Presumed Murderers of “Michoacán 20” Arrested

(Acapulco, NA 24 January) The “Cartel Independiente de Acapulco” or CIDA is the local drug group hastily formed after the arrest last summer of Édgar Valdez Villarreal, known as “La Barbie.” According to Police, seven members of the group were arrested in the Las Playas area of Acapulco and are the presumed assassins of the 20 men from Michoacán who disappeared last September 30, as well as of the 15 men brutally murdered and decapitated in the Coloso area outside of Acapulco. One of them, identified as José Lozano Martínez, or “El Lozano,” was named as the homicide boss of the drug group. He is 21 years old. The CIDA group is known for its extreme cruelty and violence. Its members left the “Barbie” organization when Carlos Montemayor, the father-in-law of the arrested leader, took over the reins. As with most other high-level arrests of organized crime figures, the seven arrested gang members were transported to Mexico City and placed at the disposal of the federal attorney general.