Mexican criminal organization based in Michoacán, founded in the 1970s by Emilio Valencia Barragán. Dedicated to drug trafficking, particularly cocaine, and involved in homicide, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, and arms trafficking. It was considered one of the most violent and powerful cartels in Mexico, responsible for a third of cocaine consumed in the United States. The cartel was dismantled in 2009.
CRIMENET has extracted 33 linkages for this organization, including 14 cooperative ties across 9 organizations, 10 conflicts across 6 organizations, 9 other connections and footprints in 2 countries.
By the mid 1990s they had close connections with Colombian traffickers like Fabio Ochoa Vásquez of the Medellín Cartel
United States : California , Oregon , Texas , Illinois , North Carolina , Maryland