The Mexican military detained José Luis Avalos Rangel, the former mayor of Tzitzio, a town in northern Michoacán, along with four others and accused them of belonging to the Familia Michoacana crime syndicate, the Sinaloan newspaper Noroeste reports.
Acting on an anonymous tip, officials arrested Avalos in the municipality of Charo, where he and the others were arrested in the possession of 45 kilograms of marijuana, a rifle, two side arms and ammunition. According to the Mexican Daily El Observador, the incident occurred just two days after the arrest of a municipal public works official in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, for allegedly managing payment networks for Servando Gómez Martínez, alias “La Tuta,” a Familia leader. The Familia, which is headquartered in the state, has wielded influence on local politicians in an effort to control the finances the municipalities control, get kickbacks from public works programs and control the naming of police officials.