Murder of Michoacán Activist Exposes Deadly Cost of 'Green Gold' Trade

A land defender's killing on the day he planned to expose theft uncovers a brutal cycle. Cartels, avocados, and impunity turn Michoacán's forests into a war zone.

, and Administrator

2026 April 21 . 5:02 AM

1 min read

The image shows a tree stump in the woods with a group of coral fungi growing on it, surrounded by... — The image shows a tree stump in the woods with a group of coral fungi growing on it, surrounded by dried leaves on the ground.

Murder of Michoacán Activist Exposes Deadly Cost of 'Green Gold' Trade

Roberto Chávez had an appointment to denounce the plundering of his land this Tuesday, but the 'system' was more efficient than the bureaucracy: they silenced him on Sunday, April 12th

With him, the number of environmental defenders murdered or disappeared in Michoacán has reached 70. In this country, it seems that protecting a tree is more dangerous than founding a cartel, and the numbers don't lie.

What we are seeing in Michoacán is not 'social chaos,' it is a perfectly executed paramilitary economic strategy.

'Green Gold' has transformed productive forests into avocado orchards controlled by groups like the Los Sierra Cartel. The business model is simple: they illegally log trees, change land use at gunpoint, and physically eliminate any community leader who dares to mention the word 'law.'

While the Federal Government poses for photos at international forums talking about sustainability, on the ground the reality is that the Attorney General's Office only shows up to collect the body.

Names like Raúl Hernández and Alfredo Cisneros are now just tombstones on a list that no one in the air-conditioned offices of Mexico City wants to read. The sovereignty they boast so much about ends where the first illegal export orchard begins.

How long will we continue consuming this 'ecocide' disguised as agricultural success?

Is the government incapable of protecting its citizens, or is the flow of foreign currency from avocados too sweet to question who grows them?

If you care more about the price of salsa than the lives of these 70 brave people, the problem isn't just the cartel; it's all of us citizens.

A publication by David Mente De Acero

Michoacan Post