The president of the Association of Citrus Growers of the Apatzingán Valley, in Michoacán, Bernardo Bravo, who had reported threats by criminal groups, was found dead this Monday inside his vehicle, the state prosecutor’s office reported.
“We are carrying out investigations into the murder of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, president of the citrus growers association of the Apatzingán Valley,” the prosecutor’s office said in a brief statement published on social networks.
According to the information, Bravo was found dead this Monday aboard his vehicle, on the road that leads to the Los Tepetates community.
According to local media, the body of the lemon leader had signs of violence and it was the residents who were circulating in the area who notified the authorities about the discovery.
Bernardo Bravo had protested against extortion
Bernardo Bravo was known for leading demonstrations in recent months due to organized crime extortions against the lemon sector.
In February he had reported through social networks that he had received threats from criminal groups.
“We will continue to ask the authorities for advances in security so that the crime of lemon extortion ends,” he noted on his Facebook profile.
Lee: Extortion caused losses of 21,000 million pesos a year: Coparmex
At the end of September, Bravo denounced that he and his companions were “permanently kidnapped” by the fees that organized crime demands of them for their harvest.
In Apatzingán, the citrus sector suffers extortion by Los Viagras and self-styled criminal organizations such as Los Blancos de Troya, Los Caballeros Templarios and the Acahuato Cartel.
Michoacán is a leader in lemon production, with an annual harvest of around 700,000 tons of citrus, obtained on 67,000 hectares from 3,504 producers.
With information from EFE
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