Eight of those killed in the clash in Texcaltitlan, a town located about 65km from the state capital, were suspected to be tied to criminal activities and three were members of the community, the security ministry in the State of Mexico said in a statement on Friday.
State police, which did not identify the gang suspected of involvement in the confrontation, said they were working with the National Guard and other authorities to provide more details on the incident.
Local media said gunmen belonging to Familia Michoacana, a drug cartel blamed for the massacre of 20 people in neighbouring Guerrero state last year, had arrived at the village demanding local farmers pay extortion fees.
Mexico’s drug cartels are known for extorting money from businesses using threats of violence and the Familia Michoacana drug cartel has been active in the region for years.
Footage posted on social media showed fighting break out among several dozen men, with villagers in cowboy hats armed with hunting rifles chasing suspected gang members amid bursts of gunfire. Other footage showed charred bodies and vehicles on fire. Media could not independently verify the footage.The video appeared to show the attackers wore military-style uniforms, some with helmets. Villagers set their bodies and vehicles on fire.Local media said Familia Michoacana gunmen had shown up in the village earlier demanding local farmers pay a per-acre (hectare) extorsion fee. Authorities did not immediately comment on that.
Drug cartels in Mexico have been known to extort money from almost any licit or illicit business that they can, sometimes attacking or burning ranches, farms or stores that refuse to pay.
The Familia Michoacana is known for its brazen ambushes of police as well as the the 2022 massacre of 20 townspeople in the town of Totolapan in neighboring Guerrero state. The attack killed the town’s mayor, his father and 18 other men.
