Religion and Drugs in “La Familia”
Every couple of months busloads of young men and women arrive in Apatzingán (my hometown in México) to participate in self-help seminars. As the bus arrives into Apatzingán, the teens are greeted by hot-humid weather, beautiful jungle-like vegetation and a society strongly linked and run by drug trade. When the teens finally arrive to their seminar, they speak about important values, such as building self-esteem and imparting values on those in need. The seminars also strongly condemn drug use.
“Unbeknownst to the participants, a quasi-religious drug cartel known as La Familia Michoacana promotes these seminars and underwrites the expenses. The seminars also highlight the acts of charity and piety attributed to La Familia, a cartel notorious for running extortion rackets, corrupting politicians and police forces throughout the western state of Michoacan and manufacturing tons of methamphetamines in clandestine laboratories” (Ottawa Citizens, Canadian News Source)
In simplest terms:
Local catholic churches and Priests whom receive their funding from La Familia host these seminars!
Catholicism plays a huge part in organized drug crime in Mexico, in fact Catholicism may even be an active player in this “Business,” yet Mexican officials have denied them the adequate attention needed to successfully combat the drug war.
Every day we see on the headlines “Mexican Military arrest another government officials for Drug Ties” or “Another City Major Arrested for Drug Cartel Ties” yet we never see “Priest, Father, Nun arrested for Drug Ties,” Are religious leaders excluded from being arrested for drug ties? It is alleged that Drug Cartels (specifically La Familia) have given tons of money and “generous donations” to the Catholic church in Mexico (an act obviously denied by the Church)
According to Father Andres Larios, (catholic priest working at the seminars in Apatzingán) Mexican Drug Cartels walk with “a Bible in the right hand . . . and a gun in the left hand.” The reality, however, is much different. The Drug Cartel does not “walk” alone, he is being accompanied by Catholic Church.
Mexican Intelligence must start looking into the Catholic Church Priests and Fathers for drug cartel ties if they want to successfully stop the Drug Wars.
¡Shame on Priests and Fathers whom corrupt the Catholic Church!
Photo Courtesy of Asyajalee (via photobucket)
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