How a Simple Mexican Woman, Nestor Salgado, Declared War on Drug Cartels (11 photos)

Modern Mexico is a battlefield between drug mafias and citizens tired of the gangsters' lawlessness. Corruption at all levels adds to the problem. Over the years, the cartels have become entangled with both Mexico City officials and ordinary village police officers. A prominent example of this struggle is Nestora Salgado, a humble butcher shop owner who took responsibility and declared war on the corrupt government and the drug cartels.





Mafia vs. Indigenous Peoples

One of Mexico's hottest spots is the state of Guerrero. It is inhabited by indigenous peoples who live in towns scattered among the jungle. The region has effectively become hostage to cartels, who cultivate opium poppies and murder those they deem undesirable. It has gotten to the point where the bandits set up roadblocks and have practically removed the state from state governance.



A combat unit of the Los Zetas cartel, staffed by former soldiers of Mexico's elite special forces





Mexican police during Raid



Mexicans executed for collaborating with the police

Since 2006, Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared war on the mafia and deployed troops to the region. Full-scale fighting broke out in the jungle and cities, but his forces were still insufficient. To strengthen the government's position, the president authorized indigenous people to form self-defense units.

Militia Leader

The leader of the resistance movement in the city of Olinalí was a woman named Nestora Salgado. In 1991, she left for the United States, but in 2004, she returned home and opened a butcher shop. Local bandits extorted tribute from the store and later beat up Nestor's sister. This was when Nestor's patience ran out. In 2012, she organized and led the first indigenous self-defense brigade in her town of 8,000.



Nestora Salgado before taking office



Nestora Salgado – leader of the indigenous militia in the state of Guerrero

This daring action had the effect of a bomb going off. Neighboring towns and villages began to emulate this courageous woman. A year later, Nestor became the de facto leader of the indigenous self-defense force in the entire state of Guerrero. By this time, the cartel fighters had fallen out with federal authorities. It turned out that the police were closely allied with the bandits and had even assisted them in kidnappings.





Militia guarding an event

It turned out that to defeat the cartels, they had to deal with government representatives in the indigenous territories as well. The militias began attacking police officers and confiscating their weapons, while Néstor Salgado supported her subordinates' actions.

Outlaw

The authorities were unsatisfied with this outcome, but they were hesitant to storm the town of Olinalo, where several hundred armed indigenous fighters had entrenched themselves. Without the support of corrupt police officers and officials, the bandits were losing the war. By 2013, most of the drug cartel leaders and active members had been shot, and the opium poppy plantations had been destroyed. The military operations, led by the reckless Néstor Salgado, triggered a sharp rise in homicides in the state. There were 95.5 deaths per 100,000 people, but the overall crime rate in the region fell by 90%.



Militia Fighters

The indigenous region was gradually breaking away from the rest of Mexico. Local residents had always been known for their separatist sentiments, and the situation began to truly frighten the government. Police began arresting indigenous leaders. Nestor Salgado was among those targeted.

Arrest of Nestor Salgado

On August 21, 2013, the militia leader was detained at a gas station and charged with kidnapping 50 people, four of whom were minors. There was no evidence against Salgado, but the prosecutor arrested her anyway.



Rally for Salgado's release

While the state of Guerrero was swept by a wave of popular protests in support of the self-defense commander, investigators tried to find evidence. But they failed to find anything, and in 2016, Néstor Salgado was released. She claimed she had been subjected to political pressure while in prison.



Senator Néstor Salgado

While Néstor was behind bars, the situation in the state changed dramatically. Corrupt police and cartels carried out a purge of influential indigenous leaders. The vacant positions were filled by people dependent on crime and Mexico City. Salgado continued her struggle and entered politics. Since 2018, she has served as a senator in the Mexican Parliament representing her home state of Guerrero.