Los Viagras
| Founded | December 2014 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Sierra Santana Brothers |
| Founding location | Buenavista Tomatlán, Michoacan |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Territory | Michoacan |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, money laundering, arms trafficking, extortion, murder, kidnapping |
| Allies | La Nueva Familia Michoacana Los Blancos De La Troya Guardia Michoacana Cártel Independiente de Acapulco (defunct) Beltrán-Leyva Cartel (defunct) |
| Rivals | Jalisco New Generation Cartel La Barredora Knights Templar Cartel |
Los Viagras also known as Los Sierra is an armed wing of the LNFM Cartel in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.[1] It was founded by the Sierra Santana Brothers, being led by Rodolfo Sierra Santana (Alias ”El Tronado”) for whom arrest warrants have been issued in connection with multiple counts of homicide, robbery, extortion, and kidnapping.[2] The group mainly operates in Zamora, Jacona, Tangancicuario, Sahuayo, and Uruapan Regions.
Origins and activities
[edit]The gang began operating as a self-defense force (grupos de autodefensa comunitaria) in 2014. Former Michoacán security commissioner Alfredo Castillo Cervantes then asked them to assist in the efforts to capture the leader of the Los Caballeros Templarios cartel, Servando Gómez Martínez ("El Tuta"), who was then arrested in Morelia in February 2015.[3]
The name of "Los Viagras" comes from a joke between them, due to the excessive use of hair gel by one of the younger brothers with a spiky hairstyle. When announcing the first attempt to disarm and dissolve the self-defense groups in December 2014, "Los Viagras", they took over the municipal presidency of Apatzingán and were violently evicted by the federal police on 6 January 2015, with a balance of 10 civilians dead and 21 wounded.[4]
Los Viagras expanded into the drug trade, first by becoming involved in the production and transportation of methamphetamine, which brought them into a turf dispute with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, particular the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán.[5]
One of the gangs' most famously reported homicidal acts stems from a viral video from 2018, in which they have two victims tied up, a father and son, in the outdoors. Both are beaten with a wooden stick, before decapitating the father. They then hold the father's severed head and proceed to reveal their gang name, Los Viagras. They then proceeded to stab and slash at the son while he is alive, ripping his heart out and then pinning it to his chest. The video then shows the aftermath of the two dead victims.
The motive for the torture and homicides is stated as homicidal revenge. The two victims allegedly disclosed confidential information to a rival gang.
One of the group's sicarios was arrested and charged in February 2019 for allegedly committing dozens of murders.[6]
In February 2020, nine people, including three children, were killed by Jalisco New Generation gunmen in an arcade during a turf dispute.[7]
As of June 2020, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been unsuccessful in taking territory held by Los Viagras in Tierra Caliente, covering parts of the states of Michoacán, Guerrero and the State of Mexico.[8] Los Viagras and New Generation have been in conflict for control this region since 2017.[8] Despite numerous New Generation attacks, Los Viagras and the Cartel del Abuelo were reported as having a "profound advantage" over New Generation in Tierra Caliente.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Carteles Unidos Part 1". August 2021.
- ^ Kryt, Jeremy (12 March 2016). "Meet the Warlord of the Viagras, Mexico's Hardest Cartel Yet". The Daily Beast.
- ^ "Viagras: former self-defense force battles the Jalisco cartel over Michoacán". 9 August 2019.
- ^ "¿Quiénes son los Viagras?". La Silla Rota. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ Kryt, Jeremy (20 October 2019). "The Murderous Mexican Super-Cartel Winning 'Narco Game of Thrones'". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ "Cae en Tierra Caliente jefe de sicarios de "Los Viagras"". El Universal. 7 February 2016.
- ^ Oliveira, Nelson (4 February 2020). "Gunmen open fire inside video game arcade in Mexico, killing 9, including 3 kids". nydailynews.com.
- ^ a b c "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape". 11 June 2020.