La Familia burst into the limelight on September 6, 2006, when 20 masked desperados stormed into scruffy Sol y Sombra night spot in Uruapan, Michoacan, fired shots into the air, ran up to the second floor from where they tossed five human heads onto the black and white dance floor. They left behind a message, written on cardboard: “The family doesn’t kill for money. It doesn’t kill women. It doesn’t kill innocent people, only those who deserve to die. Know that this is divine justice.”
Honestly, the more I read about these guys, the more they seem to have taken their ideas from Robert Rodriguez or "The Boondock Saints." They officially began in 2004, with the intention of eradicating the trafficking of crystal and other narcotics, as well as kidnapping, extortion, assassinations, highway assaults, and robberies in Michoacan. Their leader, Nazario "El Mas Loco" Moreno Gonzalez is a supposed new age philosopher who blends his spiritual and philosophical beliefs with his plans to expand La Familia's influence though out Mexico.
According to Sylvia Longmire: "handwritten, poorly-spelled, enigmatic missives showed up in 2006 next to decapitated heads in Uruapan as part of an intense Familia propaganda campaign designed to intimidate both foes, terrorize the local population, and inhibit action by the government. Like Los Zetas, La Familia disseminates news of its deeds nationally by conventional media as well as by Internet videos and carefully placed banners."
What began as a few vigilantes on the prowl trying to protect their neighborhoods from drugs and violence has transformed into a national DTO unlike any other. One that is driven by divine will.
According to FPRI.org "Member of LA Familia reportedly attend church regularly, carry Bibles, and distribute the Good Book in local government offices. They claim to enjoy grassroots’ support because they provide assistance to campesinos, construct schools, donate books, prevent the sale of adulterated wine, and employ “extremely strong strategies” to bring order to the Tierra Caliente.They acquire resources by selling protection to merchants, street vendors of contraband, hotels, local gangs, and small-scale drug sellers. Rather than speak in terms of extortion, La Familia claims to “protect” its clients." Aside from dealing and extortion, LA Familia has political influences throughout Michoacan, Mexico state, and Guanajuato.
Though they claim to be in the right, La Familia is in fact a major drug organization, which distributes its product throughout Michocan and its surrounding states, as well as across the U.S. border. They practice extortion, kidnapping, and murder. They kill without mercy or compassion, and do so in the name of God. They are more then just a cartel; they are also a paramilitary organization, a religiously fanatic terrorist group, and a vigilante movement all rolled up into one.
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