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An escalation of violence shook the community of Texcapilla, in the municipality of Texcaltitlán, State of Mexico, when residents confronted hitmen from "La Familia Michoacana" who demanded weekly payments to allow them to plant crops on their own lands. The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico confirmed that eleven people lost their lives as a result of the confrontation between civilians and members of a criminal cell.
The residents denounced acts of extortion, stating that the criminals came demanding payments in exchange for each square meter of planting. In the midst of the tension, burned units were reported in the area of the confrontation, supposedly used by armed civilians, while the farmers set three private trucks on fire.
Faced with the emergency, the National Guard, in collaboration with state and ministerial authorities, intervened to restore order in the area. Despite concerns expressed by farmers about a possible violent response from organized crime, women and youth took refuge in safe areas, urging authorities to provide protection.
The conflict, triggered by the farmers' fatigue with extortion, resulted in a direct confrontation. In the clash, eight alleged members of organized crime and three residents of Texcapilla lost their lives. Images shared on social networks reveal the moment of the confrontation on the community's soccer fields, where residents armed themselves with pickaxes and machetes to resist the criminals.