In the western Mexican state of Michoacan, civilian militias have challenged a powerful drug cartel known as the Knights Templar. The vigilante uprising, which spurred the Mexican government to send soldiers and police to help counter the cartel, was fueled by migrants who returned to Mexico after years living north of the border.
Reny Pineda, who was raised in Los Angeles, is one of those migrants. When he returned to his homeland in Mexico, he found a new life fighting drug lords.
Today, Pineda's life revolves around the vast lemon groves that perfume the fertile lowlands of Michoacan. It's a region known as Tierra Caliente: the hot lands.
At a farm near his home, about 20 miles from the town of Apatzingan, Pineda points out which lemons are best to pick. "This is what we do," he says. "This is our money right here."
Pineda is 41, with dark curly hair and a soft, dimpled smile. He was born in Michoacan, but left Mexico as a young boy when his family headed north to California. He grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from high school there. He remembers those years as good ones, despite the challenges.
"I had good grades, actually," Pineda says. "A couple of college[s], they offered financial aid, but I was illegal." He didn't have his papers, so he couldn't get a degree.
Four years ago, Pineda's life changed forever. Caught up in a drug trafficking case in Los Angeles, he fled the U.S. and returned to Mexico, leaving his wife and four kids back in California. When he arrived in Michoacan, he found the place of his childhood was no more.
"Before when I was a little kid, you could go anywhere," Pineda says. "And when I came back it was, like, totally different."
The Rise Of Civilian Militias
Pineda returned to a region overrun by violence. The Knights Templar, a drug cartel that controlled heroin and methamphetamine production, had expanded into a ruthless extortion and kidnapping ring. The cartel terrorized local communities, squeezing money from shops, ranches and farms.
"They demanded money from the owners of the land," Pineda says. "You have 10 acres, you're going to have to pay, let's say, $100 for each acre a month."
More On Mexico's Civilian Militias
Latin America
Under Government Pressure, Mexican Vigilantes Vow To Fight On