MEXICO CITY — A letter allegedly signed by a major Mexican drug cartel offers to dissolve the gang if the government promises to protect citizens in the western state where it is based, authorities said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said they couldn’t immediately verify the letter’s authenticity — or the offer’s sincerity — but stressed the federal government does not negotiate with drug cartels.
The one-page letter allegedly signed by “La Familia Michoacana” drug cartel was dropped in the streets of some mountain towns in the western state of Michoacan on Tuesday, according to the Michoacan bureau of the federal Attorney General’s Office.
It also showed up as a banner above an overpass and was e-mailed to reporters.
The missive claims La Familia wants to protect Michoacan and its residents and says the group will disband if federal police promise to act honestly and fight to the death to defend the state.
Federal officials, however, said the cartel itself has victimized Michoacan with kidnappings, extortion, hundreds of murders, decapitations and drug trafficking. Last year, they said, the gang unleashed a spasm of violence in which at least 18 police officers were killed.The letter said the gang’s decision to possibly dissolve was motivated by alleged abuses against civilians by authorities conducting warrantless searches and arrests to combat the cartel.
An employee of the Attorney General’s Office in Michoacan said authorities were investigating the letter’s origin but could not immediately confirm its authenticity.
