La Familia Michoacana (LFM)

Factions include: Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar), La Nueva Familia Michoacana (also known as the New Michoacán Family; LNFM). La Familia Michoacana (LFM) is a criminal organization based in Michoacán state, Mexico, that follows a quasi-Christian fundamentalist ideology which focuses on their “divine right” to carry out activities. LFM and its successor groups see themselves as protectors and “defenders of the people” against other organized crime groups operating in the region, despite themselves being a source of instability and violence in the regions where they operate. LFM has engaged in fighting with other organized crime groups and civilians in an effort to maintain regional control. To present day, ongoing conflicts involving LFM have generated terror among the population and has displaced residents through indiscriminate violence. In December 2023, LFM kidnapped 14 residents in Texcaltitlán, demanding local residents hand over the leaders of an uprising that killed ten of LFM’s gunmen.