Knights Templar (gang)
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| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Nazario Moreno González, Enrique Plancarte Solís, Servando Gómez Martínez (La Tuta) |
| Founding location | Michoacán, Mexico |
| Years active | 2011–2014 |
| Territory | Michoacán, Colima Guerrero, state of Mexico, Morelos |
| Ethnicity | Mexicans |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, racketeering, murder, arms trafficking, robbery, assault, counterfeiting. |
| Allies |
Gulf Cartel Beltran-Leyva Cartel Sinaloa Cartel |
| Rivals |
Jalisco New Generation Cartel Juarez Cartel MS-13 Los Zetas, Independent Civilian vigilante and Militia groups, Gente Nueva, La Familia Michoacana |
Knights Templar—Guard of Michoacán (Spanish: Los Caballeros Templarios Guardia Michoacana) commonly known as the Knights Templar Cartel (Spanish: Los Caballeros Templarios) is a Mexican criminal organization composed of remnants of the defunct La Familia Michoacana drug cartel based in the Mexican State of Michoacán.
After the first alleged death of Nazario Moreno, leader of the La Familia Michoacana cartel, on 9 December 2010, a split between the cartel leaders emerged. Some of the cartel co-founders, Enrique Plancarte Solís, Servando Gómez Martínez, and Dionisio Loya Plancarte, formed an offshoot of La Familia calling itself Caballeros Templarios (or Knights Templar). A large part of "La Familia" left with them to form their Templars Organization, while José de Jesús Méndez Vargas kept the leadership of the now disbanded "Familia Michoacana", starting a fight for the control of Michoacán.
The Knights Templar Cartel indoctrinates its operatives to "fight and die" for the cartel. They have taken full control of the now-defunct La Familia Michoacana operations in states including Michoacán, Guerrero, the state of Mexico, and Morelos.
Along with the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel, the Knights Templar formed a short-lived joint enforcer gang called Cárteles Unidos (English: United Cartels) or La Resistencia, composed of well-trained gunmen dedicated to kill and expel Los Zetas Cartel operatives who were invading the former Familia Michoacana territories in Michoacán and Jalisco.
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