A series of clashes involving the Foreign Terrorist Organization, Cartel Jalisco New Generation, brought three states to a standstill as gunmen carjacked dozens of buses and vehicles to set them on fire. The attacks created blockades along the main highways in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato. The violence spread to 29 municipalities.
The clashes began on Thursday afternoon in the state of Michoacán, where gunmen from Los Viagras and Cartel Jalisco New Generation started to set up roadblocks and attack military forces. In a matter of hours, the blockades spread out into parts of Jalisco and Guanajuato.
Grupos armados del Cártel Michoacano Nueva Generación atacaron a fuerzas federales y se enfrentaron a tiros durante al menos dos horas en varias regiones de Michoacán y zonas limítrofes con Jalisco. También incendiaron vehículos, quemaron tiendas de conveniencia y bloquearon… pic.twitter.com/fxHleRHDAE
— La Silla Rota (@lasillarota) April 23, 2025
Initial information pointed to Mexican federal forces having targeted a top leader of Los Viagras. The blockades were a strategy to pressure the rescue of that individual and pressure Mexico’s government into backing off.
Las autoridades reportaron la quema simultánea de 15 vehículos en las regiones de Apatzingán, La Piedad, Zamora, Zacapu, Morelia y Pátzcuaro. También se registraron narcobloqueos e incendios en Ocotlán, Jalisco, municipio colindante con Michoacán.
— La Silla Rota (@lasillarota) April 23, 2025
📹 Carlos Arrieta pic.twitter.com/MsW3gPioyb
Since then, Mexican federal officials claimed the violence was tied to a turf war between rival organizations and not to any arrests of cartel figures.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, has since claimed that only six gunmen and two police officers died.
El día de ayer se registraron hechos violentos en 26 municipios de Michoacán, dos en Guanajuato y uno en Jalisco que derivó en el incendio de diversos vehículos, tres ataques a tiendas, diversos bloqueos y agresiones a autoridades, donde dos policías perdieron la vida.
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) April 24, 2025
En una…
Earlier this year, CJNG and various smaller organizations, including their former rivals Los Viagras, joined forces under the name Cartel Michoacán New Generation. In Michoacán, Los Viagras and other cells tied to La Familia Michoacána, as well as so-called self-defense groups, had joined forces against CJNG. However, the groups have been constantly switching sides.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at
