His death was first announced after a 2010 shootout, but no body was found and he was reportedly seen alive since. A gunfight ensued resulting in Moreno González's death. The BBC's Mexico correspondent Will Grant says Moreno's killing is a second major success for the government's campaign against the drugs trade within a month. Video. [12] In 2006, La Familia Michoacana broke relations with the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, and Moreno González heralded the organization's independence when several of his gunmen tossed five human heads on a discothèque dance floor in Uruapan. [84], His father was reportedly Manuel Moreno, who died on July 2013, according to intelligence reports from Mexican federal agents. Nazario Moreno, known as El Mas Loco - The Craziest One - was the founder of the La Familia cartel and regarded as the spiritual leader of its offshoot, the brutal Knights Templar. Nearly a decade later in 2003, the US government charged him with conspiracy to distribute five tons of narcotics and issued an arrest warrant. Unlike other traditional drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, his organization also operated like a religious cult, where its own members were given "bibles" with sayings and conduct guidelines. [90] His nephew Faustino Andrade González was arrested by the Mexican Federal Police in Apatzingán with four other suspected criminals on 5 June 2014. The announced death of Nazario Moreno González on the 12th of December, 2010, in Apatzingán, Michoacán, gave him an unparalleled opportunity to purify his hybrid cultic and criminal organization, this time with him solidly cast in the role of divinely inspired leader. The Army gave the documents to the intelligence agency SIEDO for further investigation. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Officials in Mexico say that they have killed a drug lord who was reported to have been shot dead three years ago. Will arrest of 'El Chapo' Guzman curb Chicago drugs? Reportedly, González met with several other high-ranking drug traffickers, including Fernando Sánchez Arellano of the Tijuana Cartel; Juan José Esparragoza Moreno of the Sinaloa Cartel; and Antonio Cárdenas Guillén of the Gulf Cartel. ", "Hallan indicios de vida de narco mexicano Nazario Moreno", "Hallan indicios de vida de El Chayo ex líder de La Familia Michoacana", "Ghost of 'The Craziest One' is Alive in Mexico", "La Tuta y Nazario comieron juntos justo cuando llegaron los federales a Michoacán: iglesia", "Priests take the lead in fierce revolt against drug gang in Mexico's Michoacan", "Mireles acusa de templaria a la senadora perredista Iris Vianey", "Estuvimos cerca de capturar al Chayo, dicen autodefensas", "Rumors Fuel The Legend of the "Narco-Saint", "Nazario Moreno: la leyenda de la resurrección del "primer santo narco", "En Michoacán veneran al capo Nazario Moreno", "A Quandary for Mexico as Vigilantes Rise", "Notorious Mexican cartel leader Nazario Moreno dead — again", "Huellas dactilares comprueban que abatido es El Chayo", "Refuerzan vigilancia para evitar que roben el cuerpo de El Chayo", "Resguardan por tierra y aire cuerpo de 'El Chayo, "Murió 'El Chayo' de dos impactos de bala", "Trasladan cuerpo de "El Chayo" a Morelia", "Entregan cuerpo de "El Chayo" a sus familiares", "Velan a 'El Chayo' en Morelia sin presencia militar ni policial", "Realizan en Morelia funeral de 'El Chayo, "Reducido grupo vela a Nazario Moreno 'El Chayo' en Morelia", "Top 10 Notorious Mexican Drug Lords: Nazario Moreno González", "Golpe a 'La Familia'; murió "El Chayo", uno de los líderes", "Perfil Nazario Moreno González, el adoctrinador", "Difunden nombres de funcionarios Michoacán presuntamente relacionados con Templarios", "Caen ediles de Tacámbaro y de Apatzingán", "Regidor en Apatzingán podría ser primo de Nazario Moreno González alias El Chayo", "Cacería de templarios: caen 'El Nito' y medio hermano de 'El Chayo, "Caen familiares de 'El Chayo' y 'El Kike' Plancarte en Apatzingán", Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars, La Familia: Another Deadly Mexican Syndicate, El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency, Manhunt of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán (2001–2014), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nazario_Moreno_González&oldid=992297756, People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Mexico, People sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 15:32. [3] His parents had 13 children (including Moreno González). [53] On 27 October 2012, the Mexican Army raided a safe house in Apatzingán where they believed the drug lord Enrique Plancarte Solís was hiding. [54][55], Many Michoacán natives believed that Moreno González was alive; he was widely believed to have made a public appearance in Morelia in 2012 after his son was killed in a motorcycle accident. © 2020 BBC. [87] The city councilman Isidro Villanueva Moreno may also be his cousin too. [7][8] After some years, he moved to Texas and in 1994 was arrested for drug trafficking charges in McAllen. Reportedly, Moreno González was at a local festival handing out Christmas presents to the villagers when he was tracked down by the authorities. [75][76] His family and friends, however, held a funeral for him at the Santa Cruz funeral home in Altozano, Morelia. Cartel kingpin Nazario Moreno Gonzalez had two lives. Moreno González recalled that he would not always win and that he once got into 10 fights in a single day. [12][18] By mid-2009, La Familia had managed to establish a foothold in about 20 to 30 urban areas across the United States. Moreno González reportedly carried out several philanthropic deeds to help the marginalized in Michoacán. He also donated much money to the Michoacan area of Mexico, where he was revered. Officials in Mexico say that they have killed a drug lord who was reported to have been shot dead three years ago. With time, he won the loyalty of several locals, and many started to see him as a "messiah" for preaching religious principles and forming La Familia Michoacana, a drug cartel that posed as a vigilante group. .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}Will arrest of 'El Chapo' Guzman curb Chicago drugs? [36] This triggered rumors that he was alive and leading his cartel. The death of Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, variously dubbed "The Doctor" and "The Craziest One," hands President Felipe Calderon a significant victory in … [66] When they tried to apprehend him, the drug lord opened fire at the security forces before being killed in the fire exchange. VideoWhat's changed since this 1960s race documentary? Reportedly, Moreno González was at a local festival handing out Christmas presents to the villagers when he was tracked down by the authorities. [41] Others protested against the presence of the federal forces in the state, and argued that the federal government—not the cartels—were responsible for increasing the violence in the country. There are few details of Moreno González's upbringing, but religion may have played an important role in his early life. The prayers that are now dedicated to Moreno González now refer to him as the "Representative of God," the "Protector of the poorest," and as the "Knight of the towns. Investigative news site InSight Crime said the rumors were probably part of a campaign of the Knights Templar Cartel to win prestige from La Familia Michoacana by saying that their leader is in fact alive and still supporting the group. [38] For four years, the drug lord took advantage of the government's mistake to fall off the authorities's radar and continue to command the cartel behind the scenes. 13 of the country's most prominent Drug Lords — dead or alive. Some 60,000 people have died across Mexico since 2006 when the previous government under Felipe Calderon deployed the military against the drugs gangs. 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