The videos that show the capture of the missing farmers from Guerrero
The disappearance of seven farmers from the Mexican state of Guerrero has generated alarm across the Tierra Caliente and Costa Grande regions, as drone footage obtained by EL PAÍS appears to document their capture by La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), a criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State in February 2025. The victims include a 74-year-old man and a 17-year-old minor, all residents of the village of El Balcón in the municipality of Ajuchitlán.
Five videos recorded by drones on September 24 and subsequent days show what appears to be the abduction of at least three victims. One video that surfaced on social media this weekend captures the moment armed individuals approach Everardo León Atanacio, 17, and Fidel Quirino, 54, who are waiting on a four-wheeler near La Lajita, a community within the Ejido El Balcón. The footage shows the armed group surrounding the two men on a mountain curve before the recording ends.
A second video shows a man dressed in white, identified by sources as Nicolás Atanacio, 74, surrounded by armed individuals at Mesa de las Yeguas in the same area. According to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, the elderly man was tending his livestock when he was seized. The criminal group allegedly captured the victims in small groups or individually throughout the day.
Forced confessions and disputed allegations
Days after the abductions, LNFM released a video showing five of the seven captives wearing camouflage uniforms and acknowledging membership in Los Granados, a rival criminal group with origins in the Beltrán Leyva Cartel that has operated in the Costa Grande region since at least 2009. However, sources consulted by this newspaper described the confessions as clearly coerced.
Residents of El Balcón point to the victims' clothing as evidence contradicting the criminal organization's narrative. The white garments worn by Nicolás Atanacio in the drone footage of his capture differ from the camouflage uniforms shown in LNFM's propaganda video. Community members maintain that their neighbors are farmers and small ranchers, not members of criminal organizations.
The criminal group's video concludes with a photograph showing six of the captives bound and blindfolded, though the identity of the sixth person remains unclear. A 12-year-old boy who was initially among those seized was released on October 1.
Criminal infrastructure in the mountains
Three additional drone videos provided to authorities by El Balcón residents document what appears to be LNFM operational infrastructure near the community. One recording shows a property surrounded by trees with five structures and at least seven individuals visible near chairs. Sources identify the location as El Filo de Yesqueros, adjacent to San Juan Tehuehuetla and opposite El Balcón.
The remaining videos show variations of the suspected base camp, including a group of people and what appears to be a camouflaged makeshift shelter in the vegetation, with several men handling objects near its entrance. These camps are located just kilometers into the mountains east of El Balcón, in territory where LNFM has consolidated control over the strategically important Mexico City-Acapulco corridor and portions of Guerrero, Michoacán, State of Mexico, and Morelos.
Founded in 2011 by brothers Johnny and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga following the splintering of the original La Familia Michoacana cartel, LNFM has become one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations. The U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga's arrest and up to $3 million for his brother José Alfredo. According to U.S. federal authorities, the organization traffics approximately 36 metric tons of methamphetamine, 12 metric tons of heroin and fentanyl, and 18 tons of cocaine annually into the United States.
Frustrated rescue efforts
Community members express growing frustration with the government response. One source told this newspaper there were opportunities to rescue the victims after the minor's release on October 1, when the boy provided information suggesting the captives had been moved toward Tierra Caliente, a warmer region that would explain the climate changes he experienced during his captivity.
Drone footage, witness accounts, and information from relatives pointed investigators toward the municipality of Arcelia in Tierra Caliente, hometown of LNFM leaders Johnny and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga. Late last week, local transportation workers organized blockades at the main entrances to Arcelia, apparently to prevent federal security forces from entering.
They mobilized them so the victims can't be rescued. That was the lead we had; now they must have moved them from there.
The case unfolds against a backdrop of escalating violence in Guerrero, where the homicide rate reached 37.5 per 100,000 people in 2024, making it one of Mexico's most violent states. More than 6,000 people have been displaced by violence in the Tierra Caliente region alone, according to human rights organizations, though displacement numbers remain largely undocumented.
El Balcón is part of a community of 18 ejidos across five municipalities in Guerrero known for responsible forestry activities. The broader context is even more troubling: more than 132,000 people have been reported missing in Mexico as of April 2026, a crisis human rights organizations describe as the country's most serious human rights emergency.
Local authorities are offering 1.5 million pesos for information leading to the whereabouts of the seven missing farmers. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado of the Morena party addressed the matter for the first time this week, stating:
We will spare no resources or effort to find your loved ones and return them home.
Despite the governor's assurances, the case has received limited national attention, failing to generate sufficient pressure for full deployment of the federal Security Cabinet. As time passes without resolution, families and community members continue waiting for answers about their missing neighbors.
