Vigilantes, Battling Cartel, Take Over Another Town in Michoacan CBS News
go to original November 17, 2013

Villagers belonging to a self-defense group that formed to fight organized crime stand at a checkpoint in the town of Las Colonias, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. While cartels terrorized communities all over Mexico, many say Michoacan is a case unto itself. The region has long tolerated marijuana and poppy growers, and corruption and organized crime have permeated the social, political and economic fabric of the region for years. (AP/Dario Lopez-Mills)

MORELIA, Mexico - Vigilantes belonging to a "self-defense" movement took over another town in the Mexican state of Michoacan Saturday amid confrontations that left two people dead and three wounded.

State prosecutor's spokeswoman Magdalena Guzman said the clash took place in a hamlet near the town of Tancitaro, where "self-defense" patrol members occupied the town hall and main square in a bid to kick out the western state's dominant Knights Templar drug cartel.

The Michoacan state government said the vigilantes came from two nearby towns and that police and prosecutors had been sent to Tancitaro.

Vigilantes, some wearing bandanas or ski masks and carrying assault rifles, could be seen lounging in the town's picturesque square. Soldiers and police stood guard, to prevent further violence.

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