Mexican Cartel Issues Chilling Threat to High-Ranking Military Official in Michoacán

In a shocking display of defiance, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has ramped up its violent campaign in the municipality of Cotija, Michoacán, making brazen threats against high-ranking military officials and engaging in multiple deadly attacks. The cartel, notorious for its ruthless tactics, chose Cotija’s main square as the stage for its latest intimidation, unveiling a narco-banner aimed at General Ernesto Joaquín Geminiano Jiménez, a key figure in the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena), accusing him of reneging on agreements concerning their expansion into the region.

The threatening banner, signed by the CJNG, directly referenced General Jiménez, who has been the commander of the 21st Military Zone, based in Morelia, since May 2024. The bold accusation hints that the cartel had struck a deal with the military leader that would permit their unhindered entry into Cotija, a municipality at the crossroads of the conflict between various criminal factions. But, according to the CJNG, these alleged agreements have not been honored. Their message was clear: "Either you get down to business with what we agreed to let us in and work properly, or we will reveal the whole truth."

The boldness of the cartel’s demands does not end with this chilling warning. Their words suggest a deeper involvement in the violent events that have rocked Cotija in recent months, notably alluding to the assassination of Mayor Yolanda Sánchez Figueroa. The local leader was gunned down on June 3 in a shocking attack that sent waves of fear throughout the region. Sánchez, alongside her escort, municipal police officer Jesús Valencia Martínez, was shot in cold blood while walking on Juárez Street, near a gym. Hitmen in a white van intercepted them, raining bullets as they entered the building. Sánchez succumbed to her injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

This brutal murder, which sent shockwaves through the community, is believed to have been part of the CJNG’s campaign of terror aimed at controlling Cotija. Months before, in September 2023, the mayor had been kidnapped—an event that now appears to have been a precursor to her eventual killing. The cartel had reportedly demanded that federal forces, such as the Army and National Guard, steer clear of Cotija, threatening violence if their demands were not met. In the words of Jalisco prosecutor Adrián López Solís, “Everything seems to indicate that these events may be related,” suggesting a direct link between Sánchez's kidnapping, the threats to municipal staff, and her subsequent assassination.

While Cotija has long been a contested area between rival criminal groups, the CJNG’s attempt to seize control in recent months has escalated the violence to alarming levels. On September 11, the cartel made a dramatic entrance into the municipality, brazenly showcasing their firepower in a series of attacks. Videos circulated on social media, showing heavily armed men riding in convoys, brandishing assault rifles from their vehicles as they swept into Cotija’s capital, asserting their presence in the heart of the community.

Just two months earlier, the cartel had already made their presence known in bloodshed. On July 3, an ambush left two police officers dead and another seriously wounded. Members of the so-called "four-letter cartel" launched a violent assault on Municipal Police officers in Cotija, targeting them as they patrolled near the town of Lagunillas. The CJNG gunmen, entering from Jalisco, unleashed their attack near a local landmark, El Pitayito, leaving the small town reeling from the violence.

These attacks are part of a larger pattern of escalating violence in Michoacán, a region long plagued by cartel activity. The CJNG, led by the elusive Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as "El Mencho," has been attempting to gain control over Cotija for weeks, despite fierce resistance from local law enforcement and federal forces. With the cartel’s ruthless reputation, their attempts to take over the region are likely to lead to further bloodshed.

At the center of the cartel’s wrath is Brigadier General Ernesto Joaquín Geminiano Jiménez, the military leader now caught in the crosshairs of one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations. General Jiménez, who has had a distinguished military career, assumed command of the 21st Military Zone in May 2024, after serving in various high-profile positions, including as general chief of police coordination for the National Guard. His leadership has also extended to commanding the 15th Military Zone in Jalisco and serving as a military attaché in the Honduran embassy. Jiménez’s extensive military experience includes commanding special forces in Coahuila and overseeing critical operations in Ciudad Juárez, one of Mexico’s most violent cities.

But his current role in Morelia, Michoacán, has proven to be one of his most challenging assignments yet. The CJNG’s accusations against Jiménez suggest that a covert relationship once existed between the military and the cartel, an allegation that, if proven true, could spark a scandal of monumental proportions. While no official confirmation of such agreements has been made, the CJNG’s brazen threats imply that high-ranking officials may have been complicit in allowing the cartel to operate in Cotija.

As violence continues to escalate in Cotija, it is clear that the CJNG is not backing down in its quest for dominance. The cartel’s grip on regions like Michoacán and Jalisco has grown steadily stronger over the years, with their reach extending deep into local politics and law enforcement. With the assassination of Mayor Yolanda Sánchez and the continued attacks on police forces, Cotija has become yet another battleground in Mexico’s ongoing war against organized crime.

The situation raises disturbing questions about the role of the military and local authorities in combating—or, in some cases, enabling—the spread of cartel influence. For now, Cotija remains in a state of heightened alert, as the CJNG continues its violent push to seize control, and as General Jiménez and his forces face the daunting task of restoring peace to the embattled region.

But one thing is certain: the war for control of Cotija is far from over, and the CJNG’s threats suggest that the violence may soon intensify. With the eyes of the nation on Michoacán, the coming months could reveal the true extent of the cartel’s power—and the challenges that lie ahead for those tasked with confronting it.