Vigilante leader in southwest Mexico freed for lack of evidence

A Mexican court has ordered the release of Cemei Verdia Zepeda, top leader of a community selfdefense group in the small southwestern coastal town of Aquila, citing a lack of evidence to continue holding him for alleged weapons crimes.

State police in Michoacan, where that indigenous farming town is located, arrested Verdia on July 19 for alleged unlawful possession of weapons two assault rifles and a 9mm pistol intended for the exclusive use of Mexico’s armed forces.

Verdia’s attorneys, however, argued before the court in Morelia, Michoacan, that the state government had provided those weapons to him when he was registered as a commander of the Fuerza Rural, a recently created community police force.

The selfdefense leader was expected to be released soon from the lockup in the western state of Nayarit where he was being held.

Verdia’s attorney, Ignacio Mendoza Jimenez, confirmed to EFE that the court on Tuesday had ordered his client release for lack of evidence.

But he also noted that a separate court based in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, apparently has issued two new orders for his client’s arrest, one for homicide and another for robbery, although Verdia and his legal team have not yet been formally notified of those warrants.

Mendoza said Michoacan state police traveled Tuesday afternoon to Tepic, Nayarit, for the purpose of arresting Verdia once he exits the lockup.

For his part, Michoacan Gov. Salvador Jara said in a statement that he respects the court’s decision to release Verdia but that the vigilante leader will not be allowed to return to the Fuerza Rural because his actions are not in keeping with his role as a public servant.

The Fuerza Rural was created last year to bring under official control the armed militias that arose in Michoacan in early 2013 to battle the Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) drug cartel, which was terrorizing communities throughout the state.

Verdia has been the target of two attacks by the Templarios: the first on Dec. 16, 2014, and the second on May 25 of this year.

On May 30, state police arrested Aquila Mayor Juan Hernandez for allegedly planning the attempts on Verdia’s life at the behest of Federico Gonzalez Medina, the Templarios’ top boss in that coastal region.

The Templarios and other drugtrafficking organizations smuggle shipments of cocaine from South America through Aquila and two other Pacific coastal municipalities in Michoacan state.