In a scene straight out of a narco series (but without the trendy soundtrack), authorities seized 21 properties in the State of Mexico, all owned by the Hurtado Olascoaga brothers, leaders of the Nueva Familia Michoacana. Because, of course, when business is booming, real estate is the way to go.
Six of these properties were in Amatepec, including two ranches. In Sultepec, seven more properties, some used as safe houses. And in Tlatlaya, three additional ranches—because one is never enough when “entrepreneurial success” knocks at the door.
Operativo Bastión exposed luxuries that would make any Arab sheikh blush: taxidermy animals, gold-plated furniture, exotic wood finishes, swimming pools, artificial lakes, tennis courts, and satellite internet antennas. Because, apparently, even narcos can’t afford to lose signal in the middle of their estates.
Meanwhile, in the mountains of Guerrero, the peasants who extract opium gum from poppies live in absolute poverty. Their homes are makeshift huts, and their survival depends on the weather and the whims of those managing the trade from their gilded mansions. The irony is so thick you could cut it with a machete.
These seizures weren’t a coincidence. They stem from Operativo Enjambre, which had its highlight moment in Santo Tomás de los Plátanos when the elected mayor starred in the most pathetic scene of his career: bolting in terror as the National Guard arrived to arrest him for his alleged ties to the Nueva Familia Michoacana. A getaway worthy of an Oscar… in the unintentional comedy category.
But the real kicker? The ugly truths about the now-defunct Partido de la Revolución Democrática are finally surfacing. Because, in this country, political scandals and organized crime often seem to be two sides of the same coin.
