive.

“All signs point to this being ‘El Chayo,'” a government official had said earlier on condition of anonymity about the suspect killed Sunday.

Mexican soldiers search a quad bike at a checkpoint along the road in Ajuchitlan  Guerrero state  Me...

Mexican soldiers search a quad bike at a checkpoint along the road in Ajuchitlan, Guerrero state, Mexico on February 23, 2014
Pedro Pardo, AFP

Moreno, who is also known as “El Mas Loco” (The Craziest One), was one of the founders of La Familia Michoacana, which spawned the Knights Templar after his presumed death.

The Knights Templar’s brutality prompted civilians in Michoacan to form vigilante forces and the government to deploy thousands of troops.

The government deployed more than 9,000 troops and federal police in Michoacan’s Tierra Caliente (“hot land”) region in January after new gunfights erupted between the cartel and vigilantes.

The state is known as Mexico’s lime-and-avocado heartland, but it is also the country’s top producer of iron ore.

The Knights Templar gang snatched the underground riches to diversify its business, which includes the production of crystal meth and extortion rackets against fruit growers, tortilla makers and municipal officials.

Servando “La Tuta” Gomez currently leads the cartel.

– Hiding in the mountains –

Mexican police stand guard next to two tons of seized marijuana in Ciudad Juarez  Chihuahua State  M...

Mexican police stand guard next to two tons of seized marijuana in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on February 6, 2014
Jesus Alcazar, AFP/File

Moreno was considered the cartel’s spiritual leader, having penned a “bible” used to indoctrinate recruits.

After Moreno’s alleged death in 2010, he was turned into a saintly figure in Michoacan, with shrines built in his honor.

Yet people in Michoacan were always convinced that Moreno had survived the 2010 shootout with federal police. Vigilante militias that formed last year pressed the government to arrest him.

A US security official had recently told AFP that Moreno was known to be alive, hiding in the mountains and leading the Knights Templar.

“If he showed his face, it would be so humiliating for the government that it would have to go after him,” the official said in explaining why Moreno had kept out of the limelight.

He was believed to dress up in Knights Templar outfit with the Maltese cross and even a sword.

Mexican government sources call Moreno “one of the most important Knights Templar leaders.”

Moreno began his criminal career selling marijuana in the United States, where he lived as an undocumented migrant.

He founded La Familia after returning to his native Michoacan and his cartel, which vowed to impose “divine justice,” made its presence known in 2006, when it rolled five human heads down a bar’s dance floor.

AFP
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