As part of the National Strategy Against Extortion and the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice, personnel from the ministries of Defense, the Navy (Semar), Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), the Michoacán Public Security Department and Prosecutor’s Office participated in an operation that led to the arrest of César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arellano, alias “El Botox”, in the municipality of Buenavista. Sepúlveda leads a cell of Los Blancos de Troya, one of the main criminal groups generating violence in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, with ties to Los Viagra and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Los Troyanos also have a presence in the municipalities of Aguililla, Apatzingán, Buenavista, Chinicuila, Churumuco, Coalcomán, Gabriel Zamora, Múgica, Parácuaro, and Tepalcatepec. Their stronghold is in the Cenobio Moreno community of Apatzingán.
This cell has significant firepower, given its arsenal of high-caliber weapons, drones with “bombs”, and improvised explosive devices such as anti-personnel mines, used to secure the criminal leader’s protection zone and prevent access by authorities or rival cells. The Troyanos were also identified as using drones for surveillance purposes.
Sepúlveda controlled the sale of lemons in the areas of Cenobio Moreno, La Huina, Capiri, and El Razo, in the municipalities of Buenavista and Apatzingán, Michoacán.
His main activities include charging extortion to and kidnapping lemon producers and packers, as well as others in Tierra Caliente. As a result, El Botox broke his alliance with Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “El Abuelo”, who sought to take command of these extortion rackets.
Sepúlveda has also been identified as being responsible for the killing of Bernardo Bravo, a leader of lemon growers in Apatzingán, and has seven outstanding arrest warrants for aggravated extortion and aggravated homicide.
The Michoacán Prosecutor’s Office is offering a 100,000-peso reward (US$5,723) pesos for information leading to his capture. In addition, Sepúlveda is on an OFAC list. The OFAC has charged Los Viagras with participating in international drug sales and noted that the group also set up internet networks and demanded payment from a local municipality under threat of death.
On January 7 of this year, a video was released showing “El Botox” in a mountainous region in which he acknowledged being sought by authorities and sent a message to President Claudia Sheinbaum and Minister of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch, asking them to stop pursuing him and focus on regulating lemon prices.
On January 10, a video surfaced in which “El Botox” referred to Bernardo Bravo Manríquez and his family; he accused the leader of the region’s lemon growers and his brother Jaime of collaborating with him in currency exchanges involving U.S. dollars. He denied responsibility for Bravo’s murder and asked the President and the SSPC head to investigate the Bravo Manríquez family’s ties to organized crime. He also reported the detention of his wife and daughter, accusing them of being held illegally under false charges.
On January 12, “El Botox” reappeared in a video referring to violence in Michoacán, accusing municipal officials of colluding with criminals. He informed President Sheinbaum and Michoacán State Attorney General Carlos Torres Piña that considerable quantities of drugs circulate in the state’s prisons. In addition, Sepúlvada asked the U.S. Government and the UN to investigate the Mexican Government, calling it “the biggest mafia there is”. He also called on U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in Mexico.
During the operation, two additional members of the criminal group were detained: Eder Luviano Cárdenas and Esteban Molina Ledezma. In another action, Sandra Lizeth García García was arrested, bringing the total to four detainees from the criminal cell in this operation.
This arrest represents a significant blow to the criminal structures operating in Michoacán and directly contributes to weakening the extortion rackets, violence, and economic control that has affected producers, merchants, and entire communities. With this action, the Mexican Government advances in restoring peace and well-being to Michoacán society.
